I am surprised people are surprised by recent revelations from the BBC.

For years they have taken a pro big government and pro EU line in much of their news output. Interviewers queue up to ask Ministers why they don’t tax more, intervene more, do more. They hardly ever ask why they tax so much, intervene so much, legislate so much. For a long time they have sought to chase audience by trying to make things more exciting and controversial.

Between 2001 and 2005 BBC Radio Berkshire which serves my constituency hardly ever asked me on to discuss anything I had put out by way of press release. They took no interest in the many things I did for my local community. They specialised in ringing me up when they hoped I would make a comment out of line with official party policy on a subject I had not expressed a view on, or when they wanted me to give out "right wing" views which they could??set up??or invite others to condemn. As a result I turned down most such requests. My majority went up at the next election, demonstrating that you do not have to be a slave to the media to stay elected. They were never prepared to read what I had actually said, and ever ready to assume they knew my views from their own caricatures of Conservatives.

I look forward to the day when they lose their right to tax us, and stop harrying people who choose not to have a TV with their unpleasant poll tax demands. It is difficult to see what BBC TV offers that is not also available from commercial channels. The more they dumb down, and the more they distort to chase audience, the less it is possible to argue?? that they should be supported from taxation. A better case can be made for the World Service and one domestic radio channel.

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