Civil emergency - try again later in 2009

Isn't it frustrating? It has gone midnight, you have adjusted for the leap second, and you send off a text to a friend, only to get the message:

"Message Sending Failed: Try Again Later".

To some extent, this is an expected event, after all peak texts are going out. But what if there was a civil emergency, and the jolly Jersey Telecoms network simply went into the same kind of meltdown?

I remember - not just because of lines - a flakey cable phone system in 1987, after the great storm had hit Jersey with hurricane force winds. The land line would work, then be busy, then work. Tonight I got through on a land line to a mobile for around 3 minutes, which was enough to say "Happy New Year" before the network decided to disconnect me.

After 9/11, the BBC internet news was swamped and went under. Sky was the only internet news still functioning and available. The BBC learnt a lesson, and put in better internet servers and modem connections, and was not swamped when the London bombings took place. Jersey Telecoms has never had to face that kind of emergency, thank goodness, and I hope that it does not. But I do wonder how well the infrastructure would cope with a major emergency.

Not to end on a sombre note, but a quizzical one, no one seemed bothered with the masses of fireworks shooting into the sky over the Thames. It is a shame that Terry MacDonald could not have been allowed to set off some of his over St Aubin's bay for the New Year.

And I would also like to take the chance to wish the Bailiff well. Earlier this evening, I was asked (at dinner) why I didn't like him. I have to say that I positively adore him! For a satirist, someone who produces gobbets of material at the drop of a hat (or an official speech) is a godsend, and I'd be at a loss without him. If I ever met him, I would certainly thank him, and tell him to keep it up! I can also only hope that some of the new intake of States Members can fill the void left by the departing ones, and judging from one of this weeks JEPs, I'd say James Reed is promising.

Putting my historical hat on, readers may be interested to note that the Scottish New Year celebrations are not very ancient pagan (although the Roman world did have its celebration), but date from the Reformation. The Puritans in charge in Scotland frowned on a religious day - Christmas - being subject to frivolity, but they had no objection to fun and games on a non-religious day. The canny Scots moved the celebrations for Christmas to the New Year instead!

Anyhow, wishing all my readers a very happy new year! Unless you are in America, in which case, happy 2009 in around five to eight hours!

Book of the post:
Stations of the Year by Ronald Hutton