You and Your Music and the Wind and I

This is a picture of Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas at Sydney airport.

Who are these people, I asked, when given the job. Ask your children, I was told, and so I did, and for the first time in their life they thought I had the coolest job in the world. It was pretty funny. But then I asked someone who this Snap Dog person was while Sammy was standing next to me. He blushed bright red. His dad really was the biggest dag on the planet.

It was a typically manufactured event, a string of stars passing through the airport on the way to the MTV awards. Brigette, who I had never seen before but perfected, as the spiels online said, the 1940s pinup look, all pale faced with dark hair and bright lipstick, black expensive clothing. Snoop Dog had been banned by the government as being of inappropriate character. Just a few gun and drug chargers, said the MTV journo come television host, typical rapper behaviour, nothing to get too excited about. He was doing a spoof piece, holding up a sign saying Snoop and asking everybody who got off the plane if they had seen him, which of course they hadn't.

I had seen him on TV before but I wasn't going to tell him that.

I've been doing pop stars on and off over the past 30 years; and yes, it's true, I was more ofe with other generations. The entertainment paps, that we never see at all the ordinary news jobs, flashed as the various stars made their way through the crowds. Fergie was probably the best, mincing cooperatively, asnwering the inane questions I threw at her. All in a day's work doll.

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

Here's an extract from a brilliant piece from the Yorkshire Post after an avalance of coverage of Tony Blair's resignation:


http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/comment?articleid=2867149

Al-Qaida's monstrous terrorist attack against the United States on 9/11 changed the entire political landscape. The Prime Minister could not be faulted at the time for offering steadfast support to Great Britain's closest ally. The decision to ally Britain so closely to President George W Bush's Neo-Cons has led to a prolonged military struggle in Afghanistan and the bloodbath that is now Iraq. How the latter conflict was mis-sold to the wider public has seriously damaged Mr Blair's reputation and credibility. The non-existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction, contrary to various "dodgy dossiers", was, frankly, a betrayal too far which has had far-reaching consequences for the erosion of the public's trust in the political process. For, even if the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was the right decision, the government's initial deception – and the absence of a long-term plan to bring stability to Iraq – has left Britain seriously compromised. This backdrop makes it very difficult for future Prime Ministers to deploy the Armed Forces, however legitimate the mission in question. In the meantime, Britain has become a prime target for Islamic extremists and home-grown terrorists such as the West Yorkshire suicide bombers who inflicted so much carnage on London on July 7, 2005. It is a threat that will not vanish when Mr Blair leaves Downing Street for a final time. Quite the contrary. The fact is that even if his successor extricates Britain from the quagmire that Iraq has become, Muslim aggressors will not halt their war of hate. They will simply embark upon new methods to exacerbate community divisions. That is a primary reason crowds will not be demanding "more" when Mr Blair exits Downing Street. Voters may feel more prosperous than when he came to power, despite the economic
gloom gathering aplenty and today's likely interest rate rise. They may welcome the investment in public services before conceding that New Labour should have done better. But do they feel safer? No. And do they trust politicians more? Definitely not. The sense of disillusionment, and increased cynicism, is deeply felt. And that, frankly, is why voters – and the Labour Party – ran out of patience with their leader. Anthony Blair came to power 10 years ago with the opportunity to become one of the great reforming Prime Ministers. Instead, he leaves office ingloriously having squandered that opportunity, and under a political cloud entirely of his own making. History is unlikely to be kind to Mr Blair. And, because of this, he leaves his successor facing a daunting task to restore not just the Labour Party's credibility, but the credibility of the entire political establishment.