Jon Snow, the veteran news broadcaster has found himself(ie) in deep doo-doo. He was photographed in the deep other-doo-doo that is the mud at Glastonbury with bunches of kids, all having fun and frolics in wonderfully high spirits. And Jon was joining in a rousing chorus of ‘fuck the tories, da-dee da-dum, dee-whatever’. Oh no! But he’s a newscaster. He IS Channel 4 news. Has been for three centuries. How can he claim impartiality if he’s a closet Corbynite anarchist militant Trotskyite Momentum-er??

There’s calls for his immediate resignation. And in fact he should resign. For having the appallingly bad taste to be caught being ‘an old person at a rock festival’. Not for joining in a sing-song which is a pretty meaningless thing to do. One seldom expresses one’s deepest political feelings whilst performing in a group knees-up. Perhaps he could appeal that his singing was perhaps inappropriate but after dropping a few ‘E’s, throwing back fifteen cans of Red Stripe and sucking on a spliff the size of a bus, his judgment may have been impaired. Oh, that’s ok then.

If you Google ‘greedy, monopolistic, world-dominating, megalomaniacal, people-screwing profit-monger’, you just stay on the Google page. There is no-where finer. And no-one better really. And now they’ve been fined for being all that. 2.4 billion is the size of the fine. But its ok, its only Euros.

Of course Google has a monopoly. That’s why we use it. Because we know that everyone else on the planet uses it so we’re never ‘missing out’ when we google something. We assume that every piece of information, everything that could ever be sold, every phone number and address that ever existed, lives on Google and no-where else in such quantity. And with such accessibility. It couldn’t work for us so well if it wasn’t such a monopoly. We’d only be getting half the story. And no-one likes that.

Did Google abuse its position? Was the fiery Danish bird right in attacking them? Oh yeah. On both counts. Google puts up its ‘sponsored links’ first and foremost when you search an item to buy. And I, as a consumer, assume that those are the best deals available. But they’re not. They’re the best deals that will pay Google when you click on them. You may be able to find your tennis balls or ink cartridges or nappies cheaper, but you’ll have to look down the page a bit for that. Something that Google know, is a path less traveled.

Do I care that Google abuse me like that? Not really. Will Google miss the 2.4 billion Euros? Not really. But I suppose you have to keep fiery Danes in work and Google in check.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx