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.
Something similar may be happening to energy secretary Ed Miliband. He seems obsessed by net zero, muttering about Britain showing “global leadership.” Strikes me as a tad messianic, especially when contrasting his startling single-mindedness with the pragmatic approach of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch who talks of scrapping green legislation and aiming for “growth, cheaper energy, and protecting the natural landscapes we all love.”
By now we all know that nothing Britain does will have the slightest effect on climate change and how many pensioners would Miliband's “global leadership” keep warm?
The Met police's racist and misogynistic officers are not the only cops under the microscope this week. Greater Manchester Police has banned staff from working remotely after some were found to be jamming keys on their computers “to make it look like they were working from home.”
It makes you wonder how new coppers are recruited. In the very early stage of selection, does no-one find out whether a would-be Pc has even a basic understanding of such concepts as right, wrong and honesty?
Meanwhile, how exactly does one jam a computer to simulate hard work at home? The tech-skills are impressive even if the deception is quite appallingggggggggggggggggg.
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