This morning I heard the news that the BBC Promenade
Concerts will go ahead in virtual form with the last few days and especially
the world renowned Last Night, live at the Albert Hall. The British Broadcasting
Corporation has been part of British soft power for generations, spreading the
news, informing the world and presenting an image of the United Kingdom as a
bastion of tradition, morals, culture and statesmanship; something to be
admired; something to aspire to.
But what must the world think now of the Britain the BBC
portrays? Constant attacks on government when they should be bolstering the
government's measures against the viral threat. Embracing the largely unwanted phenomenon of multiculturalism and
repeatedly rubbing our noses in diversity. And in the case of the Proms, over
the last few years using the last night as an occasion to indulge in EU
propaganda with a sea of blue and gold flags where once only the red white and
blue flew.
There is a rising tide of patriotism and nationalism
which the BBC believes must be ignored, derided and side-lined. In the face of growing
disquiet at what appears to be favourable embrace of islamic culture, the
national broadcaster chooses to have a muslim as head of its religious
programming. They have exercised discriminatory employment practices, rejecting
applicants from white Britons in favour of brown people, regardless of competence.
And it bangs the drum for every minority cause going.
Watch any political programme and you will see it stuffed
with commentators who toe the approved line introduced as authoritative voices
while those whose views veer even slightly away from leftist doctrine
are invariably introduced with qualifiers such as ‘right wing activist’, or ‘hard
right campaigner’, thus prejudicing the audience from the off. The left-wing
talking heads are given respectful free reign to put across their point but woe
betide the ‘Nazi’ who tries to complete a sentence.
George Orwell’s
statue at Broadcasting House stands next to an inscription of his words: “If
liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do
not want to hear.” No doubt this is what the BBC thinks it is doing but it
is about time the BBC itself faced up to some uncomfortable truths. The
mealy-mouthed non apology following Emily Maitlis’s blatantly biased and judgmental
introduction to Newsnight on Tuesday is indicative of an organ which, while pretending
it is showing contrition, showed nothing of the kind.
I grew up with the BBC and until very recently I would defend
its quality, its reach and, to some extent, its impartiality because no matter
what it looks like the Beeb does believe it is impartial and frequently points
to the fact that it receives flak from both left and right and so must be doing
the right thing. The trouble is, though, it judges itself, it marks its own homework, and when people refer
to the media bubble, that description practically defines the culture of the BBC.
Orwell himself was critical of their groupthink even back then.
The Corporation is supposed to serve the country, not
just those it believes hold the correct opinions. The licence fee is seen as an
unfair tax on those who feel unfairly browbeaten by its agenda prone programming
and especially unfair on those who have stopped watching altogether. In the
light of some quite blatant ignoring of its guiding mission to inform, educate
and entertain, maybe it is finally time to let the market decide.
