Fiendish Games

Something I wrote yesterday was (ahem) recycled in the London Evening Standard yesterday, and I must admit to being more flattered than annoyed.

To be honest, I spend my day scouring web sites looking for stuff to write about so I can hardly complain should some hack decide it is easier to rewrite something I have written rather than create something from scratch.

Then again, maybe I am deluding myself. See what you think.

Here's what I wrote ...

A 180-year association with brewing ale is to come to an end at Young & Co's Brewery with the decision by the company to sell its minority stake in the Wells & Young's Brewing Company to Charles Wells.

<<blah blah snip>>

Wells & Young's was formed in 2006 following the merger of the Young's brewing operations with those of Charles Wells, with Charles Wells holding a majority 60% stake. The merger allowed Young's to sell off its Ram brewery in Wandsworth, in London, which had been brewing beer since the reign of the original Queen Elizabeth.


Here's what the Standard wrote:

Young & Co. has been brewing beer for Londoners for 180 years. Today it said it would stop, selling its minority stake in the Wells & Young's Brewing Company to Charles Wells.

<<blah blah snip>>

That deal allowed Young's to sell off its Ram brewery in Wandsworth, which had been brewing beer since the reign of the first Queen Elizabeth.

Maybe, like me, the Standard's writer thought referring to the first/original Queen Elizabeth emphasised how far back the brewing history goes, rather than the more prosaic use of Queen Elizabeth I.

One of my erstwhile colleagues had one of his pieces replicated almost word for word in the Standard once. Again, he was sanguine about it and probably flattered. He's now writing for the Chronic Investor, working to a weekly schedule, so he is less likely to have "cover versions" of his stuff done by time-poor hacks.