Okay, I know it’s one of those silly season stories, but it illustrates keenly just what is wrong with our society.
Muzak is the bane of our lives. In lifts, in hotel foyers, wherever, whenever, it is listless, bland and irritating. So much so, that Lord Beaufort wants to ban it.
The scourge of background music must be banned, the House of Lords is being told as a peer tries to introduce new laws against noise pollution.
Green Party peer Lord Beaumont is trying to win support for his Piped Music and Showing of Television Programmes Bill.
It would force ministers to draw up plans to ban music and television programmes in trains and hospitals.
Here we go again. A “problem” is identified and some puffed up politician dons lance and shield and rides to the rescue with a plan for yet more useless legislation. This is not a problem that needs legislation to fix it. Frankly, in the scheme of things, it isn’t a problem at all. When faced with it I tune out. I don’t need a law to protect me. If I feel that strongly, I can vote with my feet or complain; whichever seems the most appropriate in the circumstances. What I don’t need – absolutely don’t need – is a bunch of half arsed politicians pontificating about producing a law when we have quite enough already thankyou very much.
Just what is it with these interfering, busy-body fuckwits? Don’t they get it? Okay, that’s a rhetorical question; being interfering, busy-body fuckwits; no, they don’t get it and never will. Interfering in the minutiae our lives is their raison d’être; it’s what they do. But, for crying out loud… this really is an all time low for inane legislation.
I can’t help wondering what the meddlesome buffoons will dream up next.
Having said all of that, I do agree with Stephen Fry:
“Piped water, piped oil, piped gas – but never piped music.”
This is indeed one of the most idiotic proposals ever. There should be a Bafta-equivalent for this kind of thing: the Lafta perhaps?
Just what is it with these interfering, busy-body fuckwits? Do you mean the ones who saw fit to put a dirty great TV screen in Leeds station, bombarding us all with intrusive advertising when all we want to do is catch a train? Ye gods, it’s a grim enough experience without that. Or do you mean the ones who approved the similar screen opposite the town hall, so that there’s yet another public space where I can’t sit without someone else’s ideas of what will ‘entertain’ me. You say you vote with your feet, but there soon won’t be anywhere to retreat to.
Are you really arguing that the dearth of imagination of the bean-counters who can see nothing other than another ‘revenue stream’ should outweigh our right to enjoy public spaces in the manner of our choosing?
I’m all in favour of a light regulatory hand, but these things haven’t come about in a legislative vacuum: some functionaries somewhere in planning committees have actively decided to allow these affronts. Sorry, but I can’t agree with you on this one.
This would be much the same as the one at Victoria – pointless and intrusive. I agree. Just as Muzak is pointless and intrusive and I detest it. Personally, I just choose to ignore it. You are right, this did not happen in a regulatory vacuum, but that doesn’t mean that we need more regulation to solve it.
We can complain to the planners who allow it to happen, we can complain to our local councillors, we can complain to the advertisers who thrust their products in our faces and if enough of us do so, they will listen as refusal to do so will mean lost revenue – it cuts both ways. But this solution, using more legislation is not only a sledgehammer to crack a peanut, it is worse than the problem it seeks to solve.
We have enough laws already.