So, when the government gets the boot and is replaced by a coalition you know that what plays out is the true feeling of the population mixing with the true intentions of the parties. And, all of the sudden, it seems like the pub is not the flavour of the month with the new British government:

The association, whose members account for 98pc of beer brewed in the UK and own more than half of Britain's 54,000 pubs, believes that the increased cost of a pint could have a damaging impact on trade. It is so concerned about the effects that a VAT rise would have that it is planning to ask the Government for a compensatory reduction in beer duty. George Osborne, the Chancellor, is widely expected to increase VAT from 17.5pc to 20pc as part of the Government's plan to cut the UK's deficit. Experts have warned that the potential impact of a VAT rise could leave some ordinary families £3,000 a year worse off.

Where is the two dimensional Minister of the Pub now? What says Clegg, the LibDem Deputy PM, about the over taxation of pubs? We need to face facts. In the early 1990s Canada went through this and our great centre-left Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, led the way. He cut and taxed to avoid the nightmare scenario of a country unable to control its own finances. That is what the UK faces and what the UK must face. How much better to face it with a scheme to pay the way through a national program to pony up for the beer and the full taxes levied against it. Beer would truly be best if the result was fiscal stability. Beats the hell out of buying a savings bond every pay cheque.