https://aberavonneathlibdems.blogspot.com/2020/09/bbc-licence-fee-should-be-set-by.html refers.
Although there were many good things in this motion, I had to vote against because it accepted the regressive licence fee as the only way to pay for the BBC. The subscription model is not the only alternative. For an avowedly European party, Liberal Democrat policy makers were guilty of ignoring continental models of paying for public service broadcasting. There has been no suggestion that, for instance, Swiss or German public service broadcasters are more partial than BBC or that they fail to support the arts or local communities.
There was only one voice in the debate yesterday pointing out that the BBC's policy of "balance" is not the same as impartiality. In presenting counter-arguments to community vaccination, global warming and membership of the EU, Auntie Beeb gave undue respectability to those cases. Worse, news bulletins refused to expose outright lies by the respective spokesmen for what they were. As many of the licence-fee supporters yesterday stated in support of their case, the BBC is trusted by the majority of the British public and is turned to in times of trouble. I cannot fault the corporation's response to the SARS2/Covid19 emergency, but in political matters I believe it has abused that trust.
Nor was there any criticism in the motion of the bloat suffered by the BBC as other organisations in a privileged position have suffered. There is virtually no check in the continued swelling of executive ranks and only public opinion has put a ceiling on the salaries of the highest-paid performers. There has to be an independent body regularly reviewing staffing such as used to be provided in the civil service by the (feared!) Exchequer and Audit department.
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