Why Conservatives don't get culture

 The problem with sweeping generalisations is that they are generally wrong. I am appalled by the lack of understanding of what culture is that seems to be rife in the Conservative party. There was a time when the opposite was true. Former leader Edward Heath was an accomplished conductor of Orchestra's.  Margaret Thatcher created Channel 4 as a public service broadcaster funded by advertising, but somewhere down the line, the value of culture seems to have become a blind spot for the Conservative party. A few years ago, Barnet Council decided to bid to become the London Borough of Culture. Can you guess who they chose as the lead partner in the bid? Brent Cross Shopping centre. We outlined why they'd got it wrong at the time.

Today the Cuture Secretary Nadine Dorries has been in the news. She has a plan to flog off what many consider to be Margaret Thatchers finest legacy, Channel 4. Apparently, she thinks it needs to be owned by a multinational to compete with Netflix and Amazon. What Nads completely fails to understand is that the whole point of Channel four is that it doesn't. The remit of Channel 4 is to do things differently. Over the years it has produced a plethora of amazing content that no one else would touch with a bargepole as commissioners, but which has proven hugely important. Without C4 we'd never have seen It's a sin, Father Ted, Friday Night Dinner, The Inbetweeners, Catastrophe and The Derry Girls to name a few of the iconic comedies. Can you imagine any other broadcaster making a comedy about three Roman Catholic priests in the middle of nowhere, with standing jokes about cups of tea?  As for their films, the list is really too long.

Nadine Dorries: Just because Channel 4 is in receipt of public money

Damien Green: Channel 4 is not in receipt of license fee money

Nadine Dorries: And..So..Though its..Yeah and..That..#ToryShambles pic.twitter.com/J43rGNe0SW

— UK is with EU (@ukiswitheu) November 24, 2021

So what is it with the current crop of Conservatives and why don't they 'get it'? Of course some do, but the fact Ms Dorries is culture secretary demonstrates that there is a problem. A couple of years ago, I did a submission to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport inquiry into live music. For reasons I can't quite fathom an inquiry that was supposed to be about protecting live music venues in the UK ended up largely about the costs of secondary ticketing. It was a tragic waste of an opportunity, but it became clear that MP's were more interested in the cost of tickets than actually ensuring there were shows to go to. 

This summed up the problem. The benefits of music and culture are financially unquantifiable. As your loved ones coffin departs at their funeral, to the sounds of their favourite song, what is that worth. As you listen to the track you met your partner dancing to? The song your kid danced to at the school play? What are all of these things worth? The UK is a world leader in music. The industry brings in £5 billion a year to the UK coffers. As for TV production, our public service broadcasters make shows that are shown around the world, things no one else would consider. This gives new film makers, producers, writers, editors and crews the opportunity to hone their trade. Everyone has to start somewhere. What Dorries is proposing will simply mean that in twenty years time, we have a far poorer, less diverse and less interesting cultural environment. It is no accident that the UK has so many award winning people involved in creative industries. It is because with the BBC and C4 we have platforms that allow talent to grow and thrive. You simply cannot quantify that. 

As soon as you get bean counters and non creative people running cultural organisations, you destroy the heart and soul of those organisations. Of course Netflix and Amazon produce amazing shows, They will continue to do so, but why destroy C4, which costs the taxpayer nothing, on the alter of privatisation. Thatcher got it, why don't our current crop of Tories? 

The answer is simple. They are not creative people, how many Tory MP's have worked in the creative industries in a creative role? They simply see culture in terms of pound notes. They don't understand that every ticket sold at a music venue or theatre, is worth far more to London than the ticket price. There is the pre/post drinks and meals. There is the tube/bus/train fare. There are the tourists returning home saying London is wonderful. In terms of Channel 4, it is the money generated by the wonderful shows and films mentioned above and the legacy they leave. You can't and you shouldn't want to quantify it, so you can't measure it. 

And you may ask about what I've said "What do you know about the arts?" Well, I've run a successful studio for 43 years, I've had a successful career as both a child actor and musician, I've produced 2 documentary films, that were shown at The Edinburgh festival and The House of Commons. Thats all

The £5 billion UK industry that doesn't exist

London has a huge publishing industry, many important labels, a superb technical base and some of the worlds finest musicians. Our venues are iconic and artists such as Bob Marley, The Ramones and even Tom Petty have chosen London venues for live recordings. In other countries in the EU such as Germany, hey have introduced all manner of measures to help local musicians to survive. The Germans famously put a levy on blank tapes, that was paid to local artists to help support them. UK musicians have had zero help.

As our business fully reopens after lockdown, we are seeing a huge surge in bookings. For us, some of these are hugely exciting, but it will take us at least two years to get back to where we were in 2019. Last week Nadine Dorries replaced Oliver Dowden as culture. I've written to Mr Dowden (and his predecessors in the role) on numerous occasions. All I've ever managed to receive in reply are a few stock responses from junior officials. You may ask "Why should he expect a minister to bother with what he has to say, he's a busy man?" Well the answer is quite simple, our studio is the oldest independent rehearsal studio in London, we are one of the biggest and we have a track record of success. We have contributed to the DCMS enquiry on Live music, via the Save London Music Campaign, which we joined forces with other studios to set up, our contribution is recognised in the finakl report. I also contributed to a consultation on the Millenium Dome set up.  This was before it was built. You may be interested to note that my view was the govt should partner with a company with a track record of delivery of events, such as Tussauds group, as well as having spaces for small artists, regional and diverse art, etc. Small performance spaces for up and coming artists, to showcase them as vistors went to the main exhibits would have been wonderful. Instead, we got a hugely expensive space tha only started to work when a private operator came in to run it properly. It is now the most successful venue on the planet. So many years were wasted before this was achieved. 

Many readers will be surprised that as someone who has championed public services, I am a strong proponent of private enterprise in music and the arts. This is based on the fact that my music career was launched and has been supported ever since by small independent promoters, venues, labels and management companies. The Uk has a rich history of our independent sector. My band worked with amazing grass roots promoters all over the UK (and even in Scandinavia). London clubs such as The Roxy and the Vortex and the Blitz were not brought about by government bodies or councils. It was individuals who wanted to take risks and do what they loved. Independent record labels such as Factory and Peter Gabriels Real World records are just two iconic labels that have recorded at our studios. 

Some small scale promoters etc, such as Richard Branson ended up running global empires, but most get ground down and give up. Some do it for love of a genre such as local promoter Pete Feenstra, who cut his teeth at the Torrington is a good example. Some do it to make a quick buck and soon disappear, when they realise just how much hard work is involved. At present, we sponsor events such as The London International Ska Festival and the Mill Hill Music Festival. All such events have taken a massive hit because of Covid, being cancelled completely. The government set up the "Cultural Recovery Fund" but this is very much designed for more mainstream organisations. It seems to me that most MP's have no clue about the £5 billion music industry. 

Nadine Dorries is the 6th Culture secretary since 2017, that is a new one every 8 months on average. There is no continuity and the job is clearly seen as unimportant. It is clear that no one takes the job seriously. How can an industry build a rapport with a secretary if they are gone just as they get their feet under the table. 

I have no idea whether Nadine Dorries will be a good secretary of state. I've no idea if she'll take more interest in the sector than her predecessor. I have no idea if she'll last longer. For me it is the perfect job, what could be better than trying to keep the UK music and sport industry at the top of the Worlds Premier League? 

The Culture Secretary has a standing invitation to visit our studios, meet musicians and artists and get some sort of grassroots view of what it is like being involved in music in the year 2021 in London. We need a culture secretary who cares and who understands the issues. Does the Rt Hon Member of Mid Bedfordshire? I've no idea, but if she wants to find out, I am happy to host a meeting so she can learn about our industry. I'll even buy her a pot noodle if the rules allow it! But whatever she does, it is vital she takes the job seriously and champions UK music.

First Capital Connect : The Filth and the Fury

The fury is us. The users of the service. If you read this blog to the end, you'll probably have some idea who I think "The Filth" are. This blog is a roundup of the two debates in Parliament about Thameslink and the First Capital Connect route. I've read the minutes for both debates and there were some stark and revealing issues raised.

I've long had reservations about the ability of First Capital Connect to operate an efficient service, but I'd not considered whether we were actually safe on the trains. Are we risking our life and limb? Like me you may have wondered about the recent spate of lineside fires. I couldn't understand how you could get a lineside fire in a sealed tunnel, such as happened recently near City Thameslink.I read this horrific passage in the debate on the Thameslink route in Parliament on 2nd Feb. Mr Kelvin Hopkins MP said this :-

One other point is that there are signalling and electrical power problems. Already there have been line-side fires in the tunnel between Farringdon and City Thameslink. That, I understand, is caused by arcing from the third rails, because the delivery for electricity to those tracks is at one end of that section of track rather than, typically, in the centre, which means that the voltages must be higher to drive the current longer distances.

From Mr Hopkins comments, it appears that there is a system problem, making that part of the network prone to fires. I don't know about you, but to me the concept of tunnels, fires and packed commuter trains sounds like a rather dangerous mix.

There was another debate yesterday (3rd Feb) which had been arranged by Anne Main MP, specifically about the FCC service. There were some rather interesting points raised here. One which seemed to sum up the inefficiency was a comment by Lib Dem MP Paul Burstow.

It is not just that trains have been delivered late; they are not delivering the service they are meant to deliver. I gather that at the moment, First Capital Connect trains, the 377s, are breaking down after every 6,000 miles, compared with Southern, which runs the same trains and seems to keep them running for 22,000 miles before they break down. Surely that is another example of how incompetent the company is.

I wasn't aware of the huge difference in the reliability of the same trains on different routes. Why on earth should the trains be nearly 4 times more reliable on the Southern Route? In the same debate, Luton MP Kelvin Hopkins also commented on the apparent ruses used by First Capital Connect to avoid financial penalties. Yet again the commuter is the one to suffer :-

Moreover, we have a delay attribution system. If a First Capital Connect train is late there may be a delay in its connection with an East Midlands train, which then might have a problem connecting with a cross-country route in, say, Sheffield, and people will miss their connections. If the fault is traced back to First Capital Connect, it can be fined. So First Capital Connect goes out of its way to ensure that it is not blamed, because it does not want to be fined, but someone has to pay somewhere.

This presumably is why some trains are suddenly run through as fast trains. Yet again, the root cause is that FCC don't want to be penalised financially. Mr Hopkins added

The former rail regulator, Tom Winsor, said in this building, in my hearing, "When BR handed over the railways to the privateers, they were handed over in good order." He is not a dyed in the wool socialist like me; he is an objective observer who was a regulator. He also said that British Rail worked miracles on a pittance. It was desperately underfunded, but it still managed to run a railway.

In other words, dodgy companies like First Capital Connect have transformed a functional system into a shambles. Nadine Dorries, MP for Bedford summed it up :-

Moments before we came into the debate, we received an almost self-congratulatory e-mail from First Capital Connect, which announced that there were only 135 cancellations in the week from 25 to 31 January. It is almost as if those cancellations were the only issue, but as my hon. Friend says, they force more people on to fewer trains, making people late and making their journeys incredibly uncomfortable. "This is the best ...performance...since May 2009.".

The bottom line though is that after 2 debates in 2 days, it is clear that the Government couldn't be bothered to do anything. Reading the minister, Chris Mole MP's comments, it is clear to me that he is completely useless. A remedial plan is in place until the next major disaster. It seems that the Government are buying the line that First Capital Connect are doing well now. I suppose if you accept that lineside fires, 135 cancellations a week, timetable manipulation, driver shortages (they still don't have the right number of drivers), passengers packed like sardines have no relevance to the debate they are doing OK. What I found extremely upsetting was the fact that none of the MP's in Barnet, all of who represent passengers who use the line, made any contribution to these debates. During the debates there were great contributions from Conservative, Labour, Lib Dem and Independent MP's. Sadly those in our Borough couldn't be bothered. Is it because they all have second homes and so never actually use the line? Is that why they don't care.

What more can I say, other than to give you the highlights of this mornings delays. Enjoy ....

07:24 Brighton to Bedford due 10:08
This train has been delayed and is now 22 minutes late from Gatwick Airport.
This train has been revised.
It will no longer call at: St Albans City, Harpenden, Luton, Leagrave, Harlington and Flitwick.
This is due to signalling problems.
Message Received: 08:28:41 04/02/2010
          
07:28 Rochester to Bedford due 09:52
This train has been delayed and is now 10 minutes late from Rochester.
This is due to congestion caused by earlier delays.
Message Received: 07:52:38 04/02/2010
       
07:50 Brighton to Bedford due 10:22
This train has been delayed and is now 11 minutes late from East Croydon.
This is due to earlier signalling problems.
Message Received: 08:47:46 04/02/2010
       
08:18 Bromley South to Bedford due 09:58
This train has been delayed and is now 15 minutes late from Elephant & Castle.
This is due to an earlier broken down train.
Message Received: 08:42:16 04/02/2010

Stiletto's & the TUC & the Daily Mail

Reports in the papers today that the TUC want to ban high heeled shoes in the workplace according to an article in the Daily Mail. Bonkers you shout, the Tory party's finest looker, Nadine Dorries comes out firmly on the side of the stiletto brigade, on the grounds that she's 5'3" and no one would see her.

As with all Daily Mail stories, there's more to it than the headlines. Firstly, some members have proposed a motion. This is rather different from actually adopting the policy. If the Tories had adopted every proposal they'd had at their conference, then we'd still have the birch !

Like many issues with clothing, it amazes me that we get so worked up about what other people wear. The Mail is pro stiletto as they believe in a womans right to express themselves. Is this the same Daily Mail which criticised popstar Kate Nash for having a spot on her face? Is it the same Daily Mail that rants about Muslim women in Burka's?

Personally, as someone who runs a business, I really couldn't care less whether a female member of staff wore stiletto's a Burka or both, so long as they did their job. The only stipulation is that they are happy wearing it and are not being compelled (by husband, boss or anyone else).

I'll just say this. Who do you think has done more for the rights of women in the workplace. The Daily Mail or the TUC?

The horrible truth about Tories !!!!!!

They say that the most awful thing about Absynth is that if you drink enough of it you see the world as it really is and that is a horrible thing. Well I haven't been drinking Absynthe, but I've had a glass too many of red wine and an awful truth has dawned on me. Let me explain. I've left many messages on the Leader of Barnet Council, Mike Freer's blog - Leader Listens. He virtually never publishes them. He hides them so nobody can see them. He hopes that by doing this, everyone will think that he's popular. It isn't only my message either. Other people tell the same tale. As he's the highest profile Tory in Barnet, I've assumed that this is how all Tory politicians behave and there is a "central blogging control" which keeps all Tory bloggers on side.

Only one other local Tory councillor locally had a blog, Richard Weider, who recently emigrated. Now I left messages on Richards blog and up they popped. I thought "That Richard Weider is OK. He's brave enough to publish nasty comments". Then I left some comments on Roger Evans blog - Tory GLA leader. Roger put them up & I thought "He's OK, he puts comments up". Then I put some on his GLA colleague, James Cleverly's blog. James put them up "He must be OK as well". Then I left one on Tory West Harrow PPC Rachel Joyce's blog. She put it up and I thought "Rachel is OK". Today I posted a message mercilessly ribbing Bedford Tory MP, Nadine Dorries. Nadine put the comment up. I thought "Good old Nadine, she must be OK as well". Then I thought "Hang on I've also left messages on Iain Dale's blog, Don't call me Dave's blog, Guido's blog......." They are all Tories. They all posted the message. Then I thought "who doesn't post messages who is a Tory? It's back to that list of one - Mike Freer.

I've been under the impression that all Tories are a bunch of cowardly yellowbellies who don't post critical messages, when the evidence is actually quite the opposite. It just happens that the one Tory I first left comments on is completely unrepresentative. You see the horrible truth about Tories is that they are all rather keen on free speech and a bit of banter.

Well all except Mike Freer !

Is David Camerons embarrassing sexual problem only a spot of bother for Gordon?

What were they thinking about? How stupid could someone be? I am starting to think Gordon Brown may be a lucky PM after all. You might think that this is a completely stupid thing to say, in light of the McBride shenanigans, but think it through. The election won't be held for a year, by which time all of this will be forgotten. Had McBride and Draper not been exposed now, before there was a real trail back to Gordon, then he'd be in deep doo-doo. Even worse, had this pair of buffoons been running the campaign. You can just see the conversation going something like this.

GB: The Tories have jumped 5% points with their latest policy to cut the Tax on Diesel, what shall we do?

McBride: We'll spoof a picture of George Osborne snogging a Yak and post it on an anonymous blog.

Draper: Genius, Pure genius Damian.

Nothing could be clearer to me, Brown has got lucky. As I contemplated the issue, I thought to myself "What possible embarrassing sexual condition would actually put off voters in 2009?" I went through the vaguely believable possibilities. All the stress he's been under with his son, I'd guess that he'd get forgiven most things. I really don't think people care. It is fairly easy to find a blog with the details but I'm just not that interested, so I haven't even bothered looking. I doubt you are either. Unless he announced that he could only make love to his wife if she was wearing a Gordon Brown mask, I doubt it would even raise a titter. If that was the revelation and it was posted on an anonymous blog, who would care? A few juvenile lefties may snigger, but if any anonymous blogs changed the voting intentions of one person, I'd be amazed.

What these buffoons can't seem to grasp is that all of the effort they've spent making up this rubbish, they could have been doing something useful. I guess that in their case though, that would be drafting a letter of resignation and looking for a job where they could do less damage. I'd urge numpties up and down the land, looking to unleash rivers of foundationless bile at their political opponents via anonymous blogs to look long and hard at what has happened to this little scheme. You may not be as lucky as Brown and you may get exposed at a really bad time.

Whilst the Tory chattering class may think Brown is drinking in last chance saloon now, and can't get away with a cock up such as this again, I'm ot so sure. He has the chance to get a few competent advisors. Is it any wonder he's lurched from crisis to crisis with this mob? I actually wonder if they've been set up by a Labour insider who recogised their consumate lack of intelligence.

As it is the McBride & Draper, the undynamic comedy duo have given David Cameron a big boost and probably ensured Nadine Dorries will get a front bench job to boot this week. I do wonder if a part of David Cameron is secretly wishing the scheme had actually got off the ground. If this time next year, Brown is heading back to No 10, maybe Guido et all will be wishing they sat on their "victorious" scoop. I can't imagine any way Brown could find himself a worse pair of advisors.

What floats your boat ???

Well, it's Valentines day today. It's also the 30th Anniversary of the first rehearsal of my band, The False Dots and the founding of my studios - Mill Hill Music Complex. I was only 16 then, where did all of the time go? For those of you unfamiliar with my blog, on Saturdays I generally lay off beating up the local incompetents and have a bit of fun. Given that one of the highly beneficial side effects of having a band is that you instantly become 100 times more attractive to girls, we deliberately started the band on St Valentines day. Mind you we weren't a band singing love songs, it was hard core punk rock, with a political theme. At the time, we had a failing Labour government, shortly to be replaced by Margaret Thatcher's Tories. To be quite honest, the songs we wrote in the first year were mostly rubbish. I can remember when I wrote "Not All She Seems" - our first decent song. We played it and at the end looked at each other in disbelief. we'd actually managed a song that didn't sound awful! We were so pleased that we went out into Mill Hill, rounded up a band of rather startled looking hippies and played it to them. They watched with quiet approval and promised us a support slot at a Friends of the earth benefit gig at The Sparrowhawk in Broadfields. We'd hit the big time ! One of the "awful" Songs we did, which we wrote to mourn the passing of Jim Callaghans government with a no confidence vote and the arrival of Maggie Thatcher was "No Confidence". My then songwriting partner, Pete Conway wrote it the day Thatcher put VAT up from 8 to 15%. Strangely enough, it seems to me that the first verse and chorus could probably apply to quite a few politicians

You all Vote in a General election
for a bit of protection
from the Taxman and VAT
but you screwed it up and voted for Maggie !!!

No Confidence X 4
(Copyright Pete Conway and Roger Tichborne)

Strangely enough, although it was a pretty dire song, I have found myself humming that song quite a few times over the years changing the words slightly on occasion ! My then songwriting partner & I saw the band as a means to an end (or several ends if truth be told). Pete departed the band on the day of our first gig, when he didn't turn up. I still don't know why he didn't show. I think we've only spoken 4 times since (once when we met in Court). As Pete was the singer, the first gig was a real challenge. As real pro's we decided the show would go on. Although it was rubbish, we got through. Sometimes that's all you can do. We vowed to the audience, we'd be back in a couple of months and put on a proper show. We did. The main reason for organising the gig was to get a girl from Rock Against Racism to come down and get us a gig for them. She was drop dead gorgeous. Pete Conway had met her and asked her down. When he'd not shown up and she'd seen the ensuing chaos, I assumed that she'd think "losers" and cut out. That was the first time that I found out that pity can be a powerful aphrodisiac !!!! Didn't get the gig though !

I think it's fair to say that just about every girlfriend (including my beloved wife) I've ever had I met because of the band and music. It floats my boat and I guess it floats theirs as well. Which takes us to the real point of the blog. What floats your boat. Tory blogger Iain Dale ran a poll for which Peer you'd most like to get up close and personal with tonight. I can't say any of his top 10 float my boat, but there you go. I sort of thought I'd check my blog viewing stats to see if there was any hint there as to what my beloved readers may like - here's what you were googling when you found me !!!!!

20.45% barnet eye
18.18% brian coleman
13.64% the barnet eye
9.09% Register of Gifts and Hospitality received by the Mayor and Members of the London Assembly 2008
4.55% rog t blog
2.27% single mum and kids benefits
2.27% bnp barnet
2.27% who responsibility for single mum kids
2.27% boris recording vaz
2.27% sense barnet
2.27% rog t barnet eye
2.27% powerleague five a side football mill hill utube
2.27% we're from woburn place 2008-09 facebook
2.27% JULIUS OBEREGGER
2.27% dr alison moore leader labour barnet
2.27% mike freer blog
2.27% barnet civic awards 2009
2.27% rog t
2.27% barnetcouncilwatch
2.27% barnet labour group

Not much clue there (who is Julius Oberegger?? I've never heard of him & don't remember mentioning him anywhere?). I suspect any Mike Freer fans would have been rather disappointed to get me for their search. It seems that the nearest thing to looking for romance on my blog, was the guy looking for "Single mum on benefits" !!!!

Anyway, just for fun I've compiled my list of people from different walks of life who I'd like to run off with tonight, if Mrs T elopes with George Clooney and leaves me on my own - All in fun with a little explanation of why. I've chosen 1 from a choice of 4 categories.


Musician
Well, I'm sorry, but if your my age and you don't like Debbie Harry, then you probably don't like girls. At there peak, I couldn't even walk past a record shop with a picture of Blondie in the window and not stand and leer.

Actress
When I saw Uma in pulp fiction, I was smitten. My good lady refuses to watch anything with her in with me as she really doesn't like the look which I get then.
Politician.

Attractive politicians are few and far between, but you have to admit, our Nadine is a bit of a looker. Her name is also the title of a Chuck Berry song and on top of that, she's as mad as a basket full of ferrets and that is good enough for me.

Former Girlfriend

Yes, it's true Kim & I were together for a while. Not in real life, but I had this recurring dream for a number of years that she was my girlfriend. Strangely they weren't erotic dreams, we'd just be up at the Railway Tavern or the Mill Hill Tandoori doing sort of normal things and she'd be saying Mill Hill was much better than Hollywood.

Now I'm quite aware that a few Barnet Eye readers are of the female persuasion and I don't want to discriminate, so I thought I'd give you Mrs T's selection of who she'd like to run off with, given the opportunity !!! (Yup she'll kill me for this).

Actor
She's had a thing for George Clooney ever since ER. She always says to me "He's almost as handsome and witty as you" (as if !!!).
Musician

She loves Paul Weller. Personally I was never a massive fan of The Jam or Style Council.

***********************************

Anyway whatever you are doing tonight and whoever you are doing it with, I hope you all have a fantastic Valentines night. I'm off down to the fish shop in Burnt Oak to get some lovely fresh fish so I can cook my honey a lovely meal later (if she's still talking to me when she reads this). If you want decent fish, there are two great, proper fishmongers in Burnt Oak !!!! Wash it down with a bottle of the finest plonk from London's best wine shop - Mill Hill Wines, they really know their stuff.

Stupid new laws - Part 1.

Today is the first sitting of the committee stage of the Police and Crime Bill. Part two of the Bill deals with prostitution. This bill is one of the most badly drafted and stupid pieces of legislation that I've ever come across (excuse the schoolboy pun). Let me give you a few examples. Clause 16 will require that the prostitute to have 3 meetings with an undefined official for rather vague reasons. If they don't go they'll go to prison or be fined. What will these three meetings achieve? I suspect that there won't be too many cases of hookers suddenly saying mid conversation "So that's where I've been going wrong all of these years. Now I can become the managing director of Barclays Bank". If there was an option to attend drug / alcohol rehabilitation courses, with proper monitoring & mentoring for young girls, I'd say fine. 3 Meetings with an official? Ill thought out and badly drafted. Clause 20 gives the Police the power to close a brothel for 3 months. Now if you are living in the flat below Mrs Whiplash and you are kept up all night by the sound of naughty high court judges getting a good thrashing for being naughty boys, then you may be rather pleased. What puzzles me is why 3 months. Personally I'd license brothels and make sure they were properly run, but if you are going to close them down, why pick a random number out of the air? We all know what will happen, the police will do what they already do and the brothels will do what they already do. Will the problem go away? I doubt it. If the establishment was licensed and the owners knew they'd lose the lot permanently, the chances are they'd run it in such a way that no one knew they were there. Then there is the question as to what the prostitutes do. Do they run off and become nuns, devoting their life to prayer? I doubt it. They either find another brothel and the problem moves or they go on the streets and make life even worse for residents. Girls don't become prostitutes because their life has turned out how they wanted. It is driven by circumstance and need. Many of the prostitutes working in London are girls who have been trafficked. Many are living the lifestyle of slaves. Many brothels are poorly run and girls are treated far worse than the average family dog or cat. Many prostitues face daily violence as a condition of employment. Many take hard drugs to escape the horror of their situation. Given that prostitution is the last resort of desperate women, it is clear to me that this bill is just a knee jerk reaction to a symptom. It won't solve the problem, it will just make people unsafe. Passing Laws which make bad situations worse is the height of stupidity. I hope it gets thrown out. It seems to me that this bill is yet another example of laziness in the process of scrutiny. I wait with interest to read what MP's made of this bill and I will be following this up. The most sensible comments I've seen regarding this bill have come from the MP for Bedfordshire - Nadine Dorries on her blog - http://blog.dorries.org/Blog.aspx?Y=2009&M=Feb&d=02#02 It seems she's a former nurse, so presumably has had a little bit more experience of life than many of our cossetted career MP's. We need more MP's from this sort of background and a few less former lawyers and Bankers.