Rant: Remember paedophiles?
6 Dec 2004 by Paul Davies
Remember paedophiles? They were all the rage back in 2001. You couldn't turn on the TV or read a newspaper without coming across some melodramatic furore surrounding scary looking men with beards that weren't David Blunkett.At its zenith, Chris Morris, the genius behind Channel 4's Brass Eye, attempted to make everyone see sense through the means of humiliating celebrities, including the Prince of Trash Television, Dr Fox, who said: "That is scientific fact. There is no real evidence for it, but it's scientific fact." When the dust from the Morris-induced storm settled, the nation got a little bored with attacking paediatricians and concentrated on being scared of Muslims instead.
But just when you thought it was safe to let children roam (not near ethnic minorities, obviously), Christmas comes round and the theatrics are free to start all over again.
The St. Elli shopping centre in Llanelli has installed cameras in Santa's Grotto to assuage parents' fears of unwarranted festive feelings on behalf of Father Christmas.
Furthermore, children will be seated beside St. Nick, rather than on his knee, in case the poor fat fellow should get excited about the prospect of a splenetic little brat begging for a big toy while astride his thigh.
St. Elli manager, Gilmour Jones, in speaking to the Grauniad, expressed disappointment at the measures, but was "afraid that it was either this or not having Santa's grotto at all."
This is yet another blow to both common sense and the government's attempts to quash opposition claims that the country now operates amid a 'climate of fear'.
'Better safe than sorry' may just pass as a credible reason for the anti-terrorism measures showcased most notably by the Queen's speech, but when applied to the happiest, jolliest, most giving man in the world, it appears a little excessive.
