Minister’s plans not easy to swallow
Although the publicans' chief insists there's never been a dull day in his 21 years at the helm of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, representing pub owners outside of Dublin, the present pressures on the industry make him busier than usual.
The current debate over drink culture and associated street violence and public disorder will soon result in dramatic changes for the way pubs are run.
Publicans are broadly in favour of the clampdown proposals coming from the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell, but there are conflicts over plans to penalise publicans responsible for the actions of customers.
" One of the problems we have faced is it's always alcohol or the pub that is blamed. My belief is if someone goes out and gets drunk then there is little point in blaming someone else for that.
"We have moved society away from taking responsibility for our actions and as a result we have encouraged some of what has been developing in society," he says.
Mr O'Sullivan says that numerous proposals in Mr McDowell's plans are unworkable.
The idea of holding publicans responsible for people emerging from their premises drunk will cause immense difficulties.
"Are we supposed to breath test them on the way in or the way out?" he asks.
Also, forcing anyone under 21 to carry an identity card to get into a pub will be extremely difficult in tourist areas. Equally the proposed ban on children from premises at night will pose major problems as youngsters can be on premises for legitimate reasons, he maintains.
"It means the death of family occasions, parties, retirements, anniversaries, christenings etc," he says.
The ban on promotions and discounted alcohol will have to have one exception to the rule, Mr O'Sullivan believes.
The only happy hour which should be protected is the early afternoon discount aimed at elderly men to allow them afford an extra few pints in the week.
"The auld fellah that is enabled by the pub to have a few pints, look at the television, read the newspapers, providing him with a social outlet and a conversation piece I don't see that as an encouragement to excessive drinking.
"But deep discounting I have always discouraged. That is anathema to society and the industry," he says.
Insisting that only a small minority of publicans actually serve underage drinkers, Mr O'Sullivan says if people know which publicans are guilty then the gardaí should be closing them and with 13,000 licence holders in the country there are bound to be some bad apples.
"It would be most unusual if there were not rogues and vagabonds in the industry. There would be the same proportion in any profession," he says.
The Minister's decision though to move discrimination cases to the District Courts has been warmly welcomed by the publicans, who believe they have been hard done by since the introduction of equal status legislation.
Publicans across the country are under siege from people putting in claims and intimidating them just to allege discrimination, he says.
Referring quite disparagingly to the State bodies set up to implement equality legislation as the "equality industry", he says the Equality Authority the Office of the Director of Equality Investigations have followed the law but not delivered justice.
"The entire equality industry has lost the confidence of its victims. We believe some of the decisions have been outrageous.
"There are a whole lot of cases that shouldn't be heard. I certainly believe there is nothing wrong with the law: the problem is in its interpretation.
"The powers given to these unqualified equality officers are even greater than the District Court, yet they are not qualified judges. The District Court is open and transparent. It is not just behind closed doors where the decision is handed down eight weeks later. After the farmers, publicans are regarded as one of the most powerful lobby groups in the country with the many TDs, fearful of having their names expressed in vain from behind a bar counter.
Yet Mr O'Sullivan claims that their perceived power is a myth because if they were that strong they wouldn't be suffering from discrimination cases and anti-alcohol clampdowns.
"What I will accept is that we represent 6,000 families and as a representative body for 6,000 families, employing 45,000 to 50,000 people, we have a right to be heard in every forum in the land," he says.
The exact strength of the publicans lobby will be determined in the next six months when the details of Minister for Health Micheál Martin's ban on smoking in pubs are hammered out.
"I am looking at the impact it has had in New York. It has devastated businesses, it has cost jobs, led to a rise in public disorder," Mr O'Sullivan says.
"Proof of the link between environmental tobacco smoke (ETA), and deaths among bar staff is sparse and riddled with caveats, reports from the US have been ridiculed more research is needed
"It is based on falsehoods. The supposed link between ETS and all the damage it is causing is vastly overstated and may be minimal. The research done to date does not justify the knee jerk reaction that will destroy our business," says Mr O'Sullivan.
Describing the ban as unenforceable and unpoliceable, the vintners chief confidently predicts that agreement will be reached over the coming months and the vintners are putting forward their own alternatives. "I believe there is plenty of room for compromise. We will be able to prove to the Minister that it is unnecessary. That is not a climbdown. It is a recognition of reality rather than a dictat.
" I have great confidence in the Minister for Health,"says Mr O'Sullivan.
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