The Protect the BBC Society

Shout “Hurrah for Auntie!!”

The Society has been set up due to a genuine concern about a threat to destroy the BBC as we now know it.  The Society’s aims are to: -

* Support the independence of the BBC from political and other interference;

* Support the BBC charter; and

* Support the principle of the universal licence fee.

Then to ensure the government (the Conservative Party): -

* Allows the BBC to compete in the world media market selling its services and products;

* Allows the BBC to get on with what it does best – by providing an excellent service to a wide section of society and the world.

Former BBC diretor general Lord Tony Hall does think the BBC license may not survive 10 years and secure alternative funding will need to be found. In the meantime, the universal licence fee needs to be protected.

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A Bit of Background.

NOTE TO THE READER: - This page needs up dating.

One has to start by mentioning the BBC is the envy of the world as a public service broadcaster. It should be valued by the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as it is valued around the world.

The BBC is known as the voice of truth. No wonder our own politicians and politicians around the world do not like it; it reveals inconvenient truths.

The Conservative Party/Club knows that if they can kill off the universal license fee they can kill off the inconvenient and troublesome BBC or drastically reduce its effectiveness as a watch dog over political wrongs and abuses.

The Private Eye magazine has reported many times on the threat the Conservative party are to the independence of the BBC and to its very existence. The Independent newspaper has reported in similar terms. For some reason other commercial media appear to report the "facts" the BBC is bias and out of control financially and needs to be brought under strict control and reduced in size.

The commercial media complain the BBC is far too popular and affects its commercial interests. They want it emasculated and much reduced so it cannot compete with them. They do not have your interests at heart; they have their own commercial interests at heart and it is odd but true to say they are legally obliged to do so.

If the BBC was an independent commercial enterprise the Conservatives and other political parties would be singing its praises and courting its management to gain its support.

It has not gone unnoticed in the popular press that after visiting media tycoons and their associates David Cameron and colleagues, such as Gideon “Call me George” Osborne, are known to attack the BBC and the license fee and look to reduce it further. To me they sound like they are reading out a press release on behalf of commercial interests.

As to the BBC license fee………………..

It should be noted the BBC license fee is £159.00 so only £13.50 per month or £3.31 per week or 44p a day. And there are no adverts.

For a breakdown of where the license fee goes please have a look at

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-51376255 

Commercial media suppliers charge a great deal more and, of course, with most you get the adverts.

For comparison Sky is between £300.00 and £432.0 per year. Other subscription media service suppliers are available with at various prices with and without adverts and/or special tax avoidance schemes for them.

At least with ITV you do not have to pay to watch the adverts.

As an aside the Government were looking to sell off Channel 4 to commercial interests. Some say this was B Johnson widing up the liberals for fun and as a distratction.

The  Conservative MP John Whittingdale who was appointed the Culture Secretary 2015 2026 has said the £145.50 fee is 'worse than the poll tax'. Do not forget the Conservative Party introduced the poll tax. Maybe Mr Whittingdale meant to say the BBC fee is worse than the unfair bedroom tax introduced by the Conservative party. Or it is worse than the billions of pounds of cuts to benefits for the vulnerable in our society resulting in at least 490 suicides and many deaths of vunerable people. Or the many other cuts the Conservatives have made to services blighting people’s lives.

According the  Conservative MP John Whittingdale Wikipedia entry: -

Born 16 Oct 1959

“From 1982–84, Whittingdale was Head of the political section of the Conservative Research Department. He then served as Special Adviser to three successive Secretaries of State for Trade and Industry, Norman Tebbit, 1984–85; Leon Brittan, 1985–86, and Paul Channon, 1986–87. He worked on international privatisation at NM Rothschild in 1987 and in January 1988, became Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Upon her resignation, Whittingdale received the OBE and he continued as her Political Secretary until his election to Parliament in 1992.”

And further it says: -

“Whittingdale voted against the legislation for same-sex marriage in 2013.”

“In 2014 Whittingdale along with six other Conservative Party MPs voted against the Equal Pay (Transparency) Bill which would require all companies with more than 250 employees to declare the gap in pay between the average male and average female salaries.”

So we are looking at a professional politician who it appears has never had a proper job.

Mr. Whittingdale worked on international privatisation at NM Rothschild in 1987 and in January 1988, became Political Secretary to the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher. No doubt it was a wonderful and beneficial experience working at NM Rothschild putting him in touch with the ordinary working people the Conservative Party/Club now claim to represent. It makes me laugh!!

It is interesting to note the Poll Tax was introduced in 1990 when Mr. Whittingdale was the Political Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mrs Margaret Thatcher.

So it appears that Mr. Whittingdale may not have thought badly of the Poll Tax when it was introduced as he does now otherwise I assume being so appalled as he is now he would have resigned and openly condemned it. Or perhaps he just compromised his honestly held principles and so he could continue as her Political Secretary until his election to Parliament in 1992. I expect working for Mrs. T. may possibly have helped him get selected for a safe seat but perhaps not. Perish the thought!!

Also, it is interesting to note in 2005 Mr. Whitingdale was appointed to the Executive of Conservative Way Forward, a Thatcherite pressure group within the Conservative Party promoting Thacherite ideology. I do wonder if the Poll Tax will be mooted again?

Now the Society’s members are from various political persuasions and true blue Conservatives may not agree with the views expressed above but it is to be hoped even they would like to join the Society and see the BBC survive and prosper.

Before his appointment Mr. Whittingdale had written and commissioned a number of reports critical of the BBC and its spending of the license fee saying that alone should mean it should be changed. If that is the case do we not need to change the way the government operates when spending tax payer’s money: -

Please do have a look at:

The Telegraph Tuesday 12th May 2015

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9001510/Government-wastes-31bn-on-rip-off-contracts.html

“Government wastes £31bn on 'rip off' contracts

“More than £31 billion has been wasted by government departments in the past two years because civil servants lack the skills to negotiate better contracts with the private sector, it emerged last night.”

And have a look at BBC News 11th October 2010 showing things do not change whoever is in power: -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11512287

Sir Philip Green says government waste 'shocking'.

If you have read the above thank you and well done and please do read on.