Hot on the heals of Humphrys’ admission that the BBC promotes the all conquering EU we have this prime example of that type of thinking in action:
The BBC should say it is based in Manchester instead of Salford in a bid to boost the area’s international reputation, one of the corporation’s star presenters has said.
Evan Davis said it was a ‘serious problem’ for Manchester that areas such as Salford – home to the BBC at MediaCity UK since 2011 – and Trafford refused to be called Manchester.
Salford mayor slammed Mr Davis’s comments – saying it was ‘quite surprising that a journalist wants to rewrite the geography of the country’.
He added: “What really is confusing is when a media pundit tries to shift the boundaries of the city. The Quays are in Salford – they always have been and always will be and people know that.
“People clearly won’t know about Salford if we remove all mention of it from the map.
“This view is typical of a London-centric view of the world. Fortunately the British isles is more diverse than London and a handful of big cities. Our strength in the north lies is our diversity, not in all being the same.”
Ah those xenophobic Little Salfordians, not wanting to lose their identity and be engulfed and absorbed by a giant neighbour.
The BBC…celebrating diversity and difference except when it’s not.
Why not “bid to increase” SALFORD’S“international reputation?” Why Manchester, which I suspect is pretty well-known worldwide for one or many reasons, e.g. Cottonopolis, Manchester United etc ?
Frankly, Davis, if your oily great organisation is so bloody keen on promoting Manchester for reasons unknown then p’raps it should have moved THERE in the first place rather than inflicting itself and its teeming parasitic brood upon the good folk of Salford, don’t you think ?
I’d suggest that all good Salfordians should avail themselves of the opportunity for combining protest and winter warmth by marching on the Death Star wielding flaming torches and burning the place to the ground. However, since that would almost certainly result in Aunties survivors hightailing it back down here, I feel on reflection that strongly-worded letters to the local press are their best option.
A reminder that following the decision to move much of its infrastructure to Salford, the BBC were reported to have claimed that the reason was to make the corporation less ‘London-centric’, less ‘southern’, and more ‘devolved’, ‘diverse’, and ‘democratic’.
So you’d think that those moving there would take time to understand the locals, especially before making statements that might be insulting to them.
But then we are talking about the BBC.
And it was Evan Davis….need more be said?
Lock your car doors, do not stop and NEVER make eye contact with the locals of Salford.
The BBC should have relocated to Liverpool 8. That would have been a reality check.
Toxteth ? An idyllic place, full of sweetness and light
Evan Davis is as punchable as the horrible Owen Jones.
Jones is a juvenile, should be given a little latitude. He is a “commenter”
Davis is just as opinionated – and is paid a huge amount of money to be unbiased. He fails dismally. Plus he is a crap interviewer.
Mr Davies would appear to be an ignoramous; so much for the brightest and the best. Salford is a city in its own right and at least as old and historically important, if not more so than Manchester. Perhaps if was a proper journalist he’d be better informed.
He confuses my home town – Birmingham (population about 1,000,000)- with The West Midlands, and Greater Manchester with the City of Manchester (Population less than 500,000).
I can understand why Salfordians get annoyed with lack of recognition that Salford is a City in its own right.
There were proposals here to rename the West Midlands as “Greater Birmingham”. Even as a dyed-in-the wool Brummie, I would reject this because West Midlands has 2 other cities – Wolverhampton and Coventry, the latter of which was a City when Birmingham was a couple of smithies and river crossing.
For an economics correspondent, Davies demonstrates an appalling ignorance of statistics.
“Does the BBC’s Evan Davis regret his Salford salvo?”
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/mar/12/bbc-evan-davis-salford-manchester?
If he’s knocking the Graun offside too, probably.
‘Monkey wonders what the public might say if polled on Evans’s claim that the BBC’s Salford move has been a success.’
Well, tell it often enough, luv…
Luckily the BBC is never keen on the public getting a vote if the result may not suit them.