Hamish,

Get into the real world. Noone forces a concession from a government with a majority of over 150 except in the last few days ofa parliamentary session - and then only if he ocmmnads a majority vote in the Lords. The most that you get are clarifications to the wording if you convince them that it doesn't mean what they intend.

The point of the post that you rpelied to was not to say that the act is good or bad or even better or worse than you state. It was simply to say that you posed a questsion to the local licencing officer which had to be answered in the way he did rather thant ask a queston that would throw light on how wide or narrow interpretation he would put on what is exempt.

All of your posts have taken a consistent narrow view of the discretion that licencing committees will have. You may be right but you may not no-one will know until at least the end of the year. You may be wrong and you are probably correct for some and worng for others, in which case we will only know how the situation will settle down when a significant court rules on a case. No-one expects to convince you otherwise until a court proves you worng if you are. In the meantime the MU appears to be less pessimistic than you.