F o I Me? No Hypocrisy Says Robinson
Nick Robinson has acknowledged Guido's FoI request for his expenses on his own blog. He doesn't get drawn on the whys and wherefores of the issue instead he just gives a politician's answer referring readers to the BBC's official reason for refusing. He doesn't say why he thinks he shouldn't tell his paymasters his expenses yet MPs should.Your request falls outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act because the BBC and the other public service broadcasters are covered by the Act only in respect of information held for purposes “other than those of journalism, art or literature”Well that argument seems flawed on two counts. Firstly the cost of a bottle of wine ordered by Nick at the telly taxpayer's expense is not information held for the purposes of journalism. It is information held, by law, for the purposes of accounting. Guido has not FoI'd Nick's notes of the lunch, he simply wants to know how many pound notes a bottle of wine poured down the throat of a politician costs the licence payers. Guido has not requested the names of his dining partners either. There is therefore no journalistic reason to keep the cost of a bottle of wine secret is there? It is public money after all.
Secondly the BBC has given dozens of FoI responses to requests about expense claim requests in the past. So why is this one different? There is a clear public interest in the voters and licence payers discovering how lavish are the contents of the trough that the politico-media nexus dines at - the public pays for the "trebles all round". Guido revealed a few weeks ago that the Lobby's journalists have their own bar subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of £1,000 every working day. Is it any wonder that for so long they have gone easy on MPs when they are guilty of sharing the same trough?
24 comments:
This type of response from Nick Robinson is EXACTLY why people are so suspicious - come on Nick , either you're there to report on Parliament and politicians or to represent them - cant have it both ways?
OK, so what about them publishing the total amounts spent without getting personal?
I for one would love to know how much of my licence money is poured down collective throats. (Not to mention how much is spent on other 'little luxuries'...
Can we have a FOL response on the number of beeboids who have gone to work for nulab in various guises - can't quite see how they managed to justify that as being in the public interest !
I think George Bush for once was right when he sniped at Nick..BBC has double standards and never held to account
What about BBC Totty expenses?
How Ironic that the slap headed arse licker is the spitting image of Sergeant Ernie Bilko.
Editorial decision.
With the economy going into meltdown people are starting to question the credibility of the snot-eating gay maniac who was Chancellor for 10 years.
So what?
Dig some dirt on the toff.
Can't find any?
Just make it up as you go.
Sensational News Dave passed wind at the breakfast table, kicked the dog and wafted his hand about a bit!
Why does a bar for lobby journalists receive any subsidy whatsoever?
How do they get through a subsidy of £1,000 per day? Are they paid to drink there for heaven's sake??!!
Greedy sods.
No wonder Blair-Brown were able to get away with scandals over Ecclestone and the like - these journos were hardly going to rock the boat. Send them on a course of Public Choice Theory, sez me.
The BBC does not live up to its name,as it is totaly funded by us it should provide anything we want to know or shut up about others.
Very weak response from the BBC I thought. Guido you're 100% right, it isn't like you asked for the details of meetings, just the costs incurred to the public purse by those meetings.
Whats good for the goose..
Go get em Guido, you can't imagine how grateful I am for someone like you exposing the political in club who are whooping it up on my money. Bring the bastards down.
Wakefield Lad.
PS Ed (So what) Balls needs another looking at I feel.
How sad that we have reached this point - Nick Robinson used to be an independent journalist once. Mind you, the BBC used to be an independent public sector broadcaster once....
get in there and ask about chris moyles and his lot too, they should all be held to account... good work guido
It's so nice to see that people have their priorities straight and are involved in such reasoned debate, both in this post and on the previous one on the topic today.
Sigh.
Where to begin? Firstly, great to see people are getting so worked up about BBC expenses, which I'm sure are being utilised just like the £20,000 second home allowance in Parliament or the ridiculous lack of accountability for out of pocket expenses, and Nick Robinson is clearly behaving just like Michael Martin or Derek Conway. Because there is just so much evidence for it. So let's focus on that instead of the real problem in Parliament. Ahem. Or is the blog about rumours and conspiracy creating them itself now?
Secondly, re 1:48, Nick's response? No, I think you're referring to the BBC's response, all Nick has done is refer people to the editorial response to Guido's request and to this blog. God forbid he reports things that have happened, anyone would think it's his job or something. (Oh, hang on a minute...) If you're going to moan about things and say this is why people are "so suspicious", try referring to something that people should be suspicious about, not a reporter reporting things. After all, are decisions on FOI requests within his remit? Doubtful at best, eh?
And as for the comments at 3:12 and 3:47, I refer back to my previous point. Should we not be more worried about MP's expenses? Paying the licence fee is voluntary (though to read some of the posts around here you'd think that this was an alien concept), whereas tax that pays MPs et al isn't, no matter what some people may like to think, so we're all funding a second home for Michael Martin even though he has a grace and favour apartment. I'm not saying the BBC should be isolated from accountability to those who fund it, but really, get a grip on the wider perspective.
P.S. How ironic that I see the advert at the top of this page is trying to tell me to buy Yes Minister from the BBC Shop.
Ahhh....BBC
Best Buy Champers!
MP crooks are taking the refusal to publish their expanses to the high court.
I assume that it will be heard before Judge Hutton.
Brownbadger
Anonymous [5.40]
"Paying the licence fee is voluntary"... - Eh? - I'll remember to try that one when my next TV Licence reminder drops through my letterbox. Anonymous, you are really Nick Robinson and I hereby claim my prize of free TV Licences for Life...
I should declare a lack of interest, I do not own or watch television. I get tv product from the internet and as the bbc dare not introduce subscription that means I get my media for free.
anyway, the bbc is a publicly funded body and should therefore be willing to publish all of its expenses. this would encourage the bbc to spend the public's money more wisely aswell as preventing outright embezzlement and corruption.
in answer to Guido's question; the reason the bbc are refusing to disclose nick robinson's expense claims is because of the very large amount of money nick spends on buying inappropriately expensive wines.
you are a fucking dead weight propagandist freeloading zombie, nick.
what a chancer.
what a cunt.
Maybe if any of the anti-Robinson commentators were actually MP's, they could just come out and tell us how much Nick spent on inappropriately expensive wine for them.
That'd teach him - bet he wouldn't do it again..
Anonymous (5.40) - But you choose to watch TV, right? Surely that's voluntary? You can stop having anything to do with TV whenever you like. I'd sure like to see you stop paying taxes whenever you like, short of moving to the Seychelles or something. The two are not even close to the same thing, but then again with your lifetime supply of free TV licences (didn't follow that argument to be honest...) I don't suppose it matters.
This is the trouble about journalism in the country today. Most of a 'right-wing persuasion' will actually seek to do SOMETHING; whilst those of a 'leftish persuasion' bitch about 'the wealthy', 'openness' etc; then once corrupted, become that which they despise(d). Next time Labour BBC MP Nick Robinson is before a committee i would expect an ambush on HIS expenses.
Why so secretive? I mean, what was in those drinks he was buying: plutonium?
A few whistle-blowing winewaiters is what's needed here.
DRXL
Can we widen the subject, by scrutinizing BBC expenses to fly a news-team somewhere, only to broadcast a "reporter" standing in front of a closed building, often in the dark, telling his paymasters (that's us) that there is no news to report. All this at a time when the £800K chief tells us that we'll have to accept getting dished even more repeats.
Voluntary TV license ........?
The Royle Family had a response for that .....
missie
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