stewartb
‘Helping out across the Nations – People are joining the Big Help Out in every nation of the United Kingdom.’
To see such an establishment organisation refer explicitly to a UK with multiple nations is a relatively rare occurrence! Then there is the (niggling) contrast with the promotion of another of the showpiece initiatives for the coronation. On 3 May the BBC published this online ‘First locations for BBC’s Coronation Concert ‘Lighting up the Nation’ revealed’.
We learn that: ‘The Coronation Concert’s ‘Lighting up the Nation’ live sequence will see the country unite in celebration, as the United Kingdom comes to life like never before with projections, lasers, drone displays and illuminations.’
‘Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment & Events says: “The Lighting up the Nation sequence promises to be a truly spectacular part of the Coronation Concert. With stunning light shows illuminating some of our most iconic locations, alongside performances from James Nesbitt and Paloma Faith, this is going to be a very special moment for people all across the country to come together in celebration.”
Of course, firstly, there is the obvious question: what did your part of THE ‘nation’ experience, did it ‘come to life like never before’: was it a ‘very special moment’ where you were?
The event was produced by the BBC. Note how the public service broadcaster perpetuates the single, the unitary ‘nation’. This is the same organisation that has within its structure someone called ‘Director, Nations’ who sits on the BBC’s Executive Committee and whose job description includes this: ‘leads the BBC’s work serving nations and local audiences across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.’
The current Director, Nations is Rhodri Talfan Davies. Prior to this post he was Director of BBC Wales, so he should know about distinctive ‘nations’ within the UK – and beyond just Rugby Union competitions!
According to the BBC’s corporate website under senior staff profiles, the Director, Nations received a remuneration (as at July 2022) of between £260,000-£264,999 (as per Annual Report and Accounts disclosure). It’s time the Director, Nations sorted out the BBC’s confused communications or perhaps more correctly, got rid of the duplicity over what is a political issue. It’s time the BBC and its Director, Nations lived up to these self-aggrandising claims:
‘The BBC is the world’s leading public service broadcaster – We’re impartial and independent, and every day we create distinctive, world-class programmes and content which INFORM, EDUCATE and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.’ (my emphasis)
Talking-up Scotland 
BBC £6Billion for that nonsense. Taxpayers who cannot light up their homes paying for the BBC nonsense. Vast wasted salaries for nonsense projects. Surfluous redundant estate. OAP’s that cannot eat watching that garbage. The opium of the people. The propaganda of Westminster. Lies abuse and video cameras. Killing people. The Westminster unionist conspiracy of Tory and Labour bias flooding the airwaves. Just a load of total nonsense. A total waste of time and monies. An embarrassment. Harassment of the nation. To line their greedy pockets. All in it together. Total fraud. Without a free and fair Press their is no Democracy. Westminster is supposed to ensure it. A total failure.
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The UK is just England pretending to be something it isn’t.
The London centric media,as with the political establishment,rarely,if ever,give the other countries that constitute the UK state a moment’s thought.
It does not fit the right wing establishment desperation to present themselves as being in charge of a big important country to have to admit that they only really represent the views of people in England.
The head of their state is not the King of the UK but has multiple titles in order to accommodate separate countries within s multinational state.
Laziness or cultural indoctrination?
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England and it’s state propaganda units work very hard at identifying the UK as England, a prerequisite of positioning England alone geo politically as the continuing state. 30 yrs ago that was very much the world view, England, britain, UK was one in the same, that’s no longer the case, hence the cleverly nonsense.
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In 2014 there was no ‘Britain’ and certainly no ‘Great Britain’ in the Uk political arena. It was UK or nothing, only the union, and united, and the Brit state even came up with UKOK to persuade the people of Scotland they should ‘stay’ in England’s ‘UK’. It’s now interchangeable, very confusing, very deliberate.
I won’t show my son, who is a bit if a typography nerd (enthusiast) the picture of the
‘big help out’, he would be totally horrified. 😬
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I presume this is supposed to be ukok wide and is really just a rebranding of Cameron’s big society.
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The organisation behind/promoting the ‘Big Help Out’ initiative was something called /together (sic) and a charity called The Together Initiative.
See https://together.org.uk/about/#who-we-are
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Thanks Stewart, a few good people but to be honest it looks seriously like the interviews were done by Boris Johnson.
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I’m not doubting for an instant the moral compass of those involved, but the elephant in the room in this ‘initiative’ was always going to be Charles.
Despite Buck House having total control over what could be repeated, few would have missed the live feed of a bad tempered old brat ranting in a golden coach about ‘his’ dissatisfaction, much as he did over that “blasted pen”.
eg – I’m certain one of his vast retinue would have advised against advertising his ‘green’ credentials with the Aston running on recycled Chardonnay, but his ego wouldn’t hear of it.
The words of his mother “Knew he’d f… it up” will be his epitaph…
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I managed to give all the royal stuff a miss over the weekend and stayed mostly off twitter too to give my mind a rest from the ongoing negativity regarding anything Scottish. However I was struck by a distant memory of the queen being known as the queen of England rather than the UK or Britain when I was growing up, was that for real? Of course that was before the drive to push Britishness on us all and before twitter could throw a hissy fit about England/Britain being the same thing really
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Nope, didn’t see anything in my part of the Nation.
“Big Help Out” a meaningless slogan, as powerful and effective as “Buy British” “Let’s Put the Great Back in Britain”
But maybe it helps to assuage guilt feelings in those who can meet their bill demands, are warm and have a full belly.
Me, better, angry?
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The Royals are the biggest over consumers on the planet and the biggest wasters.
The do not pay any share and waste taxpayers money and tax evade. They are the bigfestbtax evaders in the world. Gathering a £Billion fortune by illegal methods. Kept secret under the Official Secrets Act. The illegal interference in Gov,
The King pays 10% tax on a £20Million incomes. Pays no corporation, capital gains or inheritance tax. No wonder they are illegal £Billionaires. Breaking the Law they are supposed to uphold and impose on other people. That is all kept secret. Enough is never enough for them while they stroke babies heads and shake Masonic handshakes. They are the undisputible head of the most unequal society in the world. They have the hypocritical cheek to advise everyone else to step up. All they do is bring the monarchy down into disrepute, Either slim down or bow out. That will be their future brought under question continually.
Supporting illegal wars, tax evading, financial fraud. Everything that is wrong with Westminster Gov, Colluding in a system with which they have most to gain. Masonic secret society. Unequal, misogynist, racist and bigoted. Blackballing others. The British monarchy caused the 1WW.. Divine right to rule. Democracy 1928 curtailed the imperial power racket. The Royals still clinging on to it. The times are a’changing. Not eternal Gov. Especially in Scotland losing support and questioning, imposed values, of repeated interference, in Democratic powers.
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