It’s remarkable just how intense, frequent and predictable BBC attacks on the Coalition have become. This morning on Today we had the accusation that the evil Tories were cutting off supply of funds to the “Charity” sector so undermining the Big Society. Then we had the accusation that the evil Tories were pushing funding to Free Schools rather than State Schools. It’s like listening to an extended Labour Party broadcast every morning and yet this is what permeates a considerable section of the UK population on a 24/7 basis. The real danger the BBC poses is this constant drip drip drip of leftist propaganda. It’s my view it has already twisted UK popular opinion on a range of issues and this it will keep doing until the day SOME politician has the cajones to say enough, the BBC must be detached from having its snout plunged in the public trough.
THE DAILY ATTACK…
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It’s a massive strategic failure on the part of the Coalition to tolerate what is essentially a publicly-funded fifth column. Just threaten to cut their budget by increasing exemptions to the TV licence.
They’re not exactly going to be able to bitch about it if the Coalition suggested abolishing the license fee for everyone earning below the Rowntree Trust’s “Living Wage” are they?
Those people will probably be mainly Labour supporters anyway. Just monitor the BBC output and ask questions, like this site does, fine the senior executives from their bloated salaries when proved to have approved biased broadcasting. Alternatively disband the whole BBC Commune.
I dunno. Thing is, there’s no point in trying to ‘reform’ the BBC, as it’ll never get escape its ‘Broadcasting by the public sector, for the public sector’ cage. And if you pursued the alternative – demolishing Broadcasting House and sowing its ruins with quicklime – everyone would protest against an attack on the ‘free press’. (They would – just get over it).
So the alternative is just live with it, shrink it where possible, and hope that it’s pernicious impact is gradually realized by more and more people. That’ll take time, but it is happening. Sadly, the cost to the British economy and society of hosting this dreadful parasite is extremely high, but . . . there’s nothing that can be done except chip away, chip away, chip away.
I should have added. And in the meantime, you should reject cooperation with the BBC in all its manifestations at every level. It’s in the information business, so starve them where possible.
I’m no so sure. The one constant in humans in general, and leftists specifically, is that when money or power is in the offing, principles are negotiable.
Abolishing TV licensing for low-earners is politically feasible, and would take a hefty chunk out of the BBC’s budget. I cannot honestly imagine old Auntie standing by her principles and gnawing the hand that feeds…
On the other hand, I’ve been reading a lot of Machievelli recently (God help me ¬_¬) and he divides authorities in a principality into two categories: strong ones, which must be crushed, and weak ones, which must be co-opted. The BBC is a major political force in this country, and a Machievellian analysis would demand it be crushed; to use that wonderful turn of phrase from the gentleman above: “demolishing Broadcasting House and sowing its ruins with quicklime”
You really have been reading Machievelli, haven’t you. Yes, abolishing the TV licence for low-earners . . . . like it, a lot. Let’s say, anyone below the 40% tax bracket gets a break . . . . like it a lot.
That’s a platform I could stand on, and win.
The BBC News report yesterday of Labour “analysis” of future reductions in police numbers ended with the tagline “This is Jo Coburn from the Home Office”. I felt at the time it should have been “Jo Coburn from Labour Party HQ”. However in fairness to Jo – you know her the reporter who always contrives to present herself to camera in partial profile, left shoulder thrust forward, like a ham “Alas poor Yorrick” delivery – she did mention the government response, which was more than Sky News did, they padded out their report with a vox pop of citizens afraid of a return to the 70s.
I’ve no sympathy with the Tories, this has been going on for decades and they’ve done nothing about it. They reap what they sow. But the effect on public opinion is of great concern.
The answer, which Martin has frequently suggested (where is he anyway?) is to make the BBC subscription-based. As we go over to digital there is no longer any excuse for forcing everyone to pay a TV licence to fund the BBC. It won’t work overnight, as despite our best efforts I think most people still trust the BBC and even people like myself would be loath to have no access to BBC programmes, but over time it would begin to concentrate minds.
Incidentally, Richard North at EuReferendum has said, “The time has come for all good people to stop paying the BBC tax.”
Again Today set up today’s BBC agenda – the coalition is splurging money on “free schools” and starving (what I suppose the BBC considers) “the people’s schools”. Before the 8:00 am Radio 4 News, Sanchia Berg did the usual “impartial” analysis of school funding (and – whaddya know? – found that indeed the coalition was throwing money at free schools). Then later on, after the news (which also had an item on – you guessed it – financing of free schools) there was a “debate” between Toby Young (out in the sticks in a radio car natch) and, in the studio, Francis Gilbert a Guardian contributor and (as mentioned before the item but not repeated on the Today “Listen Again” site) a founding member – with other aristocrats of the Left – of the Local Schools Network ( http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/about-us/ ). In fact on Today “Listen Again” ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/listen_again/default.stm ) Gilbert is described as just “a teacher” with, presumably, no axe to grind.
I have little doubt that Young was ambushed into a debate on which the full facts had not been laid before us and he was corralled into defending against a case carefully constructed by the BBC and Gilbert. However, in common with coalition spokesmen, Young was predictably completely ineffective because he entered the discussion on the terms laid down by the BBC (in concert, again I’ve little doubt) with Gilbert and/or the LSN).
It’s easy for me to criticise but, instead of trying to defend against the carefully constructed and highly focused prosecution case, Young should have taken the fight to Gilbert by pointing out the disgraceful state of education as delivered by the maintained sector, the billions thrown down that particular hole over decades and why free schools (where they will be available) are apparently so popular with parents. Unlike the stitch-up of Delingpole on Horizon, this morning’s discussion was live so the complacent Montague (?) would have had to take a far more active part to shut Young out (easy since he wasn’t in the studio) rather than let the discussion proceed – as it did – on the well-prepared lines where she hardly had to intervene.
What the Today programme didn’t explain was why all the this volunteering cost us, the tax payer so much money.