Story from a Reading Party

Got into the party about 3am. It turned out that a police helicopter had spent about 90 minutes flying low over the party site (which probably made more noise than the rig did!). Now for the nasty bit.
Some folks had tried to make it in across the field, only to find that TVP had a dog unit, and the pigs unleashed their hounds on a group of 6 munters. The dogs took down several ppl, to be backed up by some thuggish ossifers, who laid into one of the blokes who was lying on the ground, still being savaged by the dog. Four ossifers joined their canine companion, booting the poor guy, whilst one pig repeatedly coshed him over the head with a torch. A small young woman tried to intervene, only for the pigs to
start on her. They literally dragged her, kicking and screaming, across the field. I saw this girl later on the Sunday afternoon when she had been released. She was covered in bruises, and had some nasty cuff-burns on her wrists, where the police had twisted her arms up her back whilst she was cuffed. Apparently, she'd told them, at the point that the first ossifer had grabbed her, that she'd come quietly and peacefully - but they continued to beat her for some time. The police had removed their badges so that their numbers couldn't be taken. In total 5 or 6 people were arrested - for criminal damage (to the crops in this muddy field) caused by them peacefully walking across the field! Also police had been picking off cars around the party site, and searching them with dogs. At one stage TVP threatened to raid the party and strip-search everyone on site, and the system crew barricaded themselves into the main party building (a barn with a hunting lodge attached to the side), to keep the pigs (and their dogs, that they'd brought up on site, to chase munters around the site with) out.
The police then eventually left - having failed to stop the party - and there was no sign of Babylon presence after about 5am - until they showed up again later in the morning.

and to finish .........By this time the party had acquired a new cannon in its arsenal - a photography student rumoured to be from Reading, who was making a video documentary for her finals project.
She began filming, and interviewing them (successfully bluffing them
that she was an ITN journo!). At this stage the pigs attitude changed, and they backed off ... not to be seen again. The party finished at 4pm
Sunday afternoon (it was starting to get dark ...) - and there was no police presence on the way out.

Its worth mentioning that the only trouble or violence at this party was that executed by Thames Valley Police. The crowd was a safe one,
with lots of happy, friendly people, who just wanted to have a good party. Despite the police intimidation and violence (or perhaps, because of
it?) this was a real banging party that had the dancefloor full until they switched the music off late Sunday afternoon, with everyone determined
to make the best of it - and continue in defiance.

Thought I would start the New Year with a quote, to get us going .......

Advice from Monty Python, on life

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving
And revolving at nine hundred miles an hour,
That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at forty thousand miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the 'Milky Way'.
Our galaxy itself contains a hundred billion stars.
It's a hundred thousand light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, sixteen thousand light years thick,
But out by us, it's just three thousand light years wide.
We're thirty thousand light years from galactic central point.
We go 'round every two hundred million years,
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding universe.
The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth.

Life of Brian - Monty Python
Eric Idle