Thursday 15 July 2010

DID YOU KNOW YOU PAID FOR HIM TO GO TO THE WORLD CUP FINAL?


We have been told to expect a 25% reduction on all public services, excluding health care. The UK government has dictated that for England, and as a consequential, we will get 25% less money to run what we are allowed to be responsible for.

According to an article in yesterday’s Independent, that reduction will only skim the top off the massive £4,000,000,000,000 debt that has been racked up, not only by New Labour, but by a series of unaffordable decisions made over the years since the Second World War, including public sector pensions, nuclear power stations, PFI, and allowing banks to gamble with ordinary people's savings, so that they have to be rescued by the taxpayer, despite taxpayer being as broke as a completely broken thing.

In the midst of this catalogue of miserly stands the BBC, clearly blissful unaware that anything untoward is happening despite its supposedly being the best news broadcaster in the world. Oh yes, poor thing, it has to publish its top people’s expenses, but that doesn’t seem to have bothered it one tiny little bit. According to the latest figures, various BBC executives are keeping small taxi companies in a champagne and truffles lifestyle, because they’re clearly far too important to take the metro or the bus like ordinary little people.

BBC deputy director general Mark Byford spent almost £5,000 flying to South Africa for a World Cup Final visit at the weekend. He used the visit to hold meetings with bodies such as Fifa, which invited him, as well as visiting news bureaux in the region, the BBC said. Well now, there’s a surprise. He went all the way to South Africa at our expense, the very weekend that the final of the world Cup was due to take place. Coincidence probably.

What irritates me is that this bloke couldn’t fit his lardy arse into a normal seat in Tourist class, nor even a roomier seat in Business.... oh no, the big cheese had to take himself, at our expense mind you, First bloody Class, and be treated like a movie star. Furthermore while he was there he was obliged to take another First Class return flight to Kenya, again at our expense. Not sure why.. but Kenya is very nice.

The BBC's chief operating officer Caroline Thomson claimed £3,389.69 on taxis during a three-month period for the first quarter of this year. BBC controller of vision Jana Bennett claimed £2,736.02 on taxis during the claim period. And the BBC's director of future media and technology Erik Huggers made taxi claims for £2,940.98.

Where did they go? The moon?

OK, so it’s time the BBC got a drift of how things are in this sadly mismanaged country. They might try listening to their own news programmes occasionally for example (although, of course, they will only find out what is happening in the south east of England if they do.

I await the announcement that as of today the licence fee (or poll tax) of £145.50 will be reduced by £36.38, or 25%, and that the likes of Byford and that self important idiot Yentob and all the many and various other highly paid, brilliantly pensioned and ridiculously titled executives move their privileged backsides into the world. You know, the one that is round ....

22 comments:

  1. I didn't know, but I can hardly say I was surprised to learn who footed the bill.

    The poor bloody tax-payer - who else?

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  2. All I can say Anon, is that you are very generous.

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  3. Tris

    i have been thinking about the 40% cuts in public services, and it appears to me given all the wealth and most public service(government jobs) are in England specifically the south east 'TORYSHIRE'.

    And the bulk of employment in private industry alongside the most investment..

    then to be 'fair' the largest amount of public service cuts should be targeted in the south east of england..

    at the end of the day they have the most private wealth so can afford to pay for their services and most of the predicted 2 million jobs(boy is Cameron gonna regret that one)
    are reserved for the southeast of England.

    then in all fairness they are best placed for the cuts and the North and North Britain should have only minimal cuts to balance out the U.K economy....

    Thats my thought anyway

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  4. These people behave like this because they think themselves untouchable Tris. Our lords and masters have deemed it so.

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  5. Well, I can't much disagree that the bulk of the pain should... and of course probably will ....fall in Londonshire. There are vast numbers of civil servants all over the English capital in massive offices, where really no one has a clue what goes on... including the people who work there.

    The numbers of clerks, supervisors and managers in incredible... and of course there is the BBC... virtually a government run corporation. It is funded by a tax which most households do, or should by law, pay. It is impossible to watch any of the hundred or so channels without paying for the likes of Chunky up there to take trips at our expense to watch the World Cup Final... The massive bulk of their staff is in London too.

    So yes, as they have had the bulk of the income from the vast civil service for all this time, there seems to me no reason why they shouldn’t get the bulk of the pain. Why do I think they won’t?

    My point was that I have yet to hear of a reduction in spending at the BBC. Given that the tax we pay for a tv licence in used only for the BBC, if they have a 25-40% cut in their allowed expenditure, we should immediately get a rebate on the licence fee of a corresponding amount.

    Or does the Condem government think that Eastenders or Brucie and Graham Norton are more important than Defence and Education? Surely not!

    Where’s this North Britian you refer to... Shetland?

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  6. Well Subrosa, it really is time that Chubby and the bunch of self important tubes at the BBC management got it into their thick, elite, disconnected heads that the party is well and truly over.

    I shall be writing to my MP asking him to find out for me when the BBC cuts will be instituted.

    Tubby obviously thinks that the world owes him a first class seat to accommodate his oversized butt, but let’s see how he feels about it when the upgrade is on his credit card.

    As for the Beeboids who live in the back of taxis.... time they were shown where the bus stops and underground stations are.

    Seriously, what a joke.

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  7. The only saving grace for al ja beeba used to be that there were no adverts. Those days have long gone with the advent of digital tv. The BBC now give us endless repeat adverts for their shows on BBC3 and BBC radio. I was at the pictures and got endless adverts for that fat idiot Moyles ( pay £2m ) . The Open Golf at St Andrews required hundreds of beeboids to cover it 'properly'. The upcoming Edinburgh fringe and festival allows them to hand out thousands of licence payers pounds to unknown 'talent' to 'create' things. All totally unaccountable of course.

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  8. Hello Mr RMcGeddon (not yet we hope). It's nice of you to drop by the Republic.

    Yes, I've never actually heard Mr Moyles perform as it were, but I've heard of him, and that was quite enough to last me several lifetimes. I've also seen photographs of him and I can confirm that he's fat.

    Yes, I agree too. It's amazing that when the BBC is covering something like the Olympics, Wimbledon, Henley, World Cup, Open, Glastonbury, Edinburgh, etc, the top brass are all over it like a bad smell. “Just there to keep an eye on things, see everything is ticking over, dontcha know... oh and yes, a few drinks and canapés while we’re here.... and oh seats in a box, how kind. Needless to say, as usual they arrive by First Class flights/trains/taxis and it’s all on you and me.

    There seems to be less enthusiasm for geeing the troops along when there’s been a shootout, or floods or 3 feet of snow on a freezing winter night... In fact I think i could say with some certainty that they never show their ugly snouts at that kind of event.

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  9. tris
    Yes the beeb seem to be posted missing where truth is concerned.
    Supporting windmills, EU, Labour, Palestine, anything pro green etc.
    But they're sssisted by brainwashed students studying 'social sciences' etc . ie folk too thick to produce anything that would get us out of Labour's recession.

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  10. Mr Scotland Mr McGeddon, they are so against the SNP that some of their presenters' lips curn when they talk about them.

    They are the publicity department of Labour.

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  11. I was reading somewhere that the BBC also has a whole pile of consultants paid as temporary staff on which it spends a further £10million (that it does not disclose as part of its wages bill). This includes Anthony Rose whose title is equally grandiose as Controller of online media group and vision, he is paid as a commercial contractor on a daily rate estimated to be over £300,000 pa. We have to guess at his salary because in response to a FOI request the BBC lawyers said: “Disclosing even an approximate figure in respect to Mr Rose’s charges would cause him distress. Mr Rose’s remuneration is likely to be the subject of media comment in light of the fact that his appointment and role with the BBC attracted media interest.” No kidding?

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  12. Awwww. Imagine causing the wee sausage distress.

    If they pay me £300,000 they can cause me as much distress as they like.

    Come on Camerclegg. Get with the cuts on the BBC. I just can't imagine why this wasn't one of the first things to go. It would be sooooo popular too. Something that could be announced by a Tory, not a Lib!

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  13. RMcGeddon,

    I agree with your point about the BBC lacking partiality. I call it auntie-beeb, for it is anti everything which is associated with right wing politics.

    Last time I checked tory voters paid their Beeb tax too...

    and do not get me started on BBC Newsnight, it couldn't be more pro-Labour!

    However I do support public service broadcasting, we just need to find a way of making the Beeb less establishment Liberal.

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  14. "They are the publicity department of Labour"

    Absolutely.

    A good example of this was the Newsnight coverage of the Glenrothes by-election. Glenn Campbell could be heared whispering to SNPs Angus Robertson "...but your going to lose"

    Oh, thanks there Glenn-boy, next time I want to hear probing, neutral questions I know where to go! [or not]

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  15. I expect Glenn must have had some inside information then, because even the top guys in London were ready to concede defeat....

    Remember that cheeky old bitch Kirsty Wark and her interview with Salmond after he had just ousted her wee holiday sharing mate Joke McConnell from the First Ministership? Dripping with anger and so rude that she had to apologise. Not because he was First Minister, but because the BBC should never treat a human being the way Wark treated him

    But yes, they hate both our parties, which is tough for them because yours are in government in London and have control over the purse strings.

    I hope that they will have their spending reduced. It is farcical that Education and Defence and transport, the Environment etc etc are suffering 25-40% cuts and the BBC goes merrily on its way paying £700,000 to top staff, millions to it’s so-called “stars” and first class air travel for its executives...

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  16. Reading some more of the papers I came across this:

    "BBC executives continued to invoice licence-fee payers for drinks enjoyed at major media awards ceremonies.

    James Lancaster, the corporation’s head of rights and business affairs, claimed £48 for his drinks bill at the Brit Awards in February this year. He then claimed £33 for his taxi home.

    BUS IS OBVIOUSLY OUT OF THE QUESTION? ANYWAY, WHY WAS HE AT THE BRIT AWARDS, HE'S A BUSINESS MANAGER?

    In the same month Emma Swain, the head of knowledge commissioning, claimed £435 for “table wine and water” at the Royal Television Society (RTS) awards.


    WHAT? HEAD OF KNOWLEDGE COMMISSIONING? £435 FOR BLOODY WINE AND WATER? A PENSIONER HAS FAR LESS THAN THAT A MONTH TO LIVE ON!!!!

    HOW BLOODY DARE THEY?

    George Entwhistle, the controller of knowledge commissioning, claimed £513 for “hospitality” at the RTS and Broadcast awards, including drinks bills, the following month.

    SO THEY HAVE A CONTROLLER AND A HEAD OF KNOWLEDGE COMMISSIONING? BLOODY HELL...WHATEVER IT IS IT MUST BE IMPORTANT. PERHAPS THEY COULD COMMISSION SOME KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE ALL BROKE AND GETTING ANGRY WITH THEM.

    Other executives spent large sums on celebratory meals for people involved in long-running programmes.

    In October 2009 John Yorke, the controller of drama production and new talent, claimed £1,335.90 for a meal for the staff of BBC One’s ‘Doctors’, to “celebrate 10 years of the show”.

    WHAT? THEY'VE HAD A JOB FOR 10 YEARS....SO? WE SHOULD CELEBRATE?

    Honestly they are unbelievable.

    Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/7892863/BBC-executives-spend-thousands-on-expenses.html

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  17. Truly wonderful, effortlessly right-minded writing on a subject that seems to tickle me mercilessly.

    I've only just read it because I've been quite busy over the last few days.

    My loss. Well said.

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  18. And many others Denver....

    Although I fear it's less of a tickle here, and more of a throttling feeling.... but hey, that's semantics...

    And thank you so much for the compliment...

    Another post to come shortly on teh subject, given the 'effect' this one had...LOL. It seems the English Culture Secretary must read Munguin too!!

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  19. "It seems the English Culture Secretary must read Munguin too!!"

    Quite so. He'd be a bloody fool not to. At the moment it seems possible that he's not a bloody fool. Time will tell.

    I'd be more than happy if a Scotsman (at least - not to blow smoke up your woad-smeared arse or anything - if it was one like you) were put in charge of the Braindead Broadcasting Collective, with the easy mission of of making it cheaper and better, or making it gone.

    If it became the Scottish Broadcasting Corporation, for instance, as a consequence then so much the better, so long as nobody has to pay for it any more for fear of a prison stretch. I'm not even sure anyone south of the Wall would actually notice the slight alteration in news coverage. (You know, "Breaking News, Holyrood brokers new trade agreement with China; British Isles gives thanks". That kind of thing.)

    Sky-addicted Welshies already really just don't care. I know this.

    But people caught in noman's land, like me, thanks to their cross-border, multinational, mongrel British genealogy and subsequent divided - or hybrid - loyalties, tend to be pretty pragmatic about this kind of thing.

    We don't give a shit about how the BBC is abolished.

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  20. He he...

    Denver.... I could read your rants forever mate.

    Love that though... my woad smeared arse.... OMG what a thought.

    D'you know, I think we ran out of woad last week... god knows what on earth we're going to do with our arses now!!

    Hum....... I mentioned it was the ‘English’ culture secretary, because we have one too.... well, culture minister here, but apparently he doesn’t get to do anything with the Beeb... maybe because the BBC is not what Scots would consider culture... after all, it is the communications branch of the Labour party... noting very cultural about them... unless you’re talking about the cultures that grow in bottles. (No offence Gordon, but that’s nice compared with what your mate Peter’s been saying about you.)

    The BBC had its day. It’s now well and truly past. It is iniquitous to charge people nearly £3.00 a week for something that they don’t use. It’s even more iniquitous to make me pay £3 a week to watch Bruce bloody Forsyth fluff his lines yet again!!!

    I’d love to be in charge of it, if you can arrange that. I think that it would be the most fantastic fun in the world to sell it off bit by bit and raise billions, or to sack all these pompous arses with fancy titles who seem to spend their lives in taxis and first class cabins....

    Oh deep joy. I shall dream of that tonight....

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