We Want War on War on Want. When do we want it? Now!

Remember this?   (September 2015)

Charity Appeal. 

“Fighting Global Poverty! That sounds good. What’s not to like?   I'll just get my cheque book out.  

I’ve just heard a querulous old lady making a desperate, emotional appeal on Radio 4 on behalf of impoverished garment-makers in Bangladesh.  Better hurry, it sounds as though she’s  about to gasp her last breath - 

So have you got a pencil ready? 

Hang on a mo. Good Grief! It’s Vanessa Redgrave appealing on behalf of  War on Want.”

+++++++++++++++++

A complaint was fired off to the BBC. The complainant was advised to redirect it to the BBCʼs Charity Appeals Advisory Committee, which is made up of “independent experts.”

“I understand you feel that War on Want was an inappropriate charity to feature on theprogramme. 

The BBCʼs Charity Appeals Advisory Committee is made up of independent experts from outside the BBC with wide experience of the charitable sector who advise and support the BBC in a number of areas, including policy matters relating to all charity appeals, the overview of specific fund-raising projects and the allocation of broadcasting time for individual charities. 

The BBC recognises its responsibility to take reasonable steps to ensure that theindividual charities are financially sound and that donations will be used appropriately, and the Appeals Advisory Committee play a key part in this." 

(Usual stuff about your complaints being important to us) 

So off went the complaint to Sally Flatman. (No laughing at the back) She responded thusly:

“Thank you for your email.   I am able to respond to your questions. We do have to make sure that all charity appeals can be framed within the requirement for BBC impartiality.  In the case of War on Want they applied to the BBC for an appeal which would raise money specifically for their work with their partners in Bangladesh, such as the National Garment Workers Federation.  (NGWF).     

The application stated that funds would be used amongst other things for:  Increase awareness among workers, particularly women, of their labour rights and to provide legal advice to workers so they have a better chance of winning disputes with employers. 

 The script, as I am sure you are aware also focused on this work.   This is therefore a restricted appeal where donations from Radio 4 listeners will go to this specific aspect of the charity’s work. I hope that this answers your concerns.”

Concerns not completely answered, thank you, so off went the following:

“Thank you very much  for your email. I assume your panel is aware of the controversial aspects of War on Want. 

Their website states that donations are apportioned as follows. 

1. 79p on overseas projects and hard-hitting campaigns 

2. 19p on fundraising to raise the next £1. 

3. 2p on governance 

Would I be able to see verification of War on Want’s assurance that this money will only go to that specific aspect of the charity’s work?”

Obviously not:

“Many charities do have campaigning as part of their work and therefore the BBC’s Appeals Advisory Committee require that charities will be able to frame an appeal which does not breach the BBC’s Editorial guidelines and impartiality.
  

I hope you will be reassured to know that the BBC requires all access appeal charities, both those on television and radio to report on their appeals and that includes how the funds will be distributed and what impact they will have.    

We require charities to provide us with this information 6-8 weeks after a broadcast appeal. Regards 

Sally Flatman

We’ll never know how much money poor old Vanessa raised with her bizarre appeal, and we’ll never know how much the impoverished garment-makers of Bangladesh benefited from it.  I feel a song coming on:

I wanna go back to East Pakistan

I know a boat you can get on

Everyone there will give big cheer

Everyone there will have moved here

 I know it doesn’t scan, but it seems apt. Profuse apologies to Stephen Sondheim.

I’m recapping all this because of an article in the Telegraph; BBCWatch has picked it up too.

Andrew Gilligan has been busy. 

“The government has ceased funding a British charity which sponsored events accused of promoting hatred and violence against Jews.  

The Department for International Development (Dfid) said that it no longer supported War on Want, which helped pay for “Israeli Apartheid Week” in February this year.  

The statement comes as the Telegraph obtained undercover recordings of events where anti-Semitism, demands for the destruction of Israel or naked support for terror were expressed by academics and others at meetings in some of Britain’s most prestigious universities.”

It’s not so much a charity, more an openly political campaigning body with strongly antisemitic inclinations.

What with all the promises about antisemitism  - pledges to stamp it out and so on - if this is true it’s a good move and long overdue. 

I realise that impoverished garment-workers in Bangladesh might well be a deserving cause, but should the BBC ever host an appeal by such a politically active body under the guise of do-gooding when they’re really more concerned with do-badding? 

War on Want have put out a denial on their website. They say the government never subsidised them in the first place.

“John Hilary, Executive Director at War on Want, said: "The story in today's Telegraph is a complete fabrication. War on Want has not sought any UK government support for its operations for a number of years now, so it is absurd to suggest that we have had our funding 'pulled'. The insinuation that we have been criticised by the government for standing up for the rights of the Palestinian people is equally bogus. We will be contacting the Telegraph to help it set the record straight."

They might be able to put the record straight about the funding, but what about the antisemitism?