Cranmer is reporting on Mandelson’s latest wheeze as Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills. He wants to turn the screw on charities, churches and community halls by abolishing their music licence exemptions. That ought to be worth a few favours from his friends in the ‘biz’ (unless he’s had them already).

His Grace writes,

It is Cromwellian cunning; the politics of the Puritan; the scheme of the Scrooge.

Churches, charities, scout huts, village halls and sports clubs face new £20 million levy on music thanks to Lord Mandelson, who also happens to be a Church Commissioner.

Christmas discos and dances in community buildings across the country face this puritanical tax as it has been revealed in the small print of obscure new regulations which abolish charities’ and voluntary groups’ exemption from music licensing rules – hitting them with a multi-million pound bill for holding events with recorded music.

Charities and non-for-profit groups have had a long-standing exemption from paying for a so-called ‘PPL’ performance rights licence for playing recorded music on their premises. This exemption reflects the public benefit that such voluntary organisations provide to their communities. This PPL exemption is being abolished by Labour.

Read the rest of His Grace’s article.

Like the smoking ban that has resulted in thousands of closed pubs, like the thousands of post office closures, like the police checks before you’re allowed to look at a child,  it’s just another way for government to destroy community spirit so that we are less likely to discuss what’s really going on and to do something about it.

Community spirit – religion – family: these are the targets, because there can be no complete takeover while these hold influence.

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UPDATE 8/1/10 – An anonymous commentator on Cranmer’s blog noticed that “These changes will bring licensing in this sector in line with the rest of Europe and will take effect on 1st April 2010.”

We need our independence back.