And don't start me on Fiona Bruce and her blatant tory bias on QT. The Grand Inquisitor will be spinning in his grave.
Thing is, Lineker is absolutely right. What this government is proposing is disgusting and it's straight out of the trumptard playbook: and we know that he is revered by actual nazis.
If that's the case, BBC Scotland should shut down its entire news/politics/current affairs department - the lack of impartiality is legendary.
While Laura Kuenssberg can be blatantly misrepresenting and misreporting of a party leader without reprimand, how on Earth does a sports presenter get in trouble? People don’t think the BBC is partial because a football presenter says something. That’s sheer nonsense. Funnily enough, it seems to prove his point.
Probably bring more viewers out of curiosity! EDIT: Potentially no commentators either . I wonder if this is the general view at Talksport or do the real journalists and presenters support Lineker in his stance? Reckon Simon Jordan is a Tory.
Simon Jordan wouldn’t recognise integrity if it jumped out of the toilet and bit his bollocks off. Anatomically, he’s an interesting case - just where the cock ends and the rest of Simon Jordan begins, is unknown to Science.
Looks like the powers-that-be in the BBC have well and truly stuffed up with this nonsensical statement - and over 4.5K replies gleefully point out their error. I can't see Fiona Bruce being asked to step back though.
Outside the headquarters of the BBC in London is a statue of the writer George Orwell. It bears the words: “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they don’t want to hear.”
Fiona Bruce is apparently a Refuge "ambassador". They've written quite the tweet "defending" her. A prime example of fractal wrongness by Refuge.
Wow - this from Labour, the self styled Party of the people. Labour councillors award themselves a 45% pay rise... https://archive.is/J5iDs
I don’t think he’s employed as a pundit so I’m not sure this evidence counts in his favour, but the guidelines should only be for News and Current Affairs staff, imho. It’s not exactly reversible, but it’s a bit like trying to enforce a news correspondent silencing their football team of choice.
To be honest, I don't think he's even employed by the BBC in the generally accepted sense of the word - he's freelance so is self-employed.
He is freelance, but as he is, according to BBC Guidelines, “clearly identified with the BBC”, he does have to behave “in ways that are consistent with the BBC's editorial values and policies", and in line with this: “There are also others who are not journalists or involved in factual programming who nevertheless have an additional responsibility to the BBC because of their profile on the BBC. We expect these individuals to avoid taking sides on party political issues or political controversies and to take care when addressing public policy matters.” I don’t agree with the policies, I think they are ridiculous, but you can bet BBC lawyers will have been through this with a fine-tooth comb. Laura Kuenssberg has behaved in a very biased manner for years, and I learn (originally from Fez), that Fiona Bruce’s choices are also questionable. But the BBC defend them through thick and thin. If Lineker had voiced the opposite view, I would have detested it, but I wouldn’t be calling for his head because I pay for a licence fee, as I’ve heard many bleating. That’s just plain stupid.
Of course what the BBC hadn’t bargained for was a collective response - and I’m rather enjoying that.
Yet the likes of Andrew Neil and Sarah Smith got away with similar for years whilst working for the BBC - apparently because of the words "Views are my own" on their Twitter bios. Or perhaps their views simply mirrored those of the Tory-appointed BBC hierarchy? It's not what you know, it's who you know that counts - Lineker obviously isn't well connected. The whole thing stinks - shortly after 36 Tory MPs voiced their complaints to the BBC, their leader, Sunak, publicly tried to distance himself and the party from the whole affair. An odd move given that the BBC is basically the government's propaganda unit - circling the wagons whilst leaving that unit on the outer isn't really a good look.
