Forget Bob the Builder, it’s Joe the Plumber that could fix this election for McCain, explains Marie Kemplay

On Wednesday night another character was added to the presidential soap opera, Joe the Plumber. I’m sure nobody, least of all Joe himself, expected the final presidential debate to focus so much on one voter. Every one of the 26 times good ol’ Joe was mentioned I couldn’t help but raise my hands in despair, is this what the election has come down to; whether one man from Ohio may or may not be taxed more if Barack Obama wins? Worst of all was John McCain referring to him as “my old buddy Joe the Plumber”, when he’s never met him, if he had he might be more cautious about granting him his new found American hero status. McCain had hoped that the 34 year old plumber who accused Obama’s plans to increase taxes for households earning over £250,000 as “killing the American dream” would be his perfect attack weapon. But it turns out 34 year old Joe Wurzelbacher is actually called Samuel, doesn’t even have a plumber’s license and his earnings are way below $250,000 and are unlikely to go above that anytime soon, so perhaps not the anti-Obama hero he had been searching for.

McCain and Obama really came to blows over the negative campaigning that has taken over in recent weeks, Obama was once again forced to repudiate his ties with Bill Ayers, a 1970s terrorist and to his credit he did it very convincingly. Despite McCain trying to take the moral highground, claiming he has always defended Obama when Republican critics have taken it too far Obama delivered the killer line of the whole debate “John, 100% of your TV ads are negative.”

Unfortunately for McCain doing trying to undermine his opponent is the only option he really has left. It’s looking like even, to use his own words, spending his entire life in the service of the nation may not be enough to get him elected.

Tags: BBC, Digital TV, Politics, Virgin by Marie Kemplay
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Many viewers left ‘in the dark’

The many the ‘Digital Switchover’ is a puzzling concept, its significance diluted amongst a thousand Blairite sound-bites. And can you really blame people? ‘Education, Education, Education’; ‘Hearts and Minds’;’ Special Relationship’; ‘Prudence’ and now ‘Competence’ – is it at all surprising that people are failing to draw the meaning out of words anymore?

I say this, because a recent parliamentary report has claimed that ‘many viewers do not understand the implications of the digital switchover’, despite the efforts of a £200m campaign. The statistics are unequivocal. Of all of the television sets sold in the first half of 2007, over half of them were analogue. In total it is estimated that there are 26 million analogue televisions in existence that will need replacing.

Whitehaven became the first place to fall under the glimmer of digital television on 14 November last year. In that town, on the north western Cumbrian coast, it is now only possible to watch television on broadband, Freeview, Sky, satellite or cable. Like a pack of cards, the rest of Britain is poised to follow suit over the next four years. The problem is that many remain in blissful ignorance.

Once the analogue signal is switched off permanently, viewers will only be able to receive a digital signal unless they pay for expensive extra equipment. The upshot of this is – that people across the country need to begin to consider what digital service they would like to opt for in the future.

Sky and Freeview are the two most prominent options available. Sky with its array of programming and effortless programming quality and Freeview boasts a quick-fix connection to the digital signal and comes with a cart load of free-to-air channels. Other companies have joined the mix – and currently Virgin Media, BT, Tiscali and Setanta are amongst a cluster of companies offering attractive digital packages.

Meanwhile the report suggests that the government have to do more to make the population aware of the impending change. Specifically, it suggested that the digital tick that signified whether or not a product was suitable for the digital changeover remained a ‘mystery’ to many sales staff and customers.

Therefore it is clear that the facts surrounding the digital switchover will have to be better promoted – otherwise viewers quite simply could be caught in the fuzz and forced into a last minute upgrade.

Tags: Digital TV, Sky, Switchover, Virgin by Peter Moore
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Is Nasri on his way to Highbury?

As we head into the weekend, I thought that I’d follow up yesterday’s post about transfer speculation with a little bit of, ahem, transfer speculation. The story that has been rumbling in just about all the newspapers and websites this week is regarding the signing of Samir Nasri, who if the patter around town is to be believed, is on the brink of signing for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.

Five days ago, Wenger was quoted as saying that the transfer, ‘is likely to happen’, and since then an ominous silence has fallen around the issue, as fans clamour for the pomp and excitement of a signing ceremony.

In many ways, Nasri is the perfect Arsenal signing. Young, French, a good passer and likely to increase in value – the player has even been dubbed the ‘next Zidane’, in the press’ usual untidy attempt at pigeonholing.

So, as we leave the office on a Friday afternoon wondering what to do to fill up our weekends, it might be worth making a little bet with one of your colleagues as to whether Monsieur Nasri will be enrolling for English classes at the Highbury Institute for Languages.

In the meantime, Nasri is still enjoying the rather sunnier weather in the south of France where he plays with his current club Marseille. With no announcements expected until he has signed the final documents and passed a medical, it looks as if Arsenal fans will have to test their patience over the next few days, having to make do with this little video clip.

Arsenal fans can find out the latest about Samir Nasri’s protracted transfer to Arsenal by watching the Arsenal television channel which is available on Sky Sports and the Setanta Sports channel. For more information, click here.

Tags: Digital TV, Virgin by Peter Moore
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The digital question

With just four years to go before the government switches off the analogue TV signal, there are a lot of different TV providers out there competing for your business.

Sky, Virgin, Tiscali and BT are the biggest players in the market, but with each one offering similar packages, making the right choice requires a bit of thought.

All providers offer free weekend calls and broadband, they will also give you a free wireless router, except Virgin, who for some reason would rather offer free anti-virus software instead.

So making the choice has to come down to quantity and quality of service and here is where Sky scores high. Its TV packages range in price from £21 - £45 per month; it has the best technology out there, is able to deliver excellent customer service, according to on-line surveys, and offers the biggest choice of channels.

It also has a very useful multi-room option that allows you to watch different channels in various rooms around the house, excellent for families and sharers alike.

Tiscali also comes in with good customer service reviews, thanks to its reliable 8 Mb broadband, although the pay-per-view is a little pricey - £3.49 per movie compared to BT’s £1.99. However, packages start at just £15.99 so expect this one to grow.

Tags: Digital TV, Sky, Virgin by John Hillman
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