sound purely personal.

Poor journalism when the writer uses the paper as a platform to complain about his pet peeves.

Don't like to drink that last pint quickly? Don't order on the bell.
Don't like TV's on mute? Don't look at the damned thing - problem solved.
"Characters"? Read your own comment - the pub is a social space. That includes people you don't like.
Standing in queue for a pint and don't want to wait? Since you hate what's being served anyway, why not go home and save yourself the cash in your hand.
Soundchecks while you're trying to read the paper? Go outside - better yet, go home. A pub isn't a library and while it's nice to have a pleasant sit on an afternoon with a paper and a pint, if the band is doing a sound-check, it's not 4pm.
Filthy toilets? Yes, it would be nice if they were cleaner - but you get the comforts of home at home and if you need a "sit down" while you're out drinking, one has to wonder if you have regularity problems that need to be addressed.

... choose a pub that meets your needs!

The Skin

I do think that clean toilets are not too much to ask. Filthy loos can be a health hazard as well as unpleasant. And, as someone who has Crohns disease myself, I should point out that many people do have health problems increasing their frequency of 'going', which aren't always as easily addressed as all that (without wishing to go into huge medical detail, both 'ladies' and 'gentlemen's' trouble' can often have this effect).

I do agree that if you want somewhere where you can read the paper quietly, or not have too many other people about, then go home, or to a café, rather than a pub!

I also prefer a clean loo (and we've all seen some nightmares) - and I know that one can't always schedule their alimentary canal to perform on request only.

It was just the way this person made the complaint, combined with rest of the whinging (my favourite being the thin slices of citrus - they were really stretching for 10 complaints).

There are of course a few exceptions (mostly pubs who can't afford to refurbish, or are just too tight to refurbish) but on the whole revolting bogs are not encountered as much today as they were 10 years ago for instance.

Some of these gripes would have never made such a list 10 years ago. Beers such as Erdinger with fancy glassware were not as prevelent as they are now and there is more demand now for pubs to have much wider beer ranges. With Sky pricing most pubs out of it there are less pubs with the TV on these days as well.

My own great worry at the moment is about the growing elitism, and sky high prices at the top end of the "craft" beer market. A phenomenon you may have witnessed if you've ever had the misfortune to visit a Brewdog bar. I was in "Friends Of Ham", a craft beer bar and charcuterie in L**ds last month and I didn't see a single beer on sale for less then £4.00 a pint, many of the keg beers at £4.00 and above just for a half, and Cantillion selling for double the price that I can get it for in pubs round where I live (and the pubs that sell Cantillion round where I live are expensive themselves!)

Even the sort of speciality real ale places where I hang out sell that!

I'm very fortunate to live in an area with more then it's fair share of excellent beer and good pubs to drink it in.

... but I still enjoy a pint of real ale (and good lager iin the summer) and I have to say that on Tyneside - in living memory, a real ale desert - we're now spoilt for choice.

The Skin

There's too much good beer round here for wine to get a look in with me. For instance, I've just been in a pub in Chesterfield this afternoon with Oakham Citra, Great Heck Amish Mash, Buxton Wild Boar and many other beery delights.

Faced with a choice of beer like that, other alcoholic drinks don't get a look in with me right now. The only issue from with said pub from that article was manky toilets but otherwise there was good food, nice staff, plenty of choice, all in all a very enjoyable experience.