Peter Rhodes on boats, computers and the lure of becoming a global leader
The BBC is to give up covering the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race amid allegations that it is regarded by Beeb bosses as “haughty, pompous, and bumptious.”
Not to mention expensive. The race costs the BBC about £500,00 to broadcast but that may be because the Corporation has its own magic money tree (you and me, brother), enabling it to deploy up to 40 cameras plus drones and a helicopter for the event. I dare say the new broadcaster, C4, may not do the boat-race job quite so lavishly but does it matter? If our beloved national broadcaster cannot cover an event at a reasonable price, then make way for someone who can. Now, Auntie, about Glastonbury . . .
A strange thing happens to some politicians when they get their hands on the levers of power. Suddenly, the UK is too small a canvas for their great works. They need to become global titans. We saw it with Tony Blair who in a matter of months, morphed from humble PM of the UK to best mate of President Bush, with all the horrors that unleashed.
