strathspey@strathspey.org:52659

S. Keith Graham

Re: No more sword dances?

June 3, 2008, 10:27 p.m. (Message 52659, in reply to message 52653)

On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 12:33 PM, Norma and Mike Briggs <xxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx>
wrote:

> Reading this thread, my inner lawyer woke up, and I did a little cursory
> research.  I can find nothing -- nada, zilch, rien -- about any "proposed"
> UK Violent Crimes Bill anywhere, let alone any provision of any such
> proposed legislation which would ban the sale of swords.



The new change is:

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/draft/ukdsi_9780110810324_en_1

Which adds "curved blades over 50cm"

This currently impacts other traditional dancers, such as belly dancers, who
use curved middle-eastern scimitars as part of their dancing, more than say
Highland dancers who use straight blades.

See also:

http://www.akct.org/page29.html  which mentions straight blades might be
included.

The goal here is to get dancing props, carried or to be used by dancers,
added to the specific list of exemptions.

Not that I expect to carry any highland dance swords to GB, N Ireland, or
Wales.

Keith Graham
xxx@xxxx.xxx