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    The Dumbing Down of Britain
    The Dumbing Down of Britain
    The Dumbing Down of Britain
    Ebook76 pages56 minutes

    The Dumbing Down of Britain

    By Duncan Barkes

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    About this ebook

    For grumpy old men everywhere: what are the things that have made Britain less great? Outspoken and controversial commentator Duncan Barkes looks at the "dumbing down" of Britain

    In this enjoyable diatribe, Duncan Barkes picks over the remnants of a once great nation, and hones in on the issues that he feels have changed Britain for the worse. In this dumbed-down nation, our liberty is constantly threatened by increasing state control. Barkes pulls no punches in putting modern Britain to rights, covering topics that will resonate with readers up and down the UK, including: voter apathy and the pathetic excuses given for not bothering, technology turning all of us into robots and killing conversation, the smoking ban, the demise of the traditional pub, the rise of NIMBYism, people’s inability to dress properly and the growth of the "onesie," the death of the real man, CCTV and the gathering of information on us all, and our unhealthy obsession with trash TV. As you've probably worked out for yourself, it is a pretty grumpy book.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherElliott & Thompson
    Release dateMay 1, 2015
    ISBN9781783960958
    The Dumbing Down of Britain

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      Book preview

      The Dumbing Down of Britain - Duncan Barkes

      Conclusion

      Introduction

      Among my friends and colleagues this book became fondly referred to as ‘Angry Words’ while it was being written. There are quite a few of them in here, but I hope they are more than just the misanthropic rants from a man hurtling into middle age in a slightly bewildered fashion.

      Britain has become a more dumbed-down nation than ever before and this book will hopefully give you an insight as to why I feel this is the situation we currently find ourselves in. I hope you enjoy it.

      And please let me take this opportunity to thank you if you are a regular listener to my LBC shows. Sometimes they can be robust, thought-provoking, insightful, bloody and downright frustrating but, let’s face it – the world would be a very dull place if we simply agreed all the time. One thing is for sure: my radio shows would be nothing without my listeners. Thank you for playing a vital part.

      1

      Not voting

      One of the traits of our dumbed-down society is the fact that people do not bother to vote any more. There has been a gradual decline in those turning out to vote in elections over recent decades. Politicians and academics spend many hours trying to work out why and ponder how best to get people to use their vote. The right to vote is a privilege – it is valuable and there are people around the world prepared to die for the simple right to have it. In Britain we treat it with contempt and act as if it is a chore to use it – this stinking attitude needs to change.

      The fudge I often hear includes: ‘politicians are all the same’, ‘my vote won’t make any difference’, ‘politics has nothing to do with me’ and ‘it’s my right not to vote’. Let’s take each of these lame excuses and pick them apart. It won’t take long.

      Politicians are not ‘all the same’. Of course the expenses scandal left a whiffy cloud lingering over Westminster and the electorate are right to remain suspicious. We trusted our MPs to use their allowances in a fair and honourable way and some abused that trust, but it does not automatically follow that they are all in it for the money or self-interest.

      To suggest that all MPs are the same is akin to saying that all teachers sleep with their pupils and every football fan is a thug. It is lazy thinking used by many to justify their reasons for not going to the ballot box. There are hundreds of decent, hardworking and honest MPs who want to do their best for the country.

      The deceased union leader Bob Crow was once quoted as saying: ‘Spit on your own and you can’t do anything, but if you all spit together you can drown the bastards.’ Bob, of course, was the General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and was often roundly criticised for causing the London Underground to grind to a halt when his union’s members voted for strike action.

      Regardless of your political standpoint, his words make absolute sense. The idea that your vote will not make any difference is folly and again is a line used all too often by those looking for a convenient excuse. Your vote does count, it can make a difference.

      Two examples spring to mind. In 2001, Richard Taylor stood as an independent parliamentary candidate in Wyre Forest. He was not a typical career politician – he was a doctor who campaigned on the single issue of restoring the Accident and Emergency department at Kidderminster Hospital. The facility had been closed in 2000 due to NHS cuts. Taylor won the election with a whopping majority of around 18,000, beating the incumbent Labour MP. Taylor remained MP for the constituency until 2010.

      Martin Bell was the former BBC war reporter who stood as an independent candidate in the Tatton constituency in Cheshire in 1997. The MP at the time was the Conservative minister Neil Hamilton, who was the subject of allegations regarding ‘sleaze’. Bell stood on an ‘anti-sleaze’ platform and won. He overturned a Conservative majority of around 22,000 and became the first successful independent parliamentary candidate since 1951.

      One could argue that both these cases partly owe their success to the political mischief of rival parties who were keen to bloody the nose of the incumbent MPs, but it does prove that your vote can count and make a significant difference.

      Politics is everywhere. The idea that it does not affect you or has nothing to do with your life is remarkably short-sighted or, perhaps,

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