Messages from absent friends - and even the BBC is interested!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 8:58 Beautiful sunny day in London. Total contrast to yesterday.
The hotel where I stayed overnight has thoughtfully provided an iMac in every room and the broadband is lightning fast - well, lightning fast compared to the service at home.
In approximately eight hours we will be welcoming guests to the Save Our Pubs & Clubs reception at the House of Commons.
I don't want to tempt fate (people can be remarkably fickle) but the news is that the event is significantly over-subscribed. Almost 300 people have registered to attend. If they all turn up it's going to be a bit of a scrum, but rather that than no interest at all.
Anyway, it's going to be a pretty hectic day so excuse me if I don't blog. Full report to follow tomorrow.
In the meantime I will leave you with two messages that I have received from absent friends.
From Joe Jackson:
"Sorry I can't be with you today. I am in Berlin, where there is a choice of smoking and nonsmoking spaces, business is good, and everyone is happy. It really is time for the UK government to stop promoting fear and intolerance, stop blurring the line between public and private places, and let publicans set their own policies in their own pubs."
From Antony Worrall Thompson:
"I am sorry I can't be with you today as I'm on my way to catch a flight to Holland because they have seen sense and done a u-turn and amended their ban so they now allow single room bars to choose. At last, a sign of common sense! Let's hope more countries take this lead. It's all about choice - we don't need nannying - we're grown ups. Have great, productive event."
The BBC is reporting the event here: MPs campaign to relax smoking ban in pubs
See also: MPs join campaign to change smoking ban (Morning Advertiser)
Campaign fighting for rethink over smoking ban (Bristol Evening Post)
PS. Weather forecast isn't so good from mid afternoon. Fingers crossed!
Reader Comments (5)
Another one here: http://www.pr-inside.com/ticap-welcomes-campaign-to-amend-smoking-ban-r2677742.htm
So, AWT can't come to the reception because he's going to Holland where they have seen sense with regard to the smoking ban. What on earth does that mean and what will he do when he gets there?
He can find time to promote his new book on loose women and The Wright Stuff, but he can’t find the time to attend the most important date in Forest’s calendar this year as patron of Forest.
Some patron!
Can`t make it, but have written letter to my MP. Richard Bacon. Doubt if he`ll be there though !
Good event, with sensible speeches. It was a pleasure to be in such sane company for a while. Well done and good luck with the campaign.
Much as I love AWT, his interest in the Forest cause does seem to be waning a little. At the start of this year he was on the radio saying how he'd tried to give up smoking last year but had "fallen off the wagon," but said that he was going to try again and that "years ending in 1 seemed to be the most successful" for him, so perhaps he'd succeed in giving up in 2011. I don't doubt that he still supports Forest's aims, but I'm sure he's a busy man, as all successful people are, and if his Forest role is being pushed lower and lower down his priority list then perhaps it's time for Forest to find another, rather less apologetic and rather more enthusiastic (and, dare I say, rather more vocal) patron.
To be honest, all the signs are there of someone who might, before too very long, announce that he is standing down from the role due to "other commitments," so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start putting out some feelers now. Maybe you know better, Simon, because clearly you know the man better than I do, but looking at the situation from the outside, as I am, it looks as if a little bit of pre-planning might not go amiss ...