Members of the 6,000-strong Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI) sought to lay down the law for the incoming government at its annual conference in Limerick during the week.
In normal circumstances, the behaviour of the VFI would be regarded as outrageous, but publicans have dictated their own terms of behaviour to governments for such a long time that their bullying approach is taken for granted. And there is no reason to believe the new government, led by Fianna Fáil, will respond in a different way to its predecessors.
In particular, the vintners were exercised by a Department of Health proposal to ban smoking in public houses so as to protect public health and reduce the cost of hospital services. They sought changes in the Equal Status Act that would allow publicans to refuse service to Travellers and others. They demanded the Department of Justice should issue mandatory identity cards to all young people. And they objected to GAA clubs receiving lottery money if they also provided drinking facilities for their members.
It was all about control of the drinks trade and safeguarding profits. And while a proposal for a mandatory identity card has much to recommend it, demands for changes in the Equal Status Act, on the grounds that it is being abused by Travellers, is in quite a different category. If, as the vintners argued, publicans are being abused and intimidated by Travellers and money extorted, then there is a sufficient corpus of law to deal with the situation. And the Garda should crack down hard on any Travellers who offend. But there can be no acceptance of a situation where service can be refused because of ethnic origin, colour of skin or disability.
The demand that Lotto funding should be refused to those GAA clubs which develop social premises, is a pre-emptive strike to limit competition in advance of the publication of a report by the Commission on Licensing. The Commission, was established two years ago by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue,to consider relaxing the liquor laws in relation to restaurants, theatres and places of public entertainment, along with hotels, guest houses, interpretative centres and sports clubs. Moves to deregulate the entire sector have been consistently advocated by the Competition Authority.
As for a ban on smoking in pubs, the proposal was rejected by the VFI as "outrageous, unenforceable and unworkable", as well as being a threat to the livelihood of 65,000 employees. There was little recognition of the tens of thousands of people who overwhelm hospital facilities each winter with tobacco-related diseases or the 7,500 people who die. And the risks posed to the health of their own employees through passive smoking didn't seem to register. The incoming government's response may set the tone for the next five years.