Thanks to the responses to my earlier questions.
As regards BBC bias - it never ceases to amaze me how many factions and causes they are supposed to be biased against?
They are continually accused of having a 'left-wing bias, being overly PC in relation to issues like immigration, but have also contrastingly been accused of racism. They have also been accused of having both a pro-Muslim and then an anti-Muslim bias, anti-American bias, pro EU bias and so on.
The Mail has a long running feud with the BBC which is the butt of many a joke on the comments section over there with Mail articles and editorials never failing to take a pop at what they see as an overly PC, liberal, ‘lefty’ organisation.
During the run up to the European elections I remember seeing an interview with Nigel Farage (who I know goes down like a lead balloon on here, but who nevertheless has as much right to speak as anyone) and a pro-EU advocate from the Lib-Dems (name escapes me), and it was apparent to anyone watching that Farage was being interrupted, contradicted and derided, not by the politician with the opposing views, but by the BBC journalist interviewing them. The Lib-Dem by contrast, was given free rein to speak at length without interruption while the interviewer nodded encouragingly in agreement.
Likewise a debate I watched on the BBC with George Galloway and Jim Sillars where one of the (three) interviewers made it clear by her facial expressions every time Galloway spoke that she was not an admirer, and challenged and interrupted him on several occasions, but allowed Sillars to speak without challenge and with the head nodding that suggested agreement with what he was saying. By contrast, between the two politicians themselves there was argument of course, but also some good natured banter and mutual compliment.
Some might argue that the politicians I have mentioned deserved to be challenged in such a way because of their political views, But then why should Salmond, a controversial and outspoken politician in his own right, not be challenged in the same way, or should the BBC go easy on him for fear of accusations of bias? Farage is right wing, Galloway on the opposite side of the political spectrum – so which way the BBC is supposedly biased I’m not quite sure?
What I saw in the Salmond press conference is Nick Robinson asking a question of the type he would ask any politician of whatever political persuasion, and Salmond doing what we have seen any skilful and seasoned politician do and that is skirt all around the question and make political points of his own including a well aimed dig at the BBC. He doesn’t give a direct answer to the question, despite claiming he does.
The question being ‘Why should a Scottish voter, believe you, a politician, over men who are responsible for millions of pounds of profits?
I never heard a direct answer to that question. I watched it twice and if it’s in there, I must have missed it?