It's the same as everything else that is eroding our lives. It's not often I find myself agreeing with an archbishop these days, but Rowan Williamson gave a lecture just after his consecration on what legitimises government, and didn't mention gods at all but spoke of the ability to keep the consumer consuming. We are being killed by inches by the marketing men, by those to whom everything and everybody has its price, and by governments that support them to keep themselves in power. The pub is just the tip of a rapidly melting iceberg.