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34 Phonebox Magazine | April 2025Swing low, sweet ChariotI was surprised that this off ence had taken place %u2013 allegedly %u2013 some months before the letter arrived. As there are three of us insured to drive the car, and no one could remember doing anything wrong, I thought the best thing would be to ask what the off ence was to see if it could jog our memory. So, I politely asked them what the charge was, and was told that we would not be told until someone had admitted driving the vehicle.As none of us could remember, I wrote a letter, recorded delivery, and gave the details of the three of us who were insured, the name of the insurance company, and asked if they could send me the video evidence (as I assumed it must be video-based) which I could then view, to see 1) who was driving, and 2) if we would be in a position to defend the proposed prosecution. There was radio silence until the 26th February when I received a letter saying that the video evidence could not identify the driver, and the evidential burden of proof was not %u2018Beyond Reasonable Doubt%u2019. So that was that.The point of this is to question everything the police do. Had I just decided to toss a coin to see who would take the rap, the wrong driver could have been charged with an off ence they hadn%u2019t committed.I get slightly irritated/amused by the police ever since they tried to stop an article I wrote many years ago about them fetching up in Olney to fi ne people for not wearing seat belts but not turning out for burglaries and what I consider more serious crimes. Since then, I%u2019ve been %u2018talked to%u2019 on a few occasions about things I%u2019ve written, all of which were a total waste of police time. I just ask them to charge me and sort it out in court, and of course, they don%u2019t, as no crime has been committed.I%u2019m not some kind of anarchist who is trying to undermine the police, far from it. I%u2019ve met senior police who are involved with serious crime, and I have nothing but admiration for them nicking villains and murderers, but I do despair at the silly things.%u00a0In Stockport, two plain-clothed police turned up at a woman%u2019s door as she had demanded, on social media, the resignation of one of her local councillors in relation to some disgraceful comments made by a Labour MP (where the MP had hoped that an elderly constituent would die before the next election). When she asked if she had committed a crime, they had to admit %u2018No%u2019 she hadn%u2019t. So, how someone decided that it required two plain-clothed police to turn up on someone%u2019s doorstep is anyone%u2019s guess.Then Alison Pearson, a journalist, was visited by a policeman %u2013 on Remembrance Sunday %u2013 for a tweet criticising the police. There was a review of her alleged off ence by the police force themselves (yep, it%u2019s that independent). Any crime was rejected by the CPS, of course, but the force itself, to save face, stated that they believed that there was Well, here%u2019s an interesting one. In November, I received a police letter saying that a %u2018Notice of Intended Prosecution%u2019 would be taking place for an alleged off ence by a vehicle I owned on 30th August 2024.not a realistic prospect of a conviction, based on the evidence available. Which is where this article started.I%u2019ve recently been involved in research on the legalities of fi lming in public as the police forces keep turning up, on behalf of private companies, telling people they can%u2019t fi lm buildings in public. But they can. You can fi lm anywhere public, but not inside buildings obviously as they are private.%u00a0Although you can fi lm inside council meetings if you like due to the %u2018Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014%u2019.%u00a0 That would have been interesting at the last OTC Council meeting, where the town clerk did her best to stop BOFF but was overruled by elected councillors. I might even have watched a repeat of that one had someone fi lmed it. It was delightful to see democracy at work, and hats off to those councillors who had read the room and listened to the public.I confess to being quite joyful whilst writing this, as I%u2019ve been watching the England v Wales Six Nations match (15th March) while writing, where England won comprehensively.%u00a0I heard the fans singing %u2018Swing Low, Sweet Chariot%u2019 which is the number fans sing when we%u2019re doing well. The song is a Christian hymn inspired by the Old Testament (2 Kings, chapter 2: Verses 1- 18) about the Prophet Elijah being taken to heaven by a chariot. It%u2019s a joyful spiritual song and has been covered by many, including Bing Crosby, Paul Robeson, Kenny Ball, Louis Armstrong, Joan Baez, The Seekers, and Eric Clapton, amongst others. Dizzie Gillespie even changed %u2018Chariot%u2019 to %u2018Cadilac%u2019.%u00a0The Rugby Football Union conducted a review of the song and considered banning fans from singing it due to its links to slavery, although, in reality, it carries themes of hope and redemption, and let%u2019s be honest, it is a great song.%u00a0 But they decided against it. They decided to educate people to grow awareness of the origins of the song. So, I%u2019ve just done that for you. And maybe they talked to the police, who thought it would not be a practical use of their time. It%u2019s one thing sending police to the doorstep of an alleged social media suspect, but quite another to stop 35,000 exuberant, and often quite large, fans from singing and enjoying themselves.Attempts to ban %u2018Swing Low, Sweet Chariot%u2019 are not without precedent. In 1939 Nazi Germany%u2019s %u2018Reich Music Examination Offi ce%u2019 added this song to their list of %u2018Undesired and Harmful%u2019 musical works. And look what happened to them.Here endeth the lesson. See you next month!Dave%u2026