Monday, April 21, 2008

Burnham wants to criminalise football fans who sell their spare ticket to a mate

Am currently outraged by this latest press release from my fellow Evertonian, the Culture Secretary Andy Burnham. Apparently he wants to stop fans being ripped off for tickets to concerts, music events, football matches and like and is going to get the industry to help out.
These improvements can happen without the burden of new regulation, by criminalising fans who want to buy tickets for sold-out events or sell tickets that they cannot use.
Yes that's right. You bought a ticket to a gig and you can't go anymore and you want to sell it to a mate or put it on eBay? Well you're can't, you're going to be criminal for selling your own property. Even more so if you try to buy a ticket for a sold out event you'll be a criminal too.
Hat Tip: Croydonian

Update: Twilight Zone time! Have just been told that the Government has said it is not proposing new legislation at all. Interestingly the wording of the press release has changed and now reads,
These improvements can happen without the burden of new regulation, or criminalising fans who want to buy tickets for sold-out events or sell tickets that they cannot use.
What a difference one tiny word makes to the entire meaning? Quickest U-Turn in history? Or just a cock-up by a press officer?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

You know it'll be people selling on a ticket they can't use to a mate who'll get caught as well, not the touts. Why can't the organisers who put on concerts and sporting matches take a bit more responsibility and refuse to sell tickets to touts? It can't be that hard to indentify them, they hang around on the streets outside the stadiums ffs.

Anonymous said...

Cock up by press officer.

It's a good job this hatred of the free market doesn't extend to food and drink, otherwise we'd all starve.

Oh, I forgot! Football is more important than food and drink.

Anonymous said...

I think you deserve a bit of congratulations for "foregrounding" the "person who can't go to gig sells his ticket at cost price to best mate" angle ... you may well have saved us all (well some of us anyway, at least those with slightly flawed babysitting arrangements) quite a lot of court fees, fines etc.

kinglear said...

U-turn and cock-up. As with everything this lot do, put out the sound bite, then bury the bad news. And certainly don't actually do anything sensible about it.

Bill Quango MP said...

Quickest U-Turn in history? Or just a cock-up by a press officer?

errrm , the first one.

Old BE said...

I believe that trade in football tickets is already specifically outlawed. Brought in by Mrs T I think.

Anonymous said...

Didn't they make it illegal a few years ago to resell tickets for football (apparently for crowd control reasons) or the 2012 Olympics (no idea why), though not other sports or gigs?

silas said...

I reckon it's just a cock up, personally, as the rest of the document wouldn't make sense with "by" instead of "or".

Plus, as it seems to follow on from this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7179834.stm) piece from January, I doubt it would be a U-turn.

Could be wrong though. Have been before.

James Higham said...

This proposal is simply outrageous, Dizzy and one more instance of PC gone mad. He sits back thinking gee - let's protect ticket buyers. I know - we'll introduce some draconian legislation - first knee jerk reaction. Prat.

dreamingspire said...

Agree with silas.

Steve_Roberts said...

And the problem with ticket-touts is ?

Whatever it is, there are a zillion more important things for the Gvmnt to do, starting with "Hold a referendum"

GRRRRRRRR

Anonymous said...

You could of course read the actual document the press release refers to, Dizzy.

dizzy said...

Why? I'm writing about what the press release said.