Boris Johnson was the Chernobyl of British politics, and the nuclear waste from his tenure continues to contaminate everything within a radius of hundreds of kilometers. Now they have reached the BBC, one of the great institutions of the United Kingdom and swordsman of its global soft power, to the point of causing the resignation of its chairman, Richard Sharp, because of his close relationship with the former prime minister and a potential conflict of interest
New generations owe their allegiance to Netflix and are informed through social media, but those not so young have depended on the BBC – and many still do – to follow state funerals and coronations, the fall of governments and political crises, elections and world football championships, Wimbledon and the death of Diana. It has been – is – their beacon, and they rely on their neutrality and independence in a corrupt world full of cross interests.
That is why Sharp’s resignation is a blow to his image and his prestige, the confirmation of suspicions that the sacrosanct public corporation is not as pure as it boasts and is married to the governments of the shift. At least to some extent (perhaps it would be considered virginal compared to Spain). In any case, if the BBC is not seen as impartial, it is nothing.
And how can it now be seen as an independent if its president has resigned because, when he submitted the candidacy in November 2020, he did not disclose that he had already expressed his interest in the position to Johnson, and that, moreover, he had he facilitated contact with a Canadian millionaire so that he could grant him a loan of close to a million euros? (which he needed to pay for the divorce).
Something stinks. After this favor, Johnson strongly recommended Sharp for the post of BBC chairman, who does not deal with the day-to-day running of the body (the director-general’s mission), but with the preparation of the global strategy And when the person concerned presented the candidacy to the panel in charge of considering the nominations “in a fair and objective way”, he did not say a single word about the subject or about his relationship with the prime minister.
Sharp believes that this is only an “error of form”, and that in no case has there been a genuine conflict of interest, because Johnson has not influenced the BBC, and he has not even tried to influence Government policy. The lawyer in charge of the investigation, Adam Heppinstall, argues that he cannot judge what was on the BBC chairman’s mind, but that perceptions matter, and in this case the perception is of a potential conflict of interest. interest
The BBC has enormous international prestige, and in many countries it is seen as a model of what public broadcasting should be. But in Great Britain, more and more, it is the object of criticism from all sides, the current Government and the opposition. It must be doing something right when its news coverage angers everyone, but it is also true that it has become soft so as not to hurt sensibilities and, in the midst of the culture war, pays homage to political correctness and is a vassal of “inclusive” language and “integrator” (an issue that divides the editorial board). One thing makes the conservative media, such as The Daily Telegraph , The Daily Express and The Daily Mail , very nervous, who have her permanently in the spotlight.
Sharp will continue in office until June (when his replacement is named), and will receive the two hundred thousand euros per year with which management is remunerated. But no, money is no problem for the retired corporation chairman, who has made a lot of money as a finance banker, and has superb contacts, starting with the current prime minister, Rishi Sunak (who, unlike Johnson, does not he needs to put him in touch with someone to get a loan, because he is one of the richest men in the country, more than King Charles). The Labor and Liberal Democrat opposition are calling for the BBC’s new chairman to be chosen not by the Government, but by an independent commission, perhaps as a way of cleansing the body of the poisonous chemical effluvia of the Johnson era.
Like Caesar’s wife, the BBC must not only be pure, but look so. Both to talk about corruption in the Government and whether Brexit is working or not, or the development of the war in Ukraine. It has already, for budgetary reasons, run out of series such as The crown or Downton Abbey, and the coverage of sporting events such as the Champions League. The last thing she needs is to be perceived as the prime minister’s butler or slave.