There are two things which are quintessentially British and admired all over the world, the NHS and the BBC.
Both have been successful but are disliked by those who think only private enterprise can work because they prove that public enterprises, run for the public good can be successful. I have worked in the NHS and have always been amazed by the high ethical standards and caring attitudes of many of the staff.The BBC has managed to provide good well informed impartial news which is essential for a democracy, new innovative drama which is now being taken up by Channel 5 who have inherited “Play for Today”, widespread music coverage on its radio channels, free to air sports coverage, and shows such as “The Traitors” and “ Strictly Come Dancing” which have beaten all the competition. Its classical dramas are still shown all over the world and are the mainstay of many independent channels. It funds symphony orchestras and the Proms. ITN and Channel 4 News have inherited the BBC’s standards of impartiality.
The rivals of impartiality
But it has its enemies. Independent programme makers and streamers envy its reputation for new innovative drama, and the ability to produce some of the best criminal and detective dramas going, such as “Blue Lights” and “Shetland “and “Father Brown”. Its real enemies, however, are politicians. Nigel Farage and Donald Trump in particular hate independent news. They want news which is supportive of themselves and in Donald Trump’s case, adulatory. Donald Trump has already managed to cow the big American networks and now has his sights firmly set on the BBC. His crony, Nigel Farage has even gone so far as to help establish his own news outlet, GBNews, which is openly supportive of him. Presumably Trump would wish to see the BBC weakened and Farage’s lackeys become the major news outlet in the UK, presumably supporting him. A similar process has happened in Hungary, where President Orban has destroyed independent outlets and put his own supporters in charge of the rest.
The NHS and the BBC are in trouble, and when this happens, we should seek to remedy what is wrong, not allow their enemies to attack them. Part of the BBC’s problems are because previous governments selected governors sympathetic to themselves rather than the impartial and public service ethic of the BBC. The appointment of a weak Chair has not helped.
The shortcomings of the BBC
The BBC has made mistakes. The Newsnight and Panorama editing were wrong; being impartial between Palestine and Israel is almost impossible, as strong well-organised lobbies will attack you from both sides. Action must be taken and the relevant people disciplined or sacked. Thought must be given to the future and how things can be improved. The BBC is still elitist, employing a preponderance of Oxbridge alumni. It also appears nepotistic with sons and daughters of prominent broadcasters appearing frequently (although this happens in the media and show business generally) It is also still too metropolitan and focussed on the South of England. Every so often a show from the North such as Riot Women makes a splash, but I think the criticism still holds.
Regional television away from Manchester and London is woefully underfunded. There has been a decline in the regional press in the last few years, and this has led to a decline in participation and interest in local government and community activity generally. Local organisations can no longer advertise their activities in the local newspaper because it does not exist, and this particularly hits charities. I would like to see much more involvement by the media in local government and community activities, not just reporting what goes on but stimulating public interest , and much more importantly, public feedback. There is a concern now about encouraging the public to be fitter, just for the NHS’s benefit, but themselves as well. Local radio and TV could play a useful role here, promoting sport and fitness. They should cooperate, not compete, with local papers. What I do want to do is to ensure that all over the country people value the BBC and see it serving their communities.
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