Did you see that two BBC bosses have racked up the biggest pensions in the public sector, together worth more than £14m?
Mark Byford, 51, the deputy director general, is to receive a pension of at least £229,500 a year from a pot valued at almost £8m. This could rise to more than £10m if he works at the BBC until the age of 60. Alan Yentob, 62, the arts presenter and creative director of the BBC, has accumulated a pension worth £6.3m, giving an annual retirement income of £216,667 for the rest of his life, according to new research. Until now it was thought that Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, had Britain’s largest public sector pension. His pension pot is valued at £5.7m, paying a retirement income of £198,613 a year.
And you thought that Fred Goodwin was a supertrougher?
The more this stuff comes out, the worse the BBC looks, and the stronger the case for reform. There will be much more of these criticisms as months go by.
A few years ago the BBC was kinda fireproof – a much-loved institution, a welcome part of the British scene to most people. Bathed in this rosy glow of (ignorant) popularity it was a really uphill task to argue for reform. The BBC was mostly impervious to criticism.
This has changed drastically in the last couple of years. The Ross payments, the cheating by various BBC programmes, the Ross/Brand affair, and now a steady release of obscene salary info, right in the middle of a recession, has badly tarnished the public image of the BBC. I don't think it can repair this damage.
It will be a highly propitious time for reform, if the Tories win. Trouble is – they don't seem to realise it.
The Tories had the chance to reform the BBC in Thatcher's time, but for some unfathomable reason, did not. They still do not realise the error they made, and so will not do anything if they are elected.
The new caring Cameron Tories will be as dependent as Newlabour on a compliant media to gain and retain power. Power is all it is about. All both parties want is to continue to enrich themselves at our expense. The BBC pensions are a shining target to be aimed at by all aspiring politicos, quangocrats and media parasites. Not so much something to be deplored but something to be desired. The system is rotten and cannot be reformed. The Tories are as much part of the problem as the present lot.
And everyone thinks "fat cats" are Tories. But my, doesn't being a left wing liberal pay well?
If I were DC I'd be keeping very quiet about any plans I had to dismantle the bbc – can you imagine the 24/7 hate they'd get if they made it a manifesto promise? Not a smart move to tell the opposition what you are going to do to them.
Best course of action would be to make the usual platitudes of 'treasured institution', 'independant voice' that kind of thing.
Then, with the election in the bag, you have five years to kick it well and truly in the goolies.
DC will not change the BBC, other then maybe the exact manner by which it is funded.
Which will not change the bias of the BBC one way or another, to any notable degree IMO.
This is obvious.
Look at SKY for example. Which is funded in an entirely different manner, then The BBC. While being controlled by a seemingly very different set of people.
Yet the contents and manner of presentation of both SKY and The BBC are virtually identical.
This should suggest, to the still independently thinking mind, that a higher power of some kind, is daily controlling and/or ultimately controlling BOTH.
It should not indicate that they are both telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as they individually or collectively see things. Mainly because of some kind of coincidence or rational inevitable consequence. Although coming to this wrong conclusion, would be logical, if the evidence for a massive top level conspiracy where not so overwhelming.
Especially as we know, do we not? That there are only 3-4 main stream news gathering organization on this planet, and they are all ultimately owned, or conceptually subverted, by the same very small group of very important people.
Yet the vast majority, would rather sell their children into eternal slavery, then admit they may have been cleverly conned by their own establishment, most of their entire lives.
The reason for this is simple, and it is not because people are in general stupid, or unintelligent.
It is because they are largely ignorant of the truth, sheep like creatures. Which only become 'brave', when they are acting the most like scarred sheep.
Atlas shrugged
After Cameron is elected and does absolutely nothing about the BBC I am going to take every opportunity to remind the fabricators, such as some on this site, that claim he is just adopting the position temporarily till elected, what utter bollox they have been spouting.
The only way to get dramatic reform or dissolution of the BBC is to commit to do it in the manifesto, there is zero possibility of such a policy being undertaken contrary to pronouncements after an election.
Don't see why Mervyn King should have the get out of jail free card either.
He was asleep at the wheel when the credit boom was inflating, and the odd time he was awake, he was its Cheerleader-in-Chief.
He should have been sacked.
As for the Tories' "commitment in the manifesto", it would be a simple matter to include a general statement to the effect of: "The next Conservative government will review and reform the current system of funding for national and local broadcasters."
Anything more specific at this stage would make the BBC even more hostile and propagandistic than it is already, thus making it harder for the Conservatives to get elected with a working majority.