This week, Oxfam opened a pub. Get over, I hear you say. Next you’ll be telling me that Save the Children has bought a nail bar and ActionAid is managing a greasy spoon.
No really, Oxfam – the famous charity that spends most of its time responding to international emergencies – on Tuesday opened the Fair Pour in London for one night only. And your loyal columnist Society Diary was one of its patrons.
So read on as Society Diary goes undercover at the hottest charity-related pub(licity stunt) in town.
Drinks are free (from alcohol)
The idea for the pub was not just to make a bit of extra sweet, sweet cash to further Oxfam’s noble cause. No, reader, the woke charity was making a political statement. You see, Oxfam’s takeover of the Queen’s Head in Holborn coincided with the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos and was selling drinks at prices “based on your net worth”.
Diary was intrigued and came armed with its mortgage agreement, investment portfolio, and family heirlooms. So, it was a tad disappointing when the barkeep just asked for three quid instead of any financial paperwork. The deal was that all common people made a modest contribution while billionaires had to pay a cool one £1bn for a pint, which is even more than the average London boozer usually charges. Diary swallowed its pride and paid the hoi polloi rate.
Taking place in the middle of Dry January, all the drinks were alcohol free (one recent Society Diary interviewee would be pleased to hear), including a rather nice Rich List Lager and refreshing Billionaire’s Breeze cocktail.
Extreme wealth
Each table was adorned with a copy of Limitarianism – the Case Against Extreme Wealth by Belgian-Dutch philosopher Ingrid Robeyns. After leaving through the pages, Diary can’t help thinking there must be some strong arguments for extreme wealth too, like having loads of dosh to spend on sports cars to make your mates jealous.
A charming volunteer came round the tables encouraging people to sign Oxfam’s petition calling for the super-rich to pay more tax, which Diary politely waved away with their gold Amex card.
There was also a pub quiz, but from what Diary could gather it was (disappointingly) a normal set of questions about pop songs and films instead of obscure biographical facts about Angela Davis, Antonio Gramsci or Vladimir Lenin. All those hours of revision for nothing.
Diary regrets to inform you, dear reader, that a decent proportion of the other drinkers were fellow journos, including one from the Express and some prat with a camera. One of the hacks told Diary that if Oxfam’s pub was really selling drinks based on net wealth, most journalists would be given money to go with their tipple.
Diary will have to try that line next time they visit their local Wetherspoons and see how sympathetic the response is.
