Labour and the lap dancers
Polly Toynbee way off the mark …..again!
Labour’s acolyte Polly Toynbee opines (probably from her middle class villa in Tuscany) that Labour’s legacy of the past eleven years will be seen as an explosion of lap dancing clubs around the country!
An explosion of lapdancing pubs, bars and clubs has been one bizarre marker of the Labour era. The first opened just before Labour came to power, now there are more than 300 – or that’s as many as have been counted. These sleazy strip joints were encouraged by the 2003 Licensing Act, which took them out of the category requiring a special sex encounter licence. All they need now is an ordinary food and drink licence, so local authorities have lost the power to stop lapdancing clubs in prominent and residential areas, however much local people protest. Where councils try to refuse, the courts have had no choice but to decide in favour of the club owners.
So that’s it then, the great crime of the socialist state, – not the rampant inflation, not the economy sliding into recession, not the constant erosion of civil liberties, not the involvement in two wars on dubious legal contexts, nor the Parliamentary sleaze over expenses or cash for honours, not the nationalisation of Northern Rock, not the massive growth in state borrowing and the overburdening tax to go with it, not the constant war against the motorist, not the selling of gold reserves at rock bottom prices, not the theft of millions of pensions by Gordon Brown, not even the sexual libations of a deputy Prime Minister, nor even the handing of British powers to legislate away to bureaucrats in Brussels, nor the runaway out of control immigration, the growth in the client state, the snooping by councils and government officials, the failure to look after our personal data or even state secrets, or even perhaps the growth of the compensation culture and the killjoy health and safety brigade – no Labour’s legacy is lap dancing!
They will be remembered for fawning a culture of pubs like South Shields “Brunny” (which was entertaining in this style long before anyone had ever heard of Tony Blair) -streuth, what is it with this woman?
Where does it fit into Labour’s women’s policies? It doesn’t do much for the aspirations of girls, or encourage equal treatment. Women are judged, if anything, more crudely now on their bodies and looks than they were. Displaying women as meat spills over into all cultural attitudes, turning the tide back on old battles.
Do we have reams and reams of evidence to suggest that the people who work in these pubs and clubs do so without choice? Are they forced into the trade or do they apply for the jobs Polly? On the assumption that most of the operators comply with current employment law before local councils start handing out licences, we must assume that they want to work there and are happy to apply for the jobs, happy to take home a wage, and probably in many cases actually enjoy the work!
Polly then goes on to attack drinkers too, not content with sending the smokers out into the streets like pariahs she seems to be suggesting that we raise the age limit to 21 for anyone wishing to purchase alcohol at the off licence or the supermarket.
As Scotland now proposes, ban off-licence sales to under-21s, control supermarket prices strictly with no loss-leading two-for-one offers making booze cheaper than water. Why not ban drink advertising, as with cigarettes? Drink consumption is highly price-sensitive, and cirrhosis and drink-related diseases far worse in the poorer areas. Changing cultural attitudes to drink is not impossible. But part of the government’s reluctance to challenge all manner of culturally destructive forces springs from its fear of confronting the great gods of the market.
It is attitudes like this of course which will really be remembered as Labour’s legacy, if drink consumption was as price sensitive as she suggests then the lap dancing clubs with their premium prices simply wouldn’t exist as clients find a cheaper way to entertain themselves. No the problem with Labour’s (and Polly’s) attitudes is the readiness to control, regulate, and stifle individual choice. Of course a decent execution of our current drink related laws might be of some help in encouraging cultural and behavioural changes but with so many policemen and women tied up in offices completing triplicate forms whilst they think about Jacqui Smith’s betrayal of their pay deal, don’t expect a sudden change in priorities.
Sorry Polly, but with all of the difficulties that the average man in the street is facing these days I’m sure we will see Labour’s legacy as being rather different to your view – it’s the economy stupid!
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