It's Still Frothy Man.
IN THE NEWS 1978.
The froth went back onto a pint of beer today, after Government plans to outlaw it fell flat.
Tory MP's called "Time" on the new Weights and Measures Bill which was due to be laid before the Commons on Monday.
They indicated that the Government, in a minority, would not get a majority if they went ahead with the Bill.
It would have overturned a Court of Session ruling earlier this year in Scotland that the head on the pint WAS part of the pint.
DELIGHTED
When the ruling was handed down by judges in Edinburgh, Strathclyde's consumer protection official Clive Howard-Luck was disappointed.
But when the Government indicated that they were going to outlaw the froth, he was delighted.
Not so the main brewers in Scotland. Both Scottish and Newcastle and Tennent Caledonian Breweries said they would have to increase the price of a pint to pay for new glasses, larger than the present ones to take a full pint of beer.
Last night Michael Foot, leader of the House of Commons, told MP's that the Weights and Measures Bill was not being proceeded with on Monday. Tories had privately warned the Government that they saw amendments to weights and measures leading to a new tier of bureaucracy and endless regulations.
Under the new legal system, responsibility for the contents of a package under the proposed Weights and Measures Bill, in this case a pint in a glass, would be switched from the publican to the brewer.
When the Government realised the amount of opposition building up against the Bill, they withdrew it, and will now have further consultations with the Opposition.
With them in a minority, they felt there was no hope in pushing the Bill through, and the last thing they wanted was to have a General Election if the Opposition had followed a defeat on the froth on a pint with a debate and vote of no-confidence.
The Bill provided that any foam on top of the beer should be disregarded in deciding whether a full measure had been provided.
End.
