Shropshire Star

This institution is not impartial

One of my first letters began: “I’m soft in the head for preferring a book to watching that tripe on TV” – nobody read it and I am still anti-TV.

Published

I always read the letters by Paul Pascoe of Shrewsbury, his views have consistently been considered, intelligent and logical – until last week when he went completely off his head by calling the BBC “the greatest cultural institution on the planet”.

The history of the largest broadcasting organisation in the world? It was converted from a private company in 1922 to a Royal Charter in 1927.

Under this charter political news programmes were required to be politically impartial – if it ever was, it is long gone. Sixty of its many managers earn more than the PM, it has just built a one billion pound London HQ and a new ’Albert Square’, already £27 million over the forecast cost at £87 million, it employs 35,400 staff and does not even hide the fact that it is anti-British and pro-European Union.

It has had grants and loans from the EU (£32 million on December 18, 2015, for those who check). This is how the EU operates, you take its money and you are bought and paid for, for life. Ask the majority of peers and politicians, civil service, universities, academia and the judicial system, its current director believes our place is in Europe. No-one can deny that its political programmes are heavily biased against the leavers on the Brexit question, or the fact that it played a major part in the destruction of UKIP and the political career of Nigel Farage.

Its programmes? If they are really considered to be the finest in the world then God help the rest of the world. Despite new technology most of what is on offer is too dark to see or too low to hear.

It certainly must lead the world in the number of repeats but I am no expert on the BBC, our local pub quiz asked last month “How many people work at the BBC?” I estimated 25,000 – the correct answer was 38 per cent!

Bob Wydell, Oswestry

Send us your letters for publication:

Email us at starmail@shropshirestar.co.uk or write to: Readers’ Letters, Shropshire Star, Ketley, Telford, TF1 5HU. Letters MUST include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to condense or amend letters.