What is our democracy coming to?

Is Labour so frit that it has to use any means it can to stop public protest?

A Labour council has been accused of "flying in the face of democracy" after telling children at a threatened school that they will have to pay to stage a protest march.

The schoolgirls' protest is supported by their head. Officials at Salford City ouncil insist that they need £2,500 to cover the cost of "traffic management", and say that pupils rather than taxpayers should foot the bill.

There was a time when Labour would have positively encouraged children to get politically engaged.

It couldn't be because these are well disciplined and behaved girls with obviously middle class backgrounds, could it?