THE GUARDIANISTAS AT THE BBC are threatening to strike during the Tory Party conference if there is no compromise over their pension entitlement. The BBC wants to scrap its final salary pension scheme, as so many millions have had to do in the private sector.
I hope the unions do as they have promised and black out coverage of the Tory’s annual jamboree. It will be the perfect reflection of the staff’s leftist sympathies and confirmation, if one were needed after the Director General’s admission last week, of the corporations ‘earlier’ liberal bias.
The BBC acts like a colonial power both in its attitude and outlook. First of all it perceives itself as a force created by nature, if not by God - they do however feel themselves to have an almost Divine Right to exists as did our ancient monarchs.
The institution has grown fat on the public tit in the past due to the largesse of the British public via the political parties who have used it to cajole and threaten it at every opportunity when the license fee comes up for renewal.
There has however, now been a two year freeze put on further increases to the licence fee by the Coalition. This has lead to various warnings from the BBC about the renewal of popular drama series from America as well the purchasing of films. What the BBC does not understand is that if such programmes are so popular with the British people and have been made no longer affordable, then they will be readily be bought up by ITV or Sky.
THE BBC HAS BEEN one big comfort zone where money has never had to be competed for. It has always been spoon-fed to them by the public who have had no choice on threat of imprisonment but to pay up if they wished to be entertained by any channel.
I have heard the BBC described as either Kafka’s Castle or Gormenghast. Both titles are of course unfair, but they exemplify the character of a state run enterprise; and the BBC is such an enterprise.
If any institution receives its finances from the public purse via the politicians, then it is, as a creative industry, to be despised. The BBC’s arrangement was for a different time in our history; a time when the nation had its back to the wall, and at a time when, in the desperate days of the early post war years when rationing depressed the nation, the BBC lifted spirits.
As the sole broadcaster of the nation, the BBC added extra warmth to the post war coal fires. It was an admirable institution for this phase in our social history, but when the commercial sector arrived and competition was introduced, the BBC found it increasingly hard to justify taxing the public.
There is no doubt that the BBC has many millions of supporters and would no doubt flourish well into the future if the public were to be given a choice about the payment of the licence fee. Instead of demanding it; if the BBC were as popular as they perceive themselves to be, then surely they can do as any other broadcaster has to do – survive in the market place of broadcasting by subscription or advertising - or both.
If we were living in a socialist dystopia the BBC would serve a valuable purpose for the Central Committee of such a wretched society. But thankfully we do not and hopefully we never will.
So let those BBC employees who think the nation will be brought to a halt through their industrial actions proceed – I will even stand on the picket line with them; be it in Norwich.
My only reservation is not that the BBC will cave in to these little emperors working for them – an event that in all probability, will happen: but I hope that the Conservatives will not find a way of doing so in order to save their wretched gathering. This I dearly hope will not happen because other broadcasters will cover the conference on their behalf, and will reach as many of the electorate as the BBC - which is probably minimal.
If the BBC has a future then it has to be in the market place, like any other broadcaster. It cannot go on demanding money from the people of this country with threats of imprisonment.
THOSE WORKING FOR the BBC who threaten to strike should be encouraged to do so by the Conservative part of this governing coalition. There is no need to bully or pressurise the BBC. Just give them enough rope to hang themselves with. Let the BBC’s employees do whatever they wish; it all gives added fodder to the Right’s argument.
I cannot believe that millions of British taxpayers who consider themselves of a centre right conviction, should be forced to contribute to a liberal institution on fear of imprisonment. If this is not a Kafkaesque situation, then I do not know not what is.
The BBC should be put adrift along with its employees to survive in the commercial world freed of any political interference from any of the political parties. The BBC should welcome this and be given a final years £3 billion to make the changes from a state regulated institution to a private, profit making company.
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