AGAINST THE BOOZE BANS - AND THE HYPERREGULATION OF PUBLIC SPACE

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has claimed the banning of alcohol on the London Tube as 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 has been a creeping introduction of alcohol bans in public spaces all around the UK - and throughout many other countries, from town centres in the Czech Republic, to beaches in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.

The Manifesto Club has launched a campaign Against the Booze Bans and the Hyperregulation of Public Space.

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FOR INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION AND EXCHANGE

The Home Office recently introduced new restrictions on international artists and academics visiting the UK for talks, temporary exhibitions, concerts or artists' residencies. Visitors now have to submit to a series of arduous and expensive proceedures to get their visa, and then more bureaucratic controls when they are in the UK. Already a series of concerts and residencies have been cancelled.

The Manifesto Club is coordinating a campaign against these regulations. The campaign is led by Manick Govinda, artists' adviser at Artsadmin, and has won support from artists, musicians, gallery directors, academics and students. Together we call for these parochial and suspicious regulations to be reconsidered, and affirm the vital contribution made by global artists and scholars to UK cultural and intellectual life.

For full details and to get involved, see the Visiting artists and academics page.

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THE CASE AGAINST VETTING

The vetting of adults in the name of child protection is out of control. Those now being vetted include 16-year-olds teaching younger kids to read, parents volunteering at school, and foster carers’ friends. Running an after-school club is now subject to more stringent security tests than selling explosives.

The Manifesto Club is campaigning against UK legislation like the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill, which institutionalises distrust. We have produced a number of reports on this issue, arguing for a commonsense approach to child protection that recognises that value of informal interaction between the generations.

For full details and to get involved, see the Case Against Vetting page.

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CAMPAIGN AGAINST PHOTO BANS

A new report, by Pauline Hadaway, director of Belfast Exposed gallery, reveals the growing restriction of citizen photography. Policing the Public Gaze: The Assault on Citizen Photography shows that although there is no overarching ban, there has been a creeping restriction of everyday photography - by community safety wardens, private security guards, and self-appointed ‘jobsworths’. This ranges from children being told that they can only take photos of particular parts of the body, to sports clubs told they should remove all photos of kids from their websites. Hadaway argues that it is important that people are able to take spontaneous photographs of public life, whether of children or any other contemporary touchy subjects: 'We need to stop this self-censorship.'

Download a print or screen version of the report.

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HANDS OFF POETRY!

Teacher and Manifesto Club member, Michele Ledda, launched a petition against the banning of Carol Ann Duffy's poem, 'Education for Leisure'. The exam board AQA has removed the poem from its GCSE anthology, and has asked schools to destroy old copies containing the poem, because it supposedly glorified knife crime.

Over 200 teachers, students and parents have signed the petition. Read and sign the petition.

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FREE SPEECH

We believe that free minds and free tongues are the lifeblood of a healthy public culture, and the pursuit of enlightenment. We believe that people should be free to explore ideas that others find distasteful or wrong. Above all, we believe that censorship is a cowardly tactic, a replacement for argument and persuasion.

For more details and to get involved, see the Free speech campaign page

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CELEBRATE THE FREEDOM OF FLIGHT

As Heathrow protesters caused delays for families setting off on summer holidays, the Manifesto Club celebrated the freedom of flight.

‘The vast expansion of flight over the past few years – particularly cheap flight – has been experienced as a liberation for millions of people. It is no longer only the well-to-do who can glimpse the canals of Venice or the pyramids of Egypt, or relax on the beaches of Greece. The option of a weekend away in Prague or New York means foreign travel can now easily be fitted into the working week....'

For more details and to get involved, see the Celebrate the Freedom of Flight page.