Hey baby.

The BBC on Russian demographics: wrong, wrong, ah, right– cheers Russian Prof. How did I miss that on the BBC’s frontpage? (I commented on the BBC’s clueless approach back in April; soon afterwards came Putin’s dramatic speech emphasising the demographic crisis- somehow this follow up article escaped me). I think a really important public service would have been to run a series looking at Russia’s (and European countries’) growing demographic deficits, analysing the impacts of them and the people who are concerned about them. It could have started with a feature interviewing Mark Steyn…

However the BBC’s attempted approach to the subject was a “series about motherhood and the role of the state in encouraging couples to have more children”, and as the links above show, they were starting from shaky, wishful foundations. Something also tells me they wanted to avoid the M word.

Talk about beating about the bush! It’s the demography, stupid!

But if we were to take the human interest tack, what about the role of the state in suffocating family life? No go? Thought not.

As with most of the things one feels moved to comment on regarding the BBC, it’s auntie’s sad and unsustainable flight from reality that’s on the table.

btw I think this photo’s an improvement on the last one, don’t you? Sorry to anyone who found that upsetting

ps. Two reasons I think the story about demographics is one the BBC really ought to have had thoroughly covered in recent years: here and here for China issues. Here for the M word.