Truly awesome. Something as traditional as a carol service potentially transgressing a "designated area".

What's interesting to me is that I happen to live in a provincial UK town, and I live on the edge (just within) a “designated area” in which no public drinking is allowed. The measure was introduced to stop the underclass druggies and alcoholics harassing and mugging passers by in the town centre, but rather than arresting the relevant scum bags and throwing them into prison (most un-PC) we have seen a typical socialist measure. Ban this, ban that, and reduce freedom for those of us capable of conducting our lives respectably.

Why would we want to drink in the street? Well I belong to a friendly local community, and it is fairly common in the summer to have street barbies, and too-ing and fro-ing, glass in hand, is a fairly common occurrence. Guess who is likely to be harassed from now on. The drug dealers, muggers, rapists and junkies or those of us with fixed abodes and the ability to pay the fines?

That's just regulation of the public in general. If you are identified as a "troublemaker" then you can have your own special law, stopping you doing things that would otherwise be legal. Drinking in any pub for example. See here.

Anyone prosecuted for the carol singing or drinking in John East's designated area could be subject to an order preventing them from doing such "antisocial" things on pain of much greater penalty.

Apparently our Head Boy feels that this is a success, but such things don't go far enough. People are still untidy, and the ideal would be to get government intervention not just before they commit a crime, but to take steps if it seems they might grow up to do something "anti-social". Pre-pre-crime.

Then there are what have come to be called "dispersal zones" under the Anti Social Behaviour Act 2003, which doesn't give them a name. There's no particular limit to those zones. There's no need, as far as I know, for them to be publicly declared or marked: it seems the designation can be done in petto. They are set up on the reasonable belief of a senior police officer that any members of the public have been "intimidated harrassed alarmed or distressed" by groups of two or more other people.

Once such a zone is in effect an officer may order any "group" of two or more--unless they are strikers picketing a place of work, or they have formal written permission for a demonstration from the police-- to disperse (whatever that means), order any of them to leave the area unless they live there, and ban those who leave the area from returning for 24 hours.

How can they be so quick to create 'designated zones' banning alcohol etc., yet abominations such as Camden exist? Go on the underground to Camden Town and walk just a short distance north along Chalk Farm Road and I absolutely guarantee you will encounter at least one drug dealer offering you either crack cocaine, skunk or cannabis. It wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't carried out quite openly and clearly under the protective eye of local police and 'community wardens'.

Serious and Organized Crime? But, Your Honor, it wasn't serious, it was done in jest...

I'm afraid I will be unable to attend this very fine event. But if I could be recorded as being one of the organisers, or supporters, or whatever else it is that the scum of Labour have prohibited, I would consider myself greatly honoured.

Guy,

I didn't know the legal basis for "dispersal orders." I did know that a young lad I worked with in England told me that one Sussex town had a 10pm curfew for under 16s. I thought this was nonsense but I suppose a "dispersal order' would amount to a curfew.

A walk along Chalk Farm Road reminds one of the power of the market economy. More power to those who give customers what they want!