Time to Bury Bad News

Ok, this isn't really about beer, imstead it's about a topic that's been done to death by our friends in the media over the last few months. I'm referring of course to the so-caled credit crunch and economic downturn.

Right, we all know that the housing market's taken a bit of a tumble and several of the big banks have screwed up in spectacular fashion, but why keep ramming it down our throats? It seems to me that certain journalists and other "media" types have taken a great delight over the past weeks and months in bringing us bad news. I would even go so far as to suggest that they have talked us into a recession.

This is not so far fetched as it seems. Keep telling people that things are getting tough and we're heading for trouble and guess what? they start tightening their belts. People rein in their spending and put certain purchases on hold "just in case". Major items, such as a new car or a foreign holiday are postponed and before one knows it, the whole thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. It's a bit like telling people not to panic buy petrol when there's a minor problem with tanker deliveries.

It's fair to say that good news doesn't sell newspapers, but why try and utterly depress us with tales of doom and gloom, financial meltdown and how we'll all be out of work by next Christmas? Most of the news reporters who trot out these depressing statistics day after day do so safe in the knowledge that their well-paid jobs are safe and secure, come what may.

I stopped buying a daily newspaper years ago, as I firmly believe papers only exist to make money for their proprietors. There's a lot of mileage in the saying "never let the truth get in the way of a good story", and that the only thing you can believe on the front of a newspaper is the date! I would urge others to take a leaf out of my book; stop buying these sordid publications and hit these doom-mongers where it really hurts - in their pockets!

As we approach the festive season let's try and lighten the mood a little and look around us. Despite what the media would have us believe, it isn't all bad. People have survived far worse times and although there will undoubtedly be casualties along the way we'll eventually pull through. Don't forget, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There are plenty of good things happening in the world; the media just don't want us to know about them.

So with Christmas fast approaching now's the time to look on the bright side. For beer lovers there will be plenty of seasonal brews available shortly, alongside those darker beers that are already on sale. What could be more satisfying than sitting in an unspoilt country pub, next to a roaring log fire, enjoying a glass of warming winter ale following a brisk walk across the frost-covered fields? As I raise my glass of Larkins Porter it's definitely time to bury bad news, along with all the prophets of doom who take great delight in bringing it to us!