The " scorched earth " policy.

The club industry in this state is in trouble !

The vast majority of clubs are either trading at a loss, or making marginalised profit - and a recent decision by Justice Peter McClellan in the New South Wales Supreme court means that their facilities to accommodate smokers have been struck down - and will need further costly building work to become legal.

The state government has chosen this climate to suggest that those clubs on peppercorn rents on state land will face an increase to " market value " - meaning some rents will increase from $ 2,500 a year to levels approaching $ 37,000 or higher.

Few could stand that sort of increase without going under - and it seems that the state government simply couldn't care less.

This government is so on the nose with voters that even the " true believers " know that it will be thrown out of office at the next election. The problem is that election is still two and a half years away - hence with nothing to lose there is a vindictive streak emerging to adopt a " scorched earth " policy to leave a barren landscape for the victor of that election.

Many bowling clubs came into existence over half a century ago - when land was cheap and governments of that day gladly bestowed land at peppercorn rents to allow civic groups to provide amenities.

Today a cynical government would welcome their demise because it would freeup valuable sites - which could be sold to developers for huge profits - and would attract welcome donations to the political party making the decisions.

The days of working for the public good seem to be over. Self interest is the driving force of political parties today - and it seems that when defeat is inevitable the worst forms of avarice rise to the surface.