MINISTER BREAKS HER OWN LAW

When idiots make laws, the laws will be idiotic. Now, we're not calling Tessa Jowell an idiot - after all, I'm sure we've all signed a mortgage application form claiming there were no outstanding mortgages on the property while, apparently, being simultaneously unaware that our husband had paid off the previous mortgage with money that may or may not have come from Europe's dodgiest prime minister, haven't we? - but it is wonderful that following numerous campaigners warning her that her 2003 Licensing Act would cause trouble for people wanting nothing more than a sing-song in public premises has caused her problems.

Jowell's bad law insists that any pre-planned musical event can only take place in a venue licensed for entertainment. Unfortunately, on International Women's Day, Jowell gathered with a group of international women to sing some sort of song about women in Victoria Gardens. Nobody had applied for a licence - understandably, because who would have thought that some idiot would have brought in a law which would require a few people singing a couple of tunes in a park to be licensed in the same way as the Monsters of Rock Festival?

Jowell could, of course, shift the blame - perhaps the person responsible for the Royal Parks should have taken care of licensing of this sort to cover these eventualities. The only problem is that the ultimate authority for the Royal Parks lays with the Culture Secretary, which would be... ah, you're ahead of us, aren't you?

Jowell will escape prosecution, though, because Westminster City Council says nobody has complained. We really hope nobody does complain. That would be awful, if someone called the council to complain. Terrible.

music tessa jowell westminster