The BBC now has an enemy in parliament: Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen MP.
Mr. Bridgen is the MP who led the charge for the decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee because it amounts to some 12% of all magistrates cases in this country. The BBC publicly disagreed with him and, according to Mr Bridgen, its ex-employees in the House of Lords have been successful in delaying his bill for another two years. He's not impressed, to put it mildly.
Some of his arguments about bias and the need for radical reform at the BBC will probably be familiar to you. What was new to me, however, was his description of the BBC's actions against him personally. If true, they are truly astonishing:
By leading the debate and setting the political agenda on the decriminalisation of the licence fee, I have set myself on a collision course with the might and influence of a £5 billion worldwide media organisation, which has attacked my family business, falsely reporting “facts” and attributing comments to me which I did not make.
I am fearful of retribution from the BBC after having been picked last week, out of a possible 46 East Midlands Seats, as a focus for the regional news programme in the upcoming election, effectively granting my opponents a disproportionate amount of prime BBC airtime to attack me.
Did the BBC intentionally smear Andrew Bridgen? Is it deliberately seeking to unseat him?
If either of those charges holds water, then it's absolutely scandalous, isn't it?
Given there are facts involved I will hold fire until they are all in.
ReplyDeleteFor now I'll simply look at how the BBC treats even its own if they are deemed to be less than diligent propping up the facade.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/19/pollard-report-culture-distrust-bbc
"Head of communications threatened to 'drip poison' about Meirion Jones over suspicions he was leaking information"
A fair indication what culture exists that could see the BBC intentionally smear Andrew Bridgen if they decided to flex some unaccountable muscles.
That Nick Cohen article also crossed my mind when reading Andrew Bridgen's piece.
DeleteIf the BBC did even a few of the things Nick Cohen and Mr. Bridgen allege they did, then they need a severe filleting - at the very least.