Stephen Kerr (Central Scotland) (Con)
I congratulate Jenny Minto on her speech and on securing support for the motion. The BBC is indeed a precious British institution that sets itself high standards. It often meets those standards, but not always, and that is to be expected given that the BBC’s output is so broad and varied, including the output of BBC Scotland.
The BBC is a gift that we share with the whole world, and the brand is sound: it stands for something. All over the world, people listen to and watch BBC broadcasts, including those originating in Scotland. People put a tremendous amount of trust in what the BBC says. They listen to podcasts of BBC productions on global streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The BBC is a British institution but it is also a global institution, and it promotes our Britishness and our Scottishness, not in an in-your-face way, but in a reassuring and steady way.
The BBC provides us with a window on the world, and also provides a window on Britain for the rest of the world—with all of our diversity and richness of tradition. The images of Scotland as our late queen was brought from Balmoral to Hollywood last September were broadcast all over the world, and they told their own story of Scotland’s beauty, her people’s generosity and Queen Elizabeth’s love of Scotland.
I absolutely believe in the concept of public sector broadcasting. I believe that the BBC has played, does play and will continue to play a central role in the life of our nation. However, I regularly question its leadership and their priorities. I cannot believe that the BBC bosses really think it is a bright idea to abolish the BBC Singers, all to save £1.5 million. I would say, “Come on, BBC. It’s not good enough.” Then, there was all that fuss about Gary Lineker’s tweets. Who cares about what Gary Lineker thinks? He is paid rather handsomely—roughly 15 times the salary of the cabinet secretary—to talk about football on the telly. That is it.
Regarding the business model, I understand that it might be tempting for those in the hierarchy to resist change—“If ain’t broke, why fix it?”, as the saying goes. However, that is complacent thinking. As the world and society change, the BBC must change with them. Yes, it can be guided by the past, but we should not be entrenched in the past. The idea of a tax on TV viewing seems to me to be something that does not quite belong in the 21st century and I do not believe that it will endure. Therefore, alternative funding models need to be explored. I am open to consideration of all the alternatives, with all the flexibilities that could come with those changes, including the BBC leveraging its global brand to secure its income and pre-eminence.
The BBC must be bold in embracing not only the future, but the present. Coming, therefore, to my main item—the big ticket, as it were—I really do not feel that BBC Scotland, as a public service broadcaster, is giving adequate coverage to the proceedings of this Parliament. I have said that before and I will say it again, because I genuinely believe it. Why does the BBC Scotland channel not broadcast the proceedings of this chamber live and uninterrupted? People should not have to navigate the internet to find the live broadcast of Scotland’s Parliament; they should just be able to switch on their telly. Between midnight and 7 pm, BBC Scotland broadcasts a message reading “This is BBC Scotland”. Why can BBC Scotland not take the live feed from the Parliament and distribute it as a public service? That would let more people engage with their Parliament; it would make it easier for people to tune in. That, I believe, is the responsibility of a national broadcaster or public service broadcaster, and I do not understand why that does not happen.
Over its 100 years in Scotland, the BBC has shown that it can and does produce high-quality programmes for TV, radio and podcasts. I want the BBC to prosper. I want its influence across the planet to be enhanced over the next 100 years, promoting the values of decency, democracy and individual liberty, and to have nation truly speak peace unto nation.