snip.....As know well, the simple tick box idea is nonsense and of course none of the three licenses is free. And the idea that singing in a pub without the entertainment licence is illegal and makes the premises unsafe is dangerous and completely unacceptable, when TV sport crowds are exempt..........


Hamish Birchall interview transcript.............

HB: Yeah, but this is a none-in-a-bar rule, and contrary to what the
minister claimed, of course, there is an exemption in the schedule - it's Paragraph 8 - for the provision of broadcast entertainment. And this Bill applies to any place, it's not just pubs. We've welcomed the (proposal?) and we accept that on the point of application, later on this year, if the Bill is enacted, it will be no additional cost in applying for permission we know the way local authorities operate, they've already said to us that they'd like to stipulate the maximum number of musicians, where in the premises, when they're to perform, and making - treating all live music in that special way when you've created an exemption for a pub to be crammed with people watching a big match just seems disproportionate to us............