Robbie Gibb
William Shawcross allegedly backed Gibb’s bid for the Jewish Chronicle, a title that has launched a campaign against the BBC. As Commissioner for Public Appointments, he is now charged with the decision whether to investigate Gibb’s role in nearly getting Gilbert the Ofcom job. Samir Shah, who helped appoint Gibb to the BBC board, is now being urged by MPs to investigate Gibb. Yet the Beeb is loath to dispose of Gibb.
Rusbridger has noted “Gibb was nominated by a friend, the mysterious Downing Street fixer, Dougie Smith - even if Downing Street strangely doesn’t list him, or answer for him. He’s the Man who Never Was … He was interviewed for the role by Samir Shah, nominated as next BBC Chair”.
There is more. "Gibb - clearly a partisan figure - is now the most powerful BBC Board voice on ‘impartiality’ and has clearly influenced Government thinking - on show this week with Lucy Frazer touring the studios”. Ms Frazer did not make much of a case for lack of impartiality, and allegations of leftward bias. But then another facet of the story is opened up.
“He’s the key voice on the most critical BBC Board Committee - which will rule on any issues to do with Israel-Gaza. He is, simultaneously … the sole owner of the Jewish Chronicle … The attempt to fix the Ofcom chair may be investigated by William Shawcross, commissioner for public appointments. But … he was part of Gibb’s consortium to buy the Jewish Chronicle”.
And then comes the most likely reason that Gibb is still in post, and still allegedly interfering at programme level with BBC content. “BBC journalists told me he has intervened at story level. Senior execs told me he’s seen as key to the BBC getting funding. Bit by bit I began to understand why the BBC might want to circles the wagons around him”. Which begs one question.
Simon Clarke is the name, and witless panic is the game. Clarke got his K in the resignation honours list of disgraced former alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson. His intervention is believed to enjoy the support of lauded, but failed, Brexit negotiator David Frost. Most of the party does not agree with him. But it shows how the Tories know they’re screwed.
Which means that, when The Blue Team gets thrown out by the electorate, there will, soon afterwards, be no need for the BBC to depend on Gibb to square a Government that has vanished down the road. At that point, the Corporation could - and should - decide that someone who is a 100% owner of another, and highly critical, media outlet should not sit on its board.
Someone who supports one political party, and sees stories only through the prism of CCHQ, should not be allowed anywhere near the Beeb’s decision making process. At the same time, more than one of the Corporation’s presenters might also, as the saying goes, consider their position.
The time of Robbie Gibb at the BBC was for a time, but not for all time. Soon we will be able to add to that the exhortation Just Rejoice At That News.
https://www.patreon.com/Timfenton
6 comments:
Where's the beef?
The BBC is the state broadcaster in a corrupt, far right, racist, warmongering capitalist state. So Gibb is a logical and appropriate choice.
File with "woke BBC" and "centrist Starmer". Then flush it with the other corporate media shite.
Imagine you came to Tim's blog for the first time today, read this informed, researched, evidenced and considered piece and felt that perhaps you'd found a forum led and populated by moral and political kindred spirits.
Then you read the first Comment immediately following Tim's words.
It would be like going to the first gig by your absolute favourite new band and, at the end of their first number, turning round to discover that the fellow gig-going couple beside you, enthusiastically jumping up and down and punching the air, are in fact Vando Calocane and Miriam Cates.
Learn to stop worrying and Love The Bomb, Tim.
Because that's next up in 2025, according to Shapps and associated military homicidal maniacs in Britain, Europe and the USA.
The BBC and Gibb?........Pffftttt......What's happening on Micawber Love Island and the Malibar Front, that's what they want to know out there in toryland Airstrip One.
'Ere, wot's orl dis abaht the commie BBC.
Everyone noze it's aht t'sabvert wannerful King Charles innit.
Its staff av been seen elpin dem illeegil muslamics outer d'boats wot weev gotta stop dahn at the white cliffs. Wot's next, indooz an catlicks.
I ad dat Tobias Ellwood an Ben Wallace in the backer me cab once. Picked dem up at Vauxorl Cross an dropped em at Parlemint. Said dey were bringin orders or samming. Proper geezers dey woz.
Gawd bless fewtcha King Billy an Kween Kyte.
In all honesty Bertie, it is your entry level running commentary that may well be putting people off this blog, not some anonymous commentators who you have needlessly compared to serial killers
Not in good taste.
Hasn’t put *you* off though, Mark, has it?
And literal-minded and obtuse as ever, I see. You seem to have missed ‘it would be like’. I get the impression that when someone long ago attempted to tell you the joke which ends ‘Why the long face?’ you probably stopped them at ‘A horse walks into a bar’ and claimed that the whole basic premise was implausible as horses don’t usually go into bars as they’d find it too difficult to get through the door.
And do look up ‘running commentary’ and ‘serial killer’ as you don’t appear to have grasped the meanings too securely.
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