Neon In The Dock: 1939 Wireless Debate
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The Day Westminster Debated Static and Glow
Looking back, it feels surreal: on the eve of the Second World War, Parliament was wrestling with the problem of neon interfering with radios.
Mr. Gallacher, an MP with a sharp tongue, demanded answers from the Postmaster-General. How many complaints had rolled in about wireless sets being ruined by Radiance Neon Signs London signage?
The reply turned heads: around a thousand complaints in 1938 alone.
Think about it: listeners straining to catch news bulletins, drowned out by the hum of glowing adverts on the high street.
The Minister in charge didn’t deny it. But here’s the rub: the government had no legal power to force neon owners to fix it.
He promised consultations were underway, but admitted consultations would take "some time".
Which meant: more static for listeners.
The MP wasn’t satisfied. He pushed for urgency: speed it up, Minister, neon signs in London people want results.
Another MP raised the stakes. If neon was a culprit, weren’t cables buzzing across the land just as guilty?
The Postmaster-General ducked the blow, saying yes, cables were part of the mess, which only complicated things further.
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Seen through modern eyes, it’s heritage comedy with a lesson. In 1939 neon was the villain of the airwaves.
Eighty years on, the irony bites: the menace of 1939 is now the endangered beauty of 2025.
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What does it tell us?
First: neon has always rattled cages. It’s always forced society to decide what kind of light it wants.
In 1939 it was seen as dangerous noise.
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Our take at Smithers. When we look at that 1939 Hansard record, we don’t just see dusty MPs moaning about static.
So, yes, old is gold. And it always will.
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Forget the fake LED strips. Glass and gas are the original and the best.
If neon could jam the nation’s radios in 1939, it can sure as hell light your lounge, office, or storefront in 2025.
Choose glow.
We make it.
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