Well no, less is definitely less. But less can be better than more and is always preferable to more and more and more….
Apparently we are billions of pounds poorer due to the snow. I say apparently because it’s not entirely true. The way these figures appear to be calculated is to take GDP for a year and divide by 365 thus giving a nice easy figure for the media to turn into a catchy headline.
However, what is overlooked by our sound bite obsessed society is a small matter of the truth; much of the business that was not done while we enjoyed the snow will be made up over the coming months. I for one will be working extra hours and days during the summer. Of course there will be some businesses for which the effects of the winter weather will be serious and long term and no one would want to be anything but sympathetic in the face of real hardship.
For most of us the unplanned intervention of Mother Nature into our seemingly well oiled routines may serve an important purpose, it perhaps reminds us of our individual fragility and that of our collective achievements, however substantial and permanent they may seem. A little humility may indeed go a long way.
One place in which I am sure less would indeed be much better is the BBC.
I have felt for years now that there is a real possibility we will lose this vital institution and a recent interview on Radio 4 worried me a lot. A BBC spokesperson, I can’t recall his name, admitted that programme making was suffering due to the amount of money being spent on extracurricular activities. I assume this means extra channels, iplayers, blog webs and pods etc…
It seems to me the BBC’s best protection from the triple threats of political interference, creeping privatisation and public apathy must be to remain clearly distinguishable from other broadcasters. Note I do not use the words competition or rivals as the BBC is not as it seems to believe, in competition with anyone. That’s the beauty of its situation, The BBC is on another level, above and beyond all other broadcasters worldwide and that’s not an exaggeration.
The BBC has nothing to compete with other than its own high standards.
It is by maintaining the standard of its programmes that the BBC can remain distinctive and relevant; a constant in an ever changing (and not for the better) media world.
It upsets me terribly to be watching the decline of the BBC.
I would start a Save the Beeb campaign, but the reality is that only the BBC can make consistently high quality programmes and there lies its path to salvation.