Today's show 05/05/11

Another early web page update today (by 10:45) and a full 100 minutes earlier than 27th April. Have you hired someone new to do it? Or did your web page lacky wet their bed this morning?

Let's look at today's irrelevancies then...

1) TEENAGE SEXUAL ABSTINENCE - Conservative MP Nadine Dorries says at the moment we teach children about safe sex, when what we should be doing is teaching them how to say no : Tut, tut. The word "no" at the end of the last sentence should have a capital N and be in quotes. Interesting that you have used the word "children" in your description, which implies both sexes, but the BBC news page that you link to specifically refers to girls: "Teenage girls should be taught at school about the benefits of sexual abstinence" and "We need to let young girls know that to say no to sex when you are under pressure is a cool thing to do.". So, why the discrepancy? Let's just put it down to poor research. Oh, and we don't have any teenagers of our own, so this is of no interest to me. Next...

2) GLENCORE - It's one of the biggest companies in the world and it's about to join the FTSE 100, but you probably haven't heard of it. Do you work for Glencore? Are you worried about its huge corporate power? : Now, this is one of the things that really annoys me about your programme. You assume that your poor unfortunate listeners know little and need Uncle Jeremy to tell them what is going on in the world, what to do and what to say - but that is simply not the case. Unfortunately for you I do not need Uncle Jeremy to do any of those things for me, and God help me if I did! Despite your outrageous supposition, I already knew that Glencore were a mining and metals company, and I could probaby have told you that it was a Swiss company too. Do I work for Glencore? No, I don't. Am I worried about its huge corporate power? No, I am not. What I am worried about is why you think a story as specialist as this could be of interest to what you assume to be your average listener. Next...

3) FOREST FIRES - Rain is on the way, but forest fires are still raging throughout the UK. There are concerns that they've been started deliberately. Is there one near you? : It is trying to rain here in North Wales as I type this. There have been several fires in the surrounding area, with the nearest (a big one!) being about a mile away. Here in Wales there seems to be an attempt to prosecute those that have started fires deliberately (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-13271786) but I'm not sure what talking about it is going to achieve other than, errrr...., absolutely nothing. Next...

4) PLAYING IN THE STREET - And finally, the health minister wants residential streets closed on a Sunday to allow children to play. Some motorists are furious with the idea : I've just looked at the Daily Telegraph story that you've linked to. From what I read, I think your use of the word "wants" is a bit strong as the Telegraph says that she has only "suggested" this. The only mention of motorists is this sentence: "A spokesman for the AA said that caution needed to be taken to ensure that motorists were not inconvenienced by road closures." and no mention of them being "furious". So, who are these furious motorists? I'll guess that there aren't any, but they will suddenly appear on the end of telephone when you start talking about this. More importantly than all of this, your web page makes no mention of the underlying story: Child Obesity. The health minister's suggestion is entirely that - a suggestion. It is not happening, but she would like it considered and discussed, and that is all. I put it to you that you are - as usual - being deliberately inflammatory, with the aim of creating an argument purely in an effort to create what you may think is "good radio". I know better though, and can tell you that your show is the epitome of Crap Radio.

6 Music here I come!