Star comment: Time to make choices, Chancellor can't help everyone
As Putin’s War rages, as the price of fuel increases to 179p per litre, as energy bills spiral and food prices rise and as NHS waiting lists remain out of control, there is more sobering news. With so many challenges and with inflation so high, people might be forgiven for retreating to the pub to down a decent pint.
Those who do, however, are in for even more bad news. The cost of a pint has gone up by around 45p as the costs of ingredients rise and as the energy needed to brew and transport beer has escalated rapidly. Heating pubs has also become a more expensive business.
The same is true for food in those venues that serve it. While people were formerly able to eat at modest prices, costs are increasing substantially. Landlords are simply trying to cover their costs.
It’s hard not to have sympathy for those in the hospitality sector, which has been so hard hit by both Covid and Brexit. Staff have made an exodus during the past two years and it’s no longer as easy to hire European staff. That’s not all: the cost of European ingredients is significantly higher and landlords are still clearing debts for losses incurred when beer went down the drain during the stop-start lockdowns.
The issue is that prices are going up across the board, fuelled by increased energy costs. The Chancellor will this week give his Spring Statement. He will probably help some with home fuel bills and maybe cut duty on petrol at the pumps. But he cannot help everyone because this problem is global. Instead, we must all make choices, whether that’s by reducing the temperature on the thermostat or cutting down on pints of Guinness.
It’s a bit like being out of house arrest. From being banned from leaving these shores, we have gradually seen the shackles loosen and now we are free to leave, without the need to fill in forms or answer any awkward questions.
Today we list just a few of the countries welcoming us with open-arms. After two years of great uncertainty, it is an opening up of our world that many of us feared would never come. Of course it is also wonderful news for many smaller countries for whom tourism is a lifeline. And closer to home, it secures jobs in our travel agents after a torrid time for the industry.
The pandemic brought an unexpected boom for many staycation businesses in the UK. While the world is opening up, one suspects home-grown tourism will still boom this summer. One thing Covid has brought us is a new-found love for our own wonderful country.
