Blowing a Raspberry

It was disappointing news to many, including myself, that the police decided to 'cancel' this weekend's planned Strawberry Fair. Yes, it isn't everyone's idea of fun, but for many people in Cambridge and elsewhere it is, and the police could (and should) have concentrated on those causing trouble, and leave the vast majority who like the festival and the music to enjoy their day in sun.

Instead, they decided to 'cancel' the event by withdrawing their support. The City Council didn't help either by changing the licensing arrangements this year. The outcome was that the strawberry fair organising committee concluded they couldn't continue with this year's event as planned.

Not surprisingly in today's world of social networking sites and the like, an alternative event is now planned for the common. The reaction of the authorities to this says a lot about how the police and government view their role at the moment. Their view seems to be that if a group of people want to do something, it is up to the authorities to graciously grant us their permission, and if people aren't prepared to concede to every bit of regulatory control on the grounds of health and safety or whatever else the government thinks is good for us - which in itself is a constantly moving target - the authorities will just say no and think that is reasonable. The City Council have been in emergency planning mode - I couldn't tell you much about what precautions they have taken (for some reason I wasn't invited to the Councillor's briefing - UPDATE - it appears I was invited but only using my Council email address, which it turns out randomly stopped forwarding emails to me, so I didn't know about the invitation - apologies to those concerned for suggesting this was intentional - I give up completely on the Council's email system - I am now telling everyone to only use my personal address!). The police on the other hand were reported in the CEN as saying: 'Riot police will be on standby at an illegal gathering to replace Strawberry Fair' (my emphasis).

A letter in today's Cambridge Evening News makes the point I was thinking reading the CEN report: 'Since when was picknicking on common land illegal? What precise law are we breaking?'

The authorities clearly have a duty to protect public safety, and plan ahead where there are potential threats, but this whole episode illustrates the extent to which the police mindset is still very much in authoritarian New Labour mode - we don't like something, we'll stop it no matter what. My personal view is that as long a people behave responsibly and in accordance with the law, the police and authorities should be there to actively support them and protect them from those who don't behave in accordance with the law or with due responsibility for those around them. They can't be bothered to enforce the law in really very simple situations like cyclists riding at night without lights, or cars parked in mandatory cycle lanes - you would at least thought that they could police events like Strawberry Fair by concentrating on the small minority of law-breakers, rather than stopping everyone's fun.

Personally I don't plan to enjoy the sunshine on Midsummer Common tomorrow with friends, but I hope if lots of people do make that choice, they have a good time, but also think about the neighbouring residents and be responsible. If people do cause trouble, the police should focus on the troublemakers, and remember that they are partly responsible for the situation by regulating out of existence the formal organisation for the Fair - leaving behind an event over which they have much less control.

Strawberry Fair - Yes, but fix the problems

This Thursday, the Community Services Scrutiny committee will be considering a report on the future of Strawberry Fair - specifically whether or not the Council should grant permission for the Fair to happen in 2009. I am not a member of the scrutiny committee, but have been involved in various discussions with interested parties.




After some consideration, I believe the fair should be given permission to go ahead next year in a similar format to previous years. Personally I enjoy visiting the fair, and believe it provides entertainment, particularly music, that is appreciated by many local residents. The demographic who do enjoy Strawberry Fair is wide, and encompasses groups of people who may not appreciate many of the other arts and entertainment events held in the City that help to make it a great place to live. As a volunteer helping on the No2ID stall the last couple of years, it has also seen many younger people engage in political issues, perhaps for the first time, in times when it is widely accepted that young people are completely apathetic or disinterested in key issues that will shape society going forwards.


This is not to say there haven't been problems - some inevitable in an event of this size, others more intrinsically related to Strawberry Fair, which have caused unacceptable nuisance to local residents. So my support is with a big caveat - these issues really do need to be stamped on, and the Council, Police and organisers must work together to fix this. If we accept this is an event that is valued in large parts of the community, all three parties need to accept responsibility for ensuring it does not cause problems.


The mitigation measures proposed in the officers report are a good start, but there is limited comment on drugs. It is far from the case that in the past drug use has been tolerated, but the police and organisers need to make it absolutely clear that illegal drugs are completely unacceptable at the Fair, and that people flauting the law will be identified and will not be allowed to enjoy a day out at the Fair. Similarly on alcohol usage - it needs to be clear that those under 18 and those recklessly drunk will not be allowed to drink (more) at the event or be served in any neighbouring establishments. These aspirations need to be backed up with action from the authorities on the day and beforehand.


But with these provisos, I think the problems can be mitigated to the extent that the Fair should still go ahead next year.


There is a more general issue over usage of the main central commons and parks - Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and Parkers Piece. The current Council policies essentially just talk about the need to conserve these areas. With the nature and increased frequency of events now happening, the Council needs a policy that balances the wear and tear on these areas and the nuisance to local residents with the benefits and enjoyment the events bring. A new policy is needed that restricts the number of events of each category, and allows appraisal of events depending on the numbers of local residents that enjoy them, any financial benefits or costs to the council, and the nuisance to local residents in order to decide what is allowed. I understand plans are afoot to review these policies in the near future, but its not before time.


Members of the public are welcome to attend this Thursday's meeting, and even address the committee - in which case you would need to get in touch with the committee manager beforehand - details on the agenda.

Strawberry Fair – This Saturday

This Saturday (7th June) the annual Strawberry Fair is being held on Midsummer Common. Its not everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I think it is a good thing. The volunteer organisers work hard to ensure the Common is restored after the event, and it allows lots of people from Cambridge and beyond to enjoy the music and entertainment.

I will be at the Fair on Saturday, helping out on the Cambridge No2ID stall. Over the last 10 years we have moved significantly closer to a big brother society, with more laws, less freedom and a style of ‘database law enforcement’ that affects those who are generally socially responsible, whilst failing to tackle the serious criminal and threats to society.

If you forget to renew you car tax, the fine is in the post automatically from the database. Buy a car with cash from a man down the pub, put on some stolen plates, don’t register with the DVLA, pay no tax or insurance, and more often than not the police couldn’t be bothered, so by the time you are caught the punishment will be trivial compared to the illicit gain.

Literally millions of people have been prosecuted for speeding (not including me I might add!) because this is a simple job for cameras and databases, doing all sorts of damage to the public’s relationship with our law enforcers, as no discretion is applied at all. But at the same time there are fewer traffic police tackling the real cause of most accidents, namely intrinsically bad driving, so despite massive rises in fines and cameras, the trend for reductions in road deaths has almost ground to a halt.

There are problems with anti-social behaviour, so we don’t target those who behave irresponsibly and ensure they are punished and rehabilitated, we stop all new licenced premises, and cover ever more of our streets with CCTV. We are the most spied on Country in the so-called free world.

There have been literally (apologies for using this word again but it is true!) thousands of new criminal offences created, banning things we used to be able to do, like protesting to Government in Parliament Square when they do bad things, yet fewer than ever have confidence in our police to fix the things we really care about like stopping burglars and drug dealers. New laws to spy on terrorists, have been used to spy on those who just want to send their children to the best possible school.

But the biggest, baddest scheme of all is the plans for ID cards. Vast amounts of personal information, collected by the state at truly vast cost on a big database, and used to track our every move inside the country and internationally. Paid for by ourselves through increased charges and taxes, it can only make life worse for the generally law abiding, and could be really dangerous if part of the government decides it doesn’t like you for some reason. But by putting all our security eggs in one basket, it makes it much more likely the serious criminal or terrorist will be able to get away with it – as experts like Professor Ross Anderson of Cambridge University have pointed out. No system is foolproof, but when we have been told the ID database is, its identity checks will be trusted even when the data is wrong, and a little common sense would tell you there was a problem. So I will be promoting Cambridge No2ID from 2-4pm at the stall between the Fort St George and Victoria Avenue bridge if anyone would like to say hello, or even help!

I have digressed from Strawberry Fair, but not very far – the spirit of the event is about people behaving responsibly and enjoying themselves, without constant nannying and control from a Government desperate to intefere in ever greater parts of our lives – now lets hope no-one does cause any trouble!