Heard at the weekend that this decision (stopping entertainment in Sam Smith's pubs) was first mentioned by Humphrey Smith some 3 years ago, so it is not a rashly made choice. He is reported to have indicated that he wanted his estate to revert to old fashioned drinking establishments were people could sit and converse. Speaking for myself I actually welcome that point of view, however it may be worth our while to try and convince him that when the majority of pubs were like this they frequently had, someone playing the piano on a Friday or Saturday night and that this added to the ambiance of the pub. In one respect he is to be applauded, in as much as the majority of pubs now cater primarily for the 18-30 age range and to have pubs that cater for another section of society is not actually all that bad.

There, that'll put the cat well and truly amongst the pigeons