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Boris Johnson in the pub in November 2019, when the election was on.
And in the spring of 2020 he still described visiting the pub as an inalienable right of "every free-born Briton"
Photo: WPA Pool / Getty Images
It was a crazy idea, that was it.
But can the boss of a tequila bar be blamed for that?
In any case, James Aspell recently joined the founders of religions and founded the "Church of 400 Rabbits" in Nottingham.
Should he receive the place of the city administration, then the 34-year-old wants to pay tribute to a special spirit in the circle of his loyal community - even if not necessarily the saint.
The mass, says Aspell, is then read "every day until late at night."
Typically British eccentricity?
More like an act of self-defense.
Because from Wednesday the second nationwide lockdown in the United Kingdom is over, countless shops, hairdressers, cinemas, restaurants and sports facilities are allowed to reopen.
Bars and pubs, on the other hand, remain closed in many places.
Unless they can come up with something to bypass government restrictions.
First Oliver Hardy, then Oliver Cromwell
And because places of prayer are allowed to widen their gates for believers, Tequila man Aspell thought: "Fuck it, let's found a religion - it can't be that difficult, right?" Much hope that it will be the same in Nottingham City Hall sees, he has not.
But at least everyone should know that they consider the British government and its handling of the pandemic to be "lying".
He's not the only one.
In fact, Boris Johnson, the hapless Prime Minister, has been facing a growing storm of protest for days.
The British hospitality industry, the opposition and even large parts of his own conservative party are openly rebelling against the 56-year-old, who took office in 2019 as a good-humored free spirit, but is increasingly authoritarian in the corona crisis.
According to the conservative "Spectator," he has turned from "Oliver Hardy into Oliver Cromwell." On Tuesday, Johnson was able to assert himself in large parts of the country for months to come, thanks to the Labor opposition, which abstained significant restrictions will apply.
It is no coincidence that the annoyance arose at the fact that tens of millions of British people were not allowed to have a quick beer in the pub for the time being.
Johnson could have guessed it: in the spring he himself had declared going to the pub the inalienable right of "every free-born British."
What is a "real meal"?
Now, however, the government has placed high hurdles in front of most of the still almost 50,000 British pubs.
Because the number of infections and deaths is relatively high even after the second, four-week lockdown, the highest or second highest corona warning level applies in 99 percent of the country.
In regions like Nottingham, where the »Church of 400 Rabbits« is to be built, this means that pubs may only sell food and drinks outside the home.
In level two, which affects around 32 million people, alcohol can also be served in the guest room - but only if a “real meal” is served with it.
However, even the government does not know how to answer the question of what is meant by this.
This became clear on Tuesday with the example of the "Scotch Egg", a popular bar snack that consists of a boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat.
While Agriculture Minister George Eustice stated that a scotch egg counts "probably" as a real meal, said Brexit chief Michael Gove, himself a Scotsman: "For me this is just a starter."
Minutes later he corrected himself that it was a whole meal after all.
An assessment against which Johnson’s spokesman protested the next day.
A thousand pounds for "wet" pubs
It was practically the re-launch of a discussion from October when cabinet members decided after a Monty Python-like dispute: A Cornish pasty alone does not fill you up - but with chips and / or salad it can pass as a meal.
All of this would be hilarious if it weren't for the economic existence of tens of thousands of innkeepers and their employees.
Purely "wet" pubs - those that only offer liquid - Johnson has just promised a Christmas bonus of a thousand pounds.
Nonetheless, many fear that they will not be able to hold out much longer under these circumstances.
Quite a few have therefore started to interpret the confusing rules in their favor.
The GAY bar in London Soho, for example, wants to allow drinking guests to have food delivered to their table from a nearby fast food chain.
In Brighton, the staff at the "Caxton Arms" have recently started tapping a beer called "Substantial Meal" - true to the old boozer motto: "I can drink what I eat".
In the "Kings Head" in Gosfield, owner Matthew Arnold has expanded his menu to include cheap dishes such as baked beans on toast or hot dogs with fries.
These are "not the most accomplished dishes," admits Arnold openly, but they are "substantial" - and leave "space for one or two more drinks."
The meager Covid table settings are now being offered in the pub in Essex for just 1.99 pounds.
Arnold calls them "Boris Menus".
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