The Glass Box for Thursday
In the PM office we meet every night after the programme in this Glass Box:
We talk about the content of the programme and try to give an honest assessment of what worked and what didn't...the things we missed and the places where our ambitions were not met. THIS virtual glass box you are looking at is where you are invited - indeed encouraged - to be honest about our hour. Members of the production team will read it, and the editor should comment too. Click on The Glass Box link on the right of the page to read previous entries.
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Is PM doing a remake of 'Titanic'?
Gosh, what an introduction from Jim Naughtie in Iowa... Wasn't easy for them to get through from icy Iowa. Could you tell?
Fiona (ed seat)
A nicely non-alarmist piece about the nasty-sounding vomiting virus. Well done.
Fifi
Was the Beatles item, featuring ghastly jerky fades and drowned-out narration, mixed by the work-experience lad?
Mind you, at least someone had given some thought to its content, which is more than can be said for the James Naughtie debacle.....
Come on PM, we don't expect the standards of the Today programme from you guys!
Beatles songs being flogged off to advertise stuff.
What do we think?
I think we should ask what this inevitable decision is telling us about how little importance economic power attaches to the way people define their cultural history. It is also telling us, by way of a strong reminder, that the particular economic process and agenda that governs our lives is capable of infiltrating and then distorting every aspect of it. And, most importantly, there is nothing we can do about it.
For me and I'm willing to guess, for millions of others, several Beatles songs are an important element in my early memories, stimulating subtle personal connections and meanings which help me define my past and my past's relationship with the culture I have grown up in. Of course this doesn't just apply to Beatles songs, but also to many other aspects of popular culture. This is what makes popular culture what it is.
And this of course is what makes the songs so valuable to advertisers, who, when they buy them, literally buy a piece of us in order that they can subvert it, destroy it and then discard it.
I think this is an outrage and the fact that it is part of a market process which apparently we are implicitly told we can do nothing about, makes it no less outrageous.
What does everyone else think?
The Conservative spokesman you were talking to seems to overlook an obvious point - that while things have not improved in the regions, it may be that they would have got much worse without the £13 billion spent. London is such a powerful wealth generator that you would have to spend quite a lot on the regions just to keep up. Expecting the regions to keep up with London with such a comparatively trifling subsidy seems to be rather naive.
Sid
So the west coast mainline re-opening has been delayed because of a shortage of the right kind of engineer.
Assuming it does one day come back into use, how long before it is closed due to too much of the wrong type of snow?
Snow? What snow?
I have to say that this evening's "PM", from my perspective, effectively answered Roger Sawyer's question from yesterday's Glass Box; and, far more succinctly than I ever could
Jim Naughtie's (a parachuted-in correspondent.?!) article was, simply, excellent
Here, we had a succinct, informative and analytical overview of the meaning and importance of the Iowa Caucass to it's Presidential hopefulls and the world at large
The idea of seeking individual Presidential election candidate "poll-data" from an Iowa election "Button" salesman was... well, simply put, inspired...
Then, we had Fergus... Always very good value for money and especially so this evening
Highly informative - frighteningly so! I'm dieting, even as I type! - and, straight, unfortunately for me, to the point!
I'd NEVER heard of obesity and cirrhosis linked... My Liver would, I'm sure, if it could speak, thank him...
God, I think I need a drink..!
For me, this evening's "PM" was ´óÏó´«Ã½ radio at its' very best...
I imagine a fine imposed on Network Rail (NR) would be collected directly or indirectly by the government.
As I understand it NR is wholly state owned.
Far from punishing the shareholders of NR as would be the case with a normal commercial company, this will simply leave a hole in NR’s balance sheet which somebody will have to plug. Who will they raise this from? Not the government as they have just collected the fine so it would have to be their other revenue source - the train operators. I don’t suppose Richard Branson and his competitors will be delighted to absorb this fine so in the end they will be forced to raise their fares.
Forgive me if I'm just a bit cynical but the idea of a hefty fine for NR does sound like a stealth charge by the government on the travelling public.
Dear Joe (5)
In sympathy with your post but IF it is inevitable then perhaps, just maybe there could be a way to redeem the use.
What if Sir Paul were to reject any company that did harm, in any way, to the planet or the people making and buying its product?
What if he also made it possible to withdraw use of the music if a company began to compromise on its ethical commitment?
Could this fill the regulation gap and become a symbol of peoples regulation?
How many of us know how to thoroughly check what we buy for its ethical credibility? Which adverts can people trust with 100% confidence?
If we knew that Sir Paul would see to the above,
could a Beetle song be spared the taint and become a genuine badge of honour?
Is this naive?
I second both Joseph and Anna (5&10), though I remain sadly cynical.
I second Charlie (8), as well.
A good edition of my favourite programme.
Slainte
ed
P.S. As to politics the Iowan way, at least there remains a element of community participation in it. Refreshing.
Try the opening lines of this:
" THIS ESSAY owes its existence to anxiety and to insomnia...."