"I think it's wonderful"

Talking about multicultural matters...

This morning's Sunday on Radio 4 marked the BBC's 'Faith in the World Week' by featuring interviews (long and short) with believers from several of the UK's faith communities. 

The tone was upbeat throughout all the segments - except for the two bits featuring Muslims, both of which focused on the the difficulties Muslims say they face in the UK (par for the course for a BBC programme of course).

Among the features was a report from the BBC's Rosie Dawson (who we last met recharging her spiritual batteries at a Muslim college, apparently at the licence fee payer's expense, as part of the BBC's internal 'Wonder Week'). 

Except for the bits about those hard-done-by Muslims, her message was consistent and, typically, the chosen closing words of her report (from a young Jewish lad) spelled it out loud and clear:

I think it's wonderful that we live with all these different cultures and I think it's wonderful that we've got the facilities in place, the institutions, where you've got these people talking and there's dialogue between different faiths. I think it's wonderful.

...which might be in the running to become the BBC's official motto some time soon.

Besides the various believers (and the man from the centre-left think tank Demos who's carried out a poll for the BBC), Rosie also gave us the views of an expert in the field - Adam Dinham from the University of London. He began his contribution by saying:

We've always been a nation of immigrants with a milieu of religion and belief churning away. 

...which might also be in the running to become the BBC's official motto some time soon.

And so it goes on, and on and on and on and........

The bedroom tax, multicultural Manchester, and the BBC

My local BBC news programme North West Tonight was in full-blown campaigning mode this evening, leading on the issue of the bedroom tax. 

The programme's introduction used the phrase 'bedroom tax' without qualification or implied inverted commas [saying, "A housing association promises that no one will be made homeless by the bedroom tax", accompanied by images of placards reading 'Axe the tax'], even though the government is adamant that it's not a tax and has complained about the BBC using its opponents' terminology without qualification. [So that showed 'em then!]

Ah, but the programme did later qualify it, saying "Critics call it the 'bedroom tax' and the fear is that it will push people into arrears, into court and onto the streets." [So that's all right then.]

Those fears dominated the following report though. 

We heard the views of campaigners and a housing association; we heard what protesters want; we heard about a woman who's facing eviction as a result of the 'bedroom tax'; and we heard from a disabled man who's in arrears and finding it hard to make ends meet because of the 'bedroom tax', and has "sentimental reasons" for keeping his spare room (members of his close family died in that room.)

Reporter Jayne McCubbin then asked someone a question: "People aren't going to be happy with this."

Who did she put this too? Well, the caption read "Cllr Nick Peel, Bolton Council". 

Googling him revealed him to be a Labour Party councillor, so it was hardly surprising to find him replying, "Well, the only real solution to the bedroom tax is the repeal of the bedroom tax."

Then it was back to the protests, before Jayne finally give the opposing (government's) side - that it's unfair for those in private accommodation to be disadvantaged as opposed to those in public sector housing. She gave the government's side for all of twelve seconds. [That's BBC balance for you! - and who could find anything wrong with that?]

Then it was back to the protests and Chris Hobson of National Housing Federation talking of the "human cost" of the 'bedroom tax', homelessness and people struggling - things his organisation had warned the government about before. 

And with Chris's concerns ringing in our ears and being re-packaged for us by Jayne (presumably lest we'd sneezed a few seconds earlier when he was making them first time round), the report ended - the government and its bedroom tax well and truly pwned.

Still to cheer its viewers up after that tale of government-inspired woe, North West Tonight later gave us a good news 'And finally...'-style story to warm the cockles of our heart - a story which had the presenters almost purring with contentment. 

So what was this feel-good story? 

It was the multi-cultural good news about "Manchester's melting pot - the city in which it's claimed 200 languages are now being spoken".

Yep, researchers have found that over 200 foreign languages are now spoken in Manchester. 

The smiling presenters informed us that those researchers believe that fact makes the city "increasingly attractive to international business."

Reporter Stuart Flinders kept the good multicultural news coming:

"More than 200 languages are spoken, some known mostly in no more than a handful of villages on the other side of the world. This is proof if ever it were needed that Manchester now really is truly an international city."

"In some shops it's handy to have a range of languages available".

"Big business is interested in multi-lingual Manchester too."

An academic from Manchester University - one of the researchers behind the study - expressed his approval too, and Stuart told us that no other large UK city can "boast so many languages". There followed lots of happy, joking 'vox pops' celebrating their various languages.

As the report ended, the North West Tonight presenters turned to each other with wide-eyed amazement:

"Never would have imagined there were so many languages spoken!"

"No, no, it does show what an international city this has become!"

It's all right, everything is all right, the struggle is finished. I love smiling faces. I love multiculturalism. I've won the victory over myself. I love the BBC.

Out with the old...

...and in with the biased!

In my #Occupy post I recalled an edition of Sunday that struck me as providing clear evidence for a 'yes' answer to the question 'Is the BBC biased?'

That was this year's New Year's Day special .

The programme's website lays out the cast list:

"On this special New Year Edition of Sunday, our Presenter Samira Ahmed discusses the role of religion in politics with guests Canon Giles Fraser, Andrew Copson from the British Humanist Association and Inayat Bungalwala [sic] of Muslims UK." 

There was a fourth guest too - "Rosemary Hollis, an expert on Middle East Politics from City University London" -  who contributed to some of the discussions.

For those who accuse the BBC of simultaneously holding a number of specific biases - pro-secular, pro-Muslim, pro-Left, etc - that's something of a cast list from Hell. Giles Fraser is, of course, a left-leaning Anglican (and now a lead writer for The Guardian); Andrew Copson is a left-leaning humanist (and a columnist at The Guardian and The New Statesman) and Inayat Bunglawala is a controversial Muslim apologist (who writes mostly for The Guardian). As for Rosemary Hollis, well, we've met her before. 

David Cameron and the UK's Christian values

Only Giles, Andrew and Inayat joined Samira Ahmed (who pens the occasional piece for The Guardian too) for the first discussion - a reaction to David Cameron's December 2011 speech marking the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible saying that we shouldn't be afraid to say that we're a Christian country, shaped by Christian values:

"Third, we are a Christian country. And we should not be afraid to say so.

Let me be clear: I am not in any way saying that to have another faith – or no faith – is somehow wrong.

I know and fully respect that many people in this country do not have a religion. And I am also incredibly proud that Britain is home to many different faith communities, who do so much to make our country stronger.

But what I am saying is that the Bible has helped to give Britain a set of values and morals which make Britain what it is today. Values and morals we should actively stand up and defend." 

Can you guess in advance what a secularist, a left-leaning Anglican and a Muslim apologist, all Guardian writers, would make of David Cameron's speech? Do you think they'd like it and agree with it, or not?

Samira Ahmed's first question tackled David Cameron's statement that 'we're a Christian country shaped by Christian values' head on': 

 "Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Society, what do you make of that assertion?" 

A very revealing word that, "assertion".