Thursday 9 August 2012

The great British Media.

I have to say I have felt desperately sorry for the British media over the past few months, and especially the popular press. First there was the Diamond Jubilee, with visits by the royal family all over the place, then the boating pageant, and Prince Philip's illness. It rained, but that didn't dampen peoples spirits, and the whole thing was a tremendous success, with Prince Philip making a remarkable recovery.
  And then to the Olympics. The media had guessed that the facilities would be delayed, over budget, and found wanting. None of that happened. In fact the facilities have been hailed all over the world as outstanding. Ah, but what about security. A bad let down by the G4S company! But even then it seemed there was a plan B, and the military were called in and responded with their usual superb skills and enthusiasm. Whether in Afghanistan or in the Olympic park our soldiers have been wonderful, and won all hearts. We touch wood, but so far three days to go and no problems.
  But, O horror, there were empty seats. And the poor deprived public clamouring for tickets! What a story to beat the organisers with. But alas, when you stage Olympic Games tickets have to be given to foreigners, regrettable though you may feel that to be! - and foreigners often do not turn up for a variety of good reasons. Nor do the sponsors who have helped fund the games always want all their tickets. Make any unoccupied seats available as quickly as possible to the public, and hey presto! the problem is solved! Except that another profitable media story goes begging.
   Where are our promised medals, the press screamed on the first 3 or 4 days? Forgetting that in many cases these days were occupied with heats, or the first of a series of races, as with the sailing! Then last weekend our tally of gold medals jumped to 18, wasn't it? We were third in the table! The press had to change everything and try and jump on the bandwagon of the national rejoicing at the wonderful successes of our brilliant athletes!
   Our government had already been hailing our TeamGB, and now the press had to follow suit, which is the one thing the media never wants to do, because it it vital to the press especially to highlight every national failure, and use it as a stick to beat the present government with. This supposedly means that when a General Election comes along certain of the press, and its overlords, can act as Kingmakers and wield the ultimate power to make or unmake governments. All in the name of the great God Democracy, you understand, and simply reflecting the will of the people - which they have greatly influenced.
  So the media hates a National success like the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics, which lift all our spirits and make us all very proud to be British.
  And then to cap it all, waiting in the wings, are half a dozen or ten senior journalists accused of phone tapping, and other misdemeanour's. What do you do? One moment you are crowing at showing how a few MPs have fiddled their expenses, - for which they are rightly condemned, and the next you are giving evidence before an enquiry set up by those very MPs, who are asking a lot of nasty questions as though they were a bunch of investigative journalists! It is all enough to make the Murdoch family pack it in for keeps!
  Yes, you have to feel desperately sorry for our British media, but speaking for myself, and having been on the receiving end in the past, I feel it is high time it happened. And I am very proud to be British at the present moment!

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