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As some of you may be aware, there is a precedent of law that goes back to 1793 that states that it is illegal for more than two people to sing in a public venue that does not hold a Public Entertainment Licence (PEL). This includes members of the public in a folk club who join in choruses!

The latest issue of FOLK NORTH WEST contains an article in a question and answer format that goes into more detail about how we are all breaking the law and threatening our friendly landlord with fines and imprisonment from the local council.

This debate has reached the lofty heights of the House of Commons and the following article appeared in the Daily Mirror on December 6th 2001:

Mr Howells is obviously treading on thin ice here and with the might of the Musicians' Union and EFDSS ganging up against him to tell him what they think of his statement, it might be time for him to do a little research into the whole folk music movement, and to this end it might be an idea to write to Mr Howells and invite him to your Folk Club to see for himself exactly what goes on and how much talent there really is that goes mainly unrecognised and unrewarded outside of the Folk movement . Perhaps Mr Howells is a regular attender at a Folk Club - the above article doesn't make this clear but I would guess that he has been nowhere near one. Perhaps the Opera is more his mark, I just don't know.

If anybody does write, I'd be interested in any response you get. If he does accept an invitation to your club, buy him a pint of Nitrofizz and then buy him a pint of proper beer. He may be able to persuade the breweries that flat, tasteless, paralysed, keg beer isn't everybody's cup of tea!

Things have moved on somewhat from the above statements. As many of you are aware, it was not necessary for a pub to hold a public entertainment licence (PEL) if up to two people were singing in a pub - commonly known as "the two in a bar rule". It is the government's intention to pass a bill whereby a PEL will be required for any singing to take place in any establishment. The three letters reproduced below appeared in the Guardian on Saturday December 21st

Tell him your objections to the bill and ask for your views to be forwarded to the Prime Minister and Kim Howells for their attention.

Saturday December 21, 2002
The Guardian

A lot of people enjoy both visiting folk clubs and watching Morris dancing and they would rather the government didn't punish them for doing so (Letters, December 17). However unfashionable Chris McColl might deem said activities and how far above them he might consider himself and his fabulous taste to be, the proposed music licensing bill is nothing but a pathetic attempt to squeeze money out of local landlords, church activities and amateur musicians. It will kill what is left of our struggling traditions and regulate and charge for every last thing we do when we step outside of our houses.
It will discourage all small live music events and sink independent businesses. It will remove public stages for young and upcoming artists of all music genres and encourage the opening of corporate "meat market" TV pubs. It will stifle community events and charge a good deal of them out of existence; it will ensure that churches will sit empty for most of the year.

With the little energy it took Mr McColl to write his cheap joke, he could have discovered just how dangerous and insensitive the proposed legislation is, and what a devastating effect it could have on our modern culture, as well as our ancient.
Eliza Carthy
Heriot, Borders

· England is the only country I can think of that has virtually no respect for its own national culture. Here in Ireland, traditional music and dance in pubs is common and people are fiercely proud of their traditions. In the US, the Smithsonian has a massive archive of traditional music and pretty much every country in Europe has a government-sponsored centre keeping alive its traditional music.

Close to a million listeners tune in to my Radio 2 programme each Wednesday, 60,000 people go to the Sidmouth festival and hundreds of thousands go to Cambridge and the many other folk festivals about the country.

If this bill goes through, then music-making in our pubs will pretty much disappear, except for the juke box and kareoke machine: folk, Christmas carols, mummers plays, Morris dancing - all of them will become subject to control and licensing.

Kim Howells, the minister concerned, promised me on my programme that people making music in traditional sessions and folk clubs would not be penalised. It now looks as though I was hoodwinked. Why is this government so concerned with controlling every aspect of our lives? Why is a Labour government trying to kill the music of the people?

If this bill had been current 30 years ago, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, Rod Stewart, Mark Knopfler, Donovan, Ewan McColl, Bob Dylan, Gerry Rafferty, Billy Connolly, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell and the writers Willy Russell and Brian Jacques might all have had different careers, since all of them at some time served their dues in England's folk clubs.

This bill is an infringement of our rights as human beings to make music for the sheer joy of it - the very thing that fuelled so much of the early left in this country - and New Labour should hang its head in shame.
Mike Harding
Connemara, Ireland

· Last week Andrew McIntosh, a government whip in the Lords, confirmed that carol singing in public places will remain a criminal offence unless licensed: maximum penalty, a £20,000 fine and six months in prison. It is already a criminal offence to encourage community-style singing in over 100,000 licensed premises in England and Wales. But the bill requires the licensing of any public performance of live music and defines "premises" as "any place" (clause 188). That means your front room, garden, any street, park, field etc.

The Musicians' Union is campaigning vigorously to prevent the government making this country the laughing stock of Europe (see also the online petition, www.musiclovers.ukart.com
Hamish Birchall
Consultant on licensing to the Musician's Union

With the proposed changes to the licensing laws in England and Wales - there has been an effect on Live Entertainment - resulting in the possible prosecution of any entertainment in public unless on licensed premises. If you would like to keep abreast of the situation (in-between your issues of Folk North West!) have a look at - http://groups.msn.com/UKPEL - If you would like to "Join In", ask questions pass on information problems etc you can become a member here - http://groups.msn.com/UKPEL/join - Keep up the good work - sign the petition, fax your MPs re EDM 331 - Don't swap Longer drinking hours for your right to free music and dance! (Both would be nice though :-) )

On Thursday 30th January 2003 at Fleetwood Lancashire England (just up the coast from Blackpool and home of the Fylde Folk Festival) The BBC Blue Bus is coming to the Steamer Hotel - the Blue bus is a community interest and IT equipped bus that visit various locations during the week, interviews local people, explains IT and allows access to the internet etc via 6 onboard computers - at 4.05 pm there is a 25 minute program transmitted from the bus to Radio Lancashire listeners.

John Bond and myself will be at the steamer from early morning through the day, we will take our musical instruments (but don't let that put you off!), the Petition for people to sign and details of how to sign online (hopefully via The Blue Bus) and details of EDM 331 and how to contact MPs etc......

It would be great if as many people as possible could come along, bring instruments (and as long as the Landlord OKs it) have a play and sing..... maybe get interviewed? Help pass the word and explain the situation to members of the unaware public.

I know it's a working day for most of you - and many will be restricted by travel - but pass on the message to anyone you think might be interested and would like to come along - The Steamer is right next to the Market (which is open) so hopefully there should be a few people about having a look at the Blue Bus.........

There has also been talk of a "phone-in" on radio Lancashire re. new proposals

Sounding off - members of the Musicians' Union, performers, MPs and other industry representatives presented a 110,000-signature petition to 10 Downing Street on Monday to protest against the proposed licensing bill due to return to the House of Lords this week

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