John Simpson crying about BBC funding cuts.
Discussion
What a cock.
John Simpson, the proprietor of Kabuls
t.
John Simpson, the proprietor of Kabuls
t.Guardian said:
John Simpson: BBC licence fee deal is like 'waterboarding'
John Simpson, the BBC world affairs editor, has compared last month's hastily negotiated licence fee settlement with "waterboarding", arguing it leaves the corporation "at the government's mercy".
In a letter published in the latest edition of BBC in-house magazine Ariel, Simpson accuses the government of making an "unprecedented attack against the BBC" after it tried to foist the £556m a year cost of free licence fees for over- 75s on to the corporation.
Instead the corporation has agreed to take on extra funding commitments including the World Service and most of S4C's budget from 2015, contributing £150m a year for the rollout of superfast broadband to rural areas from 2013, and subsidising local TV and online content.
"The government has staged an unprecedented attack against the BBC. The rules were thrown into the rubbish bin, and Mark Thompson was forced to agree to a deal which puts the BBC's future as an independent public service broadcaster into serious question," Simpson said.
"Our income will shrink year on year for seven long years, by amounts that are unknown because we can't tell how high inflation will be over that period of time.
"It'll be like waterboarding. As our head is pulled out of the bath, we'll be so desperate that we can't be certain what compromises and deals we might be tempted to make. We will be at the government's mercy."
Simpson went on to point out that in Canada in the 1980s, when prime minister Brian Mulroney fell out with public service broadcaster CBC, its licence fee was cut.
"CBC remains excellent, but it now broadcasts mostly to an educated, middle-class audience. The mass broadcaster which now dominates Canada's airwaves, CTV, is largely indistinguishable from the US network," Simpson said.
"Something like this now awaits us in Britain. The BBC won't die; it'll just cease to be the envy of the world. That's an outcome which only the far-right idealogues and the Murdoch empire will welcome."
Simpson has long argued that attacks by the government and rival media companies are damaging the future of the BBC.
In March he warned: "This is something I really disagree about with [director general] Mark Thompson. When I saw him recently we argued it out. He's very upbeat about the future of the BBC, not just for public consumption but also in private, but I'm not because I think it's an anomaly in today's world and the licence fee is under such an intense amount of pressure."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/03/john-simpson-bbc-licence-fee-dealJohn Simpson, the BBC world affairs editor, has compared last month's hastily negotiated licence fee settlement with "waterboarding", arguing it leaves the corporation "at the government's mercy".
In a letter published in the latest edition of BBC in-house magazine Ariel, Simpson accuses the government of making an "unprecedented attack against the BBC" after it tried to foist the £556m a year cost of free licence fees for over- 75s on to the corporation.
Instead the corporation has agreed to take on extra funding commitments including the World Service and most of S4C's budget from 2015, contributing £150m a year for the rollout of superfast broadband to rural areas from 2013, and subsidising local TV and online content.
"The government has staged an unprecedented attack against the BBC. The rules were thrown into the rubbish bin, and Mark Thompson was forced to agree to a deal which puts the BBC's future as an independent public service broadcaster into serious question," Simpson said.
"Our income will shrink year on year for seven long years, by amounts that are unknown because we can't tell how high inflation will be over that period of time.
"It'll be like waterboarding. As our head is pulled out of the bath, we'll be so desperate that we can't be certain what compromises and deals we might be tempted to make. We will be at the government's mercy."
Simpson went on to point out that in Canada in the 1980s, when prime minister Brian Mulroney fell out with public service broadcaster CBC, its licence fee was cut.
"CBC remains excellent, but it now broadcasts mostly to an educated, middle-class audience. The mass broadcaster which now dominates Canada's airwaves, CTV, is largely indistinguishable from the US network," Simpson said.
"Something like this now awaits us in Britain. The BBC won't die; it'll just cease to be the envy of the world. That's an outcome which only the far-right idealogues and the Murdoch empire will welcome."
Simpson has long argued that attacks by the government and rival media companies are damaging the future of the BBC.
In March he warned: "This is something I really disagree about with [director general] Mark Thompson. When I saw him recently we argued it out. He's very upbeat about the future of the BBC, not just for public consumption but also in private, but I'm not because I think it's an anomaly in today's world and the licence fee is under such an intense amount of pressure."
What's happened recently? Simpson with the BBC "waterboarding", the Bishop of Lewes saying the discussion about women priests is like 1939, and Boris with his Kosovo housing comment.
Don't they understand how ridiculous they sound? Chances are that when you have to resort to a completely out of proportion, emotive event to make you case, you've probably already lost.
Don't they understand how ridiculous they sound? Chances are that when you have to resort to a completely out of proportion, emotive event to make you case, you've probably already lost.
Excellent news, about both the BBC and the Simpson whining. With luck we'll see more of this. Given the BBC has had knives out for the Conservatives ever since the last Conservative supporter left their ranks in about 1965. Sacking a few top paid nonentities would be a good follow-up from the DG as this would also be 'celebrated' in the Guardian with a lot more gill froth from the left. if this goes on for the next four and a half years it would go about halfway to offsetting the previous ten.
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
"At the mercy of the government"I think the BCC have been consuming too much of their own imperialist propaganda. They forgot they are beholden to the public, who are represented by their elected government.
I completely empathise with this, even though it is classical Aunty at her most strident, misguided, bleating, leftist best - since verily, anything that acts as a bulwark against the appalling colonial has to be encouraged.
When you watch their news progs in this country, it really does start to echo some of that unholy Fox News tripe where you see presenters on the brink of tears at Palin's ankles, almost blubbing for her to 'save them.'
I've got nothing against that, come to think of it (earnest Ted Nugent followers, entertaining, as only they can) - just the notion of an Antipodean wielding that much power - it is plainly wrong.
When you watch their news progs in this country, it really does start to echo some of that unholy Fox News tripe where you see presenters on the brink of tears at Palin's ankles, almost blubbing for her to 'save them.'
I've got nothing against that, come to think of it (earnest Ted Nugent followers, entertaining, as only they can) - just the notion of an Antipodean wielding that much power - it is plainly wrong.
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Edited by 746529 on Thursday 4th November 09:44
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Fwiw I work in the private sector and earn 5/8ths of bugger all
Edited by OllieC on Thursday 4th November 09:47
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Edited by 746529 on Thursday 4th November 09:44
HTH
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Edited by 746529 on Thursday 4th November 09:44
ks username and a vacuous profile. fk off out if you're going to hide behind that sort of nonsense.Profile said:
Nickname: 746529
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Edited by Digga on Thursday 4th November 09:56
Digga said:
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Edited by 746529 on Thursday 4th November 09:44
ks username and a vacuous profile. fk off out if you're going to hide behind that sort of nonsense.Profile said:
Nickname: 746529
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Edited by Digga on Thursday 4th November 09:56
Do you demand what others put in their profiles too? Or just the ones who dare to not follow your political mantra?
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
746529 said:
Digga said:
746529 said:
singlecoil said:
Remind me how many people in the BBC get paid more than the Prime Minister.
I think I see another brilliant pistonheads double standard brewing....Bankers get paid millions because they're worth it, or they would not get paid it. BBC officials get paid a salary and are not worth it.
Either everybody is worth what they're paid or they wouldn't be getting it, or nobody is worth it?
Edited by 746529 on Thursday 4th November 09:44
ks username and a vacuous profile. fk off out if you're going to hide behind that sort of nonsense.Profile said:
Nickname: 746529
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Name:
Member Since: 31st October 2010
Total Posts: 29
Region:
Country: United Kingdom
Edited by Digga on Thursday 4th November 09:56
Do you demand what others put in their profiles too? Or just the ones who dare to not follow your political mantra?
12gauge said:
I think the BBC should charge whatever it wants, just let people choose to pay for it as a standalone service, not a TV licence.
Lets see how many people really think its quality programming when they have a choice to pay for it. My guess would be not many.
I pay to subscribe to it in Singapore - you don't get all the crap like you do back home, so is actually worth the $8 or so it costs a month.Lets see how many people really think its quality programming when they have a choice to pay for it. My guess would be not many.
Sadly, I also get Granada TV in the same package, and that means that I can watch Jeremy Kyle
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