The Merrie Month of May brings the relatively recently created Spring May Day Bank Holiday. I was young enough to have had this as a day of fun at my Primary School, many years ago. It was the year before May Day was declared as a proper day off, since so many British villages and towns celebrated this profoundly pagan festival of Beltane. There was nothing to quite hang a Christian festival upon.. and here it remains. A beautiful celebration of awakening of the land, fecundity to all creatures, from insects to mighty red deer.
And now, some good news. At the BBC, I have carved out my own tiny little niche, as a “Pundit”. These are their pool of people with reasons to be qualified to hold their opinions, AND be able to do national radio or telly about their thing, without being timid, or worse, DULL! I am a ‘motoring journalist’ to them, and am asked about contentious things, after a producer calls to ask what I think about….
MeJulie says that on the radio, I go into a room, start a ruckus and then leave. I do love the radio, though. Always live unless you are a concert, you are forced to think on your toes, as it were.
One thing that you don’t do, though, I just did! I heard the awful press about abuse of swans had led to a new petition started by someone who runs a swan sanctuary. This had resulted in a spot on the BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show, with them having a debate on the subject. We had a toy shop owner who would be sad if the toy games involving catapults were banned, while entirely agreeing with detesting their use to kill things. They DID also have someone phone in who was a pest controller and had a serious positive thing to say about them.
I couldn’t help myself. I had the producer’s mobile and texted, and told him I was Batman. (My own alter-ego reveal, as editor of Slingshot World magazine. as well as automotive argumentative. ) AND GOT A REPLY. We talked to and fro twice, and I waited to see if I was going to get on air. I didn’t.
The Swan Sanctuary petition to ban catapults sits at 11,480 as I type, which is not inconsiderable. He was absolutely justified in his sadness, grief and above all, white hot anger at these moronic psychopaths. The governmental reply to the issue runs: “Existing legislation provides the correct balance between protecting wildlife from the small number of individuals who misuse catapults, whilst also allowing the public to enjoy legitimate pastimes.” And I gather mentions angling specifically.
Anyway, I later get the call to ask if I was wanting to come into the studio, to do some radio about these things and talk about the competition scene. I have rarely been as worried about getting it right, as THIS is the one where my head peeps up over the parapet.. and looks into the mainstream. I have been awaiting this day professionally, for some time. Thus, at the risk of jinxing it, I can reveal that I am booked to be on BBC Radio 2 talking about the slingshot scene and the competitions on Thursday 30th May at 12:30pm. “May Day” is also that international plea… “helllllllppp!”
WISH ME LUCK!
