HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

Liverpool Indymedia

Oxton Festival Banned/British Open Welcomed

Vox Populi | 22.06.2006 13:25 | Culture | Free Spaces | Liverpool

Wirral Council officials care more about “people who think public spaces are just extensions of their own back yards” than the community as a whole, the organiser of the Oxton Festival has claimed, after the July event was cancelled.

not for profit fun at Oxton 2005
not for profit fun at Oxton 2005


It is the second time the powers-that-be have attacked the annual festival. The event was also cancelled three years ago, when Tories and Liberal Democrats in Wirral's Cabinet blocked it. This time, the chairman of the Licensing Committee claimed that the application has been rejected due to mistakes on the form. This seems very unlikely however, as Carl Realey has successfully organised two festivals on the site since the licensing rules were changed in 2003. After both cancellations Realey has been offered Birkenhead Park - an area surrounded by poor people's houses - at ridiculously short notice.

Mr Realey says the annual gathering of bands at Storeton Road playing fields is loved by many younger residents, who will lose out because a relatively small number actively campaigned against the application:

“This is a proven, popular event attended by lots of young people from Oxton, and this decision is another example of a vocal minority dictating to everyone else.

“The Oxton festival has always been about a music event for my own community. Unfortunately that word doesn’t mean much to people who think public spaces are just extensions of their own back yards.”

Some wealthy residents of nearby houses had expressed concern about noise and parking levels. But if we compare the small amount of disturbance from the festival to that expected from the forthcoming British Open golf tournament in Hoylake, we see how nothing is too much trouble as long as there is money to be made.

The tournament - which will feature the world’s top golfers - is set to cause massive disruption when the world’s sports media descends on the south side of the Wirral peninsula in late July. But it is also expected to bring in between fifty and one hundred million pounds for Wirral’s rich. The Council has bent over backwards to accommodate it, embarking on a £70,000 upgrade of roadworks in preparation.

By contrast, the Oxton Festival is a free event, and musicians donate their skills so they can bring enjoyment to the ordinary people of Birkenhead. No profits to be made there.

A date in the clubhouse with Tiger Woods awaits the wealthy elite. An empty field awaits the rest of us.

Vox Populi

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

[navigation.actions2016]

[navigation.actions2015]

[navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

Actions 2013

G8 2013

Actions 2012

Workfare

Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech

Publish Your News


Temporary Scroogle search

-->