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Against the Booze Bans - Provocation Picnic, 25 August

On 25 August (Bank Holiday Monday in England and Wales) the Manifesto Club will launch a new report, ‘Against the Booze Bans - and the Hyperregulation of Public Space’. Please join us for the launch - a Provocation Picnic Against the Booze Bans - in Hyde Park, London. Enjoy a drink in the park – and take a stand against the growing petty regulation of public space.

Boris Johnson has claimed the Tube booze ban was one of the great successes of his first 100 days in office. But it isn't just Boris - and it isn't just London. There are now restrictions on drinking alcohol in squares, parks and streets all around the UK - and in many other countries, from town centres in the Czech Republic, to beaches in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

We oppose booze bans, and all other paternalistic regulation of public space. We believe that public space should be exactly that - a place where we can come together as a public - to argue and campaign, to chat with friends and socialise. We also oppose the puritanical move to prevent under-21s (who can vote!) from buying alcohol at off-licenses.

We will be hitting the parks and the streets to campaign against this ongoing erosion of civil liberties and public life. If you would like to support our campaign:

  • See the report: ‘Against the Booze Bans - and the Hyperregulation of Public Space’ - which charts the creeping growth of drinking regulation, and shows how public space is being reorganised around the whims of police and bureaucrats. The report finds that drinking regulation comes through with little public support, and indeed could be illegal. We support the growth of protests against booze bans, and call for public spaces to be reclaimed by the public.

  • Join our Facebook group Against the Booze bans and encourage your friends to join (wherever you are in the world).
  • Join us for our Provocation Picnic Against the Booze Bans on Monday 25 August, in Hyde Park, London. This is the focus of the campaign - where we will launch the report, raise a glass, and show our opposition to petty official regulation of public space. We ask all those who feel similarly to join us for a drink in the park, while we still can! Meet in the area behind Speakers' Corner cafe in Hyde Park, 3pm; bring a picnic.
  • In the run up to the picnic, we will be out on flyering sessions in London, Brighton, and other UK cities. Do come along; the more the merrier! These include:
      Tuesday 19 August, meet 7pm, London, Soho;
      Thursday 21 August, meet 7pm, London, Green Park;
      Friday 22 August, meet 5.30, Brighton Pier.

    If you want to come flyering, email josie.appleton@manifestoclub.com or call 0779 1032740.

For more information, or to get involved, email info@manifestoclub.com