Safe-standing at White Hart Lane

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This is Labour's Shadow Sports Minister. Get your survey responses in!

Done. Laboured the point around how this is not a choice between standing and seating, it's between safe standing and unsafe standing. Seems that's an important distinction that those not experienced in attending matches in known standing areas (i.e. lower tier, behind the goals) may not fully appreciate.
 
I do! I've emailed her about it a couple of times but had no response... might see if I can get there
Good stuff. I see she's got contact details for surgeries - maybe that's what you've tried already?

Surgery Details

I've emailed my local MP, Tom Tugendhat. I bet he's never been to a game in his life.

Best of luck, I really think Safe Standing could happen this time!!

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers

 
Another step forward .... if this gets all party support it could happen very fast .... would take an EPL club with 10% of it's seating capacity already designed to accommodate rail-seats to trial it ... now who could that be?

Labour to offer its backing for safe standing at English football stadiums
Lib Dems already support it but they are meaningless nowadays. The Conservative party might just now have to support it. It is a win-win for anyone. Not often is a policy so widely popular.
 
Just switched on Daily Politics, caught the very tail end of a Labour politician talking about safe standing. I might try to see it all later on iplayer.

Not very hopeful, the 2 commentators opposite him included the toxic cunt isoble oakshot
 
Just switched on Daily Politics, caught the very tail end of a Labour politician talking about safe standing. I might try to see it all later on iplayer.

Not very hopeful, the 2 commentators opposite him included the toxic cunt isoble oakshot
But would you shag her?
I’m torn actually. Sometimes I think she’s quite fuckable. Maybe an age thing...
:walkercry:
 
Just switched on Daily Politics, caught the very tail end of a Labour politician talking about safe standing. I might try to see it all later on iplayer.

Not very hopeful, the 2 commentators opposite him included the toxic cunt isoble oakshot
Watched 2 seconds (literally) and I am angry.

Edit: Overall it is alright. Once the Hillsborough Families group woman is gone, a reasonable discussion takes place.
 
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Probably UK viewers only:

Daily Politics - 08/06/2018

Skip to 28:00 for the safe standing segment
Thanks for that. What a waste of time.

As Raiders said, it got sidetracked by Margaret Aspinall, of Hillsborough FSG. For whom I have always had enormous sympathy, but it allowed the discussion to go to "they should have consulted us".



Clive Efford MP looked competent until he opened his mouth and couldn't make the obvious case for seating in eating areas, fine. Standing in seating areas bloody dangerous. He's clearly never been to a football match ("the issue I gather is with away fans, I'm not sure why...") Oh FFFSSSSSS. He didn't even mention that they've consulted with spirit of Shankly and Liverpool fans. Probably doesn't know.

All in all, very frustrating. 10 minutes completely wasted.
 
Yeah it was really poorly cobbled together.

First you have the Hillsborough FSG person who gave zero reason whatsoever to their stance, just that they are pernanently opposed to any form of standing at football. Everyone constantly tip toes around them... where's a Paxman-type nailing them to the wall over their frankly idiotic stance? Why does everyone have to constantly say "oh the wounds are still raw" etc.? It was nearly 30 years ago, the world is a very different place - football fans are different, stadia are different, the proposal of rail seating vs terraces is massively different... but it's the same old "No, we don't like it" without even considering it. And then to go on about how they should have been consulted, and that the debate should be delayed... what utter narcissistic bollocks that was.

Then the labour MP who clearly didn't know much about football or its present culture, let alone capable of stringing a sentence together about how rail seating is not the same as 80s terracing... pathetic

The only one who made half an effort to counter the HFSG nonsense was Oakshott, pointing out that Hillsborough was ages ago and shouldn't create a stasis for football legislation in perpetuity... and even she felt the need to deeply caveat it with how they should have been consulted.

Yeah, irritating segment where they had a chance to actually go deeper, but failed miserably.
 
E-Mail from Rosena Allin-Khan MP

Today, I was proud to announce that Labour supports the introduction of Safe Standing at football matches.

We couldn't have done this without your input and support - I want to thank you for sharing your views with me on this important matter.

This is about safety. The current system isn't working, people are standing in unsafe seated areas, and accidents can happen. We would allow the installation of specialised rail seating where appropriate, or standing in current seated areas where it can be made safe to do so.
 
I do! I've emailed her about it a couple of times but had no response... might see if I can get there
No joy from Tugendhat

Thank you for your email to Tom, I am replying on his behalf.
I am afraid it is going to be very difficult to organise a meeting before 25 June, but Tom is holding a drop-in surgery at his constituency office on 29 June from 1730-1830 which you might be interested in attending.

If you would like to put any further thoughts in an email beforehand however, this can certainly be passed on to Tom to read ahead of the debate.
 
The government has been forced to come up with a more complete response to the petition ... they originally said -

The Government believes that all-seater stadia are currently the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans at designated football matches in England and Wales.
The Government thanks all the football supporters who made their views known through this petition.
The Government believes that all-seater stadia are currently the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans at designated football matches in England and Wales, while continuing to work closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and football authorities to consider advances in technology and data that may enhance the existing policy.
A debate in Parliament on this issue has been tabled for 25 June, when the nuances and complexities of sports ground safety will be covered in more detail.


The petitions committee deemed this insufficient and demanded a fuller response, here it is -

The Government thanks all the football supporters who made their views known about this issue through correspondence or through the recent online petition. Many of those were concerned that the proposal from West Bromwich Albion FC made earlier this year to install a standing section was rejected. The law governing all licensed stadia would need to be changed for that proposal to go ahead.

The Government’s current policy is that all-seater stadia are the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans at designated football matches in England and Wales. However the time is now right for us to reexamine that policy in light of the technological changes in stadium and seating design as well as the representations from both clubs and supporters on this issue.

We continue to work closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority to consider advances in technology and data on the issue.

The safety of spectators at sports grounds has always been of paramount importance for the Government. The all-seater policy was introduced in the top two divisions in the early 1990s, following a recommendation in Lord Justice Taylor’s Final Report into the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster.

All-seater stadiums have been a success. Benefits include:
● improved crowd management and crowd behaviour;
● modern, comfortable, and inviting facilities for spectators;
● increased inclusivity and diversity amongst those attending matches

- Premier League research has shown that the percentage of crowds attending Premier League matches from a Black and Minority Ethnic background continues to increase season-on-season, and is now at a record 16% (2014/2015 season); more women and children attending games helps to nurture the next generation of supporters - Premier League research has shown that a record 26% of match attendees are female, and that children's season ticket sales now make up 12% of all Premier League season ticket sales (2014/2015 season);
● enhanced security and policing to keep spectators safe;
● there have been fewer reported incidents and injuries to spectators, and
● Increased spectator attendances - by 60% - contributing to the future health of the game.

Given the success of all seater stadiums, the safety reasons for introducing the policy, and the enhancements that seated spectators have enjoyed, the Government would need strong evidence and rationale to change that policy.
The Government is aware of the calls from a wide range of interest groups including some football clubs and supporters’ groups to introduce standing areas for spectators at football matches in the top two divisions of English football.
We will continue to listen to supporters’ groups and other stakeholders who would like to see the reintroduction of standing at football in the top two tiers. The introduction of rail seating at Celtic Park and more recently at Shrewsbury Town FC informs the debate about the future of spectator accommodation at football matches. It is important that we have this debate and that it is informed by the evidence.


The Government is not complacent about spectator safety, nor are we complacent about the safety policies that have served spectators well for many years. But we acknowledge that policies must remain relevant and effective. Technology and stadium design have evolved since the all-seater policy was introduced. It is important that all the evidence and viewpoints are considered extremely carefully.

The Sports Minister looks forward to discussing at length the nuances and complexities of sports ground safety in Parliament later this month.
 
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