I acknowledge that I am and have been strongly critical of the BBC and its increasing dominance of the airwaves, funded by £billions from UK taxpayers. In recent times gaff after gaff has hit the headlines, including the revelations of the amounts paid to its presenters/producers.

But the most recent gaff takes the biscuit.

At a time when airtime is taken up with the endless advertising/trailing of future programmes, the BBC has taken the (incomprehensible) decision not to provide a group of some of the most important, experienced and skilled charities free airtime to advertise the Gaza appeal. The reasons given by the Chief Operating Officer are spurious, namely: that there is no guarantee that aid will get through, that such a decision may not accord with the view of the British public, and that a decision to grant airtime will somehow show bias (against Israel) in an ongoing news scenario.

If it is true that the BBC’s decision will automatically flow through to all other channels then it bodes badly for the vast majority of Gaza residents who have suffered from death, injury, illness, and a critical shortage of shelter, power, food and water.

When it gets to the point that this dreadful government disagree with the BBC’s decision, something must be seriously wrong. And I am sure that the vast majority of the British people (many of whom will now not be aware of the appeal) will also be concerned by the decision.

It is to the credit of various BBC presenters and programmes that the decision has been questioned – in effect representing the public’s views and collective puzzlement. It is now time for the BBC Trust to intervene on behalf of Joe Public and reverse this decision immediately.

It’s also time for the BBC to exist in the real world and pay its own way. Having lost my Licence Fee I hope it loses many more. And how can the BBC talk about bias when its mainstream musical output is concentrated on so few mainstream artists?

It’s not Rock ‘n’ Roll is it…

Ed

Not in defence of the BBC - simply throwing the spanner back out of the works.

Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of the Ed’s piece here, there’s little part of it that I must stand up and defend. That part would be the afterthought that the BBC must join the 20th Century and find a new way of funding.

Ironically perhaps, I’ve been in court three times for non-payment of a licence-fee. Although that was many years ago (once it was twice in the same year), I felt I was right in my decision to raise two fingers at the system. Back in the day when there was only two channels to choose from and radio sucked gas, it was ridiculous to expect somebody working in Pizza Hut earning about £8 a week instead of signing on to contribute to the archaic nee, jurassic monstrosity it had become. Come the revolution however, I find myself paying up on time and voluntarily… mostly because their technology got better at finding me admittedly, but the sentiment is good.

What do I get for my £13 a month? Doctor Who, Chris Moyles, Waking the Dead, Life on Mars, a sackful of digital radio stations I can really listen to… the list of quality is endless at the moment, and you can’t stand up straight and argue that the BBC iplayer isn’t the best piece of internet trickery to come along in the last couple of years.

Right now, the BBC as a production unit is kicking ass. You have to understand that this a hulking behemoth from the past trying - sometimes in vain - to be very modern. The wheels turn very slowly and once the monster is on the move, it’s very hard to stop it and change direction.

I’m not in their corner all the time - hell, I don’t actually care what station a show is on so long as the show is good - but the fact that they are brave enough to stand up and be counted one way or the other on this issue sounds pretty damn rock n roll to me.

On the Gaza issue, I believe a point is all that you can score anyway. You win some, you lose some. By choosing not to broadcast this appeal, the BBC has brought more publicity to an important global issue than a fistful of charities begging for more money ever could.

Be cool to each other.

Rock Ed