The John Griff Column: What is local anyway?

At the time the station was called Northants 96 but would go through a succession of name and owner changes before becoming part of the Heart network as it is today.

Our studios then were in Abington Street - eventually they moved to St Edmunds Road. They’re gone now - the site redeveloped for low cost housing. Then, we were part of what was called ‘local’ radio. The term ‘local’ tended to get (and still is, to a degree) derided by many, including some who felt that they were destined for stardom at a ‘national’ radio station. Almost all of them failed in the attempt. ‘Local’ was seen to be a bit woolly, a touch introspective and fairly superfluous. Never the cool cats despite what we might have otherwise believed or aspired to be, we just got on with playing our music (our principal activity), sometimes interviewed locally based people with something to say or announce, and generally made a bit of a noise with our red, white and blue branded cars, banners, and promotional events. I loved it all, even though I was a long way from being anywhere near a live microphone. That would come later…

Local is as local does I think. We all tend to swim in the same pool and in the same circles however much we might like to think otherwise. The question arises though as to what exactly ‘local’ is now. Local to a street, village or town? Local to our employers, group or social demographic? Or is it something different? Perhaps.

One only has to look at the news arc on any given day to form a view. Local has been upscaled to the point where it is now, in reality, global. From being told what’s going on a few streets away from home, we now understand - or are constantly told - what’s going on in Washington, Brussels, Kiev or - most recently - the Vatican. Over time and governed by the topicality of the moment, the ‘local’ characters we most know about or are most frequently told about aren’t based in the Guildhall, Angel Square or Abington Street - they’re in The White House, Westminster or the Kremlin. Familiarity with messages coupled to a constant newsfeed reflecting ‘world’ events has brought the world and its events into our homes, or at least our streets. How much do we know about Donald Trump’s activities this week? Lots. How much do we know about the activities of the leader of West Northants Council? Considerably less, albeit that this week, of all weeks, has had a higher than normal degree of commentary in the revolving door of local politics.

And there it is - that word - local. My last sentence really did mean ‘local’ in its truest sense. For once, ‘local’ is at the top of the pyramid, instead of languishing at the bottom. Do we recognise it as such though? Do we care? Does it have a premium place at our social table? Given that it is right outside our front doors right now, should we be paying more attention to local? I suggest so.

Personally, I’ve heard more than enough about Trump and his first hundred days. Has he done anything about potholes here, GP surgery or A&E queues, the current state of the works going on in Abington Street or the 80th anniversary commemorations of VE Day here? Is he doing anything to promote the work being carried out by young people at NMPAT, the buoyancy of the local visitor economy here or perhaps the diversity of the communities represented here? No. So why do we have to have so much of the man reported here? By all means tell me about Donald J Trump if his motorcade is going to be driving up Derngate shortly - but give me my news - my local news, first.

Will it happen though? Or have we been to some degree indoctrinated - however subtly - to understand and accept that the affairs of the US President really are a significant here? Do we need to take notice of and form an opinion about them? It’s not just Trump - you could easily say the same thing about any world leader or global celebrity. But the familiarity with which we consume the latest story - or propaganda - about any one of them, brings them closer to our front rooms, our kitchen and bar chats and our own social media postings. As such we come full circle - but now it’s the US taking global events and treating them as though they’re local. And since when did the US win WW2, DJT?

I’m not suggesting censorship - but to me it feels as though the balance has shifted substantially away from where truly local matters have their place in our day-to-day experience. The media collectively has to take a measure of responsibility for this - but so do we as individuals and social media contributors. Local is not woolly but needs to be more introspective than it now is, and passionately championed. How do we hold those responsible for our collective wellbeing to account if we don’t have the means or engagement to do so through being told about - and accurately?

This week we have had not only returnees but also some new faces taking their turn in local government. They should all be warmly welcomed and encouraged to make ours a better place to live. They should also given time to start delivering what they promised on the campaign trail - and then they should be scrutinised for it.

Local isn’t minor - it’s major, if not paramount.