Local mouthpiece Dave Daly is the much touted chairman of the licensees union Unite and runs the Castle pub on Central Drive, behind Coral Island.
Whenever there is a story about the possibility of a quality bar opening in Blackpool, a question about pub opening hours or announcement about drinks promotions you can be sure Dave Daly is going to be bleating to the Gazette about it. A pub might be too cheap for him, it might open too late for him. It might be too near his own pub.
Self confessed anti-binge drinking Daly who promotes his pub using a picture of a drunk looking blonde haired girl downing a shot is a man that wants to have his cake and eat it. He wants everyone to operate “The Dave Daly Way” with no drinks promotions, cartel-style fixed alcohol prices and old fashioned fixed opening hours whilst he offers rock bottom drinks promotions and advertises his pub as the place for alcohol fuelled, antisocial stag and hen nights and boozy football nights.
Most of the quotes from this anti-competitive landlord are about boosting his own business. He doesn’t like supermarkets selling cheap booze because it means people don’t go to the pub. He doesn’t like J. D. Wetherspoon and doesn’t want one on his doorstep because it might compete with him (although Dave Daly’s own prices are cheaper than any of the Wetherspoons’ I’ve visited recently). He complains about hard up pubs offering drinks promotions and then complains again when pubs are forced to shut (maybe they tried The Dave Daly Way and kept prices sky high).
Here are a few of his amazing quotes over the years. If you have any other classic quotes from this man I’d love to hear about them!
January 2005 on 24-hour drinking…
“To think because you extend the hours you will slow people’s drinking habits is a fallacy. It did not work in 1988 when we moved to all day opening. Since then binge-drinking has got worse.”
May 2006 on a proposed Lloyds No. 1 on Market Street…
“Blackpool town centre has hit saturation point. Those of us here now struggle to make a living Monday to Friday as it is.”
May 2008 on saturation policy and the council’s approval of a J. D. Wetherspoon venue…
“It’s a joke, the licensing panel don’t know what they are doing. It’s a disgrace which will see more drinkers on the street and more pubs closing down.
“Wetherspoon’s is known for its cheap drinks promotions and this will only encourage more pubs to do the same.”
July 2008 on the closure of Uncle Tom’s Cabin…
“The way these pubs are being closed, it’s a travesty. Our industry is being decimated. It’s a loss for the community.”
July 2008 on Government proposals to ban happy hours…
“I said once that promotions that encourage binge drinking were a cancer to the industry.
“Cheap offers have a non-productive effect and lead to problems.”
August 2008 on the reason behind pub closures…
“It’s people staying at home and drinking, they buy from the supermarket.”
September 2008 on the threat of closure for The Welcome Inn…
“Our organisation doesn’t want to see any more new pubs”
September 2008 on the student night, Carnage, visiting the town…
“If they’ve come to get plastered, they simply won’t get served.”
January 2009 on J. D. Wetherspoon’s 99p pint…
“The price of alcohol relates directly to alcohol-related violence.
“Alcohol is a mind-altering drug which, if it’s not used properly, can be a big problem.
“What Wetherspoon is doing will create a price war where others, including my company, will be forced to follow suit.
“A price war is no good for anyone, we don’t want it, it’s dangerous and it will only lead to trouble.”
March 2009 on the proposal for minimum prices on booze…
“The supermarkets have finally got their come-uppance.
“This is just one chink, a little bit of good news for the business. This could help save the business.
“It’s not just about people’s health, it’s about the industry.”
April 2009 on the proposed J. D. Wetherspoon in Blackpool…
“They’ve kitted out the place in Pricebusters – but if they were to take over either that or the Woolworths buildings it would be the end of all of us.”
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Awww, I was hoping you’d have picked up on his other gems!
Dave Daly argues against scientific fact:
“I think it’s a disgrace that alcohol is clbutted near sugar. Of course alcohol is a mind-altering drug but it’s controlled when it’s taken within the pub.” – http://www.barossa-region.org/wine/Trade-rubbishes–LSD-safer-than-beer–study.html
Dave Daly gives union backing to law-breaking licensees:
“We are saying we are the only people who will protect their personal licence against police and councils.” – http://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/news.ma/article/16871
Dave Daly sticks the knife in to law-breaking licensee:
A vote of no confidence put forward against [Hamish Howitt] by one of Blackpool’s leading landlords, Dave Daly, from The Castle on Central Drive, saw overwhelming support for Mr Howitt with 85 per cent of licensees voting in his favour. – http://www.uk-fags.co.uk/letters-to-health-secretary.htm
I’m sure there are tonnes more gems out there to find…
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Ah I saw the Howitt one.. but yes lets see how many more golden nuggets from Dave Daly can be discovered!
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He is a mass of ambiguity and contradictions, so what does he stand for?
After reading that lot, its enough to drive anyone to drink but not at his pub!
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If anyone’s been in the Castle I’d love to know what it’s like…
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I went in once and one of the punters exposed their cock to some of the girls I was with… Does that help?
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Helped me burst out laughing when I read that, yep!
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Never been in but looks like a total dive and there are unsavoury types that hang around outside. I have been in Howitt’s bar though once in 2006 and what a total shithole it was and the staff were not very friendly either, I was not there by choice.
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Good question Phil!
I never heard of it until now, lol
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I’d try it but I’m not on a stag night so I think I’m unwelcome there.
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I understand and his price for a pint of meths is exorbitant as well.
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I always wondered why stag and hen parties clustered around that Coral Island/McDonalds area.. and now I know.
Thanks Dave!
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Hambletons answer to the Yusufs?
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Grieving-mother39s–14000ft-leap.5955902.jp
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Dave Daly makes me laugh, he bangs on about cheap drinks and I walked past The Castle yesterday and they were advertising cheap drinks Monday-Friday. Also as for his hatred of all things Wetherspoons. When JDW first announced they had acquired the old Pricebusters the Gazette published an article about it and in the article Daly was on his soapbox about it. So I wrote a comment criticising The Castle and Howitt’s pub saying how I would rather frequent a JDW anyday and it was swiftly reported unsuitable (this was before the days of the phantom deleter) I reposted and 2 more were reported. I sent the Gazette an email enquiring and got a reply explaining someone had anonymously reported my comments as ‘false biased’ and it highlighted my mention of Daly and Howitt saying how one of them may have taken issue with my comment and reported it. I wrote nothing false, slanderous or libellous so whatever happened to free speech.
While I am on the subject of Wetherspoons I sent JDW an email enquiring as to the situation with Blackpool and contrary the Gazette claim the Market St site had been shelved they said that development is still on just without any specific dates as of yet. They said negotiations are underway with other sites.
Also on the subject of JDW does anyone remember when Daly kicked off about JDW bypassing the silly ‘saturation policy’. JDW are good family friendly pubs with good service and good food. But does anyone remember a usually comically deluded letter from local grumpy old man Jack Croysdill who jumped on the bandwagon when Joey Blower was refused a licence to open a bar on Queen St. I feel the saturation policy is being used improperly. It was never meant to be a blanket ban on pubs and bars yet the Council seems to trying to use it that way. I feel Joey Blower should have been allowed to open his bar as it was a very upmarket high quality bar which suits me fine. But Croysdill didn’t intervene because he backed Mr Blower/Simmons it was simply a political pointscoring cheap shot. I think the stupid saturation policy should be scrapped.
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I agree TB, scrap it, it should be about QUALITY,good bars will remain open and the dosshouses will shut; hence there is no saturation.
The dosshouses should be shut by the council and replaced with good bars instead.
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Precisely Harold, if the pub trade is so ‘crippled’ as people like Daly and Howitt claim and pubs are closing by the dozen then surely new ones should be welcomed. It is should be about quality NOT quantity. I don’t believe the pub trade is crippled at all. I visited The Dunes and Farmers Arms on Saturday and they were anything but empty. The Dunes was absolutely heaving and the Farmers had plenty in. The saturation policy is a joke, it has been poorly implemented, it was not meant to be a blanket ban.
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The only thing that’s crippled are the 80′s style shithole dives.
You know the ones, dirty red carpet on the floor.. Old scared tables and chairs to low to eat at comfortably. The lonely fruit machine pushed up against the grime draped wall flashing its lights at you, trying to entice in like some jaded saggy 40 year old hooker. The bogs that have not been cleaned since maggie thatcher was inpower.
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Spot on boney, I can’t stand those sort of places, your description pretty much describes all pubs in the Foxhall area. Like I say I went to The Dunes last Saturday and it was heaving, good clean atmosphere, reasonably priced drinks, friendly bar staff, a DJ playing some good music and in the daytime they do decent food as well. These sort of places are thriving and the landlord at The Dunes welcomed the smoking ban with open arms.
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Its the yusufs all over again!
This time its the Politts!
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Grieving-mother39s–14000ft-leap.5955902.jp?CommentPage=2&CommentPageLength=10#4786491
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A right good old ‘bitch’ going on there but where is the deleter? I’m surprised those comments are still on but glad because I like to read others opinions!
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Homer is giving them grief, good on him.
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