Corbyn / BBC declare social class of employees?

trisher
I agree with you wholeheartedly, and feel that I shall restrict my ‘Gransnetting’ to more anodyne subjects in future.
On a closing note, I declare myself a proud Socialist and possibly a Corbynista, despite my own very advantaged background.

Jalima just because you haven't experienced something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Try blogs.ubc.ca/chendricks/2017/10/21/open-education-in-the-60s-and-70s/
It's a reasonable and short explanation of what was happening. Read about the 1972 paper

sluttygran

" However, he observed that the higher echelon of the Beeb was peopled almost exclusively by those from a very advantaged background, with what might be regarded as ‘high Tory’ connections. "

I think you may find it is not Tory but Left Wing/Labour connections at the BBC. Irrespective of which why should the 'Social Class' be assumed as being a 'Tory ' domain?

Under the old bigoted class warfare what do you think should be done? What could happen ? What is the underlying purpose of knowing in truth?
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" He did not demand that everyone’s social class should be published, but felt that transparency was necessary to prevent any conflict of interests. "

Yes he did.

If this proposal was under the guise of ' transparency to prevent any conflict of interest ' ' then why not have to declare your political bias/allegiance, your sex/gender, your race etc?

Why Social Class is even relevant as proof of how biased something can be eludes me. It is like saying saying if you are from a certain social class you cannot and must not represent others, know your place, worst of all the smack of bigotry / class warfare is most worrying.
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" this could not happen within the corporation if the posts were only granted to applicants from the more exclusive public schools. "

Are you saying there are no journalists employed by the BBC that are NOT from public schools?
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" Having an advantaged background can have two outcomes; one can join the elite and try to exclude the less advantaged from the charmed circle, or like the great Tony Benn, you can use your education and influence to help the whole of society to have a better quality of life. That’s what Socialism is about. "

That is my point !!!!!!!

Only bigotry and class warfare thinks differently.

Had I the time Jalima I could find references to support every word of my tosh. But I'll just say I have been called a communist- I'm not. And there are quite a few posts on this thread about what would happen and how a Corbyn government would be a communist one. I have also been called a Corbynista and there are left wing posters who have left. So what bit of it is tosh? Please post the bits.

[sigh]
I think two high-achieving parents would have been rather disappointed

Jalima do you not remember the '60s when education was regarded as something more than just academic achievement and people were not measured simply by their certificates?
And no, I don't, I went to a school which stuffed us full of information in order to pass exams.

Sometimes I wonder if his failure to do very well at school and perhaps the fact that he failed to get into a top university colours his views of others who did.
Jalima do you not remember the '60s when education was regarded as something more than just academic achievement and people were not measured simply by their certificates? Perhaps he still recognises there are other abilities and more important values. It's actually a really good philosophy, sadly no longer promoted.

I don't put labels on people as you have appeared to do in your post trisher - but if you are in the business of 'labelling' then could you tell me, if JC is left-wing' and someone says that they would be far to the left of him, just what 'label' would that attract please?

I will label myself as moderate and I think that JC's policies are to the left of mine.
Although much is laudable, some are rather potty.

What a load of old tosh trisher

sluttygran welcome to GN where you will find yourself labelled a communist no matter how hard you protest and point out the difference. Socialism and Communism are regarded with equal horror on here. And frequent references are made about how we will be forced into a communist regime by the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn. It's useless to try logical arguments about this. But please do keep on posting many of the left wingers on GN have left driven off by the absolute and inflexible attitudes of some right wing supporters. (Oh and be prepared to be labelled a Corbynista apparently we can't have any personal left wing beliefs but follow him devotedly!)
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. It seems to me that actively promoting people with less afluent backgrounds who have been to ordinary schools would also make things more equal.

As for Jeremy Corbyn’s own supposedly upper class origins, I would say that’s something of an urban myth. His parents weren’t poor, both being accomplished academics who worked hard so that their four sons could have the best education possible, but they did not come from wealthy, privileged or aristocratic backgrounds, and were themselves committed Socialists,
I did not say aristocratic but I do maintain that he came from a privileged background sluttygran.

That is by my standards, of course, but by your standards his background may not appear to be privileged.

Sometimes I wonder if his failure to do very well at school nd perhaps the fact that he failed to get into a top university colours his views of others who did.

In fact, I am surprised that, coming from the background that he did, he believes that those coming from a so-called privileged background are biased to the right. His mother having come from a privileged background, his father less so but a high achiever were both committed Socialists - which disproves Corbyn's point surely?

Corbyn’s first wife went to Cambridge and then worked for the BBC as a reporter .

Corbyn’s parents bought a large country house in the fifties , with a paddock! Reminds me of George Osbourne and his paddock.

Corbyn’s son Sebastian went to Cambridge , now work in Labour HQ

Surprised to read Corbyn’s brother Piers who went to Queen Mary’s London - a weatherman and business man was supported by Boris Johnson when he dismissed global warming.

ssluttygran

Your first link dated 8th May 2016 has absolutely no bearing to the questions you are evading.

I did note from the link this comment by Former culture minister David Lammy :-

"The pre-briefing we're seeing, tinkering with schedules, now going on about pay, it's very, very threatening to an institution that's loved, that needs to reform - and I've given the BBC a hard time about diversity...

"But, that said, this is a great institution that deserves to be supported and some of this pre-briefing nonsense, it's really about undermining and softening the place up to do a hatchet job."
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Your other link to the Guardian dated 4the of May 2016 has nothing to do with Corbyn / Labours BBC proposal either.

We had a thread on regarding your links.

www.gransnet.com/forums/culture_arts/1226889-John-Whittingdale-and-the-BBC

Anniebach

I don’t know when Corbyn heard of it, he hasn’t told me!

However, he observed that the higher echelon of the Beeb was peopled almost exclusively by those from a very advantaged background, with what might be regarded as ‘high Tory’ connections.

He did not demand that everyone’s social class should be published, but felt that transparency was necessary to prevent any conflict of interests.
A question was also raised as to whether senior BBC journalists should be appointed on the basis of ‘jobs for the boys’.
Journalism has traditionally been the route by which very able people of whatever social origin could make their way to the top professionally, and obviously this could not happen within the corporation if the posts were only granted to applicants from the more exclusive public schools.

As for Jeremy Corbyn’s own supposedly upper class origins, I would say that’s something of an urban myth. His parents weren’t poor, both being accomplished academics who worked hard so that their four sons could have the best education possible, but they did not come from wealthy, privileged or aristocratic backgrounds, and were themselves committed Socialists,
None of these details are kept private - they are all available for public perusal.

Having an advantaged background can have two outcomes; one can join the elite and try to exclude the less advantaged from the charmed circle, or like the great Tony Benn, you can use your education and influence to help the whole of society to have a better quality of life. That’s what Socialism is about.

Socialism is often confused with Communism, and without going into a long diatribe, I would urge everyone who hasn’t already done so to read into the subject.

In my humble opinion, all right-minded people are Socialist by nature, but maybe have not yet become aware of their true leanings!

sluttygran, you said - on hearing this Corbyn etc.

It was reported two years ago, now Corbyn heard of it?

janeainsworth
Preparations for the renewal of the BBC charter were in full swing at that time.
John Whittingdale, who was indeed in Office at that time, was felt to have obliquely threatened the BBC with loss of its Royal Charter as he believed that too many programs offered a leftist bias, and had done so for some time.
Preparations for the White paper and renewed Charter take a long time to complete.

Thank you sluttygran.

Corbyn has a point - the BBC is publicly-funded and it's fair game for politicians to comment, rather like aiming for less-privileged children being admitted to the better universities.

Some time back, I commented here on Lenny Henry's criticism of the BBC regarding ethnic minorities; I said then that it more of a class issue.

I’m not sure what you’re trying to show with those links slutty.
They’re both over two years old and refer to John Whittingdale who was Culture Secretary in the Coalition Government but isn’t in office now.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/conservative-rift-has-emerged-over-undemocratic-plan-to-reform-the-bbc-a7018936.html

www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/04/bbc-john-whittingdale-impartiality?CMP=share_btn_link

The Daily Mail is suppose to be on the right , I will wait for your links, thank you

All the information you require is freely available on the internet should you choose to search for it.
I will put up links tomorrow if you do not wish to bother looking for the information.
Alternatively, I’m sure that the Daily Mail will provide you with enough anti-left ‘information’ to last a lifetime.
Jeremy Corbyn is a long way from being a communist. I am far more left wing in my opinions than he is, but I still fall far short of communism.

We already know that 9 out of the last 11 leaders all had 'middle class' backgrounds.

Mr Corbyn's spin doctor Seumas Milne, is the son of a previous Director General of the BBC, Alastair Milne, and was educated at Winchester and Oxford, now that's a privileged background that is almost 'upper class'.

So the Labour party is led by a privately educated, but not academically high flying man whose closest aide went to arguably the most rigorously academic school, public or private, in the country and then went on to Oxford to read PPE, the subject studied by all the highly privileged offspring of establishment families who have political ambitions. David Cameron read PPE.

I suggest that scrutiny of movers and shakers and those in privileged positions, like charity, should begin at home.

sluttygran you are joking I take it? when you say
‘I would prefer him to be less moderate and more left wing’
There isn’t anyone more left wing! Unless you are a hardline Communist.

publish the 'Social Class ' of all Labour Shadow Cabinet, MP's and employees?
Not forgetting Momentum POGS!

sluttygran

Why do you think Corbyn / Labour are concentrating on the BBC and not the media in general.

YET !!!

What would you think should be done about the information?

If this is for ' transparency ' why not lead by example and publish the 'Social Class ' of all Labour Shadow Cabinet, MP's and employees?