Letters - August 2, 2018

How many television viewers like me, particularly of the older generation, are increasingly irritated by the growing practice among TV directors of soaps and dramas of using a screenshot of a mobile phone to convey a line of dialogue?

Many of them are so badly lit, or with poor contrast between text and background, as to be virtually illegible to the viewer anyway, leaving me and many others lost.

In my case – because I do not own a smartphone and I am unfamiliar with the conventions of the mobile phone text screen – by the time I have worked out the name of the sender, the name of the recipient, the line of the previous message, and the line of the message I am meant to be reading, the second and third image is long gone.

At this point I usually give up, because I have both literally and figuratively lost the plot.

C J Ball

Address supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

Let’s cherish our world-class shows

Along with three friends, on Friday evening we went to see a live show – the lighting and sound systems were outstanding, there was music and songs, and lots of brilliant original material.

The costumes were superb, as always, and as for the performers, I believe you could not find a more talented group of artists gathered under one roof anywhere in the world.

Yes, it’s Amanda Thompson’s latest production of Hot Ice, yet the Arena was a quarter full.

Blackpool, a population of some 150,000, never mind the visitors, yet what do we have to do to get bottoms on seats?

Answer: Blackpool, support your world-class shows, or lose them.

Edward Andrew

Blackpool

SPORT

Waistcoat Wednesday?

Sports Personality of the Year, it’s a given, Gareth and the boys.

How very civilised the footie has become, out go football shirts, in comes the waistcoat, all thanks to the new fashionista, Gareth Southgate.

Everyone ready for waistcoat Wednesday?

Jayne Grayson

Address supplied

ECONOMY

We’re paying 
the bankers

The annual TV twilight zone is nearly upon us – you know, that dead time between the end of Poldark and the new series of Gogglebox.

Is there anything worth watching in the meantime?

Well, here’s something which requires no TV licence or Sky subscription and is guaranteed to give hours of televisual pleasure. Just pop along to www.nationaldebtclock.co.uk/

Now sit back and marvel at how the numbers just keep on going up, never slowing down, stopping, taking a power nap, let alone going backwards. It really is hypnotic and addictive viewing, I think you’ll agree.

Beats Aidan Turner’s naked torso every time.

Whilst you’re transfixed, just consider this – that colossal number you’re looking at (it’s in trillions by the way) is government borrowing we, the taxpayer, are expected to pay back.

To whom? Private banks with private shareholders, that’s who.

No wonder they’re laughing all the way to the bank – well, they would be if they could find one still open.

Consider this also.

That debt has interest attached to it. Let’s be generous and say three per cent.

This means that, based on £2 trillion, we are obliged to pay the bankers over £60bn a year just in interest – the actual debt never decreasing nor any hope of ever paying it back. Just think what could be done with this money.

So the next time our chums in Westminster talk about austerity or necessary cuts to public services to ‘reduce’ borrowing (ahem), bear in mind that this is being done to fund interest payments. Nothing else.

Put another way, we are all working, on average, at least six weeks a year just to pay this interest.

Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy doesn’t it ?

Enjoy!

Tim Kennedy

via email