Showing posts with label BBC Sounds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BBC Sounds. Show all posts

Tuesday 3 September 2019

War, BBC and Sounds.


Eighty years ago today Neville Chamberlain informed the nation that "This country is now at war with Germany." Listen here.
Many inform us that Chamberlain was quite successful as a chancellor of the exchequer during the 1930's.  While they attack his appeasement policy towards Adolf Hitler they accept that he also introduced money to pay for both a Fighter Defence and a Bomber Command.  Money was also found to strengthen the Royal Navy and yet he failed to provide monies for the army, possibly that was sensible as the British Army in 1939 still appeared willing to fight the last war and had not developed modern strategy or tactics.  
Chamberlain's great failure however was less his appeasement rather than his failure to understand Hitler.  Adolf just wanted to win the last war, his whole policy was to take over the land mass to the east and enslave any who opposed him, Neville never understood this.  Neville also had been successful and this many say led to his belief that he alone could bring the world situation to a peaceful conclusion.  His arrogance would have been worthwhile had he understood his enemy, he did not.
By 1938 Chamberlain was beginning to understand his failure.  The merging of Germany and Austria, the invasion of Czechoslovakia and the threat to Poland brought home his failure.  He did however have the courage to stand up to Adolf in the end and threaten war if the Germans did not leave Poland, a coward would not have done this!  
So early on a Sunday morning, some churches rigging up wireless sets so the congregation could listen, the British state heard Chamberlains words.  Nobody rejoiced, no flags waved, all understood the situation and were aware of the cost.  
In Germany few rejoiced, indeed the Nazi leaders gathered together to listen to this news and afterwards silence reigned.  Goebbels turned to von Ribbentrop and snarled "Now what!"  Teamwork and shared responsibility was not a Nazi virtue.

 
Such a major event in a life, and participating in a war that is won is about as major as is possible, leaves an affect on an individual and a nation.  The UK still carries the success as well as the aftermath of the second world war.  The aftermath saw an improving society, better housing, the NHS, schools, education for all and improved laws in the work place.  The memory of the war was ever with those who fought or came afterwards.  As the empire died the boast of a great past increased!  Today, as a small nation stronger in the EU than alone, many wish to return to that past. However the past has gone and the UK cannot survive alone.  The war has influenced many to vote for leaving the EU as they reach for an imaginary past, most who do so were not born in the war and never saw the suffering caused.  Interestingly those who now lead the Leave campaign care little for the war and never mention it, they care for position, fame and vast fortune as they line their pockets while subjecting the nation to austerity.  
The soon coming election, based on Boris's promises of money for education, NHS and everyone else, all too soon to be false, will fool many who wish to be fooled.  The opposition, is there one? will offer similar lies also unfounded.
Looking at all this maybe it would be good if the EU did go to war with the UK, well England at least, and send their bombers over here once again.  England deserves that!
     
So I woke this morning and stumbled through to sit at my desk staring into space until I woke enough to have breakfast.  I looked for Radio 3 to find some noise and discovered that 'the page is missing' and was redirected to BBC Sounds the new, expensive and absurd replacement for the popular and efficient iPlayer.
Why?
What sort of con is this that my link is sabotaged for the sake of the shockingly poor 'Sounds' mistake?  They say £10 million was spent adjusting the iPlayer to create 'Sounds' I wish I had been consulted as I could have saved them several million. If they continue to replace my links to justify this I may be tempted to scribble a note to someone in the BBC, they will ignore it but they will notice it...
After a search I have replaced the links and hope this time it will remain untouched by BBC executives failing at their job.
As I am on I might as well mention 'The Political Butterfly Effect' which was broadcast yesterday.  This featured the phenomenon of noise in the wrong place.  It appears that talk on Radio 4 must always be accompanied by needless noise drowning out the words and hindering hearing what is said and enjoyment of decent programmes.  I realise these producers come from the 'Punk generation' but they do not have to prove it!  Yesterday we were supposed to be in the House of Commons bar so they supplied appropriate sounds thus rendering talk useless.  These drink loving producers spend an enormous time in such places so must realise that nothing can be heard in them unless your ear is up against the speaker!  Radio 3 talks do not require needless noise why so on Radio 4? 

 

Friday 17 May 2019

Friday Frippary


Thursday lunchtime I took the airport bus, air stewardess included as always, to the good quality charity shops.  There the rich dispose of their worthy items long before you and I would do so.  I searched all four shops, although this was difficult in one as it was closed, but found nothing whatsoever worth looking for.  How mean of them, don't they realise I need a new jacket?  
I did however visit my favourite card shop, Oxfam!  
There is no doubt the cards on offer here, often misusing old photographs, are very clever and full of wit, something missing in so many 'funny' cards today.  I had to buy some as with all these wimmin having birthdays I found my collection of cards were all aimed at men.  This was unfortunate.  Now I am ready for the next woman as long as she does not want anything like money to go with it...
Lovely short bus journey passed green fields, Barley almost ripe, sun glinting on farm machinery and one single farm worker as he prepared his field.  No EU workers on sight, I suspect Theresa has sent them all home so it will be big crops around here from now on.  


The problem with birds is their great ability to see something they wish for and then go get it.  The trouble they then fond is they cannot work out how they got in and therefore how to get back out again.  The Robin has been in, a Blue Tit the other day, another one was found on the window today and yesterday this young Starling worked out how to get in and then screamed blue murder because he could not get out.  
You will notice the mess on the window, this comes from the dust from the stuff they are feeding on these days.  The shop cannot get the usual seed pellets, someone appears to be arguing over money, and what is on offer is not good enough for these brutes.  It also has left a lot of dust down the wall and with no rain to speak off it is not getting washed a way. My neighbour might speak to me soon...


Today the plan was simple, eat a good breakfast and then eat little until evening, great idea.  
I had a good breakfast and fell asleep.
After this I spent all morning on this laptop either reading the grubby papers and arguing with Brexiteers or listening to the 'iPlayer,' sorry 'BBC Sounds.'  It was indeed better as the iplayer but there you go, someone has £10 million to spend and so it must be spent even if in a daft and needless manner.
The radio was good and it took me till after two to remember to get out and get milk, but I fell asleep instead.  This has not been a great day...


I see that nice Mr Farage has been taken apart twice this week, once by Andrew Marr of Sunday and then by a Channel 4 newsman the other night.  The vast wealth he has been given by Aaron Banks, who does not disclose where his cash comes from, is helping him with his Brexit Party as it did with his dying UKIP party.  It is interesting to note he has arranged it so no 'member' of his new party can influence decisions, only he can, with two others, very democratic.  
The sheep rose to the occasion claiming all this was a smear campaign against Farage by the 'establishment.'  How he has them hoodwinked.  There is a kind of blindness which hangs over Brexiteers, facts do not deter the need for Brexit, the emotion goes deep and no fact lies behind it so it cannot be opposed.  The opposite is occurring and if a second referendum is given they will all vote 'Leave' with more belief and yet with few facts.  I see Scunthorpe is losing 900 jobs because of Brexit from the plant that is the mainstay of the economy yet North Lincs voted strongly in favour of Brexit, what did they expect?  
The more I hear of Farage the more I think of  Alcibiades the chap Thucydides wrote about after the death of Pericles through the plague.  His view was that Pericles spoke for the good of the nation, Alcibiades was in it for himself, and it appears so.  It is also interesting that Boris Johnson is a great Thucydides fan, I wonder who he sees himself as?
I would explain this on the 'Daily Mail' forums but the sheep would not comprehend.  Anyway they would see them all as foreigners!  


We can always take our minds off Brexit by watching the US attempt another war this time against Iran.  It is unknown if Trump realises what he is doing here or indeed if he knows what is going on but Spain, Germany and the Dutch among others have withdrawn their forces from the US alliance in the Gulf.  The US will be on their own in Iran, bar the Conservative Party that is.