How the power plays – of radio stations, compulsory mourning and seeing the water we are swimming in.

2022 09 09 0930 hours mobile from gym to house having listened to Absolute Radio playing maudlin wrist-slasher music and hushed announcements.

Now this is a commercial station but clearly they’ve taken a lead and there is a bunch of “approved music” you can play at times like these.

And it’s moments like these you realise you’re living in a well a society I guess I mean you can overdo it and talk about “total societies” or “controlled societies” … but the power of elements of the British state to compel “voluntary agreement” like this is impressive.

I mean, presumably that “London Bridge Has Fallen” plan had buy-in from commercial radio stations keen not to be punished? .Then there’s the wider societal thing going on, I guess of social licence to operate no one wants to advertise maybe?

But anyway, it just felt strange and it is at moments like this you realise how the norms work, how they’re enforced more by tacit agreement than Actual Laws, but the effect is the same.

It’s at these moments, rare that they are, that the ‘curtain is pulled back’ and you can see the guy pulling the levers.

Meanwhile, the silence about climate causes, consequences and necessary action continues…