I have just got this and sent my letter off.
Please, as many of you as can, send to your MP as well

Dear All

Firstly, apologies for sending this round-robin email - please accept the impersonal nature of this. The 'Two in a Bar' rule was enforced by an appeal court last week, making it illegal for more than 2 people to sing in a bar on any one occasion. The maximum penalty is a fine of £20,000 and a 6 month prison sentence - unbelievable.

The ruling was such that anyone joining in with impromptu music in a pub session or club is deemed to be a 'performer' - so more than one person joining in with a chorus song is against the law! To try and overturn this nonsense, folkies and friends of folkies everywhere are being asked to contact their MP now ... keep reading, it's easy.

Below is a quote from Hamish Birchall of CaLM, the live music campaign in Camden, which is self-explanatory. If you can spare a few minutes to send an email/fax to your MP using the link below, you might help the folk tradition remain a living tradition. It would be helpful if you would re-word the standard letter though, as many MPs ignore numerous copies of a 'standard' letter.

It is vital that as many MPs as possible contribute to the Parliamentary debate tomorrow (27th) on reform of public entertainment licensing. The

more MPs that participate the more likely it is that the debate will be reported in the press and on television. Media coverage is essential to raise public awareness and to convince the Government that this issue cannot be ignored.

You can fax your MP quickly and easily from the web via this very useful free service:
www.faxyourmp.com

Here is a suggested draft text to adapt as you see fit:

Dear Sir/Madam

Tomorrow (27 Feb) David Heath MP will lead an adjournment debate in the Commons on reform of public entertainment licensing. This legislation regulates public access to live music and dance throughout England and Wales. But the law is in a mess. Its draconian interpretation and enforcement by local authorities threatens to kill off any form of spontaneous music and dance.

In a traditionally liberal and tolerant democracy it may be difficult to accept that harmless music-making or dance is treated so harshly. But the fact is that 95% of licensees would be committing a criminal offence this evening if they allowed a trio or quartet to perform on their premises, or one person to dance. Even Morris dancing in a pub car park, or garden would be illegal. That is because only 5% licensees currently hold a public entertainment licence. The maximum penalty for unlicensed entertainment is a £20,000 fine and six months in prison.

An Appeal Court ruling last week makes the situation even worse (London Borough of Southwark v Sean Toye, Adminstrative Court, 21.2.2). Without a public entertainment licence it will now be illegal for licensees to allow one singer to replace another in a duo, or for a solo pianist to perform after a duo. Members of the public will now count as 'performers' if they sing along for their own amusement. This is undoubtedly bad law, but it is strictly enforced across the country.

What does this imply for Golden Jubilee celebrations? Will thousands of licensees face heavy fines and a jail sentence for allowing parents to dance with their children in a pub garden?

Can I ask that you participate in tomorrow's debate and encourage the Government to take immediate action.

Yours faithfully