Conspiracy that will keep Big Ben silent
BARRING the most remarkable of turnarounds, when this nation moves into the next chapter of its illustrious history and finally – more than three years after the public voted for it – leaves the European Union, the momentous event will be greeted with... total silence. Big Ben, the global symbol of parliamentary democracy, will remain mute.
The debate over just what would happen concerning Big Ben’s bongs at 11pm on January 31 started last year when the Conservatives were returned to power with both a thumping majority and a clear mandate to exit the EU. It now seems to have reached a dreary conclusion. Big Ben will stay silent.
Some might consider this trivial, and indeed compared to soaring knife crime, the challenges facing the NHS and the climate catastrophe of the bush fires in Australia with the ensuing loss of human and animal life, it is.
But are we really saying we are prepared to accept that the first moment of the hard-fought independence the majority of this country has finally won against a legion of plotters, chancers and vile self-publicists, will be a global testament to our inability to ring the bell of Big Ben?
This is seen around the world as one of the most recognisable parts of the London landscape and indeed the whole country.
There’s skulduggery at play here. Big Ben has sounded in both of the preceding two months, for Remembrance Sunday in November and to ring in New Year, and each time the cost was around £120,000 to construct a temporary floor for the belfry, secure the bell in position and protect the surrounding works. This seems an extraordinary amount of money but a study of the costs supports it.
Somehow, the work for December 31 was dismantled in days, meaning a rebuild is necessary. Why didn’t some dopey civil servant suggest it stayed in place as it could have been required less than a month later?
The truth is, I suggest, the majority of government departments are peopled by staff who were wholly in support of the Remain side. That was their right then, but now they are paid a lot of money (and provided with enviable pensions at the end of their mostly stress-free working lives) to deliver what we, their employers, have instructed. It is not acceptable that they behave like sulky teenagers told to tidy their bedrooms.
In another ill-disguised bid to ensure Big Ben stays silent, one of the government bodies has said putting the platform back in the belfry will mean additional delays that will add an extra £100,000 a week to the cost. This allowed it last week to say the total price would be around £500,000. You just try to get them to turn over the figures and contracts that justify this.
We did at LBC, the radio station where I host the weekday breakfast show, and we were deluged with a blizzard of reasons why this wasn’t going to happen.
Having blathered on about public funding last week with the distinctly unimpressive slogan “bung a bob for a Big Ben bong” and even suggested “they seem to have taken the clapper away”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson must seize the moment here. Public
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UNLIKE many commentators on the real soap opera over the future of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, I still think Meghan could have been a very positive influence for both her husband and the entire Royal Family.
However, the die is cast and the couple have gained their longed-for independence, losing use of their titles and any official standing.
We can only hope that they find the peace and purpose they long for with their interests in helping the environment and the disadvantaged.
The strong sense of duty – combined with caring humanity – that the Queen has shown in dealing with this crisis would be a useful guiding principle for their future.
funding by an outside organisation is nigh-on impossible.
Again we tried it at the radio station, and the sad truth is if the fund fell short, any donor would get the amount they pledged back, but would lose a small transaction cost and the processing fee, around 2.5 per cent. That’s simply not fair, so it comes back to the Government.
Previous governments have found £9.3million to send a one-sided leaflet to all our homes telling us why we shouldn’t support Brexit, £32million for Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding and a £1billion bung to a bunch of Northern Irish politicians so they could stay in power.
Someone’s dropped the ball badly here – and regrettably this enforced silence speaks volumes about much of our civil service.