Dear all,

These are testing times for those who believe in public freedoms. Right now, the government is passing a bill that will greatly extend the powers of police and local authority officers in public spaces, meaning £500 fines for flying kites or feeding the birds (see our briefing on the Criminal Justice Bill).

We have made a submission to the Public Bill Committee and are working with other groups to rally opposition.

This is a worrying moment, but it is also ripe with potential, because for the first time in a decade these overweening powers are going to be discussed and scrutinised in parliament. This gives us an opportunity to draw on everything we have learnt over the past few years, and to explain why these powers are authoritarian and are leading to tremendous injustice.

Almost every conceivable activity has been banned by the Busybodies' Charter: climbing trees, fires, gathering in groups, giving money to the homeless. It sometimes seems as if officials consider free social life itself to be 'anti-social', and they only approve of activities that occur with the blessing of licences and after filling in reams of forms.

We do not agree with their vision, and we will continue to fight to defend public freedoms in 2024 and beyond.

A special thanks to our supporters - everything we have achieved in 2023 would not have been possible without you. If you want to put a donation in our Christmas pot, you can do so here.

A very merry Christmas to you all! 

all the best

Josie

 
 
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