John Humphries needs to go

Inequality is my priority, so my complaint is broadly that anyone gets paid £600k.

Done!

I feel like I'm in a Not the 9 o'clock news sketch though, making a complaint to the BBC. :)

I said they were despicable, did I? Give over.

Surely it's better not to stand by and watch them be ground down when they are raising their voices instead of keeping quiet?

They’re raising their voices where there’s a clear benefit to themselves, and not a huge risk of being cast into penury. Perhaps if there had been just a little more volume in response to the grinding poverty experienced by the voiceless, it would feel like everyone had everyone’s back, y’know?

Out of interest, do you think my point is entirely without merit?

Valid viewpoint hipster. We each have to think about priorities.

Fwiw I think those these symbolic things at the top matter so I'm off to find the complaint form.

I dunno. Activism is always better than passivity imo. Depends what else you'll devote that minute it takes to complain on. Not all of the women putting their heads above the parapet on this campaign are despicable. Not any of them, so far as I know. Surely it's better not to stand by and watch them be ground down when they are raising their voices instead of keeping quiet?

hipsterfun I tend to agree with you. I favour a much more bottom up vs top down approach to tackling inequality. As what will happen is that once the great and the good have things roughly measured up equally that then becomes part of the narrative that things are fixed and we don't need to bother anymore.

I’m glad I’m not the only one.

I don’t mean to be a bad feminist, but I can’t shake the feeling that the well-off women who ‘have a voice’, and are now asking all women to get behind them on this, haven’t been pushing that hard against the persistent inequality that punishes poor women and their families.

Furthermore, from a class perspective, given that these well-off women are likely to be partnered with other well-off people, paying them more (rather than paying men less) would tend to increase inequality, not only between well-off and poor women, but between well-off and poor families, so something of an own goal for the poor.

I’m as sceptical about these ‘ripples’ that will spread and reach everyone as I am about the concept of trickle-down economics.

You're very welcome. My mornings will be improved immensely once he is gone. Reading the transcript makes me feel even sicker.

Modestine thank you for the link, I have made a complaint

The BBC argument that they need to pay these enormous salaries for talent is spurious, many so called talents have upped and gone to rival channels for big money and they have, without exception, not been missed on the BBC. Several of them have found their BBC 'popularity' did not follow them and they have since disappeared without a trace or found it very difficult to justify their salaries and status within commercial broadcasting.

John Humphries would struggle outside of the BBC and he knows it, it's a pity the BBC doesn't.

I've complained. Very quick and easy to do. And satisfying.

Humphries comment that it was just: "Silly banter between old mates" is reminiscent of another sexist male chauvinist who tried to brush off his deeply offensive remarks as being "just locker room talk". We have learned that he is not only arrogant, biased and self opinionated but also a foul mouthed braggart. And the greatest injustice is that he is paid hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds more than co women presenters who are far more knowledgeable, skilled and competent than him. It's disgraceful that the BBC should be wasting our licence fees by keeping him on a day longer.

even if they were not* intended to be shared.

I often have to turn him off
He sounds like a spoilt toddler when interviewing.
It reminds me of Trump in many ways
And after this yes get the arrogant man out

I've complained. For me what also stands out is that JH felt comfortable expressing those opinions - even if they were intended to be shared. If his off air remarks had been racist he would have been sacked by now.

This should be no different.

R4 Today seems to trend almost every morning on Twitter, with everybody moaning about Humphreys. I also think he should go.

I've complained on much the same lines.

Complaint submitted- I complained about Humphreys and the obvious BBC bias in the reporting of this story. I also suggested the overpaid white male talent should be retired and replaced with a new and diverse line up and a pay cap of £150k.

hipsterfun I tend to agree with you. I favour a much more bottom up vs top down approach to tackling inequality. As what will happen is that once the great and the good have things roughly measured up equally that then becomes part of the narrative that things are fixed and we don't need to bother anymore.

www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/

Just quickly tick the boxes - you are complaining about bias in reporting gender inequality in pay - ignore all the guff, get it done. Easy-peasy.

Hopefully it's a stone in a big pond, starting ripples. Helps that it's big news today, involving news reporters.

It's a question of supporting women like Carrie Gracey, Winifred Robinson, Jane Garvey and others who have put their necks on the line in the name of equality. They are being bullied and sneered at by male colleagues. This is happening right now, and taking one minute to tick a box on the BBC website will make a big difference to their campaign and will send a really strong message in support of women who fight for equality and against men who fight to ridicule them.

We really shouldn't stand by and do nothing.

I ought to care about this more than I do, but I can’t get excited about the overpaid squabbling over who gets overpaid more.

Poor families being moved out of poverty is higher on my wish list than more resources being directed towards the already relatively wealthy, in the name of fairness.

There's a link to the BBC Complaints on this thread - easy to do:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3137478-I-work-at-the-BBC-and-I-have-the-rage

I really like Paddy O Connell

Couldn't agree more with these comments- he's cringeworthy at the best of times, and these are not his best of times. He needs to go.

Lots of them are overpaid and total pains. Why pick on one. The whole BBC money for old rope needs to stop. Let the lot of them go. I only like Andrew Neil. He should stay.