Andrew Constantine

The BBC should take the high road
Iain Macwhirter
August 9, 2007 12:30 PM

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...high_road.html

"It's a measure of just how attitudes have changed towards the SNP administration in the last three months that Alex Salmond was able to deliver an audacious speech seeking to wrest control of broadcasting from Westminster yesterday and win almost universal support from across the industry and Scottish public opinion. A few years ago, any such attempt to "nationalise" the BBC would have been attacked as cultural vandalism - as an attempt to politicise broadcasting, dictate the news agenda and separate Scotland from the world in some kind of tartan kailyard.

Some still see it that way, of course, especially in the Scottish Labour party. The former first minister, Jack McConnell, was heard yesterday rehearsing the arguments against giving Holyrood responsibility for broadcasting - that it would lead to a parochial service and separatism. But few people in Scotland are listening to Labour right now on these issues, and unless they find some less negative way of promoting unionism, they are unlikely to get back in the political race.

For of course giving control of broadcasting to Holyrood does not mean political control, any more than Westminster's responsibility for broadcasting allows the UK government to dictate programme content to the BBC in London. It was always a perverse anomaly for the Scottish parliament to be given responsibility for the creative industries without any over broadcasting, which is the most important creative industry of all. It was the result of a paranoid spasm by Jack Straw in the cabinet committee that debated the Scotland bill in 1997.

There has been a deafening silence from BBC Scotland because the vast majority of people working in it agree with Salmond. They realise that the present arrangements are indefensible. There has been an extraordinary shrinkage in network commissions from the big broadcasters in Scotland in the last four years. According to Ofcom, the total share of UK spending in Scotland has dropped to 3%, down nearly half. On a population basis, it should be something like 9%. BBC spending on current affairs has dropped by over 40% and news by over 20%. For the BBC to be shutting up shop in Scotland just at the moment the country is assuming more control over its political destiny is inexcusable. Which is why no one in the BBC has tried to defend it.

The rundown of the BBC's operations in Scotland led to the resignation of the highly respected head of BBC news and current affairs, Blair Jenkins, who will now head the Scottish Broadcasting Commission set up by Salmond to address the problem. There is little doubt about what it will recommend. That the BBC be required to honour its charter responsibilities to the nations and regions; that the Scottish Six O'Clock News should be revived; and that broadcasting should become a formal responsibility of the Scottish parliament, if only to hold those responsible to account.

The only problem is that most of the people who used to work in broadcasting in Scotland are now in London or out of the industry altogether. The big two independent production companies, IWC and the Comedy Unit, were bought out by RDF, which has had all commissions frozen as a result of that Queen trail. Salmond faces a massive task in reviving the creative industries in Scotland, but make no mistake - he is determined to try."

AJC comment - If the SNP win the above argument, it might have the very real benefit in the BBC down here devoting much more resource to news in England and I would hope such coverage would be influenced by England's anti-EU stance.

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Andrew Constantine
Free England Party - Independence for England
http://www.freeengland.com

http://freeengland.blogspot.com

Signatory to The English Claim of Right
http://englishclaimofright.com

Westcountryman

It's the Grauniad, what can I say.

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Porthemmet Beach

Britannist

No surprise really - Salmond was always going to try to increase nationalist influence over broadcasting in Scotland if he got his hands on the levers of power.

I say blame Labour and the europhile Liberal Dims for creating the circumstances in which Salmond is now able to try to further undermine Britishness and the Union of the UK. It was Labour and the Liberal Dims who established the Scottish Parliament and Executive assuming - naively - that they would - together - have semi-permanent control of them.

After just eight years of the Scottish Parliament/Executive their plan is in tatters with the euro-nationalist and anti-UK Salmond in the driving seat in Edinburgh.

Expect the committed europhile Salmond and his so-called nationalists to cause as many problems for the Union of the UK as they can during the time they have power. These people have waited half a century for this moment - having formed their party decades ago with one aim - Scotland out of the UK and in with 'europe' instead.

Labour are in a mess over devolution in Scotland and Wales and - in giving Scotland her own Parliament but refusing to give the ancient nation of England anything at all - have annoyed the people of England by denying us our historic right to self-determination.

We must target Labour for their ineptitude regarding Scottish and Welsh devolution and for their brazen disregard for the wishes of the people of England and our right to equality in the UK (with the other parts of the Kingdom).

Westcountryman

Has anyone watched live coverage of the Scottish Parliament before? Personally, I can't stand it, I hate the way they clap. I'll take the 'Hear Hear' and jeering of the Commons anytime over that cr*p.

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Porthemmet Beach

Britannist

Yes, I saw some of it a few months ago. I don't like the McConnell (the Labour leader who was First Minister at the time) - nor Salmond, of course.

I also don't like the way the rival Parliament in Edinburgh is designed - the semi-circle seating arrangement is like that of a continenal Parliament.

I prefer the way the seating is positioned in the House of Commons in London (or the House of Commons in Ottowa and the Federal Parliament in Canberra).

Westcountryman

Yes, I also prefer the adversarial system of the commons over the 'collective' approaches of the Continent and the States.

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Porthemmet Beach

Britannist

Correction regarding posting number five (above) - the name of the capital of Canada is, of course, spelt Ottawa.

Britannist

The Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and the London Assembly are all using european continental seating arrangements (i.e. semi-circle rather than Governing party directly facing the opposition).

Further evidence of the ruling 'elite' having a clear plan to continentalise this country.

The rival Parliament in Edinburgh and the two assemblies I mention are all designed to fit into the EU plot to weaken the UK.

steve fowler

i was watching a repeat of salmond speaking on may23 to the scottish p and he put me right off! i could tell all wants to is get scotland out the of the uk so he can screw up the country and join the big boys on the gravy train.

Britannist

Yes, his aim is to be Prime Minister of a socialist Scotland firmly inside the EU. I was actually half expecting Salmond to organise his own Coronation ceremony and declare himself the King of Scotland.

He is a committed europhile who claims to want independence for Scotland but who would hand any sovereignty he got from Westminster straight to the EU.

I am not sure all Scots are aware that Salmond's Scottish 'National' Party is a bogus nationalist party whose real aim is the end of the Scottish Pound and to turn Scotland into an EU-controlled statelet.