Apr 19 2007
The Today programme backs The Lib Dems
You know it is election time in France and the UK, because the Today programme??starts its fawning interviews and pieces for the Liberal democrats and tells us the so-called moderate French Presidential candidate Mr Bayrou is really very popular even though polls show him in third place in a field of many unpopular candidates. The French front runner has his character criticised by his opponents on air because the polls show him obstinately ahead. The Uk Conservatives are attacked for a peer who has failed to sort out his residence. The Labour government is hounded for several of their sins. I am not complaining about??any of those, as long as they do the same to??the third way.
Yet in a week when the Lib Dem leader asks a question about health and his party is emb roiled in rows about Council tax levels??in local elections??he pops up for one of those special BBC Campbell interviews where he is asked for his views in Iraq as if he were a military and diplomatic expert. He is not seriously challenged on his views, he is not harrassed in the normal way, he is not asked to defend himself against the government/US view of the position. He is not reminded that before the war he opined that it would be legal, and then apparently changed his mind. One has to assume they ask him on Iraq because they believe it will put him in the best possible light.
He is not asked about any embarrassment affecting his party and his senior colleagues. There was no challenge to him on his dire poll ratings since taking over as leader. There was no?? question on how he could try to establish some credibility in the Commons where he usually flounders. There was no question on how the sums of local income tax now add up, after the acute vote losing difficulty ??the party suffered over its local income tax proposals under the previous leader. There was no question on why so many Lib Dem Councils have put Council Tax up by so much more than Conservative Councils.
Come on Today - show you are fair minded and tough journalists. Campbell is just another politician. You treat most politicians roughly, so try some tough questions and some interruptions on Campbell as well.
John Redwood has been the Member of Parliament for Wokingham since 1987. First attending Kent College, Canterbury, he graduated from Magdalen College...
The Today programme editors and journalists rather remind me of the girl who finally got a date with the boy she had dreamed of for many years, (i.e. the Labour election victory in 1997) but the relationship ultimately disappointed, (Iraq and one or two other things) and so she flirts with the less impressive non-threatening friend, (Lib Dems) that she’s never really serious about in a futile attempt to make the first one jealous and hopefully reform the his behaviour. The friend of course is flattered and capable of hearty self-delusion, but never really in with a realistic chance of winning, so really, the parallel with the Lib Dems is more or less exact.
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I sympathise with your suggestion that there is evident political bias shown, particularly by certain presenters, on the Today programme. In my view this bias is to Labour not the Lib Dems. In any event there seems little favour shown to the Conservatives. However, this morning’s interview with Campbell was clearly specifically about Iraq. It would have not been appropriate for John Humphreys to introduce the many other issues regarding the Lib Dems to which you refer.
A question you may like to consider is why Campbell and, on occasions, other Lib Dems are routinely invited to contribute and not a Conservative. Is that bias at the BBC, as you insinuate, or a failing on the part of the Conservative front bench to make sure that their voice is heard?
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It’s
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Enough pressure and he might die in the studio. Te beeb is being kind to avoid that.
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‘Today’ was even more wretched than usual this morning. As well as the above we had John Humphreys declaring repeatedly that British Gas prices ’should’ be lower and then they ran an item on the future of ‘Thought for the Day.’ They interviewed someone, and read out correspondance from those, in favour of opening it up to atheists. I then thought there would be some balance when the token Christian was interviewed for his views but he turned out to be in favour of the idea as well. The presenters could hardly contain their excitement at the prospect of this part of the Gramscian agenda being finally fulfilled.
We also had an interview with two Guardian journalists, including Ms Toynbee, whom was allowed airtime to advertise the paper’s supplement of ‘Greatest 20th century speeches.’ Would The Telegraph have been allowed similar free publicity?
You should push harder for BBC privatisation John.
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