The Ethics of Beer

The little market town I live in has a 'Pound Pub'. It used to be called 'The Mayze' and once upon a time was a busy pub with a lovely secluded beer garden. The whole transition to a Pound pub literally happened over night but I think as the Mayze it hadn't been doing well for some time, I personally had it down to close or the Castle pub directly next door to close, both I thought were owned by the Yard glass pub company so I thought but the company behind the Pound pub is called Here for Your Hospitality who I think are under the umbrella of Sporting Inns, I really don't know... or care.

So as you cross the river into my town you're greeted by the Pound Pub sign which looks like it's been crayoned by a seven year old and completely goes against the impression the town gives on the initial bridge approach. The name is also something of a misnomer as an actual pint costs £1.50, a half costing a £1. Friends tell me there's a range of budget beers at £1.50 with cheap bottles and some more expensive drinks. The internal decor which is reasonably good hasn't changed, just the outside sign and the beer pumps inside. 

The ethics and indeed the psychology of these new pubs worry me. Governments have sought to regulate beer prices to curb alcohol excess which is now of concern in a society in which cheap alcohol is readily available in many pub chains, shops and supermarkets. Where is the governments moral conscience on these new type of pubs? Nowhere to be seen as yet seemingly.

In town we already have several cheap pubs offering beer at around the £2 mark or just under, then there's the Wetherspoons chain who sell cheaply but I'll defend them by saying their pubs are generally nice affairs, some of the newer ones are lovely and they offer quality beers and food at value for money prices. Let's be honest who doesn't like a cheap pint? Sadly what we have in this country today in many areas are run down pubs selling cheap beer that attract, well to put it politely - the wrong type of people.

This new bargain pub economy is simple though, sell cheaply and sell more. The psychology is much more sinister and manipulative. Whether alone or with friends, you're going to be tempted to linger just to have one more cheap pint, then another and on it goes. These companies buy the beer cheaply as its coming up to its sell by date with the goal of selling it before this happens or maybe in some cases still selling it after, the reality being you're not getting the product at its best by any means.

Personally I don't begrudge anyone a cheap pint in these tough economic days but I can't help feeling the whole industry has shot itself in the foot in the past with the rapid greedy price rises only to have to make u-turn because people simply weren't paying or opting for supermarket priced beer instead. In my eyes the industry peaked around the millennium and has been in decline ever since. The last I read around 25 or so pubs closing nationally a week, though in fairness new ones are opening, I'm not sure on the closing/opening ratio though. Ideally I think the £2.50 - £3 marker is fair for a pint though obviously you're going to pay more for premium, craft or imported beers. At fair price I think people self regulate really, sure we're all going to have blow outs but we're also conscious of cost whilst partaking in normal social drinking, money being a finite and not an infinite reality for us.

The new Pound Pubs bring nothing to the table of the great British pub tradition which has been built on character and individuality, they are the McDonalds of the pub world. They will propagate binge drinking to greater irresponsible levels and can only serve to increase social problems. Alas such is the nature of the British high street now, festooned with pound stores, betting outfits, charity shops, discount clothing marts and money lenders. It's almost like the centre of towns across the land have lost all self respect whilst unprincipled businessmen and corporate clowns are determined to purloin every last penny from gullible pockets in the guise of value for money.

Charity Choices

The 'charity' word seems to be a daily occurrence these days. Turn on your Tv set and you're greeted by adverts asking you to donate to a whole multitude of charities and institutions. Walk through town and usually you'll notice someone with a collection tin or more often than not these days a clipboard who wants you to part with money or donate it via monthly direct debit. Retire to your home or the local pub and there's still no respite, a Tv application on my ipad now has charity appeal adverts before the app starts and pubs often have charity tins or events. Basically charity appeals are everywhere.

As a nation the British are very generous, we give millions unquestioningly away every year to countless charities. Many are very just causes and we all identify with different charities because of how life has shaped us whether it be having lost a friend or family member to cancer or a love of wildlife and pets. I don't have a problem with people giving to a charity but I certainly do object to how in your face charities are these days from the above examples to 'chuggers' (slang for charity muggers) chasing your through a town centre to coerce you using simple psychology or fake bonhomie to part with your cash. Charity is big business nowadays, high streets are lined with their shops staffed by wage free volunteers with our second hand items marked up at a handsome price. Such shops even get tax breaks and incentives so invariably profits rise. I'm not knocking charity shops, I've bagged many a bargain in them but a recent radio debate about them highlighted just how they are making it pay with prices comparable to some high street chains.

How many billions have we given to charity to save malnourished or diseased Africans over the decades and yet the suffering still goes on. Many questions boil down to ethics. Are we actually solving matters at the root of the problem or just stemming the tide? The moral philosopher Peter Singer once said;

'The interests of all persons ought to count equally, and geographic location and citizenship make no intrinsic difference to the rights and obligations of individuals'.

As I mentioned earlier its not unreasonable to question peoples reasons for giving but do we always give to causes in the greatest needs? And how can we with so many? There's other ethical reasons like should we give to charity as it can interfere with the autonomy and self determination of the recipient or they may live in a country who has a questionable regime?

Dr Neil Levy argued that charity can be self defeating if it allows the state to escape its responsibilities. Another good argument by Reinhold Niebuhr in his work 'Moral Man and Immoral Society' raises the point that negro schools (back in the 20s/30s) were good at addressing self realisation and learning but no good at solving social injustices negro's suffered at the time.

Moving on from heavy ethical or utilitarianism arguments to me charity has to be something tangible, I need to see or at least feel that my money is making a difference. An example? Well last week I was asked to donate to Sport Aid and politely refused. Although there were incentives such as a raffled prizes I often feel such circumstances that I'm not really sure where my money is going. Later that day I donated a small amount to a local bird sanctuary that often displays the wild birds it cares for on my local market place. The point being in donating to the latter I can see the birds are being cared for, I can readily see where my money is going. Lastly I'd like to add regarding Sport Aid that how many top earning football stars donated a weeks wages for it?

Returning to the Africa subject. I once had a chat with a civil engineer guy who was working out there and had been responsible for installing water wells in remote villages. They instructed the tribes people to use the water when needed and not leave the well tap running. On returning a few days later they found the well almost bereft of water and more alarmingly noticed people drinking water from the ground of the partly flooded village, even worse on turning a corner they noticed a man defecating nonchalantly just yards from where children were drinking water from the ground. This goes back to the earlier point of solving the root of the problem or just stemming it.

Ironically we can send money to distant African nations to seemingly apathetic people we see on the tv screens yet we vilify our own poor, many of whom are having to go to food banks because of financial hardship or economic circumstance. 

My grandmother always used to say the phrase 'Charity begins at home' which is derived more from John Wycliffe and John Fletcher than as some claim - The Bible. In these times of austerity and economic hardship I feel that more than ever we need to stop and think where our money is actually going and what exactly its being use for. I do empathise with people in the third world, in fact I like to think I empathise with people the world over but I won't be cajoled or made to feel I have to give to charity just because others around me are, for me its about an informed choice and a personal one.