Corbyn / BBC declare social class of employees?

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.

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

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

But you support knowing the background of people gilly, if ‘where do you live and what work do you parents do’ is acceptable why not ‘do you have a faith and do you belong to a political party, if so, which party ‘

But John Humphries isn’t on 5 days a week, if he was so feared why not be interviewed when he wasn’t in the studio?

Are the children of high-profile people to be banned from working in the BBC then?

Surely having a famous parent (particularly a parent who’s a politician and has a history of being savaged by the media) is a heavy enough burden to carry through life, without your job opportunities being severely curtailed, simply because of your famous parent.

I support knowing that our BBC (paid for by the tax payers) is a fair employer Annie employing people on their merit not because of who's son or daughter they are or which posh school they went to.

Why should it make a difference what religion I am or what political party I might belong to ? (especially considering it was a voluntary role) and apparently they welcomed the skills I could give them for free.

The children of high profile people will always get on JaneAwhether it be in the BBC, ITV or wherever as they trade on their role as the son or daughter of XXXXX .

Posh ? Oh Gilly

....should have said they are able to trade on their role.

Are you suggesting there aren't any Annie ?

the point about John Humphries: the show's producers go looking for someone to interview depending on the news topic being covered in the show on a particular day. It's not (usually) a case of volunteering yourself for interview on a day of your choosing in order to avoid ferocious Mr H.

gillybob I have to protest, we have it on good authority that it is extremely difficult to get on in the world of acting if your parents are famous.
Emilia Fox said so.
I'm sure so many famous children with famous parents, having a tough time breaking into acting, feel the same.


It's often a case of it's not what you know, it's who you know and that the same in all walks of life.

I don’t acknowledge ‘posh ‘ gilly, wealthy? titled! old money? New money?

gilly Do you think Hilary Benn and Stephen Kinnock ‘traded on their roles’ as the sons of famous Labour politicians to advance their political careers?

"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?"

That is how it starts, Gilly.

First your social class, political and religious allegiance, sexual bias, and so on are noted so that they can be tools in building a wonderful new society where none of these things will give anyone an advantage over anyone else.

Then someone wants to know your bias and allegiances in a situation where they have no relevance whatsoever to whatever it is you will be doing.

Next your interview is abruptly terminated when you say that you don't see what relevance your politics are to your job selling shoes in the shopping centre shoe outlet.

Then your children come home to say that there will be a camping holiday for members of the XXXX youth group, but only full members can go, and can they join?

Next the XXXX youth group puts on "citizenship" talks. Young members who don't attend these find that they are not picked as office-holders. Senior members get into conversation with them and tell them they were missed at the meeting last week, and remind them that when they joined they did promise to uphold the values of the group, which include regular and prompt attendance. They attend the next "citizenship" talk, which is mostly about how lucky they are to belong to this organisation which is dedicated to raising perfect citizens for the state, unlike certain other groups.

At home the children notice that their parents don't seem quite as enthusiastic about the wonderful new order, and have even been heard to praise one of the "other groups" and to express a preference for a church which is not the established one. At the next meeting the child mentions this to the leader. Their father expects to be promoted this year to a more responsible position, but unaccountably he is passed over for the brother of the leader of the youth group. Mother finds that she is no longer needed at her job so has to apply for benefits. She finds that she doesn't qualify because she is not a member of either The Party or The One True Denomination. Her next-door neighbour cuts her dead in the supermarket.

As for the child's big sister, who would prefer to be a big brother and has been buying illicit testosterone injections on the internet, he/she has been admitted to hospital for emergency oestrogen therapy. Consent is no longer required for this as the area's quota of sex/gender changes (one a year per 500,000) has been reached, so she has broken the law and must return to "normal"

Far fetched?

Wow Elegran. well done. George Orwell eat your heart out.

Chilling Elegran

We need to learn from history, not disregard it.

Just reading the posts here, do some people think that there are no longer class distinctions? Because while we may not be wearing bowler hats and flat caps anymore class is definitely alive and kicking! I’ve moved around a lot so often being a newbie am acutely aware of being judged in this way.

I think we would all benefit from a gentle fall in our expectations and better sense of living within our means both personal and global.

Well said M0nica. I agree. I think that is the only way there will be any sort of fair progress for future generations.