Tessa Jowell handed the question over to Kim Howells to answer. He said, 'Well, I got into a bit of trouble for my remarks about folk singers.' 'Oh, I know,' I said. People laughed. He then said something about having to consider individual cases. He said he had recently been in a pub, having a quiet drink when a musician had come in with two amplifiers and had started blasting away. Obviously there were no safety implications here, he said, but he had found it unpleasant and thought many other people would too.

This man just does not get it. Well if he and they did find the loud music unpleasant, and many of us would, it is largely a matter of personal taste not legisaltion. For they have many options open to them to address it, including leaving or complaining to the licensee. And of course it is not a problem limited to all (but only) LIVE music and the equipment could have been confiscated. But the place most probably had a PEL anyway!

Then he talked of a pub that was packed with people listening to a local band, and said there would be safety implications there. As you'll see, he hadn't answered my questions at all.

Overcrowding is not limited to all (but only) LIVE music events and would equally apply to live TV sports in pubs, but is easily dealt with by imposing a safe capacity on ALL Premises Licenses. For some reason, Dr Howells does not wish to include this activity in those that need prior local authority permission (or safe capities).

Why are they so determined to make all (but only) LIVE music and musicians scape-goats, when their (safety) arguments are so clearly bogus?