Welcome
to GavPOLITICS.co.uk
The political site of Gavin Ayling
The political site of Gavin Ayling
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Welcome
to GavPOLITICS.co.uk
The political site of Gavin Ayling |
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This page is about the BBC. Click the following link to find the main page: Click here A lot is made in blogs about the BBC's bias and apparently untenable position as
licence fee funded broadcaster. I would like to make clear my opinion on this institution which, despite its
problems, has served Britain well and should continue to do so.The BBC is attacked from all sides. The Labour Party's spin officer, Alistair Campbell, got particularly animated about BBC bias. Conservatives the width and breadth of Britain complain of bias against Conservative interviewees and subtle suggestions in popular TV. The Islamic Fundamentalists complain that the BBC is pro-Israel and I, and many others, would complain that the BBC is pro-Palestine. Whatever the truth in any of these representations, the BBC provides quality television (hidden amongst the dross), the best website in the world and last, but not least, excellent and commercially untenable radio. Without the BBC we would be subjected to more Big-Brother/Celebrity Fat Club/Location, Location, Location/etc. and less Newsnight, Walking with Dinosaurs and less "What the [insert historic civilisation here] did for us". Most people in England are Conservative. This is a fact not only borne out by election results but also by the stereotyped, generic opinions of people and the results of surveys. It is strange, therefore, to notice that Tories on TV are as rare as beef in a Halal butchers. The sit-com 'My Family' has a fairly BBC-normal family, the father of which said "Ha! As if I'd be a Tory - I am normal you know!". This is innocuous in itself but the daily tirade against factions that the left-wing writers do not like has an almost subliminal effect on the population. Similar complaints, I am sure, could and are made by people from other parts of the political spectrum. All in all the BBC has an impossible job - they must appear, and attempt to be, impartial while at the same time reporting on news items that have heavy political histories, creating relevant and contemporary comedy and political farce from a stock of mostly left-wing comedians and create documentaries that remain interesting while avoiding contentious issues. This is a difficult task and the BBC should be congratulated for mostly succeeding. The current government should be mindful of the precariousness of the BBC, however, and should avoid political interference and further appointments of 'cronies'. |
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