The ghost of Thatcher still reigns over the Beeb

It looks like the 30 year feud between Thatcherism and the BBC is about to erupt again if the report in the Guardian is to be believed this morning.

The paper had managed to see the pre uncut version of the show which contained some leanings towards the less liked character of the former Prime Minister.

It included Elspeth Howe refering to the Prime Minister as a Caligula figure and Denis calling the BBC's John Seargent "a pinko prat."

The BBC had a rocky relationship with the long years of Tory government in which the latter appeared on a mission to deconstruct the funding by license fee.

It culminated in Mrs Thatcher's appointee Marmaduke Hussey,sacking the then Director General Alastair Milne after a series of incidents in which the BBC was accused of pandering to the left of politics.Coverage of the Falkland's war,the American attack on Tripoli and various documentaries on the IRA were amongst the incidents.

Norman Tebbit kept a dossier on what he perceived as bias coverage and Brian Redhead on the Today was seen as a left wing stooge influencing the nation.

Now it seems that the corporation has the old battles in mind as it broadcasts its Thatcher fest

Beeb responds to criticism over Osborne coverage

I see that the BBC has responded to criticisms that it has been bias about the reporting of the George Osborne scandal.

This morning's Sun editorial asked

According to its own internal memo, hundreds of listeners accused the Corporation of bias against the Tories — pointing out that the party received NO cash at all.
And it’s strange that the BBC only went into overdrive on the story AFTER George Osborne’s name was linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
When just Labour’s Peter Mandelson was involved it boasts it resisted making much of any allegations

Steve McWhinney replies on the editors blog

Here was a specific allegation of wrongdoing - indeed possible law-breaking - against the man holding the most sensitive post in the shadow cabinet outside of the leader. The claim - vehemently denied - that he solicited a donation to the Conservatives from a Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, and talked about ways to secretly channel that donation to the party, on the face of it could have put him in breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

and on the reason why Mandelson has been left relatively unscathed?

The reason the coverage so far has not been at the same level as that of George Osborne is that up until now there has been no similar specific allegation that Lord Mandelson has broken any laws. Nor, in Lord Mandelson's case, was there a specific, credible complainant in the same way as there was with Mr Osborne.

Beeb popular with the left

There is an interesting poll over at Politics Home which was publsihed yesterday evening.Its PHI panel concludes that the left and centre is still in love with the BBC whilst Tory supporters are not.

On top of that says the panel

The BBC has consistently received the highest net approval rating of all the institutions included in the PHI5000 tracker,and currently has a score of 30

.

Framing the news over Philips comments?

It is not very often that I take a look at the BBC Bias site but this morning's post takes a look at the websites traetment of the Lord Philips story which has been running in the media.

Why is the article about accepting a role for Sharia in UK law given more prominence (with picture) on the BBC World News page than on the BBC UK page (where there is no picture, and it appears in the "other top stories" section. Oh, and the main story is something or other about a badger cull)?

asks the site.

Another example of promoting the minority?

Well this is the story here which says that

Lord Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales, said there was no reason sharia law's principles could not be used in mediation

.

It is being reported across the media and the Express featured it as front page lead

Anyway the charge seems to be that the Beeb is once again showing its "Islamic tendancies" with comments on the site refering to the Today programme which strongly featured the story and though interviewed 3 supporters of the move and the complaints are that the negative point of view was not heard.