I figured that last weekend would be a bit crowded in pubs, so I reserved time in my (not-so)busy diary to visit the pub yesterday. Monday is the new Saturday.
All went well. The pub I visited seem to have lots of measures in place, and well-trained staff.
I enjoyed an excellent couple of pints of a local brew (Loddon Brewery’s Citra-Quad, since you ask). I had a meal which was obviously well-familiar with the inside of a microwave but still, as they used to say, “filled a hole”.
So far, so uncontroversial.
….Until I tell you the name of the pub. Wetherspoons.
Cue: H.M Bateman cartoon retrospective: “The man who admitted, in polite company, to going into Wetherspoons”.
Yes, I am well aware of the views of the founder and Chairman. I know what he said about his staff upon lockdown (later U-turned). I know what he said about Covid in pubs (later U-turned with a £12 million package of anti-Covid measures). I know what he said about Brexit – I used to regularly put his leaflets on the floor under his tables.
I go to lots of other pubs and I am a shareholder in a local brewery.
Should I feel guilty about occasionally indulging the urge to use the Wetherspoons app and see a procession of drink and food coming to my table, borne by waiting staff?
If I boycott Wetherspoons, who would suffer the most? The mulleted foghorn or the overworked young waiter who was yesterday repeatedly saying to customers, in a very friendly way:
Can we please stick to the arrows?
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist. He is one of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.