Since the sainted Terry Wogan left, radio 2’s schedule has been changed. This means that Millicent Fritton (Headmistress from St. Trinians as played by Alistair Sim)now has to work a full two hours! It’s not easy you know. She has to have all the day’s newspapers in front of her in order to read you interesting titbits of news. These are the same newspapers that you will probably be going out to buy anyway. But that concerns Sarah not one jot. She selflessly scours the right wing rags bringing us tasty morsels for our delectation as we start our day with a shower, shampoo and shave. No need for the other activity we start our day off with. Ms Kennedy supplies that by the bucketload. Full of talent is our Sarah. She’s opinionated too and will think nothing of making a “Daily Mail” style tirade against something that she perceives to be “political correctness gone mad”
Our Sarah has been a bastion of radio 2’s schedules for what seems like forever. For what seems like the last 100 years she has entertained (and I use that word loosely) us with tales, and sound effects of mewing cats and diesel locomotives. Unfortunately out of those 100 years I think she’s only actually been present for 6 weeks due to (and this is in her words, just in case you think I’ve lost it) problems with her chesticles. Unfortunately this attendance record has led to some wag at the BBC christening her “Sicknote”. Yes, shocking I know. Luckily for our plucky lass, she’s on a contract and won’t lose money for her absenteeism. Hurrah!
The BBC is a grand institution and one I happily accept funding via my TV licence. Yep, I actually don’t mind paying this particular tax. Being an old fashioned, somewhat unreconstructed leftie, I quite like the notion of public broadcasting. I like the Rethian concept of “educate, inform and entertain” Dagnabbit, I like it that we have a nationalised industry that works well.
I too work within the public sector, within local government as it happens. Alas, there the similarities between Sarah and me end.
If I were to have a sickness record as bad as hers, I would be shipped off for medical screening in the blink of an eye. Even worse, if I’m to take time off for sickness, I lose money. Not just one day’s money either. One day off - a month’s attendance allowance lost. Being within the public sector, if I see something that I disagree with, I have to keep my mouth shut. Accept it or go. Like Radio 2, we also go through re-organisations (every other week usually). Unfortunately, unlike Radio 2, we are given a paltry pay-off. After all, this is public money we’re talking about and we are merely custodians of the public purse. The services are going to be commissioned from the private sector; your job is no longer required. It’s in the public good after all.
So hooray for Sarah! Three cheers for the malingerer! More right wing stories about no good strikers please! Can’t get back from the races because the train drivers are striking for better conditions? Shame on them! Postmen fighting to keep a universal postal system, disgraceful! Why don’t they move to Cuba? Come to think of it, perhaps those squirrels in her thatch are setting up a quasi-autonomous collective? Commie vermin!
Good post Rob. Not heard of Sarah Kennedy since "Game for a Laugh" and from what you say it sounds like she's stil laughing at our expense. It seems strange how public services lose the ability to do joined up thinking. you mentioned the postal service. I can appreciate that ITV might on a commercail basis need to streamline to compete with the equally commercial Sky Broadcasting. I can therefore see why they would want Adam Crozier who gained his ability to do this at the Post Office. so the post office was losing a million pound a day, putting 60,000 postman on the dole definately saved the Post Office some money. So what of the consequences. Assuming that each unemployed postie would need £10,000 per annum in state support for himself and family, then my rudimentary arithmatic means that it cost the state £600M to save the post office £365M. Like I said, no joined up thinking. Still Adam Crozier got a plumb job on the back of it. Some state funded education he has received.... cost £235M per annum!
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