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It seems that the composition of the audience during the election for Radio 4's 'Any Questions' is not governed by any rules of impartiality. Both Not a sheep and Freddo41 have recorded their shock at last night's edition:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgvj
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/open-thread_21.html
http://notasheepmaybeagoat.blogspot.com/2010/04/any-questions-yes-where-did-you-find.html
(Warning: Do not listen to this programme unless you have steeled yourself in advance).
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Conservative Caroline Spelman was repeatedly hissed and booed for saying nothing very offensive, while Jack Straw was whooped and cheered to the rafters for saying nothing very exciting. (God, how I hate whooping audiences). All attacks on the Conservatives (whether from Sir Ming Campbell, Jack or the questioners) were greeting with joyful hysteria. This was not an audience representative of anywhere - other than a Labour student rally! Stomach-churning stuff!
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The tiny dribble of applause for any statement of support for the idea of celebrating St George's Day and flying the English flag, as well as the Muslim questioner who didn't want to feel English, or even British by the sounds of it (just a "citizen"), made the result of Jonathan Dimbleby's question to the audience a foregone conclusion: "Can an immigrant unequivocally celebrate St George's Day?" he asked. "Overwhelmingly in this audience, including our questioner - I saw her hand go up - no."
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Never mind 'balanced parliaments' shouldn't there be 'balanced audiences' during a general election? Shouldn't there be some rules about it, as there are (it seems) with Question Time?
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When the South Park question came up (the makers of this wonderful programme have received death threats for portraying Mohammed as a bear) and Justine Roberts of Mumsnet began cringing in the face of joyless Islamism, followed by Jack Straw, I reached for the off-switch - only to pause when Sir Ming Campbell stood up strongly in favour of freedom of speech, without equivocation. Well done old man! (The whooping support of the audience lessened my enjoyment of the moment though!!)
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Perhaps inspired by this, Caroline Spelman spoke cautiously but sensibly. I particularly liked "Perhaps you don't know this, but if you don't like what you hear on the BBC, if eight of you complain, then there is a formal complaints process." I wonder why she had that in her mind at that moment!! She then somewhat spoiled it by rounding things off with a cringe of her own. She got a tiny smattering of applause and some boos for her pains!
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(The dim-witted questioner, incidentally, said "Personally I dislike South Park. I think its crass. I think it's distasteful and...(wait for it!!) ...I never watch it." )
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The final ask-the-audience was "Who would have preferred to be at the pub than here at Any Questions?" Almost everyone in the country I hope!
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So, eight people=a formal complaint. If Caroline Spelman sends one, and me another...
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UPDATE: David has now taken this up at B-BBC and says something I forgot to say but which I feel strongly. I felt so sorry for Caroline Spelman. Unlike some other Conservatives, Caroline has always replied to my e-mails. That shows courtesy, at the very least. She wasn't protected by Jonathan Dimbleby, who is no St George.*
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/any-questions.html
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And I'm heartened to see this comment from an old favourite at B-BBC (who, under various amusing guises, if I'm not mistaken, has been easing himself back into the swing of things recently):
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Ronald Todd
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Will the BBC use the same audience they had for Any Questions at the leaders debate?
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God forbid! David Dimbleby is quite enough!
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UPDATE: A highly enlightening post from DB at Biased BBC:
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2010/04/any-questions-again.html
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The person in charge of the BBC leaders debate is Sue Inglish, wife of a [former?] senior Labour party official.
ReplyDeleteLooking her up, it seems she's responsible for a large amount of the BBC's current affairs output.
ReplyDeleteHer husband, John Underwood, was once director of communications for Labour and also Peter Hain's treasurer (getting caught up in the controversy over dodgy donations.)
Firstly, I have to say, I think Jonathan Dimbleby is BBC bias on legs. You just have to look at his hysterical response to minimum findings by the BBC Trust against Jeremy 'Bowen to Islam' to know that.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I listened to this programme, and compared to what I remember of him before I left Blighty, with constant chopping up of guests, especially Conservative ones, I could see hardly anything wrong with is chairing of the Show. Everyone got time to speak, if they got interrupted by him and asked to continue he let them - almost a breath of fresh air to his grossly over-bearing performances of the past.
Audience selection does raise question marks when a racist immigrant asks the question 'can an immigrant feel comfortable about St George's Day' and the audience overwhelmingly votes with her 'no', but besides that, all pretty tame stuff in the BBC bias stakes. (??).