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Corbyn / BBC declare social class of employees?

(509 Posts)
POGS Thu 23-Aug-18 00:23:58

It is said Corbyn will today (Thursday) announce how Labour will reform the BBC. If this turns out to be false news then I apologise now.

It is being discussed in the media how one of his /Labours ideas is for the BBC to declare the ' Social Class ' of employees.

If this is even a thought I find that principal very alarming and if true I expect the Labour Party to lead by example and do the same for all employees including the Shadow Cabinet and all MP's.

How do you work out a persons Social Class? By Wealth, Education, Family background?

I would tell somebody requiring that of me to ' Go Forth'.

trisher Sat 25-Aug-18 13:41:50

Top salaried TV journalists are an elite Annie A select group of individuals who influence your thinking.

Benn as far as I know never used his aristocratic family connections.

Anniebach Sat 25-Aug-18 13:20:54

Journalists are the elite?

Nopotism ?

Tony Benn was the son of Viscount Wedgewood Benn and grandson of Sir John Benn a Baronet. The name Wedgewood was included because Viscount Benns mother was a relative of Joshua Wedgewood

mostlyharmless Sat 25-Aug-18 13:09:34

Peter Snow (BBC journalist) is Dan Snow’s father, but Jon Snow (BBC journalist) is his cousin. His great-great grandfather was Lloyd George (Prime Minister) and his father in law was the Duke of Westminster (third richest person in UK in 2016).
One of the elite I think you can safely say!

Anniebach Sat 25-Aug-18 12:57:12

Nepotism ? So this explains five generations of my family getting jobs as coal miners

Anniebach Sat 25-Aug-18 12:55:13

Sebastian Corbyn is John McDonalds Chief of Staff = nepotism?

MawBroon Sat 25-Aug-18 12:48:03

gringrin
Dan Snow is not Jon Snow’s son! gringrin

His father (or so his mother says) is Peter Snow , granted, also a journalist turned TV journalist, but it is not all that unusual for careers to run in families.
Dan Snow is an eminent historian in his own right anyway.
If you want to rant, check your facts first. Like Sluttygran might think of checking the dates on her “current practice” links.

POGS Sat 25-Aug-18 12:25:31

trisher

Jon Snow is not ' the daddy ' of Dan Snow so why do you accuse him of nepotism. What information do you have to accuse him of nepotism?

As for nepotism it is rife at the top of the Labour Party is it not?

Perhaps that should be included as a model for ' transparency'.

trisher Sat 25-Aug-18 12:14:51

Mmm Jon Snow and Dan Snow now there's nepotism at it's best. Does anyone seriously think that Dan Snow (at best a mediocre journalist and presenter) would have made it without daddy's help? In spite of his good looks? Now Neil Oliver there's someone who made it on his own merits.

POGS Sat 25-Aug-18 11:59:00

" It was possibly these people who gave the Beeb its left-wing bias."

Couldn't make it up.

POGS Sat 25-Aug-18 11:57:38

sluttygran Sat 25-Aug-18 11:39:55

Jalima
I have to admit to being To the Manor Born
Does that make my opinion less valid?
---

No !

You keep making the point Social Class does not make ' anybody's opinion less valid.

POGS Sat 25-Aug-18 11:53:37

Jon Snow went to preparatory school, an independent boarding school (public school), technical college and Liverpool University.

I wonder what Social Class he would put himself in and wonder why or if he thinks it has had any bearing on his career in journalism? I think for the reason of being ' impartial' as this is ' suppoisedly ' all about then political persuasion might be of more interest!

Likewise what does the Social Class of his extended family such as Peter Snow and Dan Snow have to do with their journalistic careers.?

trisher Sat 25-Aug-18 11:42:29

I agree sluttygran and I really have no objection to the Beeb recruiting from under represented parts of society. In spite of the fact that it has actively resulted in someone close to me being ruled out of something. I think extending the parameters of this to include education would be interesting. There were in the past many members of the priveleged classes who were socialists but actually I find it very difficult to name anyone like Tony Benn these days. (I'm happy to be corrected). It was possibly these people who gave the Beeb its left-wing bias.

sluttygran Sat 25-Aug-18 11:39:55

Jalima
I have to admit to being To the Manor Born
Does that make my opinion less valid?

sluttygran Sat 25-Aug-18 11:36:11

PS. No need at all to apologise for the misspelling. A rose by any other name ..... grin

trisher Sat 25-Aug-18 11:35:56

POGS who have I attacked personally? Are you referring to my explanation of GN to sluttygran? I simply explained what has happened to those of us who have professed socialism in the past. It saves a lot of time.

sluttygran Sat 25-Aug-18 11:34:50

Mawbroon
The links do date back to 2016, this being the time when the renewal of the BBC. Charter was being drafted and planned.
There was a strong feeling at the time that too much influence was being brought to bear by the two main political parties, and that journalistic independence was being compromised
It seemed to me at the time that the BBC was indeed a little towards the left, and that was not proper.
It appears however, that the pendulum has now moved too far to the right, again prejudicing unbiased reportage.

Jaycee5 Sat 25-Aug-18 11:30:13

This is a quote from Channel 4's John Snow who was at the same conference discussing the same issue.
"We the media report the lack of diversity in other walks of life - but our own record is nothing like good enough. The Sutton Trust has revealed that just under 80% of top editors were educated at private or grammar schools. Compare that with the 88% of the British public now at comprehensives.
"In order to get a mainstream media staff job you need:
a masters degree, a series of unpaid internships, and a place to stay in the London area, without any guarantee of it working out. Barriers to entry into this highly competitive industry largely on the basis of background rather than merit. It's a central cause of our disconnect."
The media is too powerful to allow it to be controlled by one section of society who can adversely affect the lives of those with little or no power.
Corbyn's suggestion (and it was nothing more than that) may not be the right way to deal with the problem but it is hard to understand why people seem to think that there is no problem to be solved and he was right to highlight the problem, as was John Snow.

MawBroon Sat 25-Aug-18 11:14:54

Apologies for misspelling Sluttygran’s name.

MawBroon Sat 25-Aug-18 11:13:51

Sluttygron Thank you for the links. I wonder how many realise that the BBC is currently practising selection which promotes ethnic minorities and women because their representation in the organisation is so low

These “links” date from 2016
How can that be interpreted as current practice Trisher?

Jalima1108 Sat 25-Aug-18 11:13:41

labour.org.uk/manifesto/

People can have a look to see if it says anything about the BBC and privilege.

Jalima1108 Sat 25-Aug-18 11:12:08

Just personal attacks on his education and background.
Not attacks - just setting the record straight when posters claimed otherwise - or were disseminating fake news.

POGS Sat 25-Aug-18 11:09:18

trisher

I usually try to ignore your interjections of a personal nature but could we stick to at least one thread that does not revolve around your personal theories of how mistreated you are on Gransnet .

The mirror beckons me thinks.

trisher Sat 25-Aug-18 11:08:45

Jalima please read through the posts the conjecture about what a Corbyn led government would result in is ridiculous. And of course Corbyn can be criticised, but trying to elicit any information about what policies people don't like is virtually impossible. Just personal attacks on his education and background.

Jalima1108 Sat 25-Aug-18 10:58:43

On a closing note, I declare myself a proud Socialist and possibly a Corbynista, despite my own very advantaged background
sluttygran grin
Were you To the Manor Born

Jalima1108 Sat 25-Aug-18 10:57:19

Socialism and Communism are regarded with equal horror on here

I don't think that is true - there are many Liberal supporters too. There are also many posters who would like to see an electable Labour party but fear it will never be elected again under Corbyn influenced by the rather sinister Momentum.

Because one is a critic of Corbyn does not make one right-wing or a Rees-Mogg supporter.

As for trying to prove that Corbyn's background is not privileged depends, of course, on someone's standards of privilege. But it was certainly more so than the majority in the 1950s and 1960s.