Last orders

We are in the middle of a revolution - and nobody seems to care. Either that, or the rapid demise of our pubs is going unnoticed by the majority of the population.

The truth is, pubs are closing at a record rate. According to the British Beer and Pub Association, we are currently losing 28 a week. Back in 1980, there were 69,000 pubs in the UK; today there are 52,000 - and the decline has been particularly pronounced in the past four years.

Today I was back at work at my main place of employment in Bristol. Within just a few minutes' walk of my office there are several boarded-up old pubs that will probably never serve a drink again.

The Phoenix is one of them. It sits just a few yards from the latest jewel in Bristol's crown - the Cabot Circus shopping centre, with its Harvey Nicks, House of Fraser and fat wallets.

The last pint was pulled on New Year's Eve in 2008 and since then it has been a boarded-up eyesore, its brass light fitments disappearing in the night.

One website quoted a sale price of £150k, rent of £10k per year and £100k to put right the interior. The dreaded word 'asbestos' has been mentioned as a potential deal-breaker, as Phil and Kirsty would put it.

If we're honest about it, pubs like this one need a miracle. Mind you, inspired management of the kind displayed at Stroud's Crown and Sceptre (see yesterday's blip) would certainly help some struggling pubs to avoid closing down in the first place.

So why no outcry?

It's surprising the politicians haven't said or done more. The BBPA puts the industry's total tax bill at £6.1 billion a year, with every pub contributing £107,000 in tax a year - 30% of turnover. This means pub closures over the last year have cost the Government more than £254 million in lost taxes. Job losses add another £1.53 million a week in job seekers' allowance.

But what about the man and woman in the street? Do they care? I think the answer has to be 'no'. In this age of DVDs, downloads and cheap supermarket beer, no one wants to traipse down the road to the pub any more.

An institution that has been at the heart of society for centuries seems to be on its way out. The Phoenix may never rise from the ashes.