Category Archives: opinion

Give Chris Evans the chancellors’ job

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David Cameron’s first criticism of the budget speech was that it was delivered with all the enthusiasm of someone reading out the telephone directory. So I assume he thinks the job should be given to a presenter.

Chris Evans
Chris Evans

I switched off – that’s the prerogative of a listener – assuming that, as the opposition leader’s prime criticism, there was little to follow.

Presentation over content is the scourge of the modern age. Make your talk glitzy enough and no one will notice you have nothing to say.

David Cameron

So if David Cameron is elected to power and you want to be Chancellor now would be a good time to put in some broadcasting hours to up your game. Or perhaps David Cameron himself should be given a radio show of his own. If he wants even more popularity he should be a gameshow host, “Vote or No Vote“, or “Who wants to be a Millionaire Tax Exile” with a “Giveaway Budget Jackpot“. The audience figures would be a painful gauge of his popularity.

This is not a defence of Alistair Darling’s budget, just another example of how easily David Cameron can get up ones nose, in the same league as Noel Edmunds and Chris Tarrant.

This couple want a deaf child. Should we try to stop them?

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According to one caller to Victoria Derbyshire’s phone in on BBC 5 Live this morning, deaf people become so frustrated with their deafness that they may try to commit suicide. He was argueing against the campaign of a deaf couple featured in The Observer this Sunday. Garfield and Lichy say the Embryology and Human Fertilisation Bill would prevent them from having a deaf baby by IVF. Their first child, conceived naturally, was born without hearing.

This couple want a deaf child. Should we try to stop them? | Science | The Observer
We celebrated when we found out about Mollys deafness, says Lichy. Being deaf is not about being disabled, or medically incomplete – its about being part of a linguistic minority. Were proud, not of the medical aspect of deafness, but of the language we use and the community we live in.

The problem with the callers’ argument is that if we stop the birth of babies with any kind of disability we devalue all people with disabilities. Their frustration of course is often caused by those who don’t or can’t be bothered to understand how to communicate with them.

In many ways the the problem afflicts everyone. How many times have you been frustrated because someone else didn’t take the time to understand what you were trying to say. Deaf people simply help us realise how poor we are at communicating. Perhaps it’s a British thing and explains why we shout in English at people who don’t speak our language thinking that somehow it’s their problem and volume will penetrate their stupidity. It’s not communication, it’s ignorant and patronising. Perhaps a little like the fine detail of the bill currently going through parliament.

Whose side is the ref on?

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I support Man U. We have just been knocked out of the FA Cup by the REF! Portsmouth played really well, so well that the ref failed to see the most obvious penalty against Ronaldo and then later awarded a penalty against our goalie and sent him off when he’d done nothing more than go for the ball and get kicked in the head.
I know we missed a few shots we should have sent home, but without those two clear mistakes from the ref Portsmouth would not have been the winners this afternoon.
So I hope Harry Rednap’s going to sign him up for the next match – and then we’ll all know who’s side he’s on.

Lunchtime Comment

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BBC Radio 5 Live has a problem on Wednesday Lunchtimes – it’s two main presenters, Brown and Cameron, are becoming very predictable. Whatever the subject they both turn the conversation to competetence and exchange accusations about the others ability to lead.

So here we are again, Prime Ministers Questions; today mainly on Europe.

BBC NEWS | Politics | Leaders clash over EU referendumGordon Brown has clashed in the Commons with Tory leader David Cameron and Lib Dem Nick Clegg over an EU referendum. Mr Cameron said Mr Brown had lost his “courage” while the Lib Dem leader said the prime minister had “bottled it”. Mr Brown hit back by accusing Mr Cameron of “appeasing” his eurosceptics and putting British jobs at risk. He ridiculed Lib Dem plans to abstain.     

So should we have a referendum? It would be suicide for Brown because he knows he couldn’t win. The right wing press has lined up its tanks along the cliff tops of the channel coast with a firm “No”. There is a deep suspicion in Britain about what goes on in Brussels and Strasbourg and a perception that we give more than we get from the EU. But the risk is also high for Cameron because the process of disentangling the UK from Europe would be long and costly. Will he still be supporting a referendum if he becomes PM? Continue reading →

Contestants not paid?

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I know it was cheesy and some of the acts were dreadful, but it can’t be right that the contestants in the BBC Show The One and Only were not paid. When I think of that really nice guy, who performed as Frank Sinatra, not being paid – he worked so hard and came in second. He must have lost out on his day job. I just hope he gets lots of bookings now to make up for Endemol’s stinginess.

Endemol has hit back at accusations from actors’ union Equity that it should have paid contestants who took part in BBC1 tribute act show The One and Only. Equity questioned the legality of not paying contestants at least minimum wage, as the show has required acts to waive their protections under working time laws, as well as assign all rights in their performances to Endemol, which makes the show through its subsidiary Initial.The union contrasted this approach with BBC1’s in-house talent shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do, in which all finalists had industry-standard contracts with pay rates well above minimum wage.  

You’re probably asking “Why does he care?” and I’ve probably blown the credibility of this blog – but I read this in Broadcast and thought – this isn’t right. So now I’ve had my say.