Whatever you do, don't mention the smoking ban. I did once, I think I got away with it...

Both the BBC and Sky News are reporting on their breakfast news programmes about the demise of the Great British Pub, as the closure of 52 pubs each week threatens to rip the heart out of local communities.

Interestingly, on both TV reports, the recession and competition from supermarkets was cited as the reason that so many of our pubs are going to the wall.

Neither chose to make mention of the smoking ban. Liberal conspiracy?

To be fair, there is a passing mention of the smoking ban in the online report from the BBC and a similarly passing mention on the Sky News website. But not a mention on the TV reports.

However, there are twelve million smokers in the UK. And if you ask them, many will tell you that they only pop out for a quick drink now else they give supermarkets their business... as they want to be able to have a drink and a smoke. Reverse the smoking ban in full or in part and - abracadabra - you halt the decline of the Great British Pub. It's not rocket science.

The answer is not to use the premises of pubs that have gone to the wall as "alcohol free pubs as an alternative for young people" which was discussed in the House of Snouts on Monday. And no, we're not making that up.

Interestingly, UKIP identified the problems hitting the pub industry several months ago and have a dedicated campaign website at http://www.savethepub.co.uk. Amongst UKIP's policies to halt the decline of the Great British Pub is a partial reversal of the smoking ban. UKIP are the only political party that we're aware of that has a policy of freedom to choose and has long since identified and made an issue out of the Great British Pub and the ongoing saga of permanent last orders being called.

Reverse the smoking ban. Quite simple really. Ask twelve million smokers what will get them into a pub again...