The announcement that the TV licence fee is to be frozen, then ended in 2027, marks the latest irrational action from this government.
The annual £159 licence fee funds a good deal of the output of the BBC.
The Conservative governments of the past decade have been consumed by an irrational obsession to somehow undermine the BBC.
This has varied from freezing the licence fee to shifting the burden for providing free licences for the over 75s to the corporation in 2015 (at a cost of £750 million).
It has been a death by a thousand cuts approach.
The professed objection of some Conservative MPs to the BBC is their ideological obsession with privatising everything.
Secondly, they believe the news division is biased against them
This is palpably untrue, proven by the consistent majorities the Tories have got at the ballot box over recent years. If anything it is the left and the Labour Party that have suffered most.
The BBC remains the place where most people look for reliable news. None more so than in the pandemic.
Yes, BBC news and current affairs has played an important role in exposing scandals such as the contracts for personal protection equipment and test and trace facilities.
But it also played an important role in keeping the public informed. Data shows 44 per cent of the public look to the BBC for impartial news, next is ITN with 10 per cent. The best of the papers is the Guardian on three per cent.
Some may argue it was too generous to the government line promoting a message of fear that made people obey – crossing the line between journalism and becoming a PR arm of government. But whatever the view, the BBC played an important role.
It also plays an important part in promoting local journalism, is respected throughout the world and extends the effective reach of the UK.
When people are tempted to follow the Government line about the BBC, they need to remember what is at stake. News and current affairs is but a small part of BBC output
That output stretches from dramas like Line of Duty and Poldark to David Attenborough’s wildlife programs, Winterwatch and Countryfile, not to mention EastEnders, The Archers and Match of the Day. All come under threat with this attack on funding.
One has to hope people realise what they could lose before it is gone.
The BBC has to rally the huge amount of goodwill and support it has in the population. More giving voice to supporters and less self flagellation from giving its critics disproportionate airtime on the many varied platforms would be welcome.
The leadership team at the BBC, headed by Director General Tim Davie, have to be bold in standing up to this bullying government.
The licence fee is not really the issue but the funding of the BBC. Abolish the licence fee by all means but the BBC needs a guarantee of funding, possibly via an annual grant paid out of general taxation
There are many alternative funding models around. But something is needed to provide certainty, so that the BBC can continue to provide its wide range of services – many of which no one else will do
It is time to get behind the BBC against this ideologically-driven right wing government.
Paul Donovan is a Redbridge Labour councillor for Wanstead village and blogger. See paulfdonovan.blogspot.com
https://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/19901279.bbc-needs-protecting-government-right-wing-onslaught/
