Shakespeare wrote "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players". Sadly, media and AI have turned most into spectators, not players.
It seems we are living in a Pantomime. Rachel Reeves has for weeks, or is it months, been performing a financial striptease. No sooner removing one article, but replacing it to remove another. When all the leaks and kite flying is done and she removes the last tassel to stand naked before the dispatch box, will we be shocked? Or has the ghastly spectacle been a deliberate attempt at numbing everyone. Relieved it's over we are expected to go quietly into the night.
Of course no Panto is complete without a villain. Hidden in plain sight, national treasure the BBC caught out doctoring Trump's speech. If they have done it to him, who else is a valid question. Their 'apology' sets a new standard of mendacity.
"We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action".
Unintentional? If the BBC's weasel words stand they are an excuse for just about anything. "I'd forgotten I had a knuckle duster M'Lud when the Geezer walked into my fist. He survived and is walking around so no harm done".
Of course it was not 'unintentional', the act of splicing is intentional. The choice of which parts to knit together is intentional. In truth their only regret is that they were found out. Nick (Widow Twankey) Robinson can rage all he likes against right-wing conspiracies. but he and his hectoring are a part of the problem. The BBC is not the arbiter of truth. It has no right to claim moral superiority. It is funded by a criminally enforced tax and for too long has been allowed leeway denied to others.
Anyone who has tried complaining to the BBC will have experienced the 'Complaints Procedure'. Every failing organisation and company I have ever dealt with has a complaints procedure. They exist to exonerate staff and frustrate customers and patients to the point of despair. It is the reason so many complaints to the NHS finish up in court.
It need not be so. Years ago the firm I worked for had an enormous electricity bill. It was obviously wrong, but British Gas would not engage. I wrote to the Chairman of Centrica about the problem . A few days later I had a phone cal from the Managing Director of British Gas and we resolved the problem.
In 2019 we planned a trip to S E Asia. I was injecting myself daily at the time and the advice on taking Blood Thinner injections on planes was confusing. I found the email address of Heathrow's then CEO and asked for clarification. Within half an hour John Holland-Kaye copied me in on an email to his assistants asking them to investigate, clarify and give me an answer. After two weeks, I had heard nothing and with departure fast approaching, I emailed to say so. Quickly Mr. Holland-Kaye replied and asked for details of our flight. I was met and ushered through security, my medicine secure on board. I imagine that the Chairman of Centrica and CEO of Heathrow airport are busy people, certainly as busy as a BBC spokesperson or NHS manager.
It's difficult to escape the conclusion that taxpayer funding takes away any incentive to provide service or answerer legitimate questions and concerns.
It seems that not realising we were living a childhood pantomime we stuck the tail on the wrong donkey. Let's hope that probity has not died in the glare of Gaslight. That we will have the opportunity to be once more Players on our stage.
