Just been flicking through yesterday's Guardian and found this article.
For those who can't be bothered to click through, the gist of it is that Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty has been banned from playing at a music festival in Wilshire. The reason? Not because he's a mad druggy who needs a good carb-laden lunch and a thorough scrub with a nail brush, not that he's a Scourge on the Nation and A Danger To Our Impressionable Youth. No, that would all be far too direct.
Pete D. has been banned from mounting the stage because his fans have a tendency to get a touch too excited for the liking of the authorities. Yup. It's all about Health & Safety. Apparently.
This quote, however, from local Plod Paul Williams is a worrying glimpse into the hearts and minds of the British authorities. Read and weep; "Experts are telling us that the profile of fans that follow Pete Doherty and Babyshambles is volatile and they can easily be whipped up into a frenzy, whereas the profile of someone that would follow around Cliff Richard or Bucks Fizz, for example, is completely different."
Obviously Superintendant Williams isn't in any danger of becoming a member of MENSA any time soon, but really...we pay these people to police our streets?
For those who can't be bothered to click through, the gist of it is that Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty has been banned from playing at a music festival in Wilshire. The reason? Not because he's a mad druggy who needs a good carb-laden lunch and a thorough scrub with a nail brush, not that he's a Scourge on the Nation and A Danger To Our Impressionable Youth. No, that would all be far too direct.
Pete D. has been banned from mounting the stage because his fans have a tendency to get a touch too excited for the liking of the authorities. Yup. It's all about Health & Safety. Apparently.
This quote, however, from local Plod Paul Williams is a worrying glimpse into the hearts and minds of the British authorities. Read and weep; "Experts are telling us that the profile of fans that follow Pete Doherty and Babyshambles is volatile and they can easily be whipped up into a frenzy, whereas the profile of someone that would follow around Cliff Richard or Bucks Fizz, for example, is completely different."
Obviously Superintendant Williams isn't in any danger of becoming a member of MENSA any time soon, but really...we pay these people to police our streets?
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Yours - a Guardian Reader