The Next Episode

Got this email a few days ago.

Hi, This mail is to tell you about a new local blog which aims to start a debate about the future of news, current affairs and issues reporting in Bristol. Local newspapers across the country are having problems with declining readership and recession. In Bristol, the Evening Post and Western Daily Press are making almost a third of staff redundant, while ITV West's local coverage is now almost non-existent. At the same time, we have seen the rise of DIY news on the web with sites like Bristol Indymedia and various bloggers and newsgroups. I thought it would be interesting to get lots of informed people talking about the future of news reporting in Bristol, so Ive started this blog. In coming weeks I plan to post a series of short articles addressing various questions and hopefully will get some debate going. It might be a complete waste of time, or it could fire some really interesting ideas. We might even create some wonderful new media models for other cities to emulate. I am a Bristol-based freelance journalist, working for local and national organisations, mostly in print. I am not an employee of any media firm and have no ulterior or financial motives in doing this. It's simply that the future of news is something that colleagues and I discuss constantly in the pub and something which we all assume, rightly or wrongly, is an important issue. So let's open the debate up beyond the pub. I'm doing it under a pseudonym for now, not because I have anything to hide, but because some of you know me (at least by name) and I don't want anyone's feelings about me and my work (which I hope would mostly be good!) affecting the debate or comment. If you're really desperate for me to reveal my secret identity, just mail me back and I'll tell you. Please take a look, please make lots of comments, please tell any friends and colleagues you think might be interested and please link from your blogs and websites.

It's at: http://felixfarley.wordpress.com/

Check it out

I'm glad I discovered Don Paskini's blog - his latest posts are very sensible indeed. He quotes a CiF post from an 85 year old who has been using the NHS regularly since 1992, and reckons it's much, much better now. The same guy also says that he's much better off than he was 12 years ago, even if the last 12 months have been a bit tough.

One of my (many) sisters tells a similar story. She's been using the NHS regularly - i.e. appointments every few months at various different hospitals - over the past 30 years, and she says she notices the incremental improvements on every visit. She also has two sons: one is off to university soon; the other is at infant school. Same place, 12 years later; she says the change in education is phenomenal.

I'm not for one moment saying everything is perfect; of course it's not. But the investment in public services is paying off. Pensioners are better off, even with rising fuel bills and above inflation council tax rises. It would be absolutely tragic if we throw all that away at the next election. Which is why I haven't been answering the phone to journalists today.

So long it's been good to know you

Departing from my usual strategy of having a bit of a look at Tom and Hopi, and maybe the other Tom too, plus the usual national journos, I'm becoming a bit more adventurous with my blog viewing. That's recess for you. (Although I would have you know that I was in the office today, when I wasn't at the dentist).

Here's one that looks good - Don Paskini (no, I've no idea either) - not least because he is saying more or less the same thing as me about the Tories and Liverpool. I don't agree with him on the Welfare Reform Green Paper 'though, and will get round to telling you why at some point.

And it's also time I gave an honourable mention to the Bristol Blogger's own site - although I daren't look at it in case he's being rude about me.

Yes Sir, I can boogie

Have decided I should have a title for my blog page, as in Ton Harris' 'And Another Thing' and Hopi Sen's 'A Blog from the Backroom' - which I inadvertently saved as 'A Blob from the Backroom' when I first added it to the links - sorry Hopi! I might call it 'Hmmm....' But maybe not.

I've decided that all politics and no play makes for a boring life, so will be adding some non-politics blogs to my links, starting with Dave Simpson's music blog for the Guardian. His inclusion is merited for at least two reasons: his favourite album is Closer by Joy Division (although mine is Unknown Pleasures, which he seems to think is wrong) and he hates the Beatles. I've tried, honestly I have - I spent three years at uni in Liverpool being blasted with the stuff everywhere I went - but sorry, I agree with every word Dave says.

It's not that I only like miserabilist stuff - the only gig I went to last year was Billy Ocean (a hero of mine from the mid-70s and it was immense fun; I am now the proud owner of a Billy Ocean mug which I accidentally took into a meeting with Ed Balls once. He didn't notice. Ed is into choral music. I had a conversation with him about it at the NPF. I don't understand at all.)

In my view the best music either has a bit of edge, a lot of soul, or a whole helping of cheese. (Or should that be Cheezly?) I have 'Yes Sir I can Boogie' on my iPod: it's a masterpiece. And Dolly Parton's 'Letter to Heaven', in which a little girl writes a letter to her Mummy in heaven, saying how much she misses her and wants to be with her, and is hit by a truck on her way to post it - I think the last line is something like 'the little girl's prayers had been answered at last'. Good old Dolly.