Waving Goodbye to Wogan

I knew I couldn’t do it alone. So, last night husband, Chris and I sat down to listen to Terry Wogan’s last show on iplayer. I was in bits. Haven’t cried like that since my lovely Dad died. As Chris said, why is there no one to replace the gents? Charismatic, self deprecating, literary humorists like Ustinov, Parkinson, Wogan and my old Dad. I don’t think, like many do, that society is going to the dogs, but I do believe that I am a witness to the rise of what some call the Spiv culture, where veneer ranks higher than integrity, and flash with cash, achieving so-called ‘celebrity’ and paying yourself silly amounts of money just because you can, is all seen as something to aspire to. I do know Terry was well paid by the BBC and to be honest I wish they had paid him more, maybe we would have got a few more months possibly years, to my mind he is worth every penny. But I'm not sure about Terry’s replacement, Chris Evans, with his dozen Ferraris in the garage. Why does a person need more than one Ferrari? Why do the city boys think it’s ok to use tax payers money to bail out the banks and then still pay themselves the big bucks? Who the hell is Paris Hilton and why would anyone want to be her friend?


I prefer the values of social enterprise, which aren’t just about profit redistribution, but about respect, mutuality and pioneering. We are redefining the idea of success. Social enterprise is improving the world through business. Profit for the many not just the few, keeping an ever watchful eye on sustainability.

All good values to celebrate at this time of year. Not least, because the powers -that -be have failed us all at Copenhagen. It seems no matter how hard they try (And let’s face it some of them didn’t try very hard at all) they can’t deliver the kind of radical change that the planet needs. So it’s down to us folks, social entrepreneurs, avid recyclers and environmentalists. We need a new generation of TOGs (Terry’s Old Guys). How about, Terrys Old Greens? Eating food that has passed its sell by date, counting the sheets of toilet roll, combining trips to the recycling depot and pub? Its got to be the way forward.