The Measure of Success

You are visiting London and want me to show you the sites.  I just know you wouldn't be interested in a 150 year old pub with a history and tales to tell.  I just know you would rather this corner was a glass tower with a Starbucks at ground level and loads of offices and apartments above it, that's why you've travelled half way around the world, right?  I know you'd be impressed with how much money the developer has made in the past couple of years right?  Isn't that the measure of success?

The Pub sells Pieminister pies (a successful company based in Bristol that uses locally produced ingredients), they are proud of their selection of real ales, craft beers, lagers, single malts and selection of wines. It's a live music venue with an in-house-label for regulars with their CD's on sale at the bar.  Locals, both the hipster type, and the regular oldies rub shoulders here over their preferred tipple.  (Charles Dickens lodged just up the road as a child).  The owner of the building is a company registered in an off-shore tax haven - isn't that a measure of success?

Locals want to keep their pub just as it is.  They won the battle to prevent the demolition of the pub.  However now the pub has been advised of the new rent increase that takes effect in October, it will mean the pub has to close.  That's OK though as the landlord will get more rent from the new tenant.  Isn't that a measure of success?

Oscar Wilde said "people know the price of everything and the value of nothing".

This Saturday supporters will do a pub crawl around other threatened pubs and end up here at the Gladstone pub.  Why don't you join them.