Biased BBC reader “As I see it” has provided us with the following thoughtful analysis – give it a read!
“It is my contention
that there is a left-wing bias in the output of the BBC.
I happen to have a group of friends with whom I meet at regular intervals for a
particular leisure activity. (And no, it doesn’t involve either caravanning or
dubious sexual practices in secluded locations – nor does it combine the two.
So don’t try to guess).
The point is the members of this group are all employed in charities, trades
unions and the public sector and they are all fairly staunch Labour supporters
– indeed in most cases longstanding party members.
Some may regard my keeping up with these people as masochism on my part but I
find it fascinating. (And no, as I already explained there is nothing in the
least exotic about this activity).
I recall meeting up with these people in the dying days of the last government
at the time when they knew they were staring down the barrel of defeat. After
thirteen years of power the political situation was causing some soul
searching, I can tell you. Needless to say they are not particularly strong on
the economics. They tend to focus on social, political and media issues.
What
had gone wrong they asked?
Not personally coming to this debate with the view that the fall of the Brown
premiership was entirely a bad thing, I nevertheless threw in my two-pennyworth
as a bit of a digression. I put forward the contention that the BBC had only
ever seemed to criticize the Blair/Brown government from the left. I was not
surprised with the general response that this was some form of heresy. You see
Labour supporters on the one hand tend to convince themselves that there are
actually too many conservative voices on the BBC – however they still see the
old Corporation as a pretty hallowed institution. In other words although they
say that they believe it is not left-wing enough for them they still don’t see
any pressing need for change. A suspicious position don’t you think? I think it
is odd, given that people on the left usually tend to be pretty iconoclastic
when it comes to British institutions. They certainly don’t hold back when it
comes to wanting change in the Police, the! Monarchy, the House of Lords,
Devolution, etc, etc. When it comes to the BBC they seem to want more of it!
Despite the reluctance of most to openly admit the truth that the BBC’s centre of
gravity is several steps to the left of where the British general public stand
there were still one or two guilty nods and winks of recognition to my
observation that the Labour government had only really been criticized by the
BBC from the left side of any debate.
In order to persuade anyone who may remain unconvinced I would cite two topical
examples that show up how the BBC is out of kilter with the outlook of the
British public: the AV referendum and the recent rioting.
The AV Referendum. This was not a simple left ‘v’ right debate. In fact it was
much more interesting than that. The Conservatives were against it but so was a
significant section of Labour MPs – a section of what you might call old
Labour. Ed Miliband and his new leadership were in favour, even though he might
have been supposed to be in the process of reconnecting with traditional
supporters and wishing to differentiate himself from the aloof and metropolitan
Bairites and New Labour, he still came down squarely on the side of something
that was dubbed “progressive”. Now there were political and tactical
complications but the debate was framed as one pitching “progressives” against
British tradition and the existing constitution. Now don’t forget the public
were still seething from the MPs’ expenses scandal and might have been thought
to have been keen for some new politics – yet the referendum revealed only a
tiny section of the British public would vote f! or this so-called
“progressive” measure. In the event the metropolitan “progressives” were left
high and dry. I don’t suppose we will be having any further referenda on other
cherished progressive propositions of the BBC liberals any time soon. I’m sure
the British publics’ views on EU membership, capital punishment, global warming,
immigration, etc will all now continue to go untested for the foreseeable
future.
It was a similar situation with the issues surrounding the August riots. There
was an obvious disconnect between the BBC opinion and the British public
reaction on all the relevant issues. This was apparent from the initial
‘careful now, stand off’ Police control methods, to the typical profile and
motivations of the rioters, right through to the handing down of sentences by
the Courts.
Now there are those in the BBC and their supporters on the left who will cling
to the concept that the BBC is there to challenge our views and to come with
ideas from ‘left field’.
I wholeheartedly disagree. These left-liberal views have had a fair old crack
of the whip and look where we are now.
It must be time that the licence paying public should tell the BBC enough is
enough. Please stop visualizing yourselves as being some elite cadre leading us
dumb prols ever leftward by the nose. Please get back to the basics of what we
pay you for: informing and entertaining us.”
