If you’re lacking proof that too many politicians are a breed apart from ordinary people, look no further than Rachel Reeves’s treatment of pubs. Before we get into her latest mad measure that’s sure to make you spit out your beer in disgust, let’s ask ourselves a question: When was the last time you bought a pint in a boozer and thought “fair enough” when you heard the price? I can tell you mine. It was a pint of Guinness bought on September 21st this very year at the Auld Dubliner pub in Dublin’s Temple Bar. It wasn’t cheap, the beer and a lemonade coming to £11.09 in Euros.

But what I got was friendly, efficient service, beautiful surroundings, live music in the middle of a Sunday, two stools at a table for me and my girlfriend and, crucially, the best pint of Guinness I’d ever tasted

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