Corbyn / BBC declare social class of employees?

Agree with POGS - social class questioning - how ridiculous. I'd also tell whoever asked me to get knotted.

next point: The BBC does some good things, but I do think it is biased in lots of ways, and it needs reform. North/south divide is one area (maybe actually is a London-centric focus).

Sticking my neck out, I'd say there is an anti-business (i.e. commercial profit-based business) bias. John Humphries is a case in point. The Today programme used to have trouble getting business representatives on to the programme because he would savage them. Have not listened to it since I retired so don't know if things have improved.

Will membership of only one political party be encouraged at first, then only that one permitted, that party to be chosen by the government in power?

Its funny you should mention that Elegran A few years ago I applied for a voluntary role and a few weeks after the applications closed I received a telephone call "interview". At first the gentleman said that my business skills would be very useful to them but then went on to ask me if I was religious or belonged to a political party and if so which ones? I was completely taken aback and refused to answer. At which point the "interview" came to an abrupt end.

Thank you Elegran

I have noted the Martin Niemöller poem ' First They Came For' used on Gransnet times to make a point but 'Who they came for first" is pure irony and the last words " When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out." chime with me as to where this could casually / accidently progress to .

Are the guillotines being sharpened for those employees who confess they come from the wrong right side of the tracks? Will they be reprieved if they mend their ways and "volunteer" for re-education and re-alignment?

How about employees who don't fit the other limitations of the Procrustean bed? As Pogs posted, how about " political persuasion/allegiance, religion, skin colour, sex etc."

Will these be on all job applications, first in the Beeb, then in all government positions from top civil service appointments to bin men, and then all jobs anywhere.

Will membership of only one political party be encouraged at first, then only that one permitted, that party to be chosen by the government in power?

Will adherents of any but a state-established church be banned from public office, weeded out by having to make a public act of worship and declaration of faith?

Will anyone whose sex and gender are not strictly orthodox and binary be sent for a course of re-education and chemical or surgical normalisation?

The wedge has a thin edge, but when hammered in it can drive two halves of a tree-trunk apart.

Jaycee

Reading your post may I ask what the Social Class has to do with anything other than a desire to create a decisive society.

If this is about 'transparency' in journalism then ask for Social Class , if you think that is relevant but also ask for political persuasion/allegiance, religion, skin colour, sex etc.

So let's come on to the subject of journalism and reporting. This is a dangerous avenue to go down and it has the certain whiff / stink of a creeping censorship of our media.

What is behind the need to know / having to declare what Social Class you come from?

If for example David Attenborough came from a council estate or palace would that sway your opinion of the work he produces ?

If a philanthropist /humanitarian had to declare his/her Social Class would that make a difference as to accepting their money?

Would you want to know the Social Class of your surgeon before being operated on?

Is a good / bad Member of Parliament only decided because of his / her background. They can be seen as being a hypocrite if they espouse one thing and do the other but is the Social Class of our MP's in the future going to be a criteria. Ye Goods I hope not but Corbyn should lead by example and declare the Social Class of all Labour employees , Shadow Cabinet and MP's if it so important to know.

If you feel it is a good thing to have to declare your Social Status can you explain to me why , what would you do with the information, , what the likely outcome will be because even raising the prospect sends chills down my backbone.

If this 'idea' ever came to fruition it is supposedly under the guise of 'transparency' so why not join the dots and ask for political persuasion/alliances too.

I am no particular flag waver for the BBC it will be seen as bias to the left or right of politics dependent on who you speak to. Asking what Social Class an individual comes from is only interesting or of worth if you have a bigoted mindset and want to go down the road of Social Engineering and that is my biggest concern given the fact this is coming from the current Labour Leader.

mcem He was speaking at a media conference. What do you suggest he discusses other than the media?

Anniebach That is what they did? You think it is just a coincidence that Margaret Hodge's daughter is the BBC News editor and that she chose her latest whinge as the top story over that of 49 Yemeni children killed by a US bomb? If that doesn't mean that the BBC needs better accountability and to be more open and balanced then nothing does. She will not even acknowledge her conflict of interest in covering Labour issues.
If they covered it properly they would refer to the Commons committee with a Tory majority that found that anti-Semitism is less in the Labour party and how many organisations, including Jewish organisations agree with the NEC (not Corbyn as they misleadingly imply) policy on the issue.

Grumppa Misha Glenny makes the point in his book McMafia that a relatively good education, combined with high levels of unemployment, has contributed to the high levels of organised crime in South American countries.

So Corbyn wants all these changes because the beeb reported on anti semitism in the Labour Party, state radio in his mind ?

Well hardly grumppa the crimes would just get bigger and much more well thought out. Leaving nothing much for the Joe average car thief. Completely selfish.

If education is good, then a better educated criminal class would be a good thing, wouldn't it trisher? I await the return of Raffles.

I think the word is "would" not "will". I don't see them getting into power until well after Corbyn's time.

The problem here in the NE is that there are too many self employed builders (often forced into becoming so due to lack of work from the big builders ) chasing the same small amount of work so no, it isn't a problem in the NE JenniferE . More likely (and from experience) a builder would offer some poor kid a few quid cash in hand to be a dogsbody for a few days on an "as and when basis". Not exactly career building is it?

Okay so if we are splitting hairs........A very small company such as mine or the builder JenniferEccles talks about may take someone (one person) on with few or no qualifications, but try getting on an apprenticeship scheme with Nissan, the LA's, a large builder, BT, the civil service .... or any other large business or enterprise (the list is endless) and you will hit a brick wall.

Same here in Wales Jennifer , I don’t care what GCSE’s applicants have ,

Regardless of 'class' or where in the country one lives, nine times out of ten, success in life is down to the individual.

Needing 5 GCSEs before being accepted as an apprentice has been mentioned, but that is not always the case. Our builder is desperate to find a lad to train up, and all he needs is enthusiasm and for the lad to be prepared to work. He's not interested in how many exams he's passed, so long as he has common sense and is keen.

He was telling us how the first one was late for work every day for a week as he had to get up 'too early' so he had to be let go.
The second one found the work 'too hard' even though to start with he wasn't expected to do anything arduous.

So, the search goes on. The thing is this is a fantastic opportunity for a lad to learn the building trade and then set up on his own, if only these youngsters could see that.

Yes, this is in the Home Counties, but you can't tell me there aren't any builders in deprived areas up north with the same problem.

You live in a strange world gilly, I have been looking at apprentice applications, what their parents do is of no interest , where they live is because they may not have their own transport , can’t send a work van 15 miles to collect anyone .

That's right Oldwoman it should be about how you will be able to do the job not whether you have 5 GCSE's .

We are reaching a point where no-one without academic qualifications will be able to get full time employment.

Kitty - you mean you think the BBC is left wing?
I could be wrong (haven't read the whole thread) but from something I heard on the radio earlier, I got the impression that Corbyn was very upset about the amount of time the BBC has spent on antisemitism in his party over the last few weeks.
If he became PM (personally I don't think it's likely) he would ensure there was less biased reporting, including a wider mix of social background among the reporters.

I know that JaneA but the discussion on BBC radio Newcastle was on this exact subject. Hen said he himself would never have had the opportunities he did if he had been born decades later. You could get jobs without qualifications and climb the ladder. These days you cannot.

What mummy or daddy do (or did) for a living, which school you went to, where you live etc. plus those magical 5 GCSE's in English, Maths, History, Geography, whatever........ really useful for a plasterer, brickie, joiner........etc.

gillybob - that was my point it should not be about coming from the "right background" whatever that is. Instead of relying on whether someone got a degree (no matter in what subject), why not have them complete a questionnaire relating to the job they are applying for to see if they have the aptitude for it

But would she get to where she is today had she been born in the 80's or 90's JaneA which is the point Alan Milburn was making.

I was responding to the OP gilly, about what Corbyn has said, not about what Alan Milburn said, which is a different issue.

I know that Sarah Smith is John Smith's daughter - I thought everyone did.

If we have fewer middle-class people working for the beeb would it become less left wing do you imagine?