Playing by the rules

The bathroom facilities may not be to anyone's taste, but there is something for everyone at the greatest festival in the world. Clean toilets not included.

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, to give it its official title, accommodates more than 177,000 people each year. As well as the 135,000 general admission tickets there are crew, stall workers, toilet cleaners, volunteers, security and at least 2,200 artists.

Although it has recently been accused of being 'bourgeois' because of its arguably high prices, the festival has attracted a wide and varied range of revellers and headliners.
Jay-Z, Metallica and Beyoncé have all had an eyebrow arched towards them.

Last October, the 130,000 weekend tickets sold out in 87 minutes: a record for the festival. However, despite claims that at Glastonbury "British law still applies, but the rules of society are a bit different, a little bit freer", it's not quite the lawless state that you may expect.

Things are a bit different. They are a bit freer. But it's far from a free for all. The ever-extending boundary fence, some 10ft high and reaching around the 8.5 mile perimeter, is mostly impenetrable. Although I did see some brave and brazen interlopers dodge the wall of security guards as they were distracted by the temporary show of sun.

Once inside the enclosure, you soon realise that those who endured a night in their cars to be first in the queue have taken what might be considered the better-located campsites. But even they couldn't help but be frustrated by those who had paid up to £1,000 to stay in a pre-erected tipi.

The divided society continues throughout the weekend. The wristband pass is not a
one-size-fits-all. The variety of colours separate us into a hierarchy, from access all areas to hospitality, backstage access to press and media facilities. Even in a temporary society, some rules are required. Would Dolly Parton even make it to the stage if her tour bus was stuck behind a braying mob of fans?

Some rules of our communities are common sense but others are less obvious and have to be spelled out and explained to us. What is essential is that we understand the rules and why they exist. Given the spate of criminal cases being decided in the last few weeks (phone hacking, sexual harassment, terrorism), it seems that some people have a different level of understanding and often assume they hold positions that exclude them from following certain rules.

Regardless of where we stand in the hierarchy, and what colour pass we have on our wrist, we are all subject to the same rules. It is our role to not only represent our clients and uphold the law but to educate and inform.

Occasionally, this could include urinating into a wheelie bin, but only if the rules allow.

Kevin Poulter is SJ's editor at large 

Follow Kevin’s tweets at @SJ_Weekly #SJPOULTER and read his blog online every Friday

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