So Conway's punished, but not by the BBC...

Caroline

You are right about the Beebs (and Sky)lack of interest, and it's been pointed out on several blogs that they were hardly at the front of the queue with top of the news headlines. The Conway story was near the bottom of their ‘other news’ column when I’ve looked over the last couple of days. Why the Tories bitterly complain that the BBC is a left leaning/Government supporting organisation is beyond me.

Factchecker

Note the BBC website and news had the Alan Johnson non-story as lead for most of the day too. Poor journalism that nobody bothered to check that Gale had called on Harman to quit over her £5,000 donation only a few weeks earlier.

Stephen Green

They don't want to have ago at Politcians expences as otherwise it will upset their cosy Lobby Correspondence arrangements

David

"Why the Tories bitterly complain that the BBC is a left leaning/Government supporting organisation is beyond me." Had Cameron not removed the whip, they'd have been all over it. As it is, if they do that now, the obvious question is why Brown didn't act in the same way. Not highlighting it now takes the heat off Brown.

Mark

Gale's arguments were (a) that Conway was not being presumed innocent, which somewhat overlooks he had all the time needed to present any evidence in his defence before the parliamentary committee. This cttee in turn demonstrating the son was all but invisible and knew not his father's secretary's name (b) and that we the public should accept Conway's innocence as he, Conway, had assured him, Gale of it, and Gale knew him to be an honourable man. That an MP can put themselves on the leading national news programme and spout such weak drivel, is mind boggling. That he wasn't completely hung out to dry is equally stupefying.

Ian Campbell

If the Beeb had phoned Master Conway's University pals to establish how much work for his father they thought he did, they would have seen off Roger Gale's weak attempt at deny, deny, deny for what it was. But let's not encourage the Today programme. It regularly gets its teeth into so many wrong targets that it clearly cannot tell what is a genuine opportunity and what is a chance to wreak unnecessary havoc.

Tim

Dave should sack Gale too. One can only boggle at how many undecided voters would have put off the Tories after hearing him on Today. If he was my local MP I would vote Labour!

Nicholas Millman

Caroline: "Why the Tories bitterly complain that the BBC is a left leaning/Government supporting organisation is beyond me." Several blogsites have exposed the strong Labour family and career connections in the BBC but I think it is more that a majority of the BBC are institutionally left-leaning and thus drawn to Labour. I think this situation became worse with the horrible New Labour hybrid which combined media savvy, trendy leftism, celebrity culture and spin. It also combined centre left trendy politics with an odd drift towards socialist statism which has accelerated under Gordon Brown. It is a fascinating journey that one day may be analysed properly as dispassionate history unless it runs its full course in which case history (or at least the dispassionate recording of it) will be history! A majority of traditional socialists have gone along for the ride, sometimes bemused I suspect. I don't think there has been a similar marriage of socialist ideals with the beast of the extreme right since a certain ex-Bavarian corporal strutted about. Of course the British version is infinitely more subtle, without the flags and marching.

Alex R

Quinn has never been up to the job. Listen again (if possible) to her interview with David Abrahams. She had such a poor understanding of electoral law that she failed to ask who in the Labour Party had knowledge of his donations – which was surely the key question. She seems to believe that controversial statements are a substitute for hard research. Look no further than Andrew Neil as an example of someone who looks up politicians’ stock answers to any given question and then researches whether or not what is being said is the truth.

David Lindsay

"I think this situation became worse with the horrible New Labour hybrid which combined media savvy, trendy leftism, celebrity culture and spin." Quite. And that's why the Beeb is so supportive of that horrible hybrid's current candidate for Prime Minister, David Cameron. So, if you are, then why are you, dear Spectator reader?

Nicholas Millman

It's a good question and like Gordon Brown I shall fudge it by saying this situation (my support of David Cameron) is under review and a decision will be made after due consultation and consideration. But I have to say I do not quite recognise the level of BBC support for Cameron that you observe. Lastly, whilst the current Conservative approach leaves much to be desired, it draws my sympathy as being much the lesser of two evils; the dark side of Brownism being of such danger to this country. What are the alternatives? If effective opposition is dissipated by Tory/Lib Dem spatting or the various minority "Tory" parties/factions smacking Team Cameron rather than Brown then only the hideous New Labour hybrid will prosper. As I have said before, my enemy's enemy is my friend - subject to review and consultation of course . . . .