Against the criminalisation of spitting
After Enfield Council passed a byelaw banning spitting, other local authorities have been queuing up to do the same. So far, Croydon, Doncaster, and Havering have said that they’ll seek to outlaw the habit. Hillingdon Council, meanwhile, has defined spitting as ‘litter’ and is fining offenders under littering powers. Spitting is often rude – occasionally, in cases of exercise or illness, it is necessary. But should it be criminal? The historic ban on spitting was related to the clear public health hazard of TB, which no longer exists. The objection against spitting is that it is ‘anti-social’. Which no doubt it is,…
Man out walking without a dog questioned as suspected paedophile
I just received this email about a man questioned about why he was out walking without a dog: ‘The (male) head of a primary school thinks he better buy a dog! This is because when he was out walking by the river without one, he was stopped by the police and questioned as to why he was out for a walk without one. Why? Because there were some teenagers congregated nearby, it was one of those sunny evenings when they like to “hang out”. So going for a walk without a dog is now suspicious action…’ This is a classic sign of…
Keeping child actors off the stage
The government has launched a welcome reform of the rules governing child actors and actresses. Currently, every organisation working with a child has to gain an individual licence for each child, which makes it very hard for small-scale productions to work with children. Instead, the government proposes ‘allowing producers to apply for group licences every two years, to cover all under-16s performers’. Local authorities have also been known to be over-cautious and interfering, insisting on CRB checks for adult actors or venue managers, or separate changing rooms for children – with the result that many grassroots theatre productions have started to delete…
ID checks in Hackney bars for the Olympics
Hackney Council is advising clubs and bars to instill ID checks, in the run-up to the Olympics. Manifesto Club steering committee member Manick Govinda reports: “Last night Hoxton Bar and Kitchen refused to let me and a friend in because we didn’t have official ID documents. Apparently it is on the advice of Hackney Council, in the run-up to the Olympics, with the aim to keep out troublemakers. The bouncer was very nice and thought it was daft.” Josie Appleton comments: “The Olympics has become an easy justification for any authoritarian measure officials fancy carrying out. In July we are welcoming the…
Kilburn bans leafleting in time for the Olympics
Kilburn is following other councils in banning leafleting in time for the Olympics. Under these powers, people must buy a council licence if they want to hand out leaflets in public spaces. In other places where these rules have been enacted, they have had a disastrous effect on local groups, particularly grassroots arts organisations, who cannot afford the licence fee. Leafleting bans also represent an erosion of fundamental freedoms in public spaces. They mean that we can engage with each other only when we have official permission, and a badge on our shoulder. Read on: http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/brent_council_rubber_stamps_plans_to_licence_leafleting_in_the_borough_1_1358758 Manifesto Club Campaign Against Leafleting Bans:…
Parking fine whilst giving blood
I just received this email from a lady whose husband was fined whilst giving blood. This was the first day of the introduction of parking fines on a Sunday, and he unknowingly fell foul of the rules while doing his good deed. “I was shocked that Derby City Council wouldn’t cancel my husband’s parking fine while he was in a centre donating blood. Even though the National Blood Service issued me with written proof to send to the council they wouldn’t refund the penalty. It was on the first day that parking fees were introduced on a Sunday. My husband has always…
Acquittal of woman for cigarette butt fine
In a promising verdict, a court has acquitted a mother on the charge of dropping a cigarette butt. The fine was given out by the private company, XFOR, which is paid on commission by the council to fine people for littering offences. This pay-as-they-punish justice is liable to create over-hasty and erratic punishment. So this aquittal is promising and a sign that the courts can act as a check on unjust fines. As the mother put it, “They should get proof before they go accusing people.” Read on: http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/gwentnews/9714867.Ebbw_Vale_mum___s_relief_at_fag_end_verdict/?ref=nt
Visiting Artist Campaign Celebration – 13 June
Manifesto Club, English PEN & Artsadmin invite you to join us to celebrate recent gains for our campaign against visa restrictions on visiting artists. Speeches; drinks (pay bar); conversation; next steps… Venue: Arts Bar & Café, Artsadmin, Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street,…
Malaysian dancer deported from Heathrow – testimonial
Visual and physical theatre artist Anna Masing invited her friend, a dancer from Malaysia, to collaborate and participate in a performance which would contribute to Masing’s PhD study. The dancer Maryline Semba Mani was detained, treated with suspicion of being an “exotic dancer” and deported back to Malaysia. She was not being paid a fee for this engagement, as the relationship was based on a close friendship with Masing. She was not informed by the UK consulate about the new Permitted Paid Engagement visitor route. In fact, the consulate couldn’t see a problem about her coming to the UK as a tourist…
Briefing Document: 32 Million CRB checks since 2002
A new Manifesto Club briefing document finds that there have been 32 million CRB checks since 2002 – at a cost of £1.5 billion. We argue that this has done little to protect children – and indeed could have done harm, by…
City promises to rein in over-officious security guards
It is common knowledge that photographers in the City of London face constant hassle from private security guards (see a film and blogpost on this here). The Manifesto Club’s Peter Lloyd approached City authorities, asking whether they planned to do anything about these over-officious private security guards. With the help of councilman Alex Deane, we received the following heartening response: Given the City’s history, it is vital that we remain vigilant. However, there is a need to strike the balance between the rights of the individual and the need to ensure that the City is safe for all those who either live,…
Four 17-year-old students mean CRB checks for academic staff
I just received this email, about a university insisting on CRB checks for staff – because there are a handful of 17 year-old students… ‘Since our students virtually all over 18 (There are FOUR out of a cohort of 770 who are not) – and we don’t have ANY unsupervised access to ANY students – the university Safeguarding Policy does not require us to have a check. This was confirmed during a recent OFSTED inspection. The course was given ‘Outstanding’ and the Safeguarding Policy was deemed to be ‘Satisfactory’. However, lurking in the background was an audit of our Access and Progression…