cassie

Such as those who divert the thread from its original course. It's a well known troll tactic, as you know, together with feigning incomprehension!

We wouldn't expect YOU to have anything relevant or sensible to add to this thread, and you haven't!


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Mikeuk

No, you're probably right there.

cassie

Friday, 19 Sep 2008 11:21

The UK broadcasting bias against England worsens - only a BBC England channel can put it right.

'The response of the BBC on September 8th to the report of the Scottish Broadcasting Commision set up by the Scottish Government which calls for £75 million to be spent on a new, high-quality Scottish TV channel has worsened BBC institutional bias and discrimination against England,' Michael Knowles, Head of the Media Unit of the Campaign for an English Parliament has stated in his message to meeting of the National Council of the CEP to be held in Birmingham on Saturday September 20th.

'The Commission has called for £75 million of public money to be spent on a new, high-quality Scottish TV channel. It has called upon the BBC to review its commissioning policy for Scottish programmes and for more programmes to be devolved to Scotland. It has stated that 'the case for such a channel and a related online presence has strengthened considerably and it is right to have a network based in Scotland serving audiences in Scotland'.

''The BBC Scotland Controller Ken McQuarrie has said he will welcome an investment for audiences in Scotland,' Mr Knowles informed the National Council. 'In contrast the BBC has no channel at all for England and stubbornly refuses even to entertain the idea of one, be it on radio or TV or through an online network. The BBC will not even as much as recognise England as a distinct nation within the United Kingdom. It persists with dealing with England as a collection of separate regions in line with its policy of organising itself into 'nations and regions', with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the nations. It refuses to deal with England as one nation. There is already a BBC Wales and a BBC Scotland, the existence of which inculcates a sense of national identity in both, which the BBC denies to the English people. In this way the BBC exercises in the case of England a policy of cultural and political bias. It knowingly promotes a sense of a distinct Asian identity among British citizens of Asian origin with its Asian Network while it denies to all the people of England in all their ethnic variety and loyalties any sense of the common English identity they possess. This is unfair and divisive.'

'I have repeatedly brought this matter to the attention of Mrs Alison Hasting, who has the title of Trust Representative for the English Regions and who chairs a panel of representatives of those 'regions'. Being a representative of 'regions' is not the same as being the representative for England as a distinct national entity like the other UK nations has. Mrs Hastings however has continued to defend the BBC policy which treats England just as a bagatelle of regions, which policy in fact has no roots in English culture or history.

'The warm welcome of the BBC to the report of the Scottish Commission is yet another indication that both the BBC and the Scottish Government are politically and culturally at one in how they regard Scotland. They jointly regard Scotland as a distinct nation with a distinct national identity; and jointly, each in their own powerful way, they promote and reinforce that identity. The BBC by reason both of its charter and anti-discrimination law in general should be impartial in how it treats the different nations of the UK. Culturally and politically however it treats the English nation in a very unfair and discriminatory manner. A BBC England in TV, radio and online is the only way forward'

Contacts:
Michael Knowles. Head of Media Unit CEP
Tel: 01260 271139. Email: michael-knowles@tiscali.co.uk


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