PJ Harvey

Towards the end of last year, I defended the BBC Today programme for giving air time to Anjem Choudary.  Today, I have more stringent words for the BBC’s concept of political balance.

The Today programme on 2 January 2014 had invited someone called PJ Harvey to be its guest editor.  The result was an anti-war, leftie rant against Britain, ably supported by civil rights lawyers milking the legal aid system and the Wikileaks chap whose name I have forgotten or cannot spell or both!

I listen to the Today programme almost every day, frequently from beginning to end. I can’t remember a previous programme where I reached for the off button but, for today’s Today, I did.  It was when we were invited to listen to some ghastly poem but I had come close to it several times.

Hairy Leftie

We started with a retrospect of the Mau Mau uprising 62 years ago; moved on to John Pilger spouting more leftie views and then, I suppose it was inevitable, Rowan Williams.

If I had looked at the Daily Telegraph before 6:00 am, I would have had a warning from James Delingpole.  You should read this on http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100252488/choosing-julian-assange-to-read-thought-for-the-day-is-like-picking-bryan-adams-and-celine-dion-as-your-desert-island-discs/

I have challenged the BBC to strike some sort of balance by inviting some or all of the following as a guest editor: Charles Moore, Richard Dannatt, Simon Heffer and Peter Oborne but I am not holding my breath.

Come on @BBCr4Today, this was a disgrace this morning and you can do so much better.