Some book or other

Hello,

           an amount of gnashing has gone on in the last few days (I missed the initial hoo-ha) about a book that has been published which the publishers and editorial team are keen on selling. By sheer co-incidence, around the time of publication, The Good Pub Guide's editor wrote an ill informed, slightly pejorative piece about a subject that we as pub goers likely know plenty about, and more pertinently, care about. The contentious note in question suggested that thousands of bad pubs would close because they deserved to. Bold stuff!

The ensuing wave of indignation was understandable - and having just been on a trip round some fairly, Christ, how shall I put this "down to earth" pubs only yesterday, I could have sought to provide a long list of completely excellent pubs that for whatever reason wouldn't get in, if nothing else, because I seriously doubt they would want to pay an alleged £199.00 to be included in the guide (even assuming they met the criteria for inclusion).

But what would be the point ?

Underpinning this is the ringing of tills (I can't think of a sound that can be linked to the processing of on-line transactions!) and the steady increase in awareness of the book has probably done nobody involved with it any harm.

The best way to react to the book's editor's apparent contentment with multiple pub closures is to go to them thus helping keep them open, and to remember that the subjectively titled book has its own agenda, and you pay to get in it. The only difference between that and the GBG is that the GBG is free to be included in. Despite conspiracy theories to the contrary.....

So for the same reason I no longer react to BrewDog "controversies", which is a word very similar to contrivances by the way, I intend to just sit back and let the book in question get on with being sold to people who would be buying it anyway. Irrespective of what I or anyone else who appreciates the less obvious qualities of British pubs, may think.

And if it helps, I will be buying neither the GBG or Good Pub Guide in the next 12 months.

So I win.

Beef-a-tronic.