The trouble with "simple" language is making it simple, unambiguous AND detailed - generally you only get to choose two out of three! Although there are certainly some bits that could have been written clearer. My experience from your previous quotes of Hamish Birchall's is that they frequently haven't reflected the actual text of what the Act says, which perhaps is *why* the debate is continuing. I have much respect for his aims, but not a great deal for his implementation of those aims.

Perhaps you would agree that it is more important that all of these are addressed than this thread confines itself to just a few of them?

I'm afraid that *is* the main thing I disagree with.

As you say, the situation is complicated. There are at least four separate areas of "officialdom" in the UK (PRS, PPL, central government setting licensing laws, local government enforcing licensing laws) which have their sticky fingers in the pie, and each has their own very different areas in which they can get you. There's a danger of painting them as one generic grey-suited "officialdom" that hates freedom of expression, which simply ain't the case - yes, some of them may hate true freedom of expression (PRS for starters!), but they're very different entities, running on very different rules.

So unless we stay focussed which specific areas of "officialdom" we're looking at, any discussion is helping no-one - the specifics of each area will be lost in a tide of random issues about other areas.

Graham.