World Cup confirms that progress can be overrated

I am one of those who treated themselves to high definition in readiness for the World Cup. Silly really as I am not a great follower of football but the golf more than makes up for it.

So watching England v USA, red wine in hand, trying to observe the nanny state’s recommended units (failed!), I was one of countless thousands who missed the England goal through what was described by ITV as a “technical fault”. My brother watching on the ordinary bog standard TV was meanwhile revelling in Gerrard’s opener past the American keeper.

Throwing away all ambition to keep to just two units of alcohol I pondered on whether investment in modern technology is actually such a good thing. Modern cars (electric or otherwise) get stuck on the M25 as much as their older counterparts, my old wind-up Timex watch still keeps accurate time, and alas the greatest technological advance of all time, Concorde, is no longer a magnetic creature of the skies.

Perhaps this is a sign of getting old! But, as the country struggles with economic forecasts of gloom, we should realise that progress is fine so long as it is cost beneficial and adds value to what we do.

So I cheered when I learnt that the stringent vetting of those dealing with vulnerable people would be led by a more common sense approach, I was delighted that some of the less than sensible health and safety regulations might be discarded and welcomed the suggestion that more laws would be considered by public petitions as opposed to what our politicians might imagine or insist is good for us.

Progress is not always good; sometimes a step backwards is not a bad thing before embarking on the unknown, untried or untested. The football score against the USA would still have been 1-1 had I watched it on HD, colour or black and white. But the fact is that as a direct result of expensive modern technology I was let down. There has to be a lesson for government in there somewhere!

Tags: CRB, Health & safety