Please bear in mind that this is a tourist resort, so it matters little where in the world you live. If you care about freedom of expression and traditional music, please write and express your view of our Local Authority's policy

That set me thinking. What's needed isn't so much people writing to slagging them off, but politely checking with the authority that their policy is such that anyone who might want to take part in or attend an informal singsong or music session should go somewhere else for their holidays, or to set up that business they are thinking of setting up somewhere in Europe.

And when they've got that confirmation, write to the paper explaining why they won't be coming, and why they will be telling all their friends around the world that Weymouth and Portland are not the place to go. Preferably postmarked Texas and places like that, because they probably think all Texans are oil millionaires.

Not a question of complaining about the injustice of it, because they are hardly concerned about that. "Not my problem if you people like it that way - but I just don't want to waste my holiday going somewhere where I can't sing a sing or play a tune with my friends, when the landlord and regulars don't object."

I think I might write to them myself, and explain that I am planning to drawing up a list on my website of authorities which have adopted a hardline approach on this, and authorities that are more easy going about it, and asking them to confirm which category I should put them in. I wouldn't want to give inn accurate information to friends in various part of the world.

And I think it might indeed be useful to have such a list. Well, more especially a list of [aces which, like Weymouth have a consistent and determined anti-policy. There could be a danger with identifying currently easy going authorities - it can be best to let sleeping dogs lie.