Monday 12 November 2012

JUST WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?

BBC crisis: head of news and deputy ordered to 'step aside':

So says the Telegraph, reporting on the fact that the two people at the top of "News" in the BBC (under the Editor in Chief, or Director General as we know him) and to be hastened out the door (in the nicest possible way, of course).

Why are these people 'ordered to step aside'? Are people of their quality above being sacked?

Despite a crisis at the BBC; despite dubious decisions having already been made on this subject, by this programme; and (I hate having to admit this, because it shouldn't matter who you defame) because the person who was defamed was "important" (and most particularly VERY rich and this capable of suing the backside off their organisation), someone in management, no, everyone in news management ought to have been taking a very close interest in what was going on, making sure that they didn't make the crisis any worse.

They weren't. And they allowed the  crisis to get much worse. 

They enjoy their titles and their ridiculous salaries and expenses, and as long as they don't have to do much REAL managing, everything runs relatively smoothly; they can concentrate on political correctness and H+S and countless meetings about nothing very much. But the moment they are called upon to do even the most basic of management tasks, they fail dismally.

If I were Chris Patten their feet wouldn't touch the ground as they were dismissed for complete and utter incompetence. Half an hour to empty their desks under supervision, then escorted to the car park clutching their box of personal effects.

It's not about revenge or  enjoying the misfortune of some stuffed shirts. It's about the importance of making sure that this is looked into properly and the people who did such unspeakable things, whether in the BBC or elsewhere, and who got away with it because they were "stars" or "celebrities" or "senior politicians", are made to pay. Every time the BBC messes up they make it less likely that they will do this, despite one of the largest news organisations in the world.

Hopefully Channel Four will manage to fill the void.

As for Georgie's pay off being double what they were obliged to give him, and costing the licence payer well over £1 million, I'm astounded. He apparently, according to Mr Patten, deserves it because of the fact that he will continue to give assistance to the Savile inquiry.

Doubtless so will many other people. Will they all be paid such exorbitant rates for their assistance? I somehow doubt it 

And far more importantly what about the children raped on the BBC premises, and about which the BBC did nothing? What will they get?

43 comments:

  1. When they get over beating their breasts in anguish they may find time for the real victims in this sorry mess Then again maybe not especially when they feel it is appropriate to wheel out, as they did yesterday,Mellor, a failed politician who was found to be a lying womaniser and gave him free rein to call one of the victims weird, how sickening is that?
    Then we have Boris today who feels McAlpine being smeared is the real tragedy in all this
    What happened to him is atrocious but he is an adult and has both the money and connections to sue everyone who has contributed to his pain He did not, as a child, suffer the fear pain and shame that those abused children have had to carry with them all their lives

    As for the pay-off it seems to me it pays to be found wanting

    And another young man is killed in their useless war. No doubt we will hear from Westminster that he will never be forgotten
    I wonder if they even remember the names of those they read out last week I doubt it

    Shame on them all

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  2. Powerfully and beautifully said Fairfor.

    I can't improve on it so I won't try.

    Except to say it makes me so incredibly angry, and I notice the BBC took another £12 out of my bank account today to help pay for this travesty.

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  3. It's Chris patten whose feet shouldn't touch the ground but being a Tory placeman obviously won't . Leaves it for others instead whilst hanging on til another lucrative quango is available.

    Raping Children. On BBC kpremises. ?????
    Spot of nat hyperbole I believe

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  4. The BBC doesn't really seem to DO management.

    They are organiused like some distant echo of the Civil Service with fixed jobs, titles, responsibilities and of course, perks.

    It is a classic mismatch of organisational structure and culture; very basic stuff.

    The objectives of "managers" is get up the floors and become more and more separated from the dirty, oily business of making things and being responsible for them. I would guess that Entwistle, judging by his clueless understanding of the reality of his situation had so many layers of management between him and the TV set, that all the important stuff that should have been sent upstairs was triaged out by lickspittles and career numpties.

    Do you remember Stewart Stevenson (?) the SNP Minster for keeping the snow off the M8who was hounded out of a job by the Labour Press because he wasn't up to what they thought was his brief. He had had a warning and relied on others letting him know what to do and when to do, rather than setting up a camp bed at the HQ and grabbing the situation by the scruff of the neck. He may have changed nothing but he could be accused of not trying and he would have got a good press.

    It was the same with Entwistle because he didn't summonse the appropriate management team for daily crisis management talks until the he was sure that the team knew what he wanted them to do and was satisfied they could and would do it. That is management, sitting on yer erse and assuming it would all blow away is the "management" style of the Civil Service, which the BBC really are, the Roman Catholic Church and the Monarchy.

    Patten said that when he summonsed the BBC senior management to a working week-end, there were more of them than China had senior administrators. Did you know that The Royal Navy has more Rear Admirals than ships?

    The BBC is not a business as it does not have to sell its products because if it couldn't it would be dead. It is a tax propaganda offshoot of the State. The money still rolls in.

    All the cuts they are making is of front line services whilst the bloated bureaucracy continues to gorge itself.

    The BBC itself is not fit for purpose and needs, at the very least, semi privatised or at worst, dumped. The mold must be broken as it will never change itself.

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  5. Yes Niko. It seems no one can sack Patten except presumably the English Minister for Culture. And as they are old Tory friends together, he probably won't.

    I understand that Entwistle was also Tory, rather odd for senior management in the BBC, but then he was appointed by Patten. It seems that maybe what Patten looked for was political sympathy rather than that the man would have a clue how to do the job.

    As for raping children on BBC premises... what would unionists call it?

    Some of Savile's victims were only 8 for heaven's sake.

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  6. Lupus.."The BBC is not a business as it does not have to sell its products"
    It uses private companies masquerading as the BBC to do that..

    'Capita' masqerading as BBCTV licensing to take £146 a year from us on threat of prison.

    'BBC Worldwide' masquerading as the BBC making £1Bn profit selling tv programmes we paid for and channeling the money back to the BBC 'to help reduce license fees' (sic)

    http://www.bbcworldwide.com/

    Oh and guess who is Chairman of BBC Worldwide ? Mark Thomson. Remember him ?

    It's just all jobs for the Common Purpose boys to keep the marxist agenda going.

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  7. Scratch that 'BBC Worldwide' profits.

    It's sales ...£1085m

    and profit....£155m

    No I don't know where the other £930m went to.
    It would be a lot of marching powder or 'fruit and flowers' as they call it at the BBC.

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  8. Yes Wolfie, I suppose it is a bit like the Civil Service.

    Hopelessly over managed by people giving presentations on obscure management techniques dreamed up in California. UCSD, I reckon, where life is so different from here that the policies are utterly valueless.

    Layer upon layer of them with the oddest titles. A strange set of relationships and reporting responsibilities.

    I mean, the Head of Music... what does (s)he do? Does (s)he tell the head of BBC what kind of music (s)he can use for a programme? Who's is in charge of what?

    Anyway, it doesn't work; none of it. I remember reporting sometime ago that Alan Yentob took first class flights to New York and back to give a speech. When he was challenged about it, he pointed out that if he went first class he could sleep on the flight and be at his desk the next day.

    This would be good for the BBC as he was so vital to the running of the organisation.

    I wondered, if he was that vital why the hell was he going to New York to give a speech. It's the BBC for heaven's sake; they could have recorded the speech and played it. They should know how to do these things. The could even have set up a link for Q+A.

    They live in cloud cuckoo land where saving money is not an objective.

    What the hell would happen to the BBC if he died...I wondered.

    I've long said that most of it should be sold off, and the stuff that would be commercially unviable should be a small unit with a licence fee of a few quid a year per person.

    The sooner that happens the better.

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  9. Niko

    The only person mentioning rape either on BBC premises or elsewhere is yourself

    I used the word abuse for a reason

    Abuse can mean different things to different victims, that is their perogative

    As you no doubt know the same amount of truth about the whole sorry affair as I do, it is not for me therefore, nor you, for that matter to decide if they are using the correct terminology
    They cannot all be lying but the lack of concern being shown to finding out the truth is what is worrying

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  10. Fred

    The people who make money "in" the BBC are outsourced.

    It is a bit like Prince Chuck running the Duchy of Cornwall and making profits endorsing overpriced snobbed up delicatessen products.



    The reason that they are outsourced is frankly the BBC is useless and they know when they are out of their depth and the seas that the sharks swim.

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  11. fairforfochen aka Blind pew

    From the main text of the post which you obviously did not bother to read.
    Just quickly slavering at the mouth leapt to attack the lone Unionist with his trusty dog Taz.

    I await your apology forthwith


    And far more importantly what about the children raped on the BBC premises, and about which the BBC did nothing? What will they get?

    tris

    evidence would be appreciated being caught up in the hysteria isn't a good thing.
    A calm objective evidence based approach would help get to the truth would be in the best interest of any survivors and also Savilles remaining family who are themselves going through hell.

    But the this is one way for the BBC hating Nats to undermine a much hated British institution.

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  12. Niko
    I did read all the post, but mistakenly thought you were replying to my post
    Since you were not may I offer my sincere apologies, both to yourself and Taz whom I am recommending for a medal in the forthcoming New Years honours list The fortitude that poor mutt must have goes well beyond the call of duty Having a name like Taz (Tazmania free State in free country)) and a forelock tugging Unionist master must make it hang its head in shame
    I hope this will go some way to redeem my contrite self

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  13. Ah the Duchy of Cornwall, Wolfie. That bastion of Feudal corruption and of course an equal opportunities employer, as long as you bow to the boss and call him some mediaeval style regarding his height.

    Someone on radio tonight was saying that one of the problems was that there are too many people who, in their 40s and 50s have run out of creative ideas, but who are owed favours by people higher up, and for whom they find titles and salaries, (and one of two little duties, which of course, are well outside the scope of their abilities).

    When they can no longer do their jobs, they should be fired, and in any other company they would be, but this is the BBC and there is an endless supply of money to be wasted.

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  14. Niko... I repeat. How else would you describe what Savile and others were doing?

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  15. Fairfor:

    Taz and Mrs N are to be greatly pitied.

    Of course John sees Mrs N regularly at the bingo and offers a shoulder to cry on... and I do my best with Taz... It's terrible to see a dog cry!

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  16. fairforfochen

    apologies gracefully given and accepted.............

    forelock tugging Unionist master
    Umm some say i tug at something else but no matter.

    Taz is a he and not a it snoring his head of on settee(from which he is banned) at the mo

    tris

    Just what were Savile and others doing? as far as we know not a thing.

    trial by media not a good thing ever


    now tell me do you agree one assume you must if Abu Qatada cannot be guaranteed a trail free from torture.Then he should not be handed over to the Jordanians.
    A principled position with which i agree.

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  17. cannot be guaranteed a trail free from torture

    Depends on how long and the wether (painful typo) notwithstanding any wild animals in the vicinity of any trek you are planning.

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  18. Secession petitions filed on White House Web site


    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/11/12/states-petition-obama-administration-to-secede/?tid=pm_pop

    As the GOP found out there are not enough angry white men

    and the snp will find in 2014 there are not enough angry red haired men any more

    ha ha ha ha ha

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  19. I see the reason given for the big payoff was so that he would go quietly
    Which begs the question what were they so afraid of him saying that they had to buy him off?
    Many questions no believable answers

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  20. So, is there any doubt in your mind that Savile was at it, Niko?

    As for Abu Qatada. Yes, if he cannot be given a trial involving elements of torture, then he should not be sent there to be tortured.

    I don't doubt for a minute that he is not inclined to niceties in dealing with his enemy, but if we go down the road of an eye for an eye, we are no better than savages. So although it is doubtless a pain to the English taxpayers to keep him in an English prison at their expense, I think they have to swallow it up.

    However, as it is not costing me a brass bean, that may be a rather biased opinion, and no one will be that interested!

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  21. LOL Danny's going to love these Niko.

    Well, if you can't get the government you want, you should break away. No one says you HAVE to stay with a kind of government you find repugnant. And many Republicans find feeding the poor and giving medical care to the elderly to be repugnant...

    They get all bent out of shape about unborn children... but if that child is allowed to live and comes back 25 years later needing some help with Medicaid, he can sod off.


    Weird!

    Some of the states involved would be massively successful on their own, as they wouldn't have the massive defence bill of the USA, and Texas has oil.

    Good. Go for it guys, I say.

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  22. LOL... that's a lovely rug CH....

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  23. Any answers that they give will be treated as highly suspicious.

    Self serving OB club.

    This incompetent was appointed by patten. He lasted 58 days or thereby. He has been spectacular in his complete lack of success at doing anything since he took over and he has cost us poor licence fee payers an arm and a leg. I do hope Patten will be allowed no say in the appointment of the next DG.

    Recruitment and selection doesn't seem to be his strong suite.

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  24. The curious case of Newsnight and Steve Messham

    Gerard Elias QC: “Does the name McAlpine mean anything to you.”
    Steven Messham: “Yes, sir.”
    Elias: “In what context?”
    Messham: “I was also abused by him sexually.”
    Sir Ronald Waterhouse: “Is the person you referred to alive or dead?”
    Messham: “I believe he is dead.”


    Where are there any journalists, anywhere?

    BBC/Labour trying to attach this to the Tory party par for the course.

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  25. LOL @ Niko:

    I hadn't heard about the secession petitions. I do think that Mr. Obama should consider them seriously. Some of those states are certainly more trouble than they're worth. Seems like an opportunity to do some judicious trimming. ;-)

    There are quite a few serious nut cases running around in the country, doing and saying crazy things....and they're all Republicans. But, as you observe, not enough to actually win an election, as they've just learned.

    This guy is a US Congressman from Florida. Here he orders the President and the entire Congressional Democratic leadership out of the country. He offers Europe as an option, which all right wing Republicans consider to be a socialist hell.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8YDnd1Yoyk

    He was defeated for reelection last week, and will himself be leaving Washington instead.

    Then there is this other guy who has held a trial and found Mr. Obama guilty of several crimes, and not a native born citizen. So he has given the President 90 days to resign his office.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h0EdpvZ23s

    This was posted almost two years ago, so I'd say that Mr. Obama has ignored the 90 days notice. Since the YouTube manifesto didn't work, maybe this guy should try one of those White House petitions instead.

    Only in America!!!!

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  26. What strikes me as odd, or maybe even siniter, about the Savile abuse situation is that, apparently, none of the victims complained whilst he was alive or if they did what action, if any, was taken? It is difficult to believe that none of them told their parents or someone who would act on their behalf. That being the case it is even more difficult to understand how this only surfaced recently.

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  27. CH: The fact that the McAlpine that Messham talked about was dead, and the one that is going to sue the ass off the BBC is pretty much alive should have told the "journalists" something.

    I heard the John Humphries interview that finished off Entwistle. As a journalist himself he was utterly astounded that no check had been made; no one had contacted Mr McAlpine; no photograph of McAlpine had been shown to the guy.

    I don't think any political party can be held responsible. This is incompetence at the BBC. And it seems to me that Mr Patten should be taking responsibility for appointing him as Mr patten, not as a previous Tory MP.

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  28. I think it is interesting that the article seems to suggest that it was a relative who was involved.

    Interesting too that other Tories are prepared to be bunt about Thatcher's friend and parliamentary assistant, so that's not about party politics.

    And that Tom Watson has been threatened.

    When the "great" and the "good" decide to protect one of their own, they have a lot of powerful weapons at their disposal.

    Still, I reckon it won't put Mr Watson off, and I reckon if anything happens to him the police will have a head start on where to look.

    I was amused by an article in the telegraph on Tebbit's blog saying that Denis would never have allowed any of that at Downing Street. So now we can guess at two things. One is who REALLY ran things, and the other is that Tebbit is a haver.

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  29. Ha ha Danny...

    There are nuts everywhere Danny... but I'd have to admit you have some real king size ones.

    I see that West equates Europe with the bottom of the ocean and the North Pole. Geeez... do they study Geography in the USA?

    And the manning bloke... what kind of court does he run?

    He is scarily creepy!!!



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  30. Sally Bercow is full of apologies to McAlpine for her tweeting
    She is probably in the line up of those who will be sued, and feeling the heat

    One who would like to be a celeb but is actually just another mouthy nonentity

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  31. I have wondered about that, John.

    It's certainly true that the majority of abused children don't tell anyone for fear of not being believed or perhaps for fear of getting the blame.

    How many times do you read about it happening in a family, and probably everyone knew, but said nothing.

    It is probably a lot more widespread than we know.

    Of course in some cases they were reputedly teenagers who may have enjoyed the attention of a "star", and didn't want to complain. But it was still wrong if they were 14.

    Some too, it appears were already disturbed people, or ill people, or handicapped in some way.

    It is said that Savile's family knew about it but didn't want to rock the boat as he was good to them (and there was the prospect of a fair bit of money when he died). Maybe that's true, maybe it's not.

    The there is the control; that people who know have over these offenders. How useful in politics to have someone you can always depend on to vote with you...otherwise you will tell about their nasty secret.

    It's surprising how little people rock the boat.

    Look at the Vatican. We have just had two trials and two convictions for the theft of secret papers from the Pope. They must have the biggest % prison population of any country now.

    But have we seen anyone ask what is all this corruption that these people were trying to shine a light on?

    Nope. Just the trial of the butler and the IT man.

    I hope we can get to the bottom of this. I just wish there were someone we could trust in the UK...some authority... parliament, courts, police, press, royals... to be honest in its investigation. But I can't see one.

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  32. Poor old Sally Bercow.

    You know there are some people who get into this kind of mess and you feel sorry for.

    A momentary lapse on Twitter.

    But in the case of Sally, all I can think of is: Silly cow..serves her right.

    If McAlpine is innocent, I hope he bankrupts her and that idiot Squeaker husband of hers.

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  33. LOL @ Tris:

    It would be interesting to know if the Manning nut actually held the "trial" for which he claims authority under some oddball personal interpretation of the constitution.

    As one of the "birthers" who challenge the Obama presidency's legitimacy, he held a protest rally outside the FOX News building after they described an associate of his as a "nut." Wikipedia reports that 15 to 20 people showed up. :-))))

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  34. 15-20 scary people then Danny...

    I thought there was something about that in the guy's rant. He kept on telling us he was a born American... like we would doubt him.

    Head case.... but hey, there's a lot of it about. Take the Tory Party in the UK... (please take them). What a bunch of nut jobs. They fit in nicely with these too.

    Very nice to see that the American people rejected the nut jobs and voted for the right man.

    Pity about Michelle Bachmann getting back in though, even by a tint majority. They should have sent her packing.

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  35. Well

    One thing is for sure. You have no clue what life in the Civil service is like.

    Having pay held down to "Encourage Private Industry" by Brown, so you got damn all while standard pay was rising by 3.2%

    Having your team reduced by 80% but the work load increasing then having some dimwit of an MP wondering why their constituent is finding their issue tales longer to resolve.

    Being the scapegoat for any abuse and it being a sack-able offence for answering back

    You've convinced me, Better Together!, Vote No!

    Edited 17.37 TPW

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  36. Not sure what you are actually saying there Anon.. or to whom..

    Could you be a bit clearer.

    I've edited out the F words. Kids read this blog. Hope you don't mind.

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  37. Look at your response to Lupus.

    If that is your arritude to Civil Servants, you can do the other thing

    " , I suppose it is a bit like the Civil Service.

    Hopelessly over managed by people giving presentations on obscure management techniques dreamed up in California. UCSD, I reckon, where life is so different from here that the policies are utterly valueless.

    Layer upon layer of them with the oddest titles. A strange set of relationships and reporting responsibilities."

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  38. Anon

    forgive me but I am not so sure to which Anon I an responding, always assuming I am taking to one Anon.

    I suspect we are talking about the same extrapolation vis-a-vis the Civil Service?

    I agree with you that there is total managerial mismatch re trying to manage, or perhaps reconcile, different management structures and their relative appropriateness to current top down Steady State management culture.

    Sorry of this sounds very academic but, this is not the place to over-discuss these arcane nonsenses.

    Your assertion to vote NO because of, what I presume to be, you identify the SNP Gov as being the people who are denying you what you so believe in.

    If you want I would be happy to develop the discussion between ourselves.

    One on one, if you want to discuss, and absolutely privately and personally?

    ps

    I am not a member of the SNP!

    Tris will give you my e-mail address, if you would like me to discuss further, but not tonight after my dinner, please!

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  39. Nah Lupus, it was Tris's response.

    Just sick of the Service being portrayed as a bunch of non-job poltroons by public, politicians and press and that, frankly, is what Tris was doing.

    It is the increasingly worse conditions and the abuse that led me to take my redundancy earlier this year.

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  40. Ah Ok...Anon.

    We were talking about the BBC and its similarity to the Civil Service.

    I worked, fairly briefly I am happy to say, for the Civil Service in the form of jobcentre, where I was unfortunate enough to meet the least competent management that I have ever come across (and because I have always worked on short term contracts, that is quite a few managements).

    They seemed to wander around being politically correct, attending a variety of meets, one after the other, never making a decision that lasted for any longer than a few days, before having another meeting to change it all; worrying about targets but not results.

    I don't criticise the staff in the Civil Service. They were certainly demotivated, angry and sometimes downright unpleasant, but all of that was attributable to the stupid, overpaid, over promoted, Buggin's turn managers they (and I) had to work for.

    I stayed for just under a year, during which time I had 5 different bosses (two twice plus one once). They all had different ways of doing things, and different priorities. One only lasted 4 days.

    I was sent on a wide variety of courses hat I didn't need to attend, including one which was run externally and cost £5,000. I had already done the course, but would they listen to me?

    For some of the reasons you talked about no one really gave of their best. I certainly didn't unless I was working directly with a client, in which case my concern for them overcame my visceral hatred for the stupidity of the overpaid management.

    I understand the tax office and several other departments where friends work or have worked, to be the same.

    If you are persuaded that Scotland will do better as a northern county of England run for the benefit of the City of London, because I dared to criticise Civil Servants, then that is your right.

    As I have no connection to government, nor shall I ever, I hardly think it matters what my opinion of London government departments is, but clearly you must make your own decisions about that.

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  41. On the tangential issue which arose about the US election and the madness of the far right wing of the Republican Party........

    Indeed, as Tris suggested to me, we do have someone as crazy in her own way as Nadine Dorries. And sadly, the citizens of the 6th Congressional District of Minnesota, saw fit to return Michele Bachmann to the House of Representatives, albeit by a close margin.

    But there were bright spots too. Two of the right wing crazies, not as famous as Bachmann but just as crazy, Allen West in Florida and Joe Walsh in Illinois, WERE defeated.

    Sadly, Wisconsin law allowed Paul Ryan to run for his 1st District House seat in addition to VP. He lost for VP, but won the House seat. But he failed to deliver swing state Wisconsin to the Romney/Ryan ticket, and his position against traditional Medicare may well have lost Florida for his ticket.

    So on balance, election results can be sweet indeed.

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  42. Ahhh Danny, it didn't occur to me, but yes, I guess that his pronouncements on Medicare (ie how much money he was going to save on it, and therefore how much less people were going to get from it) may have put voters in the retirement state off a bit!

    But I think it's always a bit of an indictment if you can't deliver your own state. I guess it can't happen always, but that would be a little like a party leader losing his seat here. I don't think that has ever happened...

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