Sunday 21 November 2010

Government Ale joke (5)

From Punch, June 18th, 1919:

"The Vicar of South Acton suggests that a huge prize should be offered for the invention of a good temperance drink. We regret to say that this is not the first studied insult that has been offered to Government ale."

2 comments:

Matt said...

This is an exchange on Government ale in the House of Commons in 1919:

"Sir J. D. REES asked the Food Controller if he will state when the low-gravity beer known as Government ale will be abolished?

§ Mr. McCURDY I am not quite clear to what the hon. Member refers. So far as I am aware, there is no beer properly defined as "Government ale."

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1919/mar/27/government-ale

Sounds like the typical politician's trick of avoiding the question. As Rees was a Tory and McCurdy a Liberal, it also might be another confrontation between the brewing and temperance lobbies that were so common in the early twentieth century.

Ron Pattinson said...

I think by this time the expression "Government Ale" had been officially forbidden. So McCurdy is sort of right.