Why the countdown to the X Factor final 12 is a farce

X Factor logoThis evening the ‘FINAL 12’ were finally revealed on X Factor.

As with every episode of ‘reality TV’, the tension was palpable. Who would it be? What would happen next?

Sadly, if you’d been watching over the last few weeks, hardly a single choice was a surprise. The backstory and the amount of time they spend talking and focussing on the contestants is in direct proportion to the likelihood that they’ll get through.

As an example, a couple of boys and a couple of the groups had hardly been given enough air time for the audience to know their names, let alone find out if they could sing properly.

As always, ITV managed to stretch out the show to over an hour, when, in reality it should have taken around 30 minutes, pullling the heartstrings as far as they could without completely annoyiing the audience.

And it also proved KT Tunstall’s point from today’s Mail that the show is not at all about the music business, but pure entertainment. There was hardly a note sang all night.

Anyway, a couple of gripes from me is hardly going to dent the show’s success, but I do wish sometimes, the programme-makers would credit the audience with a little bit of intelligence.

Why the tax blunders are inexcusable

It’s a story that’s going to run and run for a little while yet. Last weekend, HMRC announced that it was going to be sending out millions of letters to taxpayers, informing them they’d either overpaid or, far worse, underpaid their income tax since 2008 – with an average payback of £1400 required.

Cue righteous outrage from the media bewildered that so many mistakes could have been made. HMRC revealed that the mistakes had come because they’d finally started to computerise records, rather than manually reconciling figures at the end of tax years (nothing like a bit of human error, eh?).

Over the past week, HMRC has changed its stance on more than once occasion. Initially, it said everyone would have to pay back within 12 months, before being forced to admit that something called extra-statutory concession A19 effectively means that anyone who had provided the correct information to their employer should probably not have to pay.

Then, as the week wore on, it was agreed that people with less than £300 to pay would have their bills waived, while others could spread payments over 3 years.

But then came the straw that broke the camel’s back, when the chief tax official Dave Hartnett initially refused to apologise to those taxpayers who would be getting a nasty surprise in the post, before quickly backtracking (no doubt after someone higher up the food chain gave him a rollicking).

So much for the facts. Surely, the main point here is the remarkable hypocrisy from HMRC. As taxpayers, we’re meant to get things right first time and pay up as soon as we can. Suddenly, HMRC admits to errors but doesn’t (initially anyway) want to apologise and doesn’t think it’s done anything really wrong.

For me, the big problem is that taxpayers who are being targeted aren’t those who file their own tax returns or the self-employed – no, it’s the regular full-time employees who have been screwed – either for paying too much, or too little. The PAYE system is meant to mitigate against tax problems – specifically underpayments – and is meant to take the onus off of the employee and put it onto the employer.

That millions are now being told that someone else screwed up, but they have to pay the price is indefensible.

C.W. Stoneking – has to be seen and heard to be believed

via myspace.com

In a rare escape from the sofa on a Monday evening, I ventured out to the Hydrant on London Road, Brighton last night to enjoy the wondrous talents of CW Stoneking.

Originally hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Stoneking channels the spirit of 1920s Louisiana and Mississippi blues, with his extraordinary voice and technically gifted banjo playing.

CW Stoneking ticket

Backed by his ‘Primitive Horn Orchestra’, he puts together a quite remarkable show, full of dry, witty inter-song banter, tunes to dance to and an atmosphere that wouldn’t be out of place on Main St, New Orleans.

Close your eyes when you’re watching him live and you find yourself transported, such is the realistic nature of the experience.

The above video doesn’t really do justice to his act – which has admittedly been criticised for being a little too knowing and arch, but then when did Bruce Springsteen ever work on a factory line?

If you get the chance to go and see this guy, do. It reminded me of the true pleasure of the ‘live’ experience, rather than the mundane, in-ear iPod listening that most of us do every day.

– More music on my Posterous

Posted via email from Rob’s stream of web