I’m not surprised that BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons claims the Conservative proposal to freeze the license tax for one year is “a recipe for curbing the BBC editorial independence”. Those whose snouts are plunged in the trough of public funding will naturally squeal when they are asked to refrain from gluttonous spending. In my view the Conservative proposal is entirely inadequate – we do not need to see a freeze for one year, we need to see dramatic reduction. This country is in a profound economic recession – everywhere one looks there are cut-backs, wage cuts, jobs losses – since WHEN did the BBC become immune from these realities. The Commons debate on this will be interesting to observe insofar as we will see are ANY MP’s committed to the principle of cutting back the scope of the State Broadcaster. As for Lyons and his silly claim that editorial independence is compromised through prudent budgetary restraint – is there anybody out there who buys that?
DON’T FEED THE LYONS…
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Nope the man is a grade A fool !
I was most taken by his claim that “the BBC currently enjoys “complete independence from political and commercial influence”
Funny guy, he should get his own series – “Only Fools and Expenses”
Now the BBC want to expand the TV tax to cover the Internet.
The BBC must be stopped. Cameron has to go further. The TV tax must go, why should I subsidise the drugs and rent boys for beeboids?
Let the BBC go to a subscription based service, BBC Internet services should be pay to view.
As a state broadcaster the BBC must be exterminated.
A-huh! A mainstream party suggests that should it be democratically elected by the British people, it will limit the ability of a state body to tax the public during a recession, and that clearly proves the Tories hate independent journalism?
No bias there then!
DJ
“a recipe for curbing the editorial independence of the BBC”.
rephrase that:
“we’ll frame the debate so you look evil if you cut our cash”
Arseholes!
This is Michael Lyons the former Liebour Councillor….
What a twat Lyons is. His whinging protestations about bbc funding reminded me very much of gorbals mick’s defence of the MP’s expenses scam. Hopefully he will go the same way as gorbals.
BBC 2 ‘Daily Politics’ today, usefully discussed the issue of the need for reform of MEP expenses and for independent audits.
Surely ther next logical step is for the BBC to be made to open up its OWN staff expenses system to independent oversight and direct democratic accountability (not a ‘BBC mis-Trust’ body)?
So far, the BBC seems to see the case for reform from outside of publicly financed MPs’ and MEPs’ expenses, but not of those of BBC staff. We are witnessing the playing out of the BBC staff’s own vested interests at BBC licencepayers’ cost.
The Telegraph or the Mail should take up the cause of the BBC pay and expenses.
Even more snouts in the trough than the MPs – surely an ‘achievement’ if ever there was one.
In a way they should be the best at expounding on the MPs expenses scandal given they are probably the only taxpayer funded organisation that as a matter of course regularly exceeds them.
SIR MICHAEL ‘MICK’ LYONS HAS ARISEN THUS
He worked as a civil servant in Birmingham in mid 1970s. He is elected to Birmingham City Council as a labour member.
Moves to the then labour controlled West Midlands Metropolitan County Council in the late 1970s.
Joins Wolverhampton Council – Mick is hired to sort out the labour problems the Council is facing. The labour leader of Wolverhampton, Dennis Turner – later an MP – who hires Mick is also a labour member of West Midlands Metropolitan County Council. Mick’s post morphs into Chief Executive.
Joins labour controlled Nottinghamshire County Council as Chief Executive in 1990
Joins labour controlled Birmingham City Council as Chief Executive in 1994. Appointed by his former Birmingham City Council colleague Mrs John Stewart – her husband John Stewart is a leading light at Birmingham University – to which he later brings Mick to his a chair in public sector bollocks.
He is a long time trouble shooter for Gordon Brown at the Treasury and then becomes Brown’s placeman at the BBC.
Mick seems to very sharp political instincts and to have made the most of his labour connections to further his career.
Is he any good?
Nah.
Anonymous said…
The Telegraph or the Mail should take up the cause of the BBC pay and expenses.
1:20 PM, May 20, 2009As I recall, today the Telegraph had an editorial suggesting they were not best impressed with Don Lyono’s ‘pity if your coverage had an accident’ threa… protection racket caution.
I’ll have a rummage to see if I can find it.
Anon 4:25
So, corruption and cronyism, what a surprise !
The BBC is playing a dangerous game over the licence feehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5355200/The-BBC-is-playing-a-dangerous-game-over-the-licence-fee.html
The Tories and The Guardian are right about the BBChttp://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/shane_richmond/blog/2009/05/20/the_tories_and_the_guardian_are_right_about_the_bbc
Perhaps not the best time to get noted, and in less than glowing terms, by a paper with a new investigative reputation, and 90k+ extra readers as a consequence.
Not sure the Indy is too convinced either…
Leading article: Bloated entitlement at the BBChttp://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-bloated-entitlement-at-the-bbc-1688470.html
Why does a modern democracy need a state-funded broadcasting system?
Answer: A modern democracy does not need one. But Britain does.
“BBC editorial independence”? The only thing the BBC is independent from is reality.
Indeed. The BBC is cushioned from reality by thick wads of the TV Licence Tax-payers’ money.
Abolish the TV Licence Tax, and let the BBC discover what the word “independence” really means.