BBC: to be shut off under the Tories?
An interview is not a policy (Ed Vaizey in the Sunday Times: a Tory government may make the BBC sell Radio 1) but it’s a straw in the wind. That wind now blows against the BBC: bloated, smug, out of touch, destructive of the private sector. When I wrote for Prospect in July 2009, that this attack came from the right, I was wrong: it now comes from everywhere. But as the likely next government, the Conservatives will inherit this trend.
It’s mistaken. The BBC is an elephant, but it’s a fine elephant. The fact that, by chance, it has grown to strength and maturity in the British public sector rather than the US private one, seems to strike many as contrary to the laws of nature: and inspires more polemics about its bias than ever comes the way of private media.
I think and have often written that the BBC has a liberal-left bias, and often I find it grates. It pays some of its stars and many of its executives very large sums, and that must excite envy –and with it the question: would they be worth that in the private sector?
But the arguments stands. The two large reasons for preserving the BBC as it is, are that at a time when news and analysis and documentary are being failed by the private sector, a public levy through the licence fee which delivers for all tastes is a welcome, even a necessary, antidote. And also: that where private media’s decisions cannot be challenged except by turning off or on, the BBC’s are a matter of public debate and controversy – now more or less permanent.
To start lopping away at a success which is also a provider of a great public good and is firmly within the democratic square is plain daft. My hope is that the kite flown by Ed Vaizey remains just that: and that it is pulled down if and when the Tories have to make governing decisions.
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If it has indeed grown to strength, it should be able to survive without the government enforcing a poll tax to pay for it.
“The two large reasons for preserving the BBC as it is, are that at a time when news and analysis and documentary are being failed by the private sector” – When was the last time Mr Lloyd replaced the batteries in his remote control? I can only assume his B/W TV has frozen on BBC2 – Has he not seen the plethora of excellent news and factual channels out there that you can choose to pay for or not? Let alone C4 and More4. Go on John – splash out on a couple of AA’s and see what awaits you in the 21st Century. I have about as much need for the BBC in my front room as I do an elephant.
As someone that lives in a country that since Thatcher has caught \liberalization\ and \privatization\ fever – not withstanding beeing currently run by the so-called left, and me beeing neither conservative nor socialist-leftist, and much rather a centre-right liberal, democratic with a penchant for the social, I have to tell you that after the semi-privatization of our state TV and Radio, I often look in despair to the BBC: «How I envy the seriousness, small bias, fleugmatic way of this journalists» that still resist the logic of infotainment and similar abortions of culture and the right to be scrupulously informed. As a portuguese living in Portugal I must advise you and warn you against any such privatization of your flagship BBC. You will be repented. But if you do it it will then be to late to go backwards again: it will belong to the same good-old boys and not-so-young old boys: the same that wrecked the economy, tranvestited information and destroyed people urge to learn and focus on anything that isn’t «the live interactive show that must go on». If Britain privatizes the BBC it will produce shell-shockwaves al over Europe and the World: the BBC stands today for something priceless: the survival of Meaning in an Ocean of stupidity. And in that it is a Beacon to the World, to the free and the not so free world. Liberalization of the BBC? Get over it: reform it, Audit it, you name it… but in the name of decency and freedom DO NOT PRIVATIZE IT. I’m warning you: there is no going back and tomorrow will be to late…
By the way: notice that my argument in the above Comment is not political or ideological in nature. Both, the right wing parties and the left wing ones, [pulled up by the inner mechanisms of interstation battles-of-audience over winning the advertising space] have never stopped stupidity from ruling over the “opressed” paying spectator of privatized stations and media emporios. I can stand well the situationist, ever-pro-governments bias of public broadcast. I can always refer to other sources (public or private) of information. What I cannot stand is to be taken for an Idiot, and bombed by Egoic or Commercial Stupid Mantras. And this is what the media mindset of “rule-of-audience polls” does to Journalism and the art of giving Substance, Usefulness and Meaning to a TV network. After all should the most impactful media of all be filled with mindnumbing programs payed by You?
Perhaps what Mr Lloyd also fears is that his increasingly sinister pseudo-left colleagues throughout the British media would have significantly less political control over commercial channel programme contents than they currently enjoy within the not remotely ‘impartial’ BBC ( just one example : BBC anti-hunt / anti-monarchy bias – wheresupporters of either or both look are usually depicted as ” nice but dim ” etc )
These highly delusional puppet-masters are utterly ruthless, self-appointed experts in everything who creep about whispering ( for added effect using universally accepted medical terminology to imply life-saving importance ) in and out of the government and media shadows, armed with “market researched supporting evidence” , artfully securing an appointment here , forcing a resignation there , all the while pretending to be on the side of The People when in fact , power-crazed narcissists with too hazy a concept of reality to be anything else , the only side they are firmly on is their own ; alas, poor Britain never stood a chance .
The question for anti-Brit Brown ( posed again by David Goodhart as school holiday homework – dream on – in this month’s Prospect editorial ) is not ‘who do we think we are’ ( we already know , thanks ) but who do you lot think you are ?
Those of us who aim for at least a degree of impartiality in national and international news reporting ( obviously, local accountability means rural BBC newscasters are less vulnerable to corruption ) are now less likely to choose the BBC ; not just because there are other channels that can
do it better , but because too often we can already predict the story slant – which slightly compromises it being advertised as “News” – and rather dislike the unpleasant aftertaste of feeling short-changed by the lack of integrity, along with the sadomasochism of being forced by law to pay for it too
RichardM’s drawing-room comment made laugh so much, I thought I’d throw
a log or two onto the BBC open fire of my own..
Now, just peeking to see if John Lloyd – or a BBC employee ? – had anything more share – alas, not yet ; moreover, it took an age to find the first batch – another Prospect post born to bloom relatively unseen ?
( Yes, elsewhere Thompson’s choice, but because we suspect it’s bias – corroborated via BBC Radio & TV output – some of us can’t be fagged to read it . Indeed, a multi-award winning TV exec to whom I forwarded the piece, hoping he’d send back the pips, replied :
” .. I tried, I really did, but I lost the will to live around Para 2.” )
In the current buyers market , where ad revenue streams funding commercial competition (Sky apart ) have dried up , removing the management consultant coup of ‘paying for quality’ – or foul mouthed yobs as too many of BBC presenters are now encouraged to be – why are we STILL paying over-inflated BBC salaries ?
Just working for the once universally adored BBC brand, presenters subsequent contact books and ‘YTS’ work experience elevates them into an employment elite that money can’t buy ( also the case with MPs ) ; at most these lucky folk ( inc MPs ) should be paid a top salary of no more than the average organic farmer , with , perhaps , the odd luncheon voucher perk because , unlike farmers , not much they produce is edible
On an editorial note : It seems a bit of a Prospect-led debating opportunity lost that this highly entertaining First Draughts Blog, to which many arrows both on the main site, and articles within direct Prospect readers , all too rapidly buries it’s comments and posts beneath a random heap
of more comments, almost before the ink is dry ..such that these are lost in cyberspace almost as soon as written ; suggesting a potential waste of time for post and comment alike ?
It might be more encouraging to blogites
if the new website layout were fine-tuned
to show a much longer list of blog posts
& comments , in bold , for easy access published in the top right hand corner of the blog’s home page ?