I forgot about my outburst. Several people had pretty well convinced me that I'd been a victim of a classic BH wind-up, but I still nursed a sense of grievance that these public places are being privatised by prudes and worse.
But this morning, lo! There was a message in my intray from the great Paddy O'Connell himself. After thanking me for writing, he tells me
the pathway in question was on the South Bank of the Thames, leading from the London Eye to the road to Waterloo Station. It runs perpendicular to the river.Fantastic! (My original message was attached. I'm rather ashamed of it. The word "Taliban" was used. Dear me.) I'm impressed and very pleased that Paddy O'Connell replied. It is a serious issue.
I wonder if I should go back there and see what happens.
Meanwhile, I've been doing a bit of research, and arguing with friends. I have had difficulty in convincing some people that there is any real difference between a nightclub and the South Bank when it comes to the legitimacy of enforcing standards of dress and behaviour from visitors.
I've have been meaning to post a measured analysis of the issues of public space/private ownership, taking in reviews of books and articles that cover the issue. That will take some time. The privately owned public space concept is complex and evolving. The law can't keep up with the models, let alone how people's behaviour adapts. I haven't even read Anna Minton's book yet.
[edit...] Here are some links to get you thinking.
Liberty discusses private ownership of "public space" in relation to the right to protest, in a submission to JCHR (see esp p 5 et seq)
Cities for sale
The enclosure of urban space (extract from Paul Kingsnorth's Real England: The Battle Against the Bland) from The Guardian
Urban public space is at the heart of city and town life. It is the essence of public freedom: a place to rally, to protest, to sit and contemplate, to smoke or talk or watch the stars. No matter what happens in the shops and cafes, the offices and houses, the existence of public space means there is always somewhere to go to express yourself or simply to escape.Chris Webster: Property rights, public space and urban design (pdf)
Policing the retail public - keeping out the "less well-heeled"? Guardian article
Shopping Malls: The New Village Green by Robin Fox
Private Policing: A View from the Mall
Abstract of an article by Alison Wakefield that sounds interesting but is v expensive to download. If anyone has more information about it, I'd be most grateful.
Police Partnership at Cribbs Causeway (pdf)
Ecotowns given the go-ahead
Update
And no, I have been assured that the Broadcasting House recording was most certainly not a wind-up:
If you could have seen the look on the face of the female security guard you would know that she was very serious indeed.Can't have people telling the truth about things like this, can we?
She looked as if she had been suddenly struck by a very old kipper, just above the top lip, and she kept summoning assistance on her lapel radio.
1 comment:
I was once told that I was not allowed to wear a badge on my jacket that said stop the war in Iraq whilst visiting a school. I would not be wearing this jacket in front of children I would like to pointout. However person pointed out that all schools were politically neutral zones and any form of politising was not allowed. I found this interesting as a teacher passed by wearing a T Shirt that said 'Girl power' on it and several children were at the time wearing T shirts saying such things as 'Barbie is a slut' etc. It would appear that objections to a war in which people are killed was far more objectionable that gender politics. I have also heard of mothers picking children up from school in boob tubes and shorts being askied to dress approriately by head Teachers as it was embarressing male teachers etc. Schools are in a strange position as they are public spaces but ruled by head teacher and Local Authority dictats. I wonder if a drsss code is in operation for parents as well as children at some schools.
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