I hope you will not disagree to the first part of the sentence which does put the bit you disagree with into its proper context?

In truth the small events exemption does benefit more people in a practical sense...........

We are talking about a rearguard action here, for we lost this fight the minute Howells and Co refused to listen to reason. It is not an ideal position we find ourselves in and it is only a question now of salvaging something of most use from the wreckage and running within the rules and best hopes of the Lords bargaining position.

Even if the Lords could win a vote on a non amplified exemption - where this exemption would save most sessions, any folk club with PA would fall foul, along with just about every other form of live music.

The other critism of course is that the small events exemption does not help traditional dancing, as it now only refers to live music. Again this is not an ideal position but under the current law there was a partial exemption for music, there was not one for dance.

It would also be difficult to argue a case for an exemption for traditional dance, that did not also exempt raves, strippers and lap-dancers. This would not be likely to be supported in a Lords vote, given the Government's hostile position to any move against the words of their Bill.

If you read the arguments in the Lords, you will see that the arguments in favour of the small events amendment as it is now worded, completely wrong-footed the Government, who true to form, relied of the same old scare-mongering.

Except perhaps for the one point abount premises closing at 11.30pm and re-opening at 11.31pm, so not requiring a licence whilst running right thorough until 11.30pm the next day!

The Government could easily close this rather unlikly loophole, as they could easily solve most of the other problems - if they had a will to. Unfortunatly they have up to now, decided not to do this but simply to vote any substantial Lords amendments out of the Bill completly.

Let us see if they have changed their approach when the Bill returns to the Commons this week.