Monday, August 16, 2010

The Unwashed

The press in general and especially the odious Daily Express who loves to churn out doom on a regular basis are seemingly laying the smack down on the unemployed without mercy at the moment. They want you to think the unemployed are the great unwashed responsible for nearly everything going wrong in the country today. It's easy for the government and the press to lay the blame with people out of work, after all they are an easy target but are the newspaper editors and politicians really in touch? Do they empathise with the man in the street that may have just lost his job, or a single parent struggling to hold down a part time job and raise a child?

Have we become a society that is so divided we can look down on the less fortunate so readily? I ask you, who has the moral high ground in say a boss that plays games on Facebook for hours a week in his office whilst doing nothing or the man/woman who is out desperately searching for a job? And let's be honest here, jobs that just aren't there.

The government must be revelling in the press headlines at the moment, it makes there job easier when it comes to purging the less fortunate or making them even poorer.

I will readily admit that there are people that use and abuse the benefit system to their advantage but this has been going on for years now, through different governments. Gradually as Britain has shut down over the last 30 odd years and lost its industry successive governments haven't addressed the problems of growing unemployment, training and a growing populace in general. Back in the 80s the Tory government had the Youth Training Scheme but everyone knows it was just a way of keeping the unemployment figures down and giving employers free reign to exploit cheap labour, believe me, there was little training involved in the YTS.

Apprenticeships are seemingly unheard of these days were once they were commonplace. Initiatives aren't being taken to remedy the growing underclass. Most young people from working class families or families on benefits have low literacy levels but lets be honest society is on decline in many different ways.

I'm not sure if we are still actually in a recession technically, I suspect we are, jobs aren't readily available for sure. I realise there's problems, I realise people do take advantage but most importantly I realise there are genuine people out there wanting to work. The press will play devils advocate and raise questions regarding unemployed people or foreigners taking jobs because it's easy pickings. The press loves to peddle misery and be divisive, out of touch editors love to curry favour with out touch politicians whilst quaffing wine and eating business lunches unawares of thousands of miserable people out there desperately wanting work.

We are becoming more of a divided nation, a case of those of have, and those that have not. I'm pretty sure we've all used benefits of some sort in the past, especially as the last couple of decades have been turbulent employment wise. What we have in the benefit system is an amazing thing, unique in the world, like the NHS. Before we chastise the unemployed, berate people for claiming some form of helpful benefit take a moment think about the plight of those that genuinely need it and realise that the majority that do need it outweigh the ones that abuse the system.

As for me, I won't be joining silly Facebook groups that denounce the unemployed, I won't be buying into fluctuating figures of this and that regarding scrounging people on benefits from the press. There are thousands of people out there that need benefits, disabled people, war veterans, people with mental health - who are we to label them lesser citizens?

I feel for the average man out there that may have lost his job and may be losing hope due to the sense of apathy that comes with being out of work. As a nation though it seems the powers that be would prefer us to pour scorn upon them, decry them and lay the blame on them when it is past governments (mainly the Tories but Labour are guilty too) who have sold British industry out and encouraged cheap imports that are culpable.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Just Beer

Once upon a time pubs were places of tradition and character, places to socialise and forget your woes, places of laughter and a damn good English pint. Alas these days pubs and bars are fickle places, often changing hands, being refurbished or re-branded so they are appealing for the younger drinker. In some respects the traditional pub has been dying a slow death for a good while, many a country pub you pass are boarded up or in disrepair and in the towns and cities many pubs have been bought and turned into shops or living accommodation.

In Newark where I live some pubs have closed and new ones have opened. Most new pubs these days of course need to be versatile to bring the punters in, offering food, entertainment or other facilities to make things pay. If you think the days of traditional English pubs that just serve real ale were being consigned to history, slowly being swallowed up by big pub chains and turned into something else - then think again.

It's not often I get excited about pubs these days, not many really appeal to me in truth. Then suddenly a place comes along that captures my imagination, and that place is called 'Just Beer'.

Four local lovers of real ale have opened 'Just Beer' in town, in the swan and salmon yard near the river. The beauty of Just Beer is that it is a simple affair, no frippery, no neon lights, no advertising boards, no loud music - just a bar, chairs, tables and already a good atmosphere. Just Beer isn't big inside, it's small but that adds to the social aspect because it's conducive to socialising, people aren't sat in different corners staring at each other or being distracted by the television. I've been in several times now with friends and it's just nice to indulge in the increasingly forgotten art of conversation and socialising.

Four beers and and a cider are sold, all from local micro breweries - it's all nice and simple, no baffling array of drinks just quality local beer. When I'd sat in the pub for a while and soaked things in it all made sense and certainly is a refreshing change to Newark's pub scene.

Without wanting to go on about things it's fair to say I know a good pint, years of drinking the stuff for a start and working in a brewery for a good few years gift you with knowing good beer from bad and the beer in 'Just Beer' has been excellent. I'm not a real ale sycophant, I like it sure but I'll never be a real ale purist (I do like a lager when it's hot), that said I will definitely be spending more time in Just Beer and I can only wish it well for the future and commend the lads down there for doing such a great job with conviction and enthusiasm.

You can read more about 'Just Beer' - Here.