By Isle of Wight Observer
In 1996, Anthony Minghella lifted his Oscar. I told my kids, “If a boy from Ryde can do that, you can’t let coming from here be your excuse.”
Unusually, they must’ve listened to me, because they’re all doing well now, and why not? I’ve previously mentioned my own modest background – my grandad drove buses and lorries, I mostly grew up on council estates, and I had free school meals. But I was never short of ambition.
I’ve just seen my youngest son, Henry, and his amazing band-mates, at the Royal Albert Hall. Wet Leg are completing a sold out UK and Ireland tour, before heading back to America and Australia. They’re a phenomenal live band with three Grammy nominations this year – having already won three. Their success is a dream come true. Yet it began on small Island stages with barely anyone watching. The talent was there, but it needed ambition, belief and opportunity. John Giddings is always supportive of Island musicians and he’s booked Wet Leg for the main stage in 2026.
A few weeks ago, I posted a video of some Glastonbury carnival floats on a local Facebook page captioned “This is how you do carnivals.” Over 300 people reacted, many negatively. I was most disappointed by one comment, which said I shouldn’t have posted it, because Islanders shouldn’t know how much better things are in other places. That person appeared to genuinely believe that people here should have lower expectations.
Others defended what we have already, claiming it’s “good enough”. Arts Council England recently awarded £704,000 to support ‘creative activities’ across the Island. Couldn’t some of it be used to raise our game at carnivals?
I remember a head teacher telling me they’d only taken a job here because we’re not as ambitious as parents in Kent. Honestly, is it any wonder that Island schools are rooted at the bottom of national league tables?
Many of us have a negative St Mary’s story – I’ve often heard it called ‘St Scarey’s’! You may recall my July referral to urology there; my NHS App said the GP “suspected cancer”. I’ve had a few tests, but I still await the ‘face-to-face’ appointment they say I need. I have chased them – often – but I still haven’t a clue if I have urological cancer or not. Potentially, I’ve lost 6 months of remedial treatment. I’m about to go on holiday, so nothing will likely happen now until January. Should I die waiting, I urge my successors to join the queue of litigants and sue the hospital management for every penny.
You may recall I was recently elected to the board of the Island’s tourism organisation, Visit Isle of Wight (VIOW). Thank you to those that voted for me. What I’ve learned so far seems pretty grim. Elections to allow bid payers to choose their representatives weren’t held and I believe money has been wasted. Those supplying the money were deliberately excluded for years. No one has any answers; I can only assume those in charge preferred choosing their own directors, in breach of the company’s rules. VIOW ignored complaints. At our first meeting, one director had the temerity to tell the newly-elected board members we needed training – so we understood how to run a compliant company. We could hardly believe our ears.
Anthony Minghella showed us what ambition can achieve. Wet Leg are proving it again. The Island has world class talent and potential, and we owe it to our young people to raise expectations. Because if a boy from Ryde can win an Oscar, and an Island band can achieve worldwide fame, then surely the rest of us can stop accepting “good enough” and start insisting on the best.