The 99p pint - D'you want a flake in that

This isn't where I first heard the story as I understand it to be a national decision, but I was not surprised this morning when I picked up the local rag and saw the outrage headline. Oh no pints of beer down to 99p, this is the end of the world.

Let's face it, Britain does have a drinking problem and a drinking culture, but is it really the fault of Weatherspoons? I've known a few alcoholics, in fact my uncle died an alcoholic. Guess what, it wasn't the social atmosphere of a PH (ironic Abbreviation) that drove him to drink and that wasn't the place he liked do it. Funnily enough, they don't let you drink from the bottle of whiskey.

When I was kid, I liked to drink and get stupidly drunk. Beer and Ale were not really on the menu for that as ..well...they ain't that easy to drink. if you want to get wasted, you drink something that tastes like lemonade or ribena and still lets you think you're the dogs, so you can snog the girl next door, pick a fight with prick across the way and still be home in time for 'The Word' Alright...stuff'n'nonsense. But it seems that Alcopops are no longer in season for abuse.

And how come we have got such a drink problem in this country? Last time I read the Daily Mail (forgive me father) there were more Muslims in this country than anyone else. Well they're not falling out of pubs and stumbling into kebab houses....are they?

So apparently, this move by The 'spoons will lead to other pubs following suit. I hope so as they are a bit shit, but I doubt it. Most PHs in this country are owned by capitalist Breweries who have been doing their best to drive the British Pub into the ground so they can change them into flats and probably not even give the ousted Landlord the chance to buy one. Don't ever investigate this price fixing do they. Just the supermarkets. And on the subject of tosser breweries, how can this be legal. I'll leave that for another time.

'If we stop the supermarkets selling cheap booze, the problem will be solved'. I don't think so, as they still sell the basic ingredients and DIY is getting popular in the 'Credit Crunch'*TM. I can find a still. And because some irresponsible shopkeeper or parent lets kids but cheap booze, then I have to suffer as well. No way. Enough of my hard earned cash already goes to bailing out the real scum, they want my money, Taxloss. When will they understand that if they just spent some of this money on making areas of Bristol (slag heap) more hospitable, pleasant and varied so to attract a range of people, then things might just change, and people will happily have a drink and chat with the teenage rebel and bitter old pensioner, instead of snogging one and thumping the other without spilling a drop.

Until the glorious day comes I shall continue to drink my pints of Guinness. Although I may change to Greene King IPA for the next few weeks.