Somewhat Ironic

Let's face it: a Beeb campaign with the slogan 'have your say' is always going to be heavy on the humbug but this latest one is a lu-lu. In case you've missed it, the basic concept is this: the campaign features what BBCoids think of as ordinary people while in the background their innermost thoughts are spelled out, for example a burger van owner looks witheringly at a bloke carefully examining his burger, while on the grill the food spells out 'it won't kill you, mate'. Tag-line: 'Radio Five, have your say'.

Anyway, the final segment of one of these trailers features cops at some kind of serious incident. One looks about fifteen and is dressed in a uniform that seems too large for him, while the other looks like a real cop (i.e. older, larger, more authoritative). The baby plod is playing out blue & white incident tape on which the words 'round here coppers need guns' on it. The 'real cop' sees this and shakes his head disparagingly. The Beeb wants us to know that only scared kids would think there's a role for firearms in policing, real coppers can rely on their… what, exactly ? As ever, the Beeb is better at sneering at the opposition than actually advancing any ideas of its own.

Still, think this one over. Even in a campaign supposedly designed to push the idea that Radio Five is where us ugly proles can 'have our say' the Beeb can't allow any idea that doesn't fit with its smug, preachy Liberal agenda to be presented without immediately disparaging it. I wonder if there's anyone at the Beeb who can see the irony in that ?