Mumsnet Talk

Well, we've had the chance to ask potential Labour leaders what they would do IF they were in power, but, hey ho, they lost the election and they're not in a position to do anything about anything at the moment. How about the chance to put our burning questions to the actual Prime Minister, and give him the oppotunity to reply.

My question is, what are you going to do to reverse the long-term trend of devaluing and dumbing our education system?

** 'dumbing down of'

Here's another one, why don't you do something about the left-wing partisanship of the BBC? Why don't you stand up to it? State-funded propaganda should not be happening in a so-called democracy. Show a bit of umph and expose the BBC for the biased institution that it is!! Anyone would think that Labour hadn't lost the election and that what Labour leadership candidates think - or Blair- actually has ANY relevance right now if you see how much air-time the Beeboids give them.

Yes, the Labour infestation that is the BBC must be ruthlessly cut down to size.

Here Nick Robinson admits he deliberately covered up the dysfunctionality at the heart of Labour until now:

www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2010/09/blair_and _brown.html

Shameful. We could have learned the truth long ago. Instead we were force-fed far-left propoganda. To this day State TV continues being little more than a mouthpiece for the Statist Party. Just shameful.

Are you propagandists for Murdoch or something?

There is always gossip that isn't made much of while a government is in power. Do you think the BBC was deliberately hiding John Major's affair with Edwina from us as well?

Did the BBC know of the Major/Currie affair at the time? If they did, and failed to report it, it too would be a dereliction of their duty. However, I suspect if they did know it, they would have gleefully tried to destroy Major over it, in a way they never did, for example, with John Prescott.

Their duty is to report the news, not to suppress it selectively to shape the political narrative in their favoured direction.

We have no choice but to pay the BBC tax even if we only watch ITV, Virgin, and other non-Beeb Freeview.

No-one forces anyone to pay for Murdoch's output. People choose to do so of their own free will. Lefties just don't get the distinction.

I think you'll find the value of an independent, unbiased broadcaster who doesn't owe anything to advertisers or proprietors is something people of various political persuasions accept. While other people of the same or different persuasions disagree.

It's not a straightforward left/right issue. Although obviously the extreme 'free' marketeers (usually people who would do their damndest to get a monopoly, actually) hate any state institution that is doing a good job, or profitable, or successful. As the BBC is - very important for our society, our national and international identity, our creative industries and our exports.

Btw, if we had Murdoch running the system, as he wants, we'd have the sort of crap that passes for 'journalism' on Fox in the US. Although I'm sure foaming-at-the-mouth right wingers would be delighted if their personal prejudices were presented as fact.

And I think you'll find just as many Labour/Lib Dem voters criticise BBC political coverage as Tories. If there is a fault, I think it's that the BBC is too respectful of the government of the day, of whatever political persuasion.

Where there was a real issue was Hutton - complete whitewash which cowed the BBC, very sadly. Wish the big wigs had felt able to say sod it - but can you imagine the political pressure the organisation would have been under, rejecting the findings of an (allegedly) 'independent' inquiry? It'd probably have been the end of the BBC. History

do you really think the economic recovery can be guaranteed? how will new jobs come up with so many companies going insolvent at the same time as governent spending is cut back and businesses find it so hard to get finance to expand?