Lord Bonkers' Diary: In praise of Dutch Mulholland

Still writing in those lazy days between Christmas and New Year's Day, Lord Bonkers salutes a Liberal hero.

Thursday

It is high time that I paid tribute to 'Dutch' Mulholland, our MP for Leeds North West, and his estimable campaign in favour of the British pub. The Bonkers’ Arms is owned by the splendid firm of Smithson & Greaves, brewers of the gold-medal winning Northern Bitter, but not every hostelry is so fortunate.

The Home for Well-Behaved Orphans is currently packed with the children of publicans whose parents have been forced to sell them because the companies that own our pubs are making it so hard to earn a living.

While this has done wonders for the Home’s darts team, it is no way to run an industry. All power to Dutch’s elbow!

Lord Bonkers was Liberal MP for Rutland South West, 1906-10.

Previously in Lord Bonkers' Diary...

• "Chimbleys is awkward things"
• Driven down from the North of Rutland
• The school of politics in which I was raised