Tuesday 12 February 2008

The GBG Matters to Publicans


I had an irate phone call from one of our publicans following our Good Beer Guide Selection Meeting held last Saturday. He is a current GBG entry but he'd heard he hadn't been voted in for 2009. Why? This is a tricky situation, but I answered him honestly. He hadn't got enough votes. There was no slur on his beer keeping, it was just that on the day, those voting were persuaded better of the merits of others. He wasn't a happy bunny at all and took the view that he'd bar all CAMRA members if he wasn't in. Plenty drink in his pub he said. That I said, was up to him.

I do understand his frustration, but we operate a democratic system. Every member is entitled to come along and vote and each gets a personal invitation by post. He simply lost out to that democratic process. Maybe he will bar CAMRA members that drink in his pub, but he'd have been better off joining himself and corralling his regulars to support him. It is when democracy is left to others that you suddenly realise that another definition of democracy is "everyone gets what nobody wants!"

CAMRA'S GBG 2009 will be out later this year. All CAMRA Branches are currently engaged in the selection process. If you are a member, please join in. If you are not, please join then join in!

8 comments:

Mark Edwards said...

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face. Threatening to bar CAMRA members is both childish and undeliverable.

He doesn't know me yet if I were to walk in my pub and get served it would be against his wishes.

Silly little man! He says plenty drink in his pub. Methinks he actually needs them far more than they need him!

Anonymous said...

I think you should be careful talking about pubs you know nothing about.

Anonymous said...

I realise there are space limitations but do pubs have to have a certain percentage of votes or do you have a set number of entries for the book ?

Sat In A Pub said...

Each branch of Camra have a set number of pubs they can submit for the guide.

Kieran Haslett-Moore said...

It seems odd that there would be a set number, what if all the pubs in a particular area were serving fantastic real ale?

Anonymous said...

I have long argued with HQ about their quota system.We have often had to leave out pubs which were better than those included by other branches because we had so many first class pubs and they didn't.The GBG can never claim to include the best so many pubs in the country as long as the quota system continues.

Anonymous said...

You shouldn't comment on something you know nothing about.

Tandleman said...

I don't!