Strutting is preferred to stripping!

I can't get to terms with New Labour's perverted approach to life. On the one hand they promote gay pride marches and "encourage" firemen, policemen and ambulance staff to attend in the hope that these organisations will take some comfort in seeing garishly clothed people prancing up and down city streets. All this in broad daylight, some of the marchers dressed in very skimpy and sexually provocative outfits. In the New Labour world this is seen as normal. Those even faintly disturbed by such antics are deemed homophobic in need of social awareness training.

On the other hand, they get themselves in a high state of moral outrage over burlesque dancers. The proposed Policing and Crime Bill could see burlesque categorised as sexual entertainment. In which case, it will be adult entertainment requiring a sexual entertainment licence. No doubt a hefty fee will be wanted by the authorities. Ruby Rose founder of the Burlesque Women's Institute "It is an art form and if you start banning or licensing art forms, you've got to go across the board and look at everything. I've never yet seen anything that offends so I really don't know why it's caused such a problem". But she would need a shrink to delve into the average mind of New Labour.

I am amazed. Burlesque is hardly a problem. It's a private matter behind the closed doors of a theatre. However, the matter of provocative gay pride marchers is a problem because it is out in the open, with some people being forced to attend.

I'm not in favour of censorship but an uneven hand is very bad for lawmaking. People can have gay pride marches but surely they can be conducted without offense or coercion.

Burlesque