Anyway, the specifics:
BBC R4 - How Others See Us : Canada
I
Nearly two minutes at the start of the edition were devoted to British soundbites about Brexit. In the background, British patriotic music, part literal, part ironic. The next four minutes were Neil MacGregor advising us that others' views were being sought at this time because of the referendum - more of which later - and his own British views of Canadian history and geography including its scale. He said that Nelson's Column in Quebec was supported by the French as well as the British. He himself chose to contrast this with a subsequent populating of the west of the country by the British. Not the most obvious contrast to be made when he also admitted that there was a reason for French support which was their intrinsic dislike of Bonaparte. Then we had another minute or so of further soundbites. Around six or seven minutes in, there was the lengthy introduction by Macgregor to the first of the three Canadians.
Denys Arcand is a successful film director who was chosen along with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Madeleine Thien, a successful writer. This, then, was never to be how others see us but rather how three successful people see us. The elites as it were. It was close to 11 minutes into the programme when the first, Arcand, was able to get a word in. Beforehand we were told of his accomplishments, his father's connections with the British forces and how the first British people he himself had met personally was via those early naval links. There had been absolutely nothing hitherto about how Britain or the British are seen from any of these people. Perhaps it was a liberal way of the BBC establishing the turf.
Arcand began by repeating much of what Macgregor had said about his own personal history. He added that Britain and even the Commonwealth had never to him seemed "very present". But as the programme continued, it transpired that he had never felt immigrants were "very present" given that Canada was such a large country and they were often geographically distant from him and so far as Brexit was concerned he didn't think of that as "very present. You get the drift. He's a film guy. Nothing of the real world is ever "very present" in film. Why even ask? But it did emerge before the first quarter of an hour was up that British pop music had been present to Arcand. People like The Beatles which rather contradicted Macgregor's later conclusion of being struck by how much Britain in seen in terms of London. The last time I looked, the Fab Four were from Merseyside. Furthermore, Monty Python had been the big revelation to Arcand - he had never realised the British could be like that - and we had three or four minutes on them with extensive Python clips.
The emphasis on lampoonery, no doubt applauded by Macgregor and the BBC, sounded like a bit of getting their own back. You see, Arcand when he had been asked the sort of leading question favoured by Macgregor about Britain and the Commonwealth having been a takeover or words to that effect hadn't played ball. "Yes" he said then totally contradicted it in the detail. It was all very benign, according to him. Not viewed as any sort of threat. The politician, Chrysta Freeland, had in her own words been advised not to take part in the programme because there was no political gain to be made from it. She sounded off anyway - to be a law maker one has to enjoy breaking earlier laws - about family. Macgregor edged her eagerly towards her Ukrainian and Scottish roots so, yes, it was all very much tartan and bagpipes, she said while inconveniently slipping in that her father was Dorchester, England born.
BBC R4 - How Others See Us : Canada
I
Nearly two minutes at the start of the edition were devoted to British soundbites about Brexit. In the background, British patriotic music, part literal, part ironic. The next four minutes were Neil MacGregor advising us that others' views were being sought at this time because of the referendum - more of which later - and his own British views of Canadian history and geography including its scale. He said that Nelson's Column in Quebec was supported by the French as well as the British. He himself chose to contrast this with a subsequent populating of the west of the country by the British. Not the most obvious contrast to be made when he also admitted that there was a reason for French support which was their intrinsic dislike of Bonaparte. Then we had another minute or so of further soundbites. Around six or seven minutes in, there was the lengthy introduction by Macgregor to the first of the three Canadians.
Denys Arcand is a successful film director who was chosen along with Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Madeleine Thien, a successful writer. This, then, was never to be how others see us but rather how three successful people see us. The elites as it were. It was close to 11 minutes into the programme when the first, Arcand, was able to get a word in. Beforehand we were told of his accomplishments, his father's connections with the British forces and how the first British people he himself had met personally was via those early naval links. There had been absolutely nothing hitherto about how Britain or the British are seen from any of these people. Perhaps it was a liberal way of the BBC establishing the turf.
Arcand began by repeating much of what Macgregor had said about his own personal history. He added that Britain and even the Commonwealth had never to him seemed "very present". But as the programme continued, it transpired that he had never felt immigrants were "very present" given that Canada was such a large country and they were often geographically distant from him and so far as Brexit was concerned he didn't think of that as "very present. You get the drift. He's a film guy. Nothing of the real world is ever "very present" in film. Why even ask? But it did emerge before the first quarter of an hour was up that British pop music had been present to Arcand. People like The Beatles which rather contradicted Macgregor's later conclusion of being struck by how much Britain in seen in terms of London. The last time I looked, the Fab Four were from Merseyside. Furthermore, Monty Python had been the big revelation to Arcand - he had never realised the British could be like that - and we had three or four minutes on them with extensive Python clips.
The emphasis on lampoonery, no doubt applauded by Macgregor and the BBC, sounded like a bit of getting their own back. You see, Arcand when he had been asked the sort of leading question favoured by Macgregor about Britain and the Commonwealth having been a takeover or words to that effect hadn't played ball. "Yes" he said then totally contradicted it in the detail. It was all very benign, according to him. Not viewed as any sort of threat. The politician, Chrysta Freeland, had in her own words been advised not to take part in the programme because there was no political gain to be made from it. She sounded off anyway - to be a law maker one has to enjoy breaking earlier laws - about family. Macgregor edged her eagerly towards her Ukrainian and Scottish roots so, yes, it was all very much tartan and bagpipes, she said while inconveniently slipping in that her father was Dorchester, England born.
Which reminds me of a wonderful Zen story, which unfortunately would be off-topic here, now.
Comment