Bensoir! It's me, Benjamin. I like to eat and drink. And cook. And write.

You may have read stuff I've written elsewhere, but here on my own blog as Ben Viveur I'm liberated from the editorial shackles of others, so pretty much anything goes.

BV is about enjoying real food and drink in the real world. I showcase recipes that taste awesome, but which can be created by mere mortals without the need for tons of specialist equipment and a doctorate in food science. And as a critic I tend to review relaxed establishments that you might visit on a whim without having to sell your first-born, rather than hugely expensive restaurants and style bars in the middle of nowhere with a velvet rope barrier, a stringent dress code and a six-month waiting list!

There's plenty of robust opinion, commentary on the world of food and drink, and lots of swearing, so look away now if you're easily offended. Otherwise, tuck your bib in, fill your glass and turbo-charge your tastebuds. We're going for a ride... Ben Appetit!

Monday, April 4, 2016

CAMRA's suicide note

I don't pay a whole lot of attention to CAMRA politics - I'm a member, but I'm not that kind of member - but over the last few days things have really gone a bit weird.

Some recent headlines made for interesting reading:

'Thanks to the hipsters, has the Campaign for Real Ale pulled its last pint?' asks the Telegraph, while the Indie wonders if the organisation is about to change its name and perhaps its entire remit. The BBC went with 'Should there be a crusade to save British pubs?', which, of course, is already heartland campaign territory, but there is a strong implication that this should become CAMRA's sole focus rather than worrying about all that 'real ale' nonsense.

So, it's pretty clear that a press release was widely circulated ahead of the AGM / Members Weekend in Liverpool, and whatever was in it has caused news outlets to jump to all kinds of fucked-up conclusions, right?

Or possibly the cart really was leading the horse on this occasion. Given that the title of the press release in question was: Is this the end of the Campaign for Real Ale?.

Yes, that's the actual title of a Campaign for Real Ale press release. Provocative? Confusing? Stupid?

Suicidal? Quite possibly.

Not so much the gentle winds of change, but somebody somewhere really pushing an angle that either CAMRA is in crisis (almost certainly not true in any sense; membership figures are at record levels) or that the organisation is about to make drastic policy changes.


However...


Once you get beyond the sensationalist hyperbole, the reality is a lot less radical: All over the country, over the next few months, CAMRA will be holding 'consultations' where members come together to air their opinions about the future direction of the campaign. That's it.

I'm attending one at the Southwark brewery in a couple of weeks time. Hopefully the beer will be good.

It's anticipated that at least of some those among the 177,000 members who can't be arsed to attend will fill in a survey. Voices will be heard. Voices of people like me who don't usually go to the AGM because we have better things to do, but who can be persuaded to attend a piss-up in a local brewery and express vaguely lucid opinions on the importance of making pubs assets of community value, or whether beer festivals should be allowed to serve British craft keg.

CAMRA really isn't at war with itself over its very soul. If anything the apathy of members is a bigger issue than zealotry.  

So, why that press release? Why the dramatic, apocalyptic tone? When not a single thing has been decided yet?

Shit sticks. Negative publicity lasts a long time. Giving the mainstream press - who won't pay any attention to the smaller detail - the overwhelming suggestion that a big consumer group is facing an existential threat will surely to little but undermine confidence.

They've got a couple of days worth of media attention out of it, sure, but it's bound to backfire.

1 comment:

  1. I've never understood this bollocks.

    A campaign for real ale, where the aim is to get the public to drink real ale, successfully encourages the public to be able to drink more real ale (due to it being more readily available via the hipster microbreweries). Therefore, the campaign for real ale has been a success and is no longer needed.

    It's a bit like if Save the Children managed to save the children, then they are no longer required as they have achieved their aim.

    I think CAMRA should stop. People are drinking real ale. Mission accomplished.

    Roy.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are always welcomed and encouraged, especially interesting, thought-provoking contributions and outrageous suggestions.