Sword Dancing Petition to Sign

Subject: Sword Dancing Petition to Sign
From: JHW
Date: 29 May 08 - 06:10 PM

Hi, Lots of forwarded emails are arriving about this.

A new Government Crime Reduction Bill is to outlaw use and purchase of Swords and similar except for sporting and historical re-enactment activities. Use for Sword Dancing IS NOT included in the exceptions to the ban. You only had to see the teams at York Spectacular to know we can't allow Sword Dance to be bureaucratized out of existence!

Please sign the petition at   

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/dancers/

Subject: RE: Sword Dancing Petition to Sign
From: JHW
Date: 29 May 08 - 06:44 PM

Sorry, I forgot to say that as this is a UK Government measure the petition (to our PM) can only be signed by UK residents.

Thanks, John Wilson

Subject: RE: Sword Dancing Petition to Sign
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 29 May 08 - 07:02 PM

There is already a thread on this subject, started two days ago. It appears, as some already suspected, that longsword and rapper "swords", since they aren't actually swords at all, don't fall under the terms of the act unless some idiot has given his a cutting edge.

UK dance swords petition

Subject: RE: Sword Dancing Petition to Sign
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 29 May 08 - 08:19 PM

Can't get the link to work, Malcolm - here's another one, just in case it's the clickie and not my computer being cranky:

Thread "UK dance swords petition": http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=111540&messages=39

You don't have to be resident in the UK - there's a category for "expatriates" (does anyone really check stuff like that?) but you do have to be a British citizen.

BTW, do any of the government bods know that rappers etc aren't proper swords? Have to admit, I could think of a few reasons for having a cutting edge on them...

I've signed the petition, very quick & easy, but there's one of those emailed confirmation-links that drop into your Inbox, which you have to click on to validate. No problem, but be warned that the sender's name displays as 10 Downing Street. "Yeah, right" I thought when I saw it, and was about to dump it into the spam bin along with all the bank account warnings, Paypal suspensions, assorted medications, and fantastic prizes I won. But it's the real thing. So go sign, and you too can get your very own email from the prime minister's office.