Sammy Wilson: Govt bottles out of tackling the BBC

No doubt champagne corks will be popping in the staff rooms of the BBC as they, well known for wasting licence fee money splashing out on celebratory drinks, welcome the government climbdown on getting to grips with this out of control organisation.

Despite its left wing broadcasting bias, its huge waste of licence fee payments on payoffs to cronies, huge pension entitlements, wasteful trips abroad, its financial secrecy, its tax dodging activities and its use of public money to unfairly compete with commercial broadcasters, the government has caved in to its well organised campaign of resistance to change.

The white paper represents a white flag of surrender and it seems that the Prime Minister has been instrumental in shaping it. No doubt he has an eye on the role the BBC can play in helping him pull the wool over the eyes of the electorate in the EU referendum.

The BBC can smile smugly as the populace are forced to pay an increasing licence fee for the next 12 years.

It can hide the huge payments it makes to its presenters. It can still appoint enough pliable cronies to ensure that its operational decisions cannot be challenged.

The white paper will ensure that the BBC will remain Biased Bloated and Costly and the ordinary people of the UK will pay to keep it that way or be criminalised if they don’t.

It is clear that just like the banks the BBC is too big to be challenged.

Sammy Wilson MP, East Antrim