The Culture Secretary’s loaded gun is jammed

BrianSJ

David,
Finally worked it out. You are just a troll. No food from me.

Sir Graphus

Straight out of the Campbell text book, Section 3, bullying the media.

Verityred

You can smell the fear when members of this Labour government come out with this sort of rubbish. Just shows up exactly the unhappy place they are in. As for accusations of bias in favour of the Tories at the BBC, it seriosly beggars belief. Is it yet another indication of the kind of nasty tactics employed by a busted and rotting government?

HJ

I agree that the BBC isn't overtly biased.

However,its news and current affairs reporting/analysis is, indeed, feeble. Specifically:

- It rarely challenges the basis of politicians statements or subjects them to analysis.
- It tends to go along with 'statist' assumptions. For example, it would never ask politicians trying to impose their pet theories on state education, why the state doesn't get out of educational provision altogether (similarly with the NHS).
- It lets politicians set the agenda, especially at election time.
- It rarely entertains 'alternative' viewpoints. For example if there is a radio phone-in on transport investment, it will never ask the question 'why should the government subsidise transport in the first place?'It is just assumed that the government should be involved.
- It offers little historical insight. Any discussion of the NHS will assume that most people were unable to access medical care before the NHS (which is untrue).
- It is lazy. It always asks the same old union leaders and representatives of interest groups their opinions whilst ignoring the fact that the majority of people are not in unions not in obvious interest groups. For example, the BMA is always invited to comment on any NHS issues. The BMA is nothing more than a trade union representing its members.Listening to the BBC, you would think it represented patients.

An advantage of the BBC is that it should fearlessly question all groups without wondering about any impact on its commercial interests. Sadly, it fails to do this.

Sally Chatterjee

Lashing out at the media and playing the victim card are classic sign that Labour's losing the plot.

It reminds me of a football player having a go at the referee. He'd to better to up his game.

Jamie Burnham

I await Coffee House reaction to the Culture Secretary's comments with interest. Most contributors here seem convinced that the BBC is conspiring against the right.

Chris W

Having watched last week's Question Time, I think that Bradshaw showed he is totally unfit for this or any other office. He is one of the worst-informed commentators I have ever seen. David Starkey was totally dismissive of him, and was not wrong.

saddleworth

I agree, I don't believe the BBC is biased. Frequently incompetent and often stupid, but not biased politically. For a political hack to be called a Culture Secretary is quite daft and presumably inclines the man to act daft. If he thinks either his remarks, or the medium in which they were express, is the way to promote debate on the BBC role and performance he is sadly deluded - but there again that is presumably a requirement of being a Culture Secretary.

burt

what's interesting is that Bradshaw, and Labour, are already behaving as though they are in opposition - certainly not in government. No serious person takes what a vacuous flyweight like Bradshaw says anyway - he, and Labour, have cried wolf once too often for anyone to really care.

Ed P

I'm amazed you can state the BBC is impartial! They get away with considerable (lefty) bias by the simple expedient of just not reporting items in depth or ignoring them altogether. Many times I've fruitlessly looked for BBC reporting of, for example, a story that's mainstream on the web, only to find little or a glossed-over extract, usually putting a different bias on the facts.

Simon Stephenson

The BBC's problem is the very fact that it is required to be politically balanced between Parties. One of the effects of this is that even the most unlikely of scenarios, if given by a Party representative, must get no less favourable a presentation than would be given to a much more likely scenario from one of his opponents. As far as politics is concerned, the BBC is no longer permitted to be discriminatory on quality - it's required to be even-handed between sagacity and crass stupidity.

There are far better ways of minimising bias than outlawing discernment. But the Hutton Report put paid to that as far as the BBC is concerned. Now the Parties know that even the most outrageous claims will have to be treated as serious comment, and political discourse takes another stride towards the cesspit.

Verity

Do the Speccie staff ever have any British analogies? Every single reference is to American culture, including James Forsythe's celebrated reference to Westminster Village as "inside the Beltway". I've noticed many others by the wannabee Americans on this site,the latest of which is David Blackburn's Lone Ranger with Twitter as his Tonto. Why not Dick Turpin with Twitter his Black Bess?

This is a British site about British politics speaking to an overwhelmingly British readership. If we want to read American references, there are plenty of places for us to go.

Stepney

After 12 years of favourable press coverage - a heady mix of spin, toadying, press management and McBridean threat, poor old Labour are now aghast that someone, somewhere may actually be questioning their record and competence (sic). You know when a party is in deep do-do. They attack the independence of the press.
What goes around, comes around.

This is pretty astonishing though. This is, remember, the Culture Secretary. Could you imagine the Defence Secretary saying that the Army is pretty rubbish? Or the Education Secretary complaining that Teachers are pretty feeble?

Decorum used to be the entry level test for a minister - one presumes most of them nowadays think it's some type of deodorant.

David Blackburn

Verity,

Because Dick Turpin and Black Bess are nowhere near as absurd as the Lone Ranger and Tonto. I suppose I could've compared BB to Matthew Hopkins or Gandalf and Shadowfax, but they don't work as well.

Vulture

As David Starkey told him on QT: 'The French take culture seriously. We have Ben Bradshaw'.
The Beeb know who'll be buttering their bread in June.

TrevorsDen

Indeed Mr Stephenson - labour can say the most outrageous hokum and the beeb have to treat it seriously.

Bradshaw? bless!

Neil Turner

Can't believe this rubbish. Of course the BBC is biased.

It hates the Tories, Israel, and US Republicans. It is biased against Christianity and for Islam.

It promulgates man made global warming as a scientific fact, never presenting any arguement against it.

James

Verity:
I rather thought you wanted closer links with the US, as opposed to the EU. So, why the anti-American rhetoric?

Talia

Please can we have Fraser back, instead of David Blackburn? Iâ™ve really had enough of this.

KB

I'll believe the BBC is biased towards the right when I hear Davis refer to the Tories as "we" (as Jim Naughtie referred to Labour when interviewing Ed Balls in 2005).

Nicholas

Bradshaw, the "Culture" secretary, who pleaded that he was born too late to be expected to know who Roman Polanski was.

Oliver

Sorry David but I have to disagree completely.

The left wing bias is rife throughout the BBC. You only have to watch or listen to it. Often there is bias through omission and sometimes it's not always obvious but is always there.

In2minds

British characters and British analogies please in British stories. Dick Turpin and Black Bess will be just fine.

Malcolm

Quite right Chris W. Bradshaw's performance on QT was pitiful, whereas Starkey's dissection of his point of view was masterful.

TimC

"Simon Stephenson-The BBC's problem is the very fact that it is required to be politically balanced between Parties."
Absolutely spot on. We are allowed no true opinionated commentators so get bland (if left leaning)balance all the time. On holiday here in the USA I can see Laura Ingram, Michelle Malkin, Bill O'Reilly presenting a definite view of events and people. If I wanted to I could see similar left wing views as well.

Verity

James - Why is thinking that cultural references pertinent to our own society, rather than US show business, are more apt, anti-American in some way?

I am pro-American and, indeed, I love America, especially Texas. But we have a bank of our own references and I regret the slavish Americanisation of our society on the surface, but without the depth. Actually, I thought David Blackburn's response above to me was rather good, though.

I think it is nice, though, that, despite the vast distances, our foreign cultural references to tend to be American and Aussie rather than French or German. One more sign that the bonds that bind the Anglosphere are strong and should not be broken.

We have little in common with the Europeans. To all the ticks and fleas who are drawing in a great big breath to shout "Little Englander!", I lived in the Languedoc for two years and am very fond of the region and the people.

Percy

Bradshaw is a pathetic performer. I remember another performance by him on QT in 2003 when he became quite literally hysterical and very spiteful because someone dared to suggest Mr Tony was making stuff up about Sadaam's WMD.

And did anyone else notice that Bradshaw was first off his feet to applaud Chernenko's ghastly speach last week? I never thought that young Ben would be hunkering down in the bunker come the end; indeed I thought there were rumours he wanted to change sides.

Carly

The BBC is biased alright but AGAINST the Tories. Witness their obsession with Cameron and Osborne being educated at Eton, yet the fact that Clegg, who was educated at the equally exclusive Westminster, has not once been mentioned. Nor has Alistair Darling's Loretto education. I also cannot remember Blair having been educated at the Scottish Eton Fettes being given so much prominence by the so called 'balanced' BBC. Another example of bias, they keep going on about the Tories allies in Europe yet no mention of the report in the Times newspaper the other day re MI5 warnings about Jack Straw, the JUSTICE SECRETARY no less, being too close to Muslim extremists.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6860246.ece

Another example, Mandelson's speech was covered by the BBC news in all it's Tory bashing glory but Ken Clarkes totally ignored.

Bradshaw and Labour are trying to create the absolutely false impression that the BBC is going soft on the Tories in the hope that they will start attacking them. It is NOT the job of the media to attack or undermine Labour, Tory or Liberal or any party, it is the BBC job to report facts. We on the right should be constantly putting our version of the BBC bias across. Because unlike Bradshaw's nonsense it's actually true.

Laura May

Marr was at it again today on the Alan Titchmarsh show. Saying the BBC are right to keep harping on about his background because he can't be in touch with real people's concerns. I couldn't believe my ears, it was blatant bias. Tony Blair was privately educated yet Marr writes in his own book that Blair had a hotline to 'middle Englan'. How can anyone not see the BBC is totally biased against the Conservatives.

Dorothy Wilson

The BBC not biased? I would take some convincing. There is certainly a BBC agenda. Listen to any news item on the Lisbon Treaty. It will be presented as a device to help the EU run smoothly. Nothing else. Really?

And the all news bulletins earlier today began along the lines: The Conservatives have defended the Shadow Chancellor's proposals .... with the inference that the Conservatives have got something wrong and are on the back foot. The bias may not always be overt but it is surely there.

stephen g

Bent Ben is a revolting piece of work - the ultimate toady. Would have been a good and faithful Nazi/COmmunist Party member/name your lickspittle totalitarian regime.

Cassandrina

It is difficult for me to believe that people exist that believe the bbc is not left wing, and for years acting as Blair's and now Brown's propaganda machine.
There is enough evidence on this from the infamous Naughty "secret" interview with Kinnock onwards, and other evidence can be found on Biased BBC.
Labour is now into smearing Tory individuals and the attack on the bbc is simply a smokescreen without any true evidence. Compare the sympathetic coverage of Labour with the first two days of the Tories in Manchester with Carolyn Quinn acting like she was auditioning for the shrew in the Taming of the Shrew.
Almost all radio 4 women presenters are "clever" and left wing, and only one Tory Minister showed his contempt of Quinn in their "interview" - all others were too respectful of an obviously biased interviewer.