Friday 17 Apr 09

Nay to Nay-Saying

Today I’m going to spend my two pence worth on the many nay-sayers having their two pence worth. That’s right. Hold tight.

I read the Metro (because it’s free, and last week there was a story about a local police authority in Tiverton decideding to have some graffiti commissioned to “engage with youngsters…and show that graffiti is in fact an art.” I found this approach by the authority, spearheaded by Sergeant Robin Curtis, rather endearing. But without even reading the article I knew instantly how the paper would react – by collecting the sound-bites of local-something-or-others along the lines of “shouldn’t they be out catching criminals?” or “is this what we pay our taxes for?”

Sure enough, the Metro went straight to Matthew Elliott of the Taxpayer’s Alliance (clearly looking for a balanced opinion), who said the scheme was “pointless trendy nonsense,” and “to waste taxpayer’s money on such a gimmick instead of using it to fight crime is a disgrace.”

Imagine the scene:

(The phone rings. An operator picks it up).

    Caller: Help! Help! I’m being held hostage!

Operator: Just one minute, caller; let me see if the constabulary have finished spray-painting the officers’ nose and we’ll get back to you.”

Incidentally the article was written by John Higginson, the Metro’s CHIEF Political Correspondent. That’s right, Chief. To waste commuter’s reading-time and advertiser’s money on such a small story instead of using it to report on actual news of importance is a disgrace.

1-0 to me.

Whether the police officer’s idea of trying to recreate the youthful art is a good one or not, I can’t say that I’m totally against the use of tax money on things to make life a little easier and happier. I don’t begrudge the government for attempting the Millennium Dome project, for instance, as it seemed like a wonderfully courageous and grand thing to do. If they hadn’t arsed up the administration, spent  way-way too much on it and filled it with absolute guff, then we would all be celebrating it. Well, actually, we sort-of are, as the re-branded O2 is a massive success. And think about St Pauls, the Houses of Parliament and even Stonehenge – we celebrate these landmarks now but I wonder if a mass of petitions and Matthew Elliotts protested about them at the time.

Sergeant Robin Curtis is just trying to make life a little bit better. Even if it fails, he’s at least trying, which is more than I can say for you, Matty boy. Nice one Robin.