The wild-eye, edgy, slightly weird looking Tory Culture supremo Jeremy Hunt is setting BBC nerves jangling. He giggles a lot. He voiced a threat of vengeance by licence fee cut against what the Tories
call the Bolshevik Broadcasting Corporation.
New Tory MP Robert Halfon
considers that each licence-fee payer could be given a unique PIN number, so that they could vote annually via the internet on the BBC's programmes, the level of BBC operational activity and administrative overheads, salaries, and on the standards of BBC programmes;
We know what he plans. Punish the BBC so the country can be liberated to the impartiality of Murdoch and Mail news standards. At Business Questions in the Commons today I asked
When can we debate early-day motion 560 to praise the BBC for its unrivalled and fearless independence on the “Today” programme and to frustrate the plans of the coalition nomenklatura to shoot the messenger?
Leader of the House Sir George Young replied I am not aware of any plans in the coalition to curtail the editorial independence of the BBC. I pay tribute to the “Today” programme, which I listen to every morning.
[EDM 560 reads; That this House congratulates John Humphrys for his forensic questioning of the Foreign Secretary on NATO's strategy in Afghanistan, which added to the BBC's unrivalled reputation for fearless independent journalism .]
Hardly Equitable
A Tory Minister gleefully introduced bad news as good news for the long suffering victims of Equitable Life. Of course he tried to pin the blame on Labour. Unashamedly he brushed aside the election wild promises of the Tories in their election campaign. Not a whisper of credit to the heroic work of the Public Admin Committee in pressing the case . Hansard reports:
Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab): It is unfortunate that the Financial Secretary has omitted any word of gratitude to Tony Wright and other members of the Public Administration Committee, who pursued the matter with great energy and intelligence. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman wants to make the issue a political football. My constituents will ask what alchemy reduced £4.8 billion to a maximum of £650 million. Why do they have to wait another year? Were they not deceived by the Conservatives’ exaggerated claims in their election propaganda?
Mr Hoban: Given that the hon. Gentleman was meant to be seeking a bipartisan spirit, it did not last much longer than his first sentence. I paid tribute to the hon. Member for Leeds North East (Mr Hamilton), and I know from discussions with hon. Members of all parties that all Members of Parliament want to get the matter resolved. We all have constituents who have been involved, and the Public Administration Committee was one of many routes whereby the previous Government were pursued to deliver justice for policyholders quickly.
No Government could possibly provide full compensation at this time. But the Tories stand accused of falsely raising expectation. My constituents will be disappointed.
Democracy rules
A Tory member of the new Backbench Committee Peter Bone kindly brought me the good news. I have raised recently in points of order and EDMs the failure of Parliament to vote on the deployment of troops in Afghanistan. The Canadian and Dutch Parliaments have both voted.
Thanks to Tony Wright's proposals democracy rules here. On Thursday 9 September,the House will consider a motion relating to UK armed forces in Afghanistan. The motion can be amended. Thursday is not a good day for MPs but the unique nature of the occasion might attract a good attendance.
For the first time substantial opposition might be recorded.
Loo surprise
Dropping into a newly refurbished service station on the M4 on my return journey from London I was delighted by the decorations on the wall.
Striking pictures of grass and a field of sunflowers covered the walls. Even more surprising were the very pleasing recordings of birdsong played to complete the illusion of a location in the country at high summer.
This is a major leap forward in the process of civilisation.
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