TURN IT UP! - please sign the festival sound petition

[Sperge]

Disccusion thread here.

We've launched a petition against ludicrously low sound level limits that are being imposed on festivals throughout the UK. The last straw for me personally was hearing that even Reading is getting a bit quiet now:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music ... 584593.stm

This has been a growing problem in the UK in the past couple of years - and it's getting worse. It's all very well saying the rights of local residents have to be respected. Of course they have. But the balance is clearly wrong when the views of just one or two people can trump those of tens of thousands of others.

So we've decided to make a stand and launch the petition at http://www.ravetalk.co.uk/soundpetition/

See our discussion here for more details.

[Sperge]

I have decided to submit a petition on the Number 10 website after all. I've already given my objections to this elsewhere, but I do feel we need an 'official' one for the benefit of people who don't want to sign Ravetalk's for whatever reason.

It's at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SaveOurSound/

Here's the wording:

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to end the
absurdly low decibel levels that are being imposed on music
festivals when only a small, but highly vociferous, minority of
residents object."

The bit in "More details" says:

" Music festivals have long been an integral part of British
culture, stretching back many centuries. People work hard all
year round for that one weekend a year when they can let their
hair down and be themselves. Such events are to be encouraged
at a time when we are being urged to cut down on foreign travel
to cut carbon emissions. It is unreasonable that absurdly low
decibel limits can be imposed because a tiny number of
residents complain, even when 99% of residents don’t object.
The silent majority of non-objectors have paid their council
taxes too, so why don’t their views prevail? This is meant to
be a democracy. These decibel limits do not just affect overall
volume, they have a detrimental effect on sound quality too.
People have often paid £150 or more for these tickets, a
sizeable chunk of it going to the Government. Some festivals
also donate to worthy causes locally and globally. Please get
the balance right – only impose limits where a majority of
local residents want them."

But please continue asking people to sign the Ravetalk one too, as it enables people to put a comment (which the Number 10 one doesn't) and enables us to keep people updated on developments.