The following from Hamish Birchall.

Madness takes many forms.  One of the most dangerous is the charismatic, 
plausible and articulate individual in authority whose mania may go 
unrecognised for years.  Trusting and credulous admirers often become 
participants in the lunacy.

Such is the predicament of this government where live music is concerned. 
The charismatic, plausible, and articulate individual is probably a 
government adviser, or senior civil servant.  Whoever he or she is, they 
have argued with conviction and in all seriousness that the public must be 
protected from musical instruments by the criminal law, irrespective of 
existing nuisance and safety legislation.  The Licensing Act ensures that 
the mere provision of musical instruments to the public is a potential 
offence - they don't even have to be played.  Incredibly, ministers have 
listened and nodded in agreement.

Yesterday this position was reaffirmed in the government response to the 
Culture, Media and Sport Committee's Licensing Act inquiry recommendations: 
http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/433147_Cm_7684.pdf

After taking evidence from the police, local authority representatives, DCMS 
and musicians, the all party Committee recommended that gigs up to 200 
capacity and unamplified performance by one or two performers should be 
exempt. This was the government response:

'... DCMS has considered exemptions for small venues, but has not been able 
to reach agreement on exemptions that will deliver an increase in live music 
whilst still retaining essential protections for local residents.'
['Government Response to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport 
Committee Report on the Licensing Act 2003 Session 2008-2009', excerpt from 
p9, response to recommendation 18]

The government goes on to plug 'minor variations' - a process that offers a 
potential fast-track route to obtaining permission to have musical 
instruments.

Big screen broadcast entertainment remains exempt.

ENDS

Roger Gall wrote:

> The charismatic, plausible, and articulate individual is probably a 
> government adviser, or senior civil servant.  Whoever he or she is, they 
> have argued with conviction and in all seriousness that the public must be 
> protected from musical instruments by the criminal law, irrespective of 
> existing nuisance and safety legislation.  The Licensing Act ensures that 
> the mere provision of musical instruments to the public is a potential 
> offence - they don't even have to be played.  Incredibly, ministers have 
> listened and nodded in agreement.

I used to wonder why the Chinese are so hard on the Falun Gong, 
simple people doing breathing exercises, but then I remembered 
the Boxer Uprising when a seemingly harmless cult blew up into a 
mass rebellion.

Maybe this advisor remembers a similar folkie rebellion in the 
UK, beginning with ploughboys singing in pubs and ending up with 
a march on Westminster..

JF

JF wrote:
> Roger Gall wrote:
> 
>> The charismatic, plausible, and articulate individual is probably a 
>> government adviser, or senior civil servant.  Whoever he or she is, 
>> they have argued with conviction and in all seriousness that the 
>> public must be protected from musical instruments by the criminal law, 
>> irrespective of existing nuisance and safety legislation.  The 
>> Licensing Act ensures that the mere provision of musical instruments 
>> to the public is a potential offence - they don't even have to be 
>> played.  Incredibly, ministers have listened and nodded in agreement.
> 
> I used to wonder why the Chinese are so hard on the Falun Gong, simple 
> people doing breathing exercises, but then I remembered the Boxer 
> Uprising when a seemingly harmless cult blew up into a mass rebellion.
> 
> Maybe this advisor remembers a similar folkie rebellion in the UK, 
> beginning with ploughboys singing in pubs and ending up with a march on 
> Westminster..

No,  there's something going on here and nobody outside the Home Office 
seems to know what it is.

I very much doubt that some skull faced mandarin in a Gieves and Hawkes 
suit has set his face against musical instruments.  These are the people 
you see being all nice and patronising when they see Morris Dancers, 
(prior to going to the ENO for a 'decent night's musical entertainment') 
and think folk music is something to do with Purcell...

It may well have something to do with someone (possibly the police) 
thinking that gatherings of 200 people under the guise of an acoustic 
performance may get up to naughtiness, and they're rather keen to know 
about such gatherings.

It's the sort of mindset that sees any sort of event relating to 
'English culture' as some sort of dreadful front organisation for the BNP...

-- 
William Black

So I looked at the script
It was six weeks filming in the desert.
No girls,  no dialogue,  just guys with guns.
They said "Do you want wages or a percentage?"
It looked like a certain turkey.
When they came the second time I was ready.
I haven't had to work since...

Eli Wallach on his roles in
"The Magnificent Seven"
and "The Good the Bad and The Ugly

>'... DCMS has considered exemptions for small venues, but has not been able
>to reach agreement on exemptions that will deliver an increase in live music
>whilst still retaining essential protections for local residents.'

So if I have a pub next door and they hold musical events that annoy me 
- if they pay for a license I will no longer be annoyed - I see now how 
it works.
>
>Big screen broadcast entertainment remains exempt.
>
>ENDS
>
>

-- 
Gordon Jones
gordon@hartown.demon.co.uk
http://www.harbourtownrecords.com
Box 25, Ulverston, Cumbria, LA12 7UN