Friday 26 February 2010

1984 - WARNING OR INSTRUCTION MANUAL?

 

Grahame Park in Barnet is one of the largest council estate ever built by the old GLC.  Some 1,777 homes sit cheek by jowl, or rather drug addled resident by asylum seeker resident, for although the estate was popular when it was originally built, it has been plagued by problems, and it now requires ‘regeneration due to the concentration of vulnerable and disadvantaged people’ – Nu-Labour code speak for it ‘has become a Hell hole’.
Over the next 15 years, it is intended that some 20 million pounds will be spent on bringing it up to modern living standards. That is a significant sum of money to be spent on under 2,000 homes.
So it was with some surprise that I noted included in the budget, the undeclared cost of the ‘first ever’ dedicated television station to be installed in social housing.
Wow!
Why would they spend money on an innovative dedicated television station  to  serve  just one estate when they cannot find the money to carry out basic maintenance?
The answer is buried deep -
Barnet Homes and partner organisations will use Grahame Park TV (GPTV) to broadcast short films and messages. The messages will be broadcast from a large screen on The Concourse.
This is the first time that a British social landlord has introduced its own dedicated television station for tenants and leaseholders. Grahame Park residents will be able to wish their friends  (sic) on their birthdays, tell a joke or show off their musical skills on GPTV.
Key election messages will also be automatically sent to residents’ mobile phones using Bluetooth.
I do hope that the electoral commission wil be ensuring that a fair balance of ‘key election messages’ is beamed to these vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
I went into the Doctors today. A few months ago a screen was installed in the waiting room. Today it was active. All it played was public service infomercials. All the time, endlessly and I would imagine for as long as the surgery is open. This "service" is run by an operation called the Life Channel: their website is at  http://www.thelifechannel.com/ if you fancy having a look.


Now elsewhere in the blogosphere there are an increasing number of mumblings about the number of government-sponsored advertisements on radio and TV at the moment.

Well, lifechannel is yet another outlet for government propaganda, whether its the new onslaught against drinkers, or blatant misrepresentation about how flexible the NHS is (yeah right!).

However, there's more: lifechannel seems to be installed in schools as well as doctor's surgeries. Is it really right that such a service is installed in schools? I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be.

I'm also pretty sure that taxpayer's money shouldn't be spent on this sort of unneccessary  expense in the middle of a financial crisis. This government is literally throwing money away. I would rather live my life without these expensive intrusions, thank you very much.

Of course, with little digging, it gets worse: there's a link on the lifechannel website, to another called "The Community Communication Network.





Yet another waste of money.
Not only that, but very big brother: the government sponsoring the installation of video screens spouting what amounts to propaganda almost 24 hrs a day, at your expense. This is as big a waste of money as the DfID.

Are you happy about that? I'm sure as hell I'm not.


Morg
.

5 comments:

Silly Kuffar said...

The revolution will not be televised...the revolution will be LIVE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix6Kz-1ev-4&feature=related

Anonymous said...

Very surprised that a 'social landlord' would install a giant tv... I'll give it a week befiore someone nicks it or breaks it.

Not surprised though at how many Estates now have dedicated CCTV systems sneaking in. All positioned in awkward places, able to peer in windows while residents watch the tele, some with infra-red capabilities, surely this is not for community protection?

Conditioning I reckon. Social housing making social people. The scheme for London councils is the pack em in and pack em high plan. Of course, with so many 'children' needing 'supervision', they then do so on the cheap.

I have lived all my life in Peckham all my life and have seen it become the third world due to incompetence (or intent).

Is there any chance of myself getting some the Government's 'repatriation cash'?

Surely it is racist if only foreigners can get it and not poor little me.

I only ask for I see that my borough has already ceded to Johnny Foreigner. Gotta make contingency plans.

Silly Kuffar said...

Wigan Town centre also has a loudspeaker system working alongside CCTV.
The ony time I have heard them was a Wednesdy morning, they were ordering someone to desist in what they were doing or the police would be called.
All that's missing is the Big Brother TV Screen.
But not for long it seems.

Anonymous said...

Thank God for this site and

The British National Party.

I really believe we should

advertise the BNP TV link,

very good at informing our Coun

trymen of what the BNP stand for.

Many people, feel as we do, This

is our Land, This is Our Country,

This is our Culture, but fear

being labelled racist, and

losing their jobs, and homes

( If council or Housing Assn ).

This Land is really Orwell 1984 ,,

imagine in twenty years ?

Stand up and unite, for the

future of your Children and Grand Children.

Spread the word, mark the x on polling day.

This is our last chance.

Anonymous said...

Going off topic,

Mel Phillips Daily Mail

This week promoted BNP policies,

then ended her dictatorial rant,

by yet again insulting the BNP,

check comments left, Mel is a good recruiter !

Thanks Mel and Peter Hitchin,

keep writing your opinions,

you are so out of touch with the man on the street.

yaz