I noticed on an f2c (freedom2choose) front page article some amazing comments by a gentleman from the organisation known as CAMRA. Their spokesman came up with the following pearls of wisdom:-
Camra said while the smoking ban might have been responsible for an initial drop in pub trade, customers soon adapted . Leicester branch chairman Keith Williams said: "The reason people are staying away from pubs is the credit crunch – and supermarkets because of selling cheap beer"

As a simpleton who has muddled through life for more than half a century I simply cannot understand how people like Mr Williams hold any form of office whatsoever-I really can't!.
Let us delve into this myriad of excuses for pub & club failures shall we?
The Credit Crunch- 0h sorry, did that appear before July 1st, 2007? Ummmmm-NO!
What actually occurred was that nasty piece of legislation which quickly drove the hard & fast regular drinkers out of the pubs & clubs! Smoking or not smoking has never impeded my sense of taste when pint of the chosen nectar is in my hand, indeedy not sir! I don't need to slobber beer round the inside of my mouth like some billious whale to get the taste. I also don't need to sniff the 'bouquet' either-I know what I ordered at the bar and most likely watched it sploshing into the glass ready for my consumption. The lunatics who run the CAMRA asylum see things slightly differently however and promoted the smoking ban as, in their view, experts of the rich nutty flavour etc would enjoy said nutty flavours considerably more once smokers had been excommunicated.
Little did the fools realise that when there were no pubs left for them to install 'real ales' in, they (CAMRA) would become obsolete-as would their bouquetish nutty flavoured ales!
Cheap Supermarket Beer. oh? was that a prominent feature of our lives before July 1st, 2007? Ummmmm-NO!
Supermarkets have been selling cheap beer since they first got licences to do so. They were called 'loss leaders' to entice more people into the stores but they never held much proportion of total beer sales.
However, since the ban, supermarkets have seen a rapid rise in alcohol sales for the simple reason that the regular drinker-smokers now refuse to spend their 'hard earned' in a place that can no longer welcome them because of some draconian piece of legislation. Amazingly, and probably much to CAMRA's chagrin, I have witnessed some of their members advancing to the checkout with a trolleyfull of drinkables (and on more than one occasion I might add).
Lets add a few more here shall we?
The Recession-well that's what it was called as we first slipped into financial decline, but which came first? Ummmmmm-the smoking ban! It is amazing that people blame the recession (now a credit crunch) for lack of money circulating. it was circulating very nicely prior to July 1st, 2007. but when 25% of the population were 'leperised' by this law 70% of an awful lot of pubs & clubs customer base disappeared. And why not? Who wants to stand in some half built, ramshackle construction, not fit for pigs, in the freezing cold or the rain or wind just to say they had been down the local for an hour or two? Not many, to my mind.
Beer Tax Rises- damn the chancellor for being so greedy! But has this closed pubs/clubs so prolifically previously? Ummmmm-NO!
The recession of the 70's produced the pub trades best ever time, in fact the pub trade 'peaked' as more and more people found solace in the pubs & clubs bemoaning their individual poverty status. What the most misappropriately named 'Darling' has found is that his vindictive nannyist, bullyboy (and girl) government have done is to cut their own financial throats with this ludicrous ban. 1.7 million pints per day less being consumed than before the ban means a hell of a lot of revenue the treasury doesn't get anymore-hence 3p on a pint, for the all powerful treasury cannot do without their regular income from the populace. Smokers, for all their supposed sins, never batted an eyelid to such matters prior to July 1st, 2007, but this was a different ball game. As it is mainly non smokers that dribble into a pub this was a direct tax on THEM! hahahahaha!
They say they support the ban (more government hogwash) but they are paying for it as many thousands of smokers now drink at home, have garden parties where shelters of their own design and grandeur are erected. Oh yes! there are always an abundance of ashtrays as well-mostly from the pubs as they, apparently don't need them anymore! This is the smokers turn to laugh in the face of adversity for as Mr Williams (the pre-mentioned buffoon above) states, "customers have adapted". Well they certainly have Mr 'W' for they have made their own bars, their own shelters,and their own parties. They have realised that you don't necessarily need a pub or club to enjoy having a drink anymore-and they will take some wooing back when this idiotic ban is amended. Some probably won't return-why should they?
Finally I must mention the ludicrous "statistics" appearing in apparent celebration of the 2 year anniversary of the saddest, most despicable law ever imposed by any government in this country. 80% agree with the ban trumpets one local newspaper, obviously unaware that 20%+ of the local pubs have gone in their area. Estimated that 40,000 lives have been saved bellows another 'up HMG's arse' rag! Now how have they come up with that unbelievable figure (mind you, most of their figures are unbelievable to start with!). It cannot be proven that one life has been saved just as it cannot be proven that SHS kills you but this government backed media frenzy cannot help themselves other than to glorify in substantial, unsubstantiated figures. But then they do have to do that don't they or the smokeban flop (sorry successful experiment) will be seen for what it truly is-an economic 'Titanic' threatening peoples livelyhoods every day of the week. Let's see, we are past the 4,000 business closure figure already-and it is a success(?)
If this continues-and it surely will until common sense prevails-then something called a pub will be a novelty item, occasionally spotted on long car journeys: "oh look kids, I used to go in one of those-many years ago-used to be good fun too!"
I suppose if we all stay at home and drink we'll all get a bit fatter and then there will be fines for not adhering to the newly invented 'BMI' regime (Sir Liam please take note here!), supermarkets will get even richer, kebab shops will be banned, a never ending lawsuit between McDonalds and the government will fill the daily papers and the only social contact with those outside our house will be when the men in black zip us into the bag ready for the morgue.
Isn't it marvellous when you think of just how a government can be so completely ignorant when it comes to caring for its people! mind you we still have Mr Williams of CAMRA caring-OMG!