When Westminster Complained About Neon Signs

Britain’s Pre-War Glow Problem Strange but true: shop neon lights while Europe braced for Hitler’s advance, MPs in Westminster were arguing about neon signs. the outspoken Mr. Gallacher, stood up and asked the Postmaster-General a peculiar but pressing question. Was Britain’s brand-new glow tech ruining the nation’s favourite pastime – radio? The figure was no joke: the Department had received nearly one thousand reports from frustrated licence-payers. Think about it: the soundtrack of Britain in 1938, interrupted not by enemy bombers but by shopfront glow.

Postmaster-General Major Tryon admitted the scale of the headache. The difficulty?: 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: real neon signs more static for listeners. Gallacher shot back. He said listeners were getting a raw deal. Another MP raised the stakes. Wasn’t the state itself one of the worst offenders? Tryon deflected, admitting it made the matter "difficult" but offering no real solution.

--- From today’s vantage, it feels rich with irony. In 1939 neon was the villain of the airwaves. Fast forward to today and it’s the opposite story: neon is the endangered craft fighting for survival, while plastic LED fakes flood the market. --- What does it tell us? Neon has never been neutral. It’s always pitted artisans against technology. Second: every era misjudges neon. --- Here’s the kicker. We see the glow that wouldn’t be ignored.

Call it quaint, call it heritage, but it’s a reminder. And it still does. --- Forget the fake LED strips. Real neon has been debated in Parliament for nearly a century. If neon got MPs shouting in 1939, it deserves a place in your space today. Choose the real thing. We make it. ---


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