For those interested in this background, I ask you check these out:

Stonehenge:  http://tash.gn.apc.org/stones1.htm
Solstice Ritual:  http://tash.gn.apc.org/solst_0.htm
Beanfield:  http://tash.gn.apc.org/sh_bean.htm
The Story so far:  http://tash.gn.apc.org/history.htm

Personally, I come from a free festivals and travelling background. New Age Travellers etc.
A number of sayings have helped guide my life over time. Like....

Bring what you expect to find?
If not you, who?
If not now, when?
If not here, where?

In sum, this means self-reliance. It means gatherings are ALWAYS better, when people attending don’t just attend , but are a main part of the act. It is obvious to all those there, when this magic happens.

This is actually where I came in. 1972 Windsor, Stonehenge etc..... These were my motives then and remain so now. Of course the authorities have difficulty with a system that means they are not in sole charge, hence all the law and violence since the Beanfield etc......

Over time, I have been involved in raising awareness about the law changes and their implications to us all.

· Public Order Act 1986
· Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994
· Noise Act
· Barry Legg MP: Places of Entertainments (Increased Penalty) Act
· Security Services Act
· Terrorism Acts

And now all the Acts that have been going through parliament - with the words
“conduct by a large number of persons in pursuit of a common purpose” being a new definition of serious crime!!!

With such new definitions of serious crime, that enable the use of some ‘heavier’ police departments to be applied against us. And was the end of all the RTS and similar gigs.
Shame eh?

Then, in ‘rave mode’, I have spent time with the Velvet Revolution and All Systems gigs, I had written ‘Sound Advice’ and the 'Right to Party’ - to try and raise these matters in peoples minds.
Well, we have lost each of the matters I’m on about here. Whoever you vote for, the government gets in!

Now, what I am absolutely positive about though, is that people involved in the scene,
DID NOT DO ENOUGH ABOUT ANY OF IT AS IT HAPPENED AND NOW IS STILL GOING ON.

People have to realise that self-interest and their own immediate happiness ( hedonism?), is not enough to make a festival, party rave, traveller site, gathering.
Important, but not enough.

Some folks on reading this will have been too young, to have had any objection to these changes as they have happened over recent years. But many others of you will have been.

The way gatherings are now organised, between those trying to conform with some pretty onerous conditions, (ie half to 2/3 of a ticket price to ‘self-police’ and pay for your own public order management and drug search.!) and those involved with the ‘free’ end of things but at continued ‘personal’ rather than ‘sheared’ risks.

This division is of course orchestrated by the other side.

This [old] hippy Is now of the opinion that folk have now got the events / gathering / party they deserve. Folks say that they haven't seen me at many festivals in recent years ...... well, there haven't been any, have there? not what I mean anyway. I would be interested to know what folks think we should do about it.

Discuss........

Love
Tash