Arise, Sir Tim, slayer of smoking and vaping in Britain's pubs

I'm a bit late to this but, just for the record, I wanted to respond to those who recently celebrated the knighthood awarded to Tim Martin, founder and chairman of Wetherspoon, in the New Year honours list.

I have nothing against Wetherspoon pubs, and I admire Sir Tim (as we should now call him) as a businessman, but I would remind those singing his praises, especially those who opposed the smoking ban, that he is arguably partly responsible for the comprehensive ban that was introduced in every pub and bar across Britain.

Truth is, until Martin stuck his oar in, the pub industry was largely united in opposing a blanket ban on smoking in pubs and bars.

The degree of opposition may have varied from body to body, but Martin’s intervention in April 2004, when he broke ranks and called for a ban on smoking in pubs and bars across Britain, was a genuine game changer because it altered the dynamic, and the conversation.

Although he later claimed his comments had been "misinterpreted", no clarification was needed in January 2005 when it was reported that Wetherspoon was to introduce an immediate ban on smoking in 60 of its 650 pubs, with a view to extending the policy to every Wetherspoon pub by May 2006.

According to the Guardian:

The company already includes non-smoking areas in its 650 pubs, but intends to make them all no-go zones for smokers two years before government legislation on smoking in public places comes into effect.

"An increasing percentage of the population are giving up smoking, and a significant number of people are staying away from pubs and restaurants because they are too smoky," Tim Martin, the Wetherspoon chairman, said.

At the time the Labour Government favoured a partial ban with exemptions for pubs that didn't serve food, but Martin criticised that too:

... pointing out that pubs could get around it by giving up food sales. "We believe the Wetherspoon approach of a complete ban after a period of notice is the right one," he added.

You only have to read the Guardian report (Wetherspoon pubs to ban smoking) to see how little support Martin had from the main trade bodies, the British Beer and Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeepers.

Nevertheless, by planting his flag firmly in the prohibitionist camp, Martin encouraged those demanding a comprehensive ban, while his interventions generated a huge amount of coverage that helped fuel the drive toward prohibition.

What was less widely reported was the subsequent decision, in March 2006, to abandon the ban on smoking in a limited number of Wetherspoon pubs 'after the company faced plunging alcohol and slot machine revenues and a backlash from increasingly disgruntled regular customers'.

See: 'JD Wetherspoon ends no-smoking trial' (Guardian).

By then, of course, MPs had already voted in favour of the blanket ban Martin had advocated, so the company's volte-face was way too late to influence government policy the other way.

Instead, it appeared to be a damage limitation exercise designed to protect the company until the new law was enforced in July 2007 when the no smoking regulation would apply to all pubs, whether they liked it or not.

In other words, there would be a level playing field, although the level playing field only extended to pubs with an outdoor space. Many small urban pubs where there was no outside space for smokers were well and truly f*cked.

As we now know, thousands of pubs closed following the smoking ban, and although there were several factors in addition to the ban, it was clearly one of the most significant.

Either way, in fuelling the campaign for a smoking ban in all pubs, Martin not only took a hatchet to consumer choice, he ultimately helped deny thousands of publicans the opportunity to choose their own policies based on customer demand.

In my view, the smoking ban left the country a poorer, less tolerant place because look at what's happened since the ban was introduced.

Not only have thousands of pubs gone out of business, some people are now so intolerant of the merest whiff of tobacco smoke, they want smoking banned outside pubs as well.

Also, let's not forget that in 2013 it was reported that Wetherspoon had banned the use of e-cigarettes inside all of its pubs as well.

I don't know if that is still the case (I can't remember the last time I went into a Wetherspoon pub) but, again, it makes me laugh that one of Sir Tim's biggest cheerleaders (yes, I'm talking about you, Chris Snowdon) is an ardent vaping advocate.

For whatever reason, in his lionisation of Sir Tim, Chris has chosen to overlook the unfortunate truth that the chairman of Wetherspoon is a prohibitionist.

To be clear, Martin is entitled to choose whatever policy he likes on smoking and vaping in his own pubs. Where he crossed the line was in calling for a ban on smoking in every other pub and bar as well.

That doesn't sit easy with me, and it never will.

The irony is that, despite being in favour of Brexit, Sir Tim was happy for the Government to impose a smoking ban on every pub and bar in Britain, much like the EU regularly imposes prescriptive policies on every member state regardless of whether they like it or not.

Presumably he wanted Britain to take back control of decision-making, but when it came to smoking in pubs he was happy for the UK government to impose its will on publicans and customers, just like the EU frequently imposed its policies on Britain.

So forgive me if I don’t celebrate Sir Tim Martin’s knighthood with quite the same enthusiasm as Chris, but it seems I have a slightly longer and less selective memory.

Comments

[Pat Nurse]

I agree. I cannot think of anyone who deserves it less than Martin. His selfish preference to enforce a blanket smoking ban on all pubs left to the ruthless destruction of smaller competitors and the death of diversity and the unique differing characteristics in the pub industry.

Look at pubs now. Too many of them are soulless bad restaurants that serve alcohol while screeching kids run wild learning to become alcoholics from their parents.

The best hope for a revival in the pub industry does not come from the likes of Martin but from the the individuals trying to bring back that original spirit of the pub we knew and lost with the opening of new micro pubs.

Martin probably got recognised for his enthusiasm in giving smokers a good kicking. That seems to be the only qualification one needs these days to be considered heroic or progressive.

[Misty]

To be honest, the honours system has become so corrupt these days that it merely now indicates someone who has chums in high places or who makes a big virtue-signalling song and dance about whatever fashionably conformist opinion is in the air at any given moment. I can’t think of a single person over the last 10 years or so who has received an honour, or a title, that – when you look at their track record – has actually done anything remotely remarkable. Often it’s the opposite – they’ve been remarkably awful in whatever field they are now being complimented for. It’s got to the point now where I have more respect for those people who are offered honours but turn them down than I have for people who are offered them and seize them eagerly in their greedy, self-serving hands.