The BBC has a few interviewers / presenters who are expert in their own fields. One of them is Stephanie Flanders, an economist. She reported the facts and set up an interview with a nurse who is technically self-employed but only gets work for a few hours a week. And that infuriated Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. He has lodged an official complaint with the BBC. The Telegraph reports that, "In an interview he accused Miss Flanders of 'pouring cold water' over figures showing a rise in the number of people in work and 'peeing all over' the efforts of British businesses." He went on to accuse the BBC of following Labour's reading of the economy. The Independent also has the story and quotes the BBC's response.
The objectionable language used by IDS is bad enough. But the fact that he complains about biassed reporting shows that he is not fit to hold office. He has been given ample opportunity to put the government's point of view. The media have a responsibility to look beyond the spin.
" One of them is Stephanie Flanders, an economist. She reported the facts and set up an interview with a nurse who is technically self-employed but only gets work for a few hours a week. And that infuriated Iain Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions."
ReplyDeleteWe have seen an explosion is not just P/T vacancies over the past few years but also:
Zero-hour contracts ,where you are not in any way guaranteed how many hours you're going to work,
'Self employment' contracts where you are not self employed in the real sense as a self employed plumber or freelance writer would be, but are labelled self employed by a company to avoid the nat min wage.
Vacancies that offer as few as 4 or five hours a week!
Such vacancies count towards to vacancy count and anyone employed as such will be counted towards the drop in unemployment. In some people's eyes, 'a jobs a job' and people should be grateful.
However, all the above does is create a climate of massive job insecurity and poor morale. The nurse mentioned in the main piece is a good example of this. Being called 'self employed' means she is anything but actually self employed in the true meaning of the term as she probably has little or no say in the hours she works or her duties. Yet I bet she is responsible for paying her own income tax and N.I.
What's more, even though the vacancy may be for 5 or 6 hrs a week, she probably could not do another P/T job as she is no doubt expected to be available for any extra work available. Which sounds good on paper. But then, it means always being expected to drop everything to make in into work for a few extra hours that particular week. And then perhaps nothing extra the week after. This destroys any chance of being able to hold down a second or third job.
Such insecurity destroys not only morale, but stops people spending on the high street and boosting the economy. Who can spend freely when they do not know how many hours they'll be working and consequently how much they'll be earning?
As for Smith and Greyling, they are both two 'cheeks of the same...er...backside'! They are so ideological that they are happy to misspend tax £ by the billions as well as bullying and blustering their way through their political careers! Little wonder their careers are safe under Cameron!
Making a complaint to the BBC is one thing. Making a public attack on the professional integrity of the BBC’s economics editor is quite another. I’ll be surprised if Stephanie Flanders doesn’t decide to consult m’learned friends over this.
ReplyDeleteFacts are facts IDS. You can't complain when the BBC reports what's actually happening in the job market. You certainly can't complain when journalists seek more detail than the ups and downs of the unemployment figures.
ReplyDeleteWe're in recession and the economy is producing 10's of thousands of jobs, did he really think people would swallow that? Let alone News outlets. It's paradoxical, there must be an explanation and we've found it, zero hour and not so self employed contracts, as well as full time jobs being downgraded to part time jobs. The recession clearly demonstrates we aren't productive enough anymore, that's exactly what a recession is and that recession is fuelled by employers seeking more flexible work contracts.
IDS's attack on the BBC complains of bias where there clearly is a belief in the Labour viewpoint, bias or no. But I think it's pretty obvious this letter is less a complaint about impartiality and more a complaint that the BBC isn't bias in the Conservative direction.
Props to the BBC for not seeking to secure it's funding by appeasing the government in power and continuing to give the real reporting the country needs in the face of a DWP that's prepared to spin and blatantly lie it's way out of every situation.
IDS has behaved extremely strangely in his criticism of Stephanie Flanders. I'm glad that the BBC have stood up to him and have refused to take any notice of his intemperate, immoderate language and his bullying, blustering tactics. Even CG is less moronic about being peeved with the press than IDS has shown himself to be. No wonder the Tories kicked IDS out of the job of being their "leader." Nobody follows a leader who does not command respect and IDS has demonstrated that he does not deserve any respect.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't complain about pro government Bias.
ReplyDeleteQuite!
DeleteI wonder sometimes if IDS' behavoiur is provoked by incerasing levels of desperation.
A few hours per week could still work to her advantage. She only needs to list the months of employment on CV, to plug the gaps, rather than mention that that the job is part-time hours. So she could make it look as if she has more experience than she actually does.
ReplyDeleteI think you're missing the point in this case. The nurse in question had oodles of experience. She just can't get a full-time job and, like many professionals, she is forced to be freelance.
DeleteIDS is obviously unaccustomed to people contradicting him. By refusing to swallow whole the Govt's spin Stephanie Flanders has stood up to the best principals of jouralistic integrity and impartiality; by reacting in this manner IDS has exposed the arrogance of a Government whos members believe they are born to rule.
ReplyDeleteAs the end of the month approaches,I wonder when the results will be published for the WP and if they will be broken down into statistics that will not require Steven Hawking to figure out.
ReplyDeletei think it shows that IDS wanted to be seen a the great hope for the welfare state and will be Camerons and Graylings fall guy when Work programme collapses and is now starting to get his shoes in before everyone else . what a sad silly man he is!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not going to collapse, it would massively damage the government if it did and they'll do everything they can to keep it operational.
Deletetrust me it is very close to collapsing .i work for a prime in the south and we are looking at the moment cut every cost we can including staff several of our supply chain are making noises about pulling out because it will bankrupt them
DeleteStaff cuts or cost cutting isn't so much a sign the programme is collapsing, so much as a sign the contractors aren't finding it profitable enough as is.
DeleteI wouldn't be surprised if it is collapsing though, a contract which basically means contractors can't make their money cherry picking and on attachment fees means actual results need to be produced. Has that happened on our outsourced work programmes yet? Not according to the statistics. Maybe collapse was always inevitable, but I'm still betting on the governments vested interest.