George shuts day after successful Wanstead Beer Festival - what next?

So the George pub in Wanstead closed it's doors, as a Wetherspoons pub on the day after a successful second Wanstead Beer Festival. The Wetherspoons George closed on Sunday 13 October, amidst many emotional farewells and memories recalled. So it is goodbye to the George but hello to the George and Dragon. The new owners, Urban Pubs and Bars (UPB), have restored the original 18th century name to the pub. The UPB group run a number of successful pubs across London. The main concern, though, with the loss of the George under Wetherspoons stewardship is price. In these difficult financial times, the George has always offered reasonably priced food and drink. It has been a place that anyone can go to, across the generations. Sometimes, just a place to keep warm, have a drink and a bit of company. It is the loss of this facility, a positive community asset, that has concerned people most. Wanstead has to be a place catering for all tastes and those coming in from outside. The worry over recent times is that a lot of people are being priced off the high street - due to escalating costs. At the same time, many businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, are struggling to survive These concerns were reflected in the campaign to save the George. Many people working hard over the months, collecting signatures on the petition and contacting Wetherspoons directly. So thank you to all those people for their great work. Leyton and Wanstead MP, Calvin Bailey, has also been very supportive of the campaign, writing to chair of Wetherspoons, Sir Tim Martin. Wetherspoons for their part could have engaged more with local people. The staff at the George have been brilliant but getting information out of Wetherspoons head office has at times been a bit like getting blood from stones. Though, it did markedly improve over the last couple of months. To be fair, though, Wetherspoons are a business, not a social service and their main concern must be the bottom line. Moving forward, it has to be hoped that UPB take the pub forward in the true spirit of the George - a pub of the people for the people. Though, other options should also be considered, like maybe a micro or pop up pub? The appetite for reasonably priced beer and food was very much on display at the Wanstead Beer Festival. The organisers promised bigger and better and that is exactly what people got. A variety of beers from across the country plus West Country ciders. All for less than £5 a pint. The new gin bar also went down well. By the end of the day, almost everything had sold out, with only the dregs left..better than anyone expected. Christchurch provided the food - excellent burgers and hotdogs. So an excellent day all round, well supported by local businesses, who sponsored the beer festival and provided raffle prizes. Funds raised will go to the two nominated charities, Chaos and Reach Out. The amount raised for charity will be publicised in due course. So, now it is onto the next beer festival, the bar is rising but the appetite is clearly there for reasonably priced food and drink. Let's hope the next beer festival and other local pubs continue to deliver - including the new George and Dragon.

Believe nothing until it is officially denied

by Patrick Cockburn Journalist, Patrick Cockburn, provides a great insight into the world of his legendary journalistic father Claud. The title of the book, Believe Nothing Until It's Officially Denied, a phrase, credited to Claud, has become the mantra for journalists the world over. Claud Cockburn was the son of a foreign office diplomat, went to Berkhamsted school in Hertfordshire, then onto Oxford University, where he was close friends with novelist Graham Greene. He was also related to Evelyn Waugh. But that is about where the conventional establishment formation ends. Claud and Greene travelled in the Europe of the inter-war years, seeing much devastation and importantly the rise of fascism. Claud became a reporter for the Times in Europe, then America. He was highly valued by the then Times editor, Geoffrey Dawson, and the management. But in 1932, he struck out on his own, creating a shoestring operation, The Week magazine - a kind of newsletter, breaking news not seen anywhere else. It was small circulation but with excellent inside sources, essential reading, particularly in relation to what was happening in Europe, with the rise of the Nazis in Germany and the Spanish civil war. Claud reported directly via his own eye witness accounts and connections. His wide range of contacts ensured important insights. Claud joined the Communist Party and reported for the Daily Worker for many years. He was a communist for the rest of his life. One of the important Claud exposes was how media and politicians in Britain and beyond were colluding in the appeasement policy towards Hitler. He exposed the role of the Cliveden set, around the Astor family, which by the 1930s owned the Times and much of the media, in helping foster support for appeasement. Government policy at the time (1930s) was not to offend the Nazi regime. Also, at the time, the editor of the Times, constantly altered reports, so they were not overly critical of Hitler. Claud's form of guerilla journalism involved using all weapons at his disposal to expose what was going on and the approaching catastrophe. He seemed to attract opprobrium from all sides. MI5 were constantly monitoring his activities, yet he also managed to annoy Stalin and Kremlin chiefs. Maybe confirmation that he was getting it right in journalistic balance terms. Author Patrick Cockburn obviously has a ringside seat regarding his father's life. An excellent journalist himself, Patrick, provides a most insightful commentary. In pulling things together, he highlights how The Week was a unique instrument for the 1930s. Once , in many ways, Claud had revealed the truth, the role of The Week ceased. However, post war, guerilla journalism continued in other forms. Claud played a big role in the creation and success of Private Eye. He also worked for Punch in the 1950s, when it became more rebellious under Malcolm Muggeridge's editorship. There were columns and commentary across the international media. Patrick Cockburn summarises how journalism in the 1960s and 70s was less restricted, more doing the job of bringing accountability to the ruling cliques. However, most of the time, the mass of media are just a PR extension of government and capital. Never has this been more so than today, particularly in the reporting of conflicts like Gaza and Ukraine. Indeed, author Patrick suggests that Claud's guerilla style journalism is needed as much today as in the 1930s. And we are beginning to see it via the likes of Novara Media, the Canary and ofcourse the Morning Star. Publications like Private Eye play a part, as do individual journalists embedded in the mainstream media. One interesting quote from Claud on the need to speak truth to power was that truth needs to be spoken to the powerless, in order that they maybe empowered to act. Patrick Cockburn has produced a fascinating book about his father's life, with some excellent insights relevant to journalism today. A great read for all but a compulsory text for any aspiring journalists out there. Published by Verso £30

Learn the lessons of history from the smugglers of the 18th century to the drugs dealers of today

Smuggling was big business back in the 18th century. "Watch the wall my darling, as the gentlemen go by," is a line from a Rudyard Kipling poem on the subject. The areas along the south coast, including Rye and Winchelsea in Sussex, were hubs of smuggling activity. The contraband goods being brought in from the sea, then distributed down a network of lanes for people to consume or sell on. Some of the smuggled goods would finish up in London. The trade was controlled by gangs. One of the most notorious was the Hawkhurst gang, which used the Mermaid Inn in Rye as a base. There are still plenty of memories of those days at the Mermaid today, with a picture of Arthur Gray, the head of the gang ( executed in 1748) on the wall. There are also many reported haunting experiences at the Mermaid! An excellent novel on the smugglers and much else is Winchelsea by Alex Preston. The whole smuggling business has now been romanticised in folklore. But the reality is that it was a brutal business, controlled by very violent men. Once crossed life became problematic. Removing people's tongues was a not unusual punishment for those who spoke out of turn. The smuggling episode has many parallels with today, not least what happens when something is banned or in the case of the 18th century, heavily taxed. Once the government removed the taxes, the smuggling trade shrunk to virtually nothing. In the early part of last century prohibition in America saw alcohol banned. The illicit trade boomed, overseen by organised crime. Banning alcohol did not stop people drinking, it just drove it underground into the hands of criminals. It helped build organised crime, that moved onto other things. Similarly, today there is the drug trade. Most drugs ( excepting alcohol and tobacco) are banned. The result, the trade is controlled by crime gangs. The prisons are full of those involved in the trade, as well as addicts. Huge amounts of police time and resources are devoted to drug related crime. Many criminals steal to feed their drug habit. Surely, some legalisation and regulation of drugs (especially milder forms) would make sense. It would cut crime and boost the exchequer. Unfortunately, society seems slow to learn the lessons of history. The moves to ban cigarettes, whilst at one level seems laudable, in terms of health etc, at another, they threaten to grow an already substantial trade in smuggling. Banning drives things underground, it doesn't solve the problem. We really do need to learn the lessons of history on these matters. Look to legalise and regulate, rather than ban. In the end it will be better all round - cutting crime, improving health and releasing resources for other things.