On Thursday night I was shocked to hear the manner in which David Dimbleby spoke to Nicola Sturgeon on the BBC flagship programme Question Time, which was broadcast from Glasgow. What he said is well reported here by Joan McAlpine.
Perhaps Mr Dimbleby isn't happy 'his' programme is now produced from Glasgow and he has to visit occasionally, but at his age he ought to know by now that Scotland differs from England in many ways and when it is broadcast from Scotland our issues should take precedent.
There's no point in complaining to the BBC because the usual response will be received. 'Question Time is a UK programme' is a likely reply. Shamefully, on this week's programme, they couldn't produce any Scottish politicians other than Ms Sturgeon who regularly attends this programme in support of Scotland. She coped admirably with Dimbleby's snubs and I'm sure she had far less airtime than any other panellist on this show. Ed, the libdem individual, seemed to be given as much interrupted airtime as he desired - and that was a fair bit.
Mark has been noting the BBC's broadcasting hours given to Labour's Scottish branch's conference in Oban. There have been 20 hours of broadcasting, according to his calculations, and yet the SNP conference received a mere 3 hours. He suggests some of you may wish to add to the 38 Degrees Campaign forum if you want to add your views.
Do we have an impartial BBC? Not in Scotland. The quicker we have control of our own broadcasting the better. Of course that would mean having our own fiscal powers and that wouldn't suit Mr Dimbleby in the least, would it.
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38 comments:
Having a rival broadcasting organisation is going to have to come from the bottom up.
I suggest people look to www.newsnetscotland.com
members are organising a community radio bolt-on and video is in the offing too. There are now over 20, 000 readers (actual individuals) and all sorts of radical challenges to authority are taking place. Newsnet is agreeing a content swap with the Catalan News Agency, another group is trying to get a campaign against paying the BBC licence fee going and there are lots of other ideas springing from this hub.
I think it is the genie out of the bottle. Please think about involving yourself. You don't often know when the revolution has started - I thinking I'm tipping you off..
Excellent post SR.
I fear that the Dimbleby sons only ever got to do what they have done because their father was a BBC stalwart in the black and white days of the 1950s. I think that he was the first reporter in to Belsen, and made an amazing report from there, although that must have been a hard things to do. (Not as hard as the troops mind, and even that wasn't a 100th of what the inmates had to live through.)
However Dimbleby was their star man, and got to do state funerals and coronations and such like. He got his lads in.
Well both of them are useless.
High time that he was pensioned off to do his programmes on architecture and history, which we can choose not to watch. Question Time is a little more of a “must”.
If the best they can come up with is the crew that were there in Glasgow we shouldn’t send out Dept First Minister. It is flattering them.
I trust that Dumblebum will point out to people next week when they talk about Education, Local Government, Health, Law, Policing, Prisons etc etc, that this is a UK programme and we have to talk about Uk issues.
What a bloody idiot he is.
"Do we have an impartial BBC?"
SR, what do you expect from a 'government controlled media outlet"?
Anyway, I thought you had to 'land the fish' before you got to 'eat the sturgeon'? Yes, as an 'Englander', I have to say "the girl done good"!
From the scant reports we get down here, Nicola Sturgeon appears to be a very able minister. I am sure she held her own.
The BBC will never admit to any institutional bias. I was once at a rally of 10,000 in Trafalgar Square with international speakers. The BBC cameras were there but not a hint on the news. They reported extensively on 30 or 40 people outside Downing Street with some racial grievance instead. When we complained, they said "Well, nothing happened".
Richard Dimbleby was a very authoritative reporter. IMHO his finest hour was when he reported on the failure of the Italian spaghetti harvest one April Fool's day back in the Fifties. I still remember it with pleasure.
Stopped watching Mr Dimbleperson a long time ago, no surprise at his behaviour - he thinks he's a right card. I think he's a right C! Anyway, I signed up for the 38 degree thingbob - fancy having to fight to get the BBC to comply with their own stated charter....I knew it was a mistake to let them operate out of Glasgow....what an absolute shower! The MSM in Scotland punting labour as the next party of Government.......imagine Ian Gray, a man who, under pressure, can hardly string two sentences together as the next first minister Argh! For those of you who read this from other parts of the UK and the world - PRAVDA Press, TV and Radio and Labour's imagined "right" to rule are distorting my country and the ironic thing is the vast majority of the "owners" of said media live outside Scotland. And there's not a damn thing I can do about it.....roll on the afore mentioned revolution.
".....the BBC's broadcasting hours given to Labour's Scottish branch's conference in Oban. There have been 20 hours of broadcasting..."
Does anybody (apart from insomniacs & masochists) watch 20 hours of PPB?
No Joe, I shouldn't think many people would watch 20 hours of it, but they do have the opportunity at any time during that 20 hours to catch some of it...
...On thr other hand, the governing party was afforded only 3hours, which kind of reduced the possibility that one might be able to catch any tme of it at all.
The BBC sees the nationalists as a threat... and indeed we probably would be a bit of a threat to them. After all they must make a nice little killing out of the Scottish licence payer for very little expense.
Alex, as I'm sure you know I'm a newsnetscotland reader and I look forward to the latest developments. If there's any way in which I can help please ask.
The old school tie Tris and BBC luvvie syndrome too.
I rather liked the father. To me he was an Englishman and I can't remember him ever being rude to anyone.
She was good WfW, then again she always is. There are few politicians of her quality around.
Thanks for including an 'ignore' class RM. All too often we forget what's ignored when he become too infuriated about the bias.
Oh Edward, I too remember that. I viewed it on a tiny black and white which was quite snowy. How did we manage to sit through even the news with such pictures? We knew nothing else of course.
Yes Ms Sturgeon did hold her own.
Pleased to hear you've signed Dram and the more perhaps the better. I tend to be more and more cynical about the BBC but I've signed up too.
Oh Joe, I should think quite a few will do. I'm an insomniac (at times) and I'd rather watch the Parliament channel. It's even interesting sometimes.
That Panorama spaghetti harvest report:
An estimated 8 million people watched it and hundreds phoned the BBC the following day to question the authenticity of the story, or, ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees.
The BBC reportedly told them to "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best".
I didn't know that bit Joe. Jings, that was 50 years ago. Scary isn't it.
RM, I can remember back in the 90s I had a list of phone numbers for all the TV news desks and was able to phone immediately there was any bias. Those days are gone. There's no way a member of the public would get near any news desk now.
Subrosa,
The BBC has been infiltrated by socialists. Their left wing influence can be seen in almost all productions from childrens television to QT.
Their news programmes are an absolute disgrace and I believe we should all be given the opportunity to express our feelings in a UK referendum on the future of the BBC.
IF it was left to market forces and had to rely on subsciptions, rather than the tax we all have to pay, I believe there would be a seachange in their approach. Whilst they can just sit back and expect us all to pay they carry on regardless.
But as regards Dimbleby. He is in his seventies. (I am almost there!) He should have been retired years ago, as should his brother and equally nasty Johnathan,
The BBC have a remarkable retirement policy, it appears to me, Kate Adey retired some years ago yet she has two programmes on BBC radio still. The woman from the Today programme who retired some years ago is still hosting radio programmes.There are many examples of this just take a look and listen.
What chance have our young people got, what chance for new talent when the BBC cling unto old codgers who should be joining me down at the AgeConcern weekly debates!
But as for your Minister she is extremely capable BUT I do believe that if the Scottish Parliament complained something may be done by the BBC. I am sure the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, in Scotland, would support such a complaint.
Labour will not help because it is their broadcasting arm.
I have requested that my posts from last night be deleted.
Thanks to Rosie for driving the get away car :O)
Alex
I try to look on the astringent side of most things to keep me going - and I've always wondered why the BBC has continuously shied away from inviting Mr Iain Gray onto the Scottish based QTs - or any other for that matter ... methinks they know he would be found wanting and discomfit the BBC luvvies.
Dimbledum has attracted complaints before for his style. It aint always about Scotland.
>> Sadly the BBC is just an extension of the Labour party.
Apart from when Desert Island Discs is getting shedloads of complaints for giving Nick Clegg a party political broadcast.
I heard, some time ago, labour leaders were invited to put themselves or a representative forward for this programme. Remember when Wendy Alexander was promoted to be appearing Clarinda, but she was always replaced by a n other at the last minute?
Since then none has bothered. They know full well Nicola would tear them to shreds.
I missed that programme Alec but I heard it was exactly that. Dimbleby is always scathing about the SNP - along with hundreds of his well paid BBC colleagues.
I'm sure he is, but he has difficulty keeping his opinions to himself on other subjects so the problem is *him* not necessarily an anti-SNP style on the BBC.
The idea that the BBC is the Labour Party on screen is, of course, laughable.
Still, maybe now a senior SNP knows what it's like to be rounded upon, they won't be so keen to do it to others on the Holyrood floor.
PS I did see it, and it was dire.
I'm actually more suprised nothing has been made of the Politics Show interview last week with Alex Salmond. Especially (and I know this goes against the lefty BBC concensus here, but here goes...) as the interviewer gave Michael Gove a comparitavely easy ride in her interview with him moments previously.
For those who do not know, Michael Gove is a Tory cabinet minister. Not Labour. Tory.
RMcGeddon - Have you seen some of the Tea Party candidates? Insane, mad, evil are all words that come to mind when they appear on television - especially when the one that isn't a witch comes on to the screen.
The BBC is a Westminster establishment for the purveying of its propaganda and the dumbing down of the populace. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you want more vote for independence.
SR - As you may remember, I'm a Unionist, albeit one who wants a lot more devolution than we currently have. And I'm quite a fan of David Dimbleby. I think his quizical raised eyebrows and doggedness in bringing panellists back to the questions as asked by the audience is admirable.
However, I didn't like his dismissive attitude to Nicola's inevitable steering of the debate to independence/devolution. The program does need to be focussed on UK-wide issues, but local ones can't be completely ignored. And, besides, Scots independence and devolution are hardly irrelevant the the rest of the nation.
It would have been acceptable to rein it in if she had strayed for too long on the constitutional settlement, but it's a factor so I was upset he tried to close down the issue completely and I thought of you as it happened!
Allan, I didn't see the Politics Show last week but I may have it recorded. Will go and look. Thanks for highlighting it.
The problem is RA the independence vote is kind of stuck around the 35% mark. If only there was a magic wand to raise it higher.
Of course I remember IPP and I respect your stance regarding unionism.
Pleased to hear you also were aware of Dimbleby's attitude to Ms Sturgeon. Very undeserved it was.
He permitted the others to rant on about Ireland and Iceland and mock the Scottish government without interruption. That's what annoyed many.
I'm flattered you thought of me - in fact IPP I feel rather honoured. :)
Strangely enough, Dimbleby once spoke highly of Israel as a holiday destination.
- Aangirfan.
Unfortunately Rosa the magic wand is gripped hard in Westminster's gauntlet.
Though there has been many a Westminster Government with less than a 35% mandate; especially when the percentage of those who didn't bother to vote are included.
Judging from the SNP's performance to date, it seems the cause of independence cannot be left to the politicians - they seem more interested in playing word games within the rules of the political club than achieving their stated objectives (no change there then).
That being the case the demand for their objective to be achieved must be thrust on them and the method used could be blindingly simple. I've said this before, but, if each believer in the cause for independence took it upon themselves to convince a targeted maximum of six voters who generally voted for the Unionists, independence would be either guaranteed by the democratic process or the false flag of the SNP would be exposed. Though the squeals from Westminster and its media circus would reach new heights.
While Westminster writes the rules and referees the game the 35% of an 8.6% minority puts support for independence on the same footing as support for the BNP.
That's how Westminster see's it and how it presents it.
That is strange Aangirfan. Not many people's first choice I shouldn't think.
Very well said RA. I may just point out your comment to Alex Porter for Newsnet if you don't mind.
Yes we spoke about this some time ago. I'm confident I've convinced at least 6 folk here but it wasn't too difficult with having John Swinney as the MSP. He fits into the centre right very well.
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