Anyone catch this interview between John Humphrys and Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the local government association and leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council? The issue is the Conservative plan to help facilitate weekly bin collections. The SNEERING from Humphrys is quite remarkable. Bias? Yes indeed. Is this a populist approach by Pickles? Yes. Is it desirable? Yes. Why do the BBC go ballistic over something as simple and popular as this?
BBC TALKS RUBBISH
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At least Pickles got some snide remarks back, such as suggesting Humphrys’ house might be able to accommodate a sofa large enough to hide £250m down the back of it.
Haven’t listened to this yet, but the first thing I heard on the News Channel this morning is an interview with David Harvey, a (Conservative, but no party designation given as that would make the BBC’s agenda too obvious here) councillor from Oxfordshire, who already has weekly and fortnightly collection for his council. He discusses how his council’s scheme – which they introduced on their own – does very well, increasing recycling, doesn’t leave any rotting garbage for more than a week, etc.
The reason he was on is so the BBC could rebut Pickle’s statement that weekly garbage collection is a “right”. Since this particular Oxfordshire council does it right already, without a new central government scheme, this proves, as the BBC newsreader stated to the councillor, weekly garbage collection isn’t really a “right” at all. So now the BBC can rubbish it (sorry) as pointless populism and waste. Funny how the BBC magically switches to attacking any new public service when the Tories do it.
Now having listened to the Today segment, well, yawn. The BBC excuse for Humphrys’ sarcasm and challenges will of course be that the BBC must take up a contrary position, they’re not just a platform for government policies. Unlike when Labour is in charge, or even just when Ed Balls is on. But never mind.
Is this a populist approach by Pickles?
Is it not strange how Conservative responses to popular demand are “populist” while labour responses are “Democratic” or the government listening to the people.
FWIW I live in Witney (Cameron’s constituency, but I didn’t vote for him) and I find the staggered colections work fine. Food is collected weekly (and goes to an AD plant locally), and I’m not a gardener, but I think garden waste is also collected weekly (anyone here know for sure?); everything else can wait two weeks with no problem.
I would rather see fortnightly collections and lower council tax than pay to have my half empty bin emptied more often. Unfortunatley I’m in Rip off Britain where I get the fortnightly collections and still pay too much council tax.
You’re right there, Mark. Cutting services is never a cue to reducing taxes locally.
I was interested in your comment about John Humphreys “sneering”.
I am a management trainer, and one of the things I coach is communication skills. Most people know that less than 10% of what we communicate is in the words we say; some 30% or so of our meaning is in how we say it; the remainder is a mix of body language and facial expression.
I listen a lot to 5live (no alternative), and it is so revealing to hear the Beeb voice showing approval (Barak Obama, the EU); disdain (Christian feelings over homosexuality); agression (usually directed at the Tory Party / UKIP)
It would be interesting to monitor not so much what is said, but how it is being said.
Ideas ?
Big deal, Pickles. The elephant in the room that the Beeb and European parties have been ignoring is the sky-high EU landfill tax. To keep this tax-take down there must be fewer collections. Not easy when more and more immigrants inclease the need for landfill sites.
Every body talks in awe of ‘elfinsafety, but mention the Public Health Act which was responsible for the weekly bin collection and no one notices. Councils should not be bribed with taxpayers money, that way lies corruption…..oh er just forgot, that is the function of government nowadays. We already pay for the collection, councils must cut their waste and have stringent budgets, private companies have to, so should councils.