In the news recently:
- BBC chair Richard Sharp was known to be a Conservative party donor when appointed by Johnson's government to lead the organisation. What only came out later was that he had arranged a massive personal loan for Boris Johnson just before he was nominated for the role.
- Former BBC journalists reveal that BBC board member Robbie Gibb, who had a remit to ensure impartiality, put pressure on them not to run reports that might ask difficult questions of the government. https://twitter.com/TheNewsAgents/status/1633510388200349710 Before being appointed by the Conservative government, Gibb had worked as Teresa May's director of comms, was a prominent Brexiter who had made public complaints about wokeness in the media, and helped set up the right-wing TV channel GB News (which has recently been censured for failing to meet accuracy and impartiality broadcasting standards).
- Gary Lineker, who works on a freelance basis for the BBC as a sports presenter, has been criticised by the government censured by the BBC for making comments critical of the government in his private Twitter account, and (as per reports in the last few minutes) is being withdrawn for presenting Match of the Day because he is unwilling to apologise for expressing his views. It may be noted that the BBC made no such rebuke of Alan Sugar following the latter's public comments in favour of Brexit or criticising the rail strikes. Similarly, neither the government nor the BBC saw any issues with Andrew Neil (presenter of the BBC's flagship political discussion shows and its leading political interviewer) both tweeting in a personal capacity in favour of Brexit and various other conservative causes, nor acting in parallel as chairman of the right-wing Spectator magazine. Similarly, after calling for striking workers to be "shot in front of their families" in 2011 Jeremy Clarkson continued to present Top Gear for another four years.
- It also emerges today that when the BBC releases David Attenborough's last ever documentary series, the episode focusing on environmental degradation and climate change will not be broadcast, but only released on the iPlayer - it is claimed for fear of right-wing backlash.
Can we all agree that cancel culture has gone too far?
BBC
posted on 12/3/23
comment by Kobbie The King Mainoo (U10026)
posted 9 hours, 57 minutes ago
Good article, RR. What I find concerning, and something it touches upon, is the lack of ability to shock in a way it once would have. In post-Christian Britain the naaazis have always been a reference point by which we judge evil - there’s plenty out there on Hitler replacing the devil - and whilst it still is for many, by losing that fear it has consequences on how certain sections of society can morally calibrate themselves.
If you start to lose fear of what the naaaazis represented, what do you have to replace it? And who do you trust to guide that moral compass, because one of the big difficulties with individualism is that it’s intellectually, and existentially, challenging for people to adequately achieve this on their own.
This was something many were grappling with at the turn of the 18th century, and particularly post world war, which was why Europe became a breeding ground for fascism.
If, like Nietzsche claimed, ‘God is dead’ and, simultaneously, so is the Devil, and fascism became a consequence of that - what happens if, by the same token, ‘Naaaazism is dead’ becomes accepted? It’s not ludicrous to think we can go down a similar path.
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Personally, I don’t think there is a need to replace reiterate the fear of what the Nzis represented or shock to have a more effective reception of one’s point. Perhaps I am naive in that the general populace no longer needs shock & awe.
That being said, I don’t think that a. These proposals will be passed, b. It is likely that those proposing this will be well aware of a. and by asking for more will get more than if they requested less and c. I don’t think these proposals are likely to be THAT disgusting. As in, the strict rules may allow x, y and z but once in practice it would probably be much softer, perhaps not of course. Are these proposals much worse than what many countries already have in place immigration-wise?
I shouldn’t have to but I’ll just reiterate that my opinion is that none of this is necessary to say the least. 40,000 people is not an amount that truly destabilises the country and therefore it should be treated as humanitarian aid / foreign aid.
I think the govt is overreacting / trying to garner support through populism and some that oppose these proposals are also overreacting with extreme extrapolations as to the likely outcomes/path we head down.
posted on 12/3/23
Another example that has come to my attention: BBC presenter Michael Portillo recently expressing conservative views on the right-wing TV station GB News.
posted on 12/3/23
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 9 minutes ago
Another example that has come to my attention: BBC presenter Michael Portillo recently expressing conservative views on the right-wing TV station GB News.
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He’s a BBC presenter? I miss Portillo
posted on 12/3/23
comment by Sat Nav (U18243)
posted 8 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 9 minutes ago
Another example that has come to my attention: BBC presenter Michael Portillo recently expressing conservative views on the right-wing TV station GB News.
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He’s a BBC presenter? I miss Portillo
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Plus I don’t quite think it’s the same thing. He’s a former politician being asked to give his political opinion on things.
Hope he is still on the BBC, thought he finished.
posted on 12/3/23
You're possibly right that he isn't at this moment - don't know if another of his interminable train journey documentaries is currently in the works. The last one was quite recent though, and he was visibly being a Tory expressing Tory opinions in the media while being a BBC face. Which seems reasonable to me. I don't think he should be expected not to.
posted on 12/3/23
Portillo goes on train journeys on BBC2 with a 100 year old guide book. Usually wearing orange pants.
Gay or European?
posted on 12/3/23
comment by RB&W - Whiteside has done it again (U21434)
posted 8 minutes ago
Portillo goes on train journeys on BBC2 with a 100 year old guide book. Usually wearing orange pants.
Gay or European?
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Red or salmon coloured trousers, when worn in the UK, is a Tory / toff signifier. There's even a blog dedicated to the subject. I can't share the link because it has a banned word in it but Google 'look at my f---ing red trousers' if you want to take a look.
posted on 12/3/23
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 50 minutes ago
comment by RB&W - Whiteside has done it again (U21434)
posted 8 minutes ago
Portillo goes on train journeys on BBC2 with a 100 year old guide book. Usually wearing orange pants.
Gay or European?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Red or salmon coloured trousers, when worn in the UK, is a Tory / toff signifier. There's even a blog dedicated to the subject. I can't share the link because it has a banned word in it but Google 'look at my f---ing red trousers' if you want to take a look.
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Gay or European is a great game to play whilst people watching at 5 star hotels in European resorts going down for dinner.
Grey haired middle aged men who wear orange/pink/salmon/red trousers usually with blue or green blazers with matching silk neckerchiefs are usually British homosexual public school toffs....or avant-garde Italian/French/Spanish bohemian types.
You decide.
Michael Portillo is a tricky one as he ticks both boxes.
posted on 12/3/23
Tory-appointed BBC Chairman donated tens of thousands of pounds to right-wing group funding criticism of BBC:
https://bylinetimes.com/2023/02/24/bbc-chairman-donated-tens-of-thousands-of-pounds-to-right-wing-group-funding-criticism-of-bbc/
posted on 12/3/23
Here's another inconsistency.
Two months after being appointed to the BBC Board to drive impartiality in the corporation, Robbie Gibb liked tweets from Conservative MPs on the subject of defeating the SNP.