On 17 March 2010, we submitted the Manifesto Club petition against the points-based visa system to 10 Downing Street – with over 10,000 signatures, including artists and writers such as Antony Gormley, Jeremy Deller, Maureen Duffy and Anne Fine. To mark the…
The Manifesto Club has made a submission to the Anti-CCTV Strategy of www.no-cctv.org.uk. The submission, by Dolan Cummings, is below. The Manifesto Club is opposed to the use of CCTV in public places, primarily on the grounds that it induces inhibition and undermines the spirit of public space. CCTV is often justified explicitly in terms of preventing not only crime but loosely-defined ‘antisocial behaviour’. Even if successful in its own terms, which is doubtful, this is achieved by replicating the atmosphere of narrowly-defined commercial spaces, so streets and squares begin to resemble outdoor shopping malls. The effect is to limit the public’s…
I just received this email from a Scout leader, who was asked to CRB a serving police officer. A worrying story for the times, showing how old forms of authority (police, politicians) are being replaced with new (child protection coordinators, health and safety advisers). ‘I have just been asked to do a CRB check on a serving police officer so that he can help in his son’s cub scout pack. I thought this had to be an over enthusiastic misinterpretation of the rules, so I queried it with the Scout Association. Amazingly, they have confirmed that indeed they do NOT trust the…
As we’ve highlighted in our Visiting Artists Campaign, the Home Office’s new points-based visa system has meant thousands of international students unable to start their courses on time, cancelled concerts and lecture series, and the growth of suspicion and surveillance on campus.…
The Independent Safeguarding Authority requires the registration of anybody who works in a school for four days a month – even if they are fixing the radiators or installing wind turbines on the roof. Businesses are rightly angry about what they see as a hidden tax. The fact that they have no contact with children cuts no ice, as this email we just received from a renewable energy business outlines: ‘We install renewable energy systems for example wind turbines and solar photovoltaic (electricity generation) systems to both residential and commercial customers. Many of our larger customers are schools and they are starting…
I’ve just received this email from Richard Ellam, a popular science presenter, who makes the important point about the lack of evidence for the efficacy of the CRB system. Indeed, I’ve repeatedly asked officials what evidence they have that this vetting database does any good – but they steadfastly ignored the question. ‘As a strong supporter of civil liberties of all sorts I have been following your campaign against the Child Protection Mafia with interest for some time. This issue affects me directly, as I am a freelance writer and presenter of science shows who regularly visits schools and other places to…
As the Home Office announces the tightening of the points-based visa system for international students, a new Manifesto Club report shows that the system has already barred thousands of genuine students from the UK. The points-based visa system (rolled out in March 2009)…
POLICING THE PUBLIC GAZE: THE ASSAULT ON CITIZEN PHOTOGRAPHY A discussion about the growing restriction of citizen photography – by community safety wardens, private security guards and self-appointed ‘jobsworths’. The debate will take place in the run-up to the UK general election,…
Illustration by Manifesto Club designer Tom Mower.
Reports from the frontline of social life, challenging booze bans, photo bans, vetting – and other ways in which the state regulates everyday life on the streets, in workplaces and in our private lives. PAVEMENT INJUSTICE: THE RISE OF ON-THE-SPOT FINES On-the-spot…
BOOKS: We use print-on-demand technology to produce books on contemporary freedom issues, with sharp content and original looks. In an age where book publishing is becoming more monopolised, this is cottage-industry publishing by 21st-century freedom fighters. REPORTS: Reports from the frontline of social life, exposing and challenging booze bans, photo bans, vetting, and other ways in which the state regulates everyday life on the streets, in workplaces and in our private lives. THINKPIECES: Written by Manifesto Club members from all over the world, these are deep-thinking, spirited proposals for how to free up and improve social policy – from immigration to education…
We use print-on-demand technology to produce books on contemporary freedom issues, with sharp content and original looks (design by Tom Mower). In an age where book publishing is becoming more monopolised, this is cottage-industry publishing by 21st-century freedom fighters. If you are…