MP slams foreign beer sponsor for British games

The Olympic Games are about to start so it’s high time for British jingoists to flex their muscles. The LibDem Member of Parliament Greg Mulholland, who also happens to be the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary "Save the Pub" Group, on 6 July 2012 expressed his dismay at the Olympic Committee’s choice of Heineken over a UK brewed beer, as the official beer of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Mr Mulholland, who has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of the UK brewing industry, has told British media how disappointed he is that a European beer was chosen as the official beer for the Games, instead of a beer traditionally brewed in the UK.

Mr Mulholland has also called on the Government to ensure that any further opportunities to showcase British produce to the rest of the world are not lost to non-British companies purely for financial benefits.

Oh dear, what was he thinking? Probably nothing at all. Jingoism is a primitive reflex, like a knee jerk, that does not involve thinking. Because had Mr Mulholland stopped to think, he would have realised that there are no big British beer brands left that are still British-owned. Carling, Bass, Courage ... all sold to foreign brewers. Moreover, Heineken has been brewed in the UK for decades. So what’s the fuzz?

Despite the recent wave of anti-European sentiment, Mr Mulholland’s complaint received a satirical flogging in some of the UK’s media, with commentators heckling that Heineken is probably a safer choice than let’s say a British beer which is brewed by the Daleside Brewery in Yorkshire (where he has his constituency) and best known for its whey, hey, hey, innuendo: Old Legover.

In case readers are not familiar with British slang, "legover" is another word for having sexual intercourse.

Can you imagine the global response, ranging from consternation to hilarity, had Old Legover been chosen as the beer for the London Olympics?

It does not bear thinking about.