One of the most tragic sociological phenomena in England’s changing face, is the demise of the old fashioned pub (aka ‘publick house’). One contributing factor, it would seem, is the influx of immigrants who, for religious reasons, don’t drink (at least not in public). From the Telegraph:
Pubs are closing as a result of Somali immigrants arriving in Britain, a Government minister has said.
Stephen Williams, the Liberal Democrat communities minister, told the House of Commons that new waves of immigration replacing the “white working class” had led to the pub trade evaporating in some parts of the country…
“In my own constituency, lots of pubs have closed but it is usually because of demographic change,” said the minister, who represents a s
eat in Bristol.
“Particularly in some parts of my constituency, which used to have … ‘a white working class community’ 20 or 30 years ago are now populated primarily by recently-arrived Somalis and other people…
It came after comments made in December by Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, a Conservative, who said the growing Muslim population was one of the main reasons for pubs closing.
