The law is framed so that any self-important "civil disobedience" you engage in will harm the licensee, not you. Nobody will arrest you; but he or she may lose their livelihood. Do you still not understand that?

The point is well - if a little harshly made among those who are on the same side. But where it was certainly the case that licensees were needed to take the risks in any musical defiance under current legislation - it is less the case under the new Act and shouldn't be used as a cop-out and a reason to do nothing.

For this Act makes (practically) any live music illegal anywhere - without Premises Licence entertainment permission. So I am sure that there are ways that effective protest action can be undertaken - where there is a will to - that will only place those taking part at risk.

An example that springs to mind is a Morris Side (on public land) using one amplified instrument - to bring attention to the fact that this is illegal.

Or live music performances from the back of a moving vehicle.

I am sure that many more can be thought up. Of course any protest action will have to be carefully arranged so that we keeep or improve on the public's sympathy and do not actually harm the cause. But I am sure that with a little thought - many ways of doing this can be devised - where there is a will to do so.

It is not as if the pro music lobby has not tried most of the conventional routes to try and bring this nation's attention to the damage this Act will do to our basic and traditional freedom of musical expression. What really frustrates me is the fact that this action came so very close to throwing this terrible piece of legislation out completly. It was only Lord Redescale and his Lib Dem peers voting with the Government that saved it.   

And he gets a dance created for him. Perhaps it should be called The Traitor's Dance?