It's like the high street, no-one wants it to go away. The pub is a staple for the social, and that scene is what many don't want to go away. What the government ought to tackle/focus more on that current, is the cheap stuff and the stupid offers that shops and many clubs/pubs* may run. Instead of focusing on binge drinkers, they seem to be driving the pub business out the window.
The day when it is cheaper to buy 4 tins in a shop over a pint in a pub, is the day i stop drinking.
*Clubs more than pubs, i.e. 4 bottles for £5