The BBC made a ‘terrible mistake’ in not reflecting public concern about immigration, Nick Robinson has said. This is the latest case of BBC self-flagellation. (Now I think about it, a sort of Maoist-themed programme in which Beeb executives denounced themselves would make great TV.)
BBC bias is a subject I know a bit about, having written a pamphlet on it last year. I thought that, while the BBC is a much-loved institution, it must carry at least some of the blame for the mistakes most people feel were made over immigration under New Labour. Especially in 2000-01, when Conservative politicians were making some quite modest criticisms of rising numbers, the national broadcaster clearly presented their arguments in such a way as to suggest they were beyond the pale, and gave far more space and weight to pro-government politicians and activists. If people now say they were ‘unable to talk about immigration’ during that period, then the BBC was very much a factor.
Now people talk about little else, so that even I’m a bit bored with the subject, feeling like I’m playing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ over and over again for a Nirvana tribute band every time I write about it.
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