mercuryg

MrsVic, I was talking to Mr Darn the other day (over, of course, a plethora of pints and coffee with whsky in) and we both commented on how quiet it is on here. Perhaps it's time for you to drive around for a while and knock some old lady/gent/horse/sheep/cat over, so you can post another exciting 'incident' thread? Cheers Mercuryg

Then it should do so for all, not just those who's views don't sit with the current namby pamby let's be nice to the muslims cos we're scared of them politics of this current regime. To great fanfare and dismay in all the cases i;ve red of; every been to Finsbury? I'd suggest a visit, for educational purposes. The Home Office? The Police? Do you follow the daily incompetence that these two organisations get involved in? I'm glad you included the admission it may be a slight chance.

Nothing to add to that; well said Mrsvic.

Without being too obvious, that's precisely what a press release is for..... Damn right! A good days work done.

Are you talking about the owners of the Dun Cow? Forgive me if i'm wrong, but i'm sure the owner is Punch Taverns, who are the very reason that the Taverns landlady is having trouble. They charge extortionate rent, for the building and the beer.

Silly? It would be criminal! It would be the worst thing ever! The price of what, though? I mean, unless you're buying a house or somethign else ludicrously expensive things havn't changed much at all. If yuo have savings, fair enough you're going to lose out, but otherwise very little. Im not forgetting, of course, all those losing jobs through this thing - been there myself - but the price of a pint has lottel to do withthe credit crunch. Absolutely; there are other factors, however, like what time of day it is - I like to have a few beers in teh afternoon and read my paper - and who those people are. I'd rather stan in a bar with three people who hav something interesting to say than with a hundred arseoles. I'm not classing you with those !*!@# of course, Mr Darn, knowing you as I do..... Yep, had the same experience. But now that;s a contradiction; of people - and i'm generalising (and certainly not among them) can buy cheap beer at the supermarket then they will. You cite the credit crunch, and refuse to accept this very obvious point. I know of many people who choose to stay in, despite being able to afford far more beer than I can at the pub! That's a scary prospect - countless Mr Darn's....... It doesn't work like that; lowering the prices by a sufficient amount to attract punters in that manner would result in the publican making a loss; despite what many believe there does not exist the massive profit margin on a pint, it's a myth; we're talking about the possibility of pubs knocking ten, twenty pence off a pint, or offering them at £2 at certain times (something the government is set to legislate against) and, to be frank, saving 20p a pint isn't enough to take me from one bar to another.

WHATT?????? Hang on while I compose myself and consider a world without pubs.... If you buy your beer on credit then that is a problem; I doubt the much vaunted 'credit crunch' has had much of an effect on whether or not the regular drinker goes out for a few pints or not. I don;t find the club having a 'good atmosphere' I must say; an atmosphere, yes, but that's about it. I guess it depends what you're looking for in a pub. As for £2.60 a pint being a bit much, the club has the advantage of being part of a heavily subsidised organisation; the pubs, on the other hand, are at the mercy of the brewery price structure (and that's all of them, not just the Tavern). having worked in the trade and been responsible for buying in stock, the profit on a pint at, say, a Punch Taverns house is not as great as one would believe at first, and the landlord/landlady has no leeway on that. Until something is done about supermarkets selling alcohol as a loss leader then the pub trade is going to struggle.

Indeed, mrsvic, indeed; it would be no surprise if more pubs were to close in Bedlington in the coming months, and no surprise if the Tavern were among them as they have to cope with the same problems as every other drinking establishment. As someone who is very much a regular, I can say i've never been asked to lend them money; that's not to say others havn't, but to suggest they're ringing people up three or four times a day pleading for dosh is a bit bloody silly. In addition, quite why the council would stump up anything for what is a Punch Taverns tied house I can't possibly see; they havn't, and they wouldn't. It makes no sense to anyone who has any. What I would suggest is that, rather than sitting on here all day spouting off about this, that and the other pub closing down, we should get out there and give them some custom. We are the ones who lose out when the bars shut, after all. Sarah runs a friendly pub that is a pleasant plave to enjoy a few pints; at weekends they put bands on and offer the town some much needed entertainment. I, for one, would miss them if they had to go.

I guess that makes me a 'cool kid' then....... I think the landlady you saw in there was not, as it happens, the North's; Mary would not bring herself to venture into an establishment where people are giving their money across the counter to someone else....no, it was she from the Grapes. My opinion? I like the place; it's friendly, Sarah and Ian are good people, decent pint and on Friday and Saturday nights the only place with anyone in. Mind you, I'm party to a few in the afternoon generally, so evening visits are a rarity for me......

Eloquent, mrsvic, but then that's what I would expect......

Not sinking - mother was one of the first inhabitants. House still standing. Ground not falling. As for the empty patch of land, the original plans showed a group of shops and a pub. Still no sign of either.