The NHS and the BBC have much in common. Both are anachronistic, grossly overstaffed, massively inefficient and in need of major surgery, if you’ll pardon the pun. However the BBC is a major defender of the NHS and nowhere is this more evident in how it has been running a campaign to endlessly undermine the attempts by David Cameron to introduce at least some sort of modest reform into the NHS. Listen to this interview this morning, the predetermined conclusion of which is that you can’t really change the NHS and you shouldn’t really try. In truth, this is how the BBC feels about itself, but it channels the NHS as a proxy to let Government know how difficult if not dangerous ANY attempt to bring change will be.
THE ENVY OF THE WORLD…
Bookmark the permalink.
I can click on like for comments but not the origional post so hope this will do —- LIKE!
The BBC can criticise Cameron’s proposed reforms all it likes as far as I’m concerned. If the Tories won’t do anything about the BBC, they deserve all they get.
Quite right!
If you`re going to put out flaccid little picadors like Lansley and Willetts, then you`re not really fit to be a governing party.
THey are lucky in that they have no opposition to speak of,but the BBC is a howling loop of NuLabor positive feedback unto itself and sees itself to be the Labor Partys bile duct.
A real “right of centre” grouping would not have a Lansley or a Duncan, Clarke in its fold.
The BBC has the job of providing news and information to the public. Unfortunately it has disastrously failed especially in subjects where it wants to provide its own angle. On such subjects as the environment, the Middle East, the eu quango and of course the NHS, the truth has taken second place to propaganda.
In this item on Today, Nick Robinson said: “The public don’t understand the reforms the government are proposing”. The government does not have transmitters and studios. It can only put its message across through the distorted and broken prism of the BBC. The fact that the public are none the wiser about government plans for the NHS is an indictment of the BBC.
Good point. It’s very telling that Robinson can trumpet this abroad with his smug face on and without any inkling that this could possibly reflect upon him. Wakey, wakey Nicky! 😀
Spot on, Kendall. As I often say here, the BBC doesn’t do irony. But why should the geniouses at the BBC, like Prick Robinson, try to explain anything to us when we are too stupid to understand. Doesn’t stop the parasites taking our money, though.
If you don’t agree with the BBC, it’s only because you don’t understand yet. How many times have they done this now?
‘The fact that the public are none the wiser about government plans for the NHS is an indictment of the BBC.’
Well said.
However, for ‘balance’, as the usual suspects seem a smidge mute at the mo…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2011/06/bbcs_reporting_of_the_economy.html?postId=109292178#comment_109292178
‘The Beeb may be able to do more to help but it’s not to blame for the malaise in civil awareness.’
See, it’s not true because they and their supporters say it isn’t.
Simples.
Both the NHS and the Beeboid Corporation is that they are deficient in core values that they should espouse and exemplify. In the case of the Beeboids, that means honesty and journalistic rigour; in the NHS, it is fundamental things like hygiene; dignity; genuine care of the old people and anyone else unable to manage the basics such as eating and drinking.
You really should not have to teach a national broadcaster about honesty or a hospital about hygiene or looking after basic needs. It’s supposed to be what they are about.
Nevertheless, they have come to such a state that you can’t solve the problems in the system without massive reform and rooting out of embedded structures, practices and culture.
Sorry re typo: some redundant words in the first line. Ignore is that they
Excellent points these!
1. That Robinson is content that the Governments message is not getting across sums up his organisations game. Self satisfied efforts 24/7(as they`d say!) to continually slip ball bearings under anything that the elected government try to do-even if it`s hardly any different from what their old sponsors did..or would be doing now.
They`ve gone from catalyst to enzyme by choice-and that now makes them loathed-more so with every passing month as well.
2. The NHS/BBC parallels are telling-as if they`ve not had any fresh air or sunlight in-no quality control to speak of-cross infections from too much in house self promotion and corporate bullying-too much cosy practice and “f**k the patient/listener”. Very dangerous when the bedpans keep getting thrown at us and they`ll not clean up the sewer pipes-one Ross and Brand is nowhere near the extent of the problem.
Calling us clients or customers as both would shows that they don`t care, don`t know and won`t learn-so that makes them in terminal decline as they exist right now.
Hello, I was reading your post and felt unusually compelled to comment. I don’t think the NHS is inefficient, according to the RSM and several other organisation it’s among, if not the most cost effective health system in the world. Additionally the BBC if anything, have been wilfully avoiding mention of the NHS in the run up to passing of Lansley’s frankly undemocratic health bill, I’d like to bring this article to your attention for the sake of balance; http://www.opendemocracy.net/ourbeeb/oliver-huitson/how-bbc-betrayed-nhs-exclusive-report-on-two-years-of-censorship-and-distorti I hope you have the time to read it. Having worked in the NHS for several years at many levels I can assure you the problems with the NHS are less to do with over staffing than they are with a lack of long term planning. That’s thanks to the frequency at which health ministers employed. Any organisation of even close to the size of the NHS takes a great deal of time to action a major plan, and sadly the plans generally get scrapped and replaced with a new plan on the appointment of a new health minister, often before they are implemented. The result is that the organisation is in a constant state of flux which isn’t helped by a tier of upper management who sometimes lack the expected understanding of management. I do agree that the BBC is certainly not the impartial broadcaster they claim to be but find the comparison to the NHS unfounded.