Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
The BBC has been a foundation of our community for the past century, and it will remain so. Inevitably, though, a large communication company that covers all features of our society will come under attack. Sometimes, the attack will be valid, but in general the organisation’s professionalism has prevailed.
Change is a constant. There has been pressure for Scotland to have a more formal role in the charter renewal process, and the agreement of that, which is underpinned by the memorandum of understanding, is welcome.
There is no such thing as a coincidence, and I have no doubt that, as we discuss the issue over the next few months in a period of major political debate, voices will be raised and there will be a focus on the proportionality of the BBC’s reporting on Scotland and Europe. However, given Scotland’s role in the charter renewal process, I feel sure that the corporation will rise to the occasion, and I feel sure—indeed, I feel confident—that the director general will ensure that we have the fairness that we seek.
Of course, proportionality is not just about news and political views. We also need a fair reflection of the wider issues of diversity, opportunity and relative equality, and a recognition and understanding of the cultural differences not just between the nations but within the regions of the nations of these islands.
Although I agree whole-heartedly with the proposals that the cabinet secretary outlined in December and in her speech on 12 February, I venture that there will inevitably be an extension of the proposed quasi-federal, decentralised structure with, at some time in the future, the creation of a BBC organisation in Scotland, albeit under a unitary UK BBC board. Such an organisation would be responsible for its overall strategy, its financial performance and its outcomes related to revenue, expenditure and asset management, and above all it would be responsible for optimising its creative output and operations.
The Education and Culture Committee was frustrated that it was unable to determine the BBC’s financial and other outcomes, but I will leave it to my colleague Gordon MacDonald to enumerate some of the issues. If an organisation does not own the strategic finances, the features and the forecasts for its business, how it can determine competitive investment or even disinvestment is a conundrum.
I howled—or was it Hjuled—on Friday, when I read an exposition in one of our national broadsheets that suggested that there is little need for substantial change, because we are not of different races. I presume that the writer meant that there are not differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK. Of course there are. There are differences in culture, and there is diversity even within the regions of Scotland, all of which are covered by elements of the BBC.