Beer-aeth

I was in a pub in Richmond not that long ago. It was early afternoon on a warm day in June. The pub, The Sun Inn, was highly inviting. I'd noticed it on a previous visit to the lido and it had lodged in my mind. A Fuller's house, with a pleasant shady patio out the front adorned with hanging baskets and colourful planters - I needed no further encouragement. A grey flag loomed across the threshold however. The pub was filled with televisions, all showing sport. Nothing unusual about this per se, and it was during the soccer World Cup/the latest toe-curling attempt at American sportswashing/Trumpian grifting daisy-chaining extravaganza. There were also a couple of screens showing English rugby, but here's the point - nobody was watching. The inside of the pub was deserted, all the patrons were outside on the patio or in the beer garden enjoying the balmy June weather. My conclusion is that management orders dictate that the tellies need to stay on regardless of viewership. I...