Crikey Readers, The Beeb’s Agin Me!

Having secured his return to City Hall, London’s occasional Mayor Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has also returned to his rather more lucrative pastime, the regular collection of “chicken feed” from the Maily Telegraph. Today, readers can discover that Bozza has a beef with the BBC, but sadly, his reluctance to spend too much time on his scribbling diminishes the impact.

Yikes! BBC coves again!! Better not swear, chaps!!!

What also does not help the Johnson screed is the failure of the Telegraph’s online headline writer, who has managed to mangle “defeatist”, which comes out as “defeatest”. Clearly, the Tel is not well enough off to afford the spoiling chocker that comes as standard in Microsoft Word (mine immediately highlighted the howler). The remainder of the piece does not get any better.

Pity about that headline howler

Because what Bozza is ranting about is the Beeb. It’s a subject that he’s gone on about ad infinitum, if not ad nauseam, previously (one example, complete with characteristically bad research, can be seen HERE), but this time there is the added zest of The Great Man being slighted by the Corporation’s arts editor Will Gompertz (crazy name, crazy guy?!?) over the latest addition to the Olympic Park.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, a combined sculpture and viewing tower of controversial aspect, has been opened to the public. Bozza clearly thinks that the attraction, designed by Anish Kapoor, is A Very Good Thing. Gompertz did not dissent from this view, but suggested that it was not high enough – almost certainly true – and that, in his opinion, it should be free to the public.

Bozza took this perceived slight terribly badly, the result being a lengthy rant about the BBC’s funding settlement, its supposed bias, its culture, and the assertion that it is trying to “shaft” Rupert Murdoch. Yes, Bozza, as if. But he finally takes the biscuit in style when he tells readers that the BBC needs a Tory at the top, “and no mucking around”. Got that? So, on to reality.

The BBC is governed by the BBC Trust. Established by Royal Charter, it has twelve Trustees, appointed by the Queen on recommendation of her ministers. And her ministers, in a Tory dominated Coalition Government, last year recommended that the new chairman of that Trust be Chris Patten. Patten is a Tory, an MP for 13 years who served in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet.

So Bozza already has his Tory at the top of the BBC: there has been so little “mucking about” that his wish has already been granted. And, if he’s so opposed to public funding, perhaps he’ll do something about that six-figure wedge he’s paid from the public purse to pretend he’s Mayor of London. After all, he already has plenty of “chicken feed” to sustain him.

Good old Bozza, eh? He never does seem to make much sense.