It’s Supposed To Be A Public Broadcaster: Will the BBC Trust fix it?

By Ben Fellows MaxFarquar.com The BBC Trust are to investigate how the BBC, its management and structures led to one of the country’s worst cases of institutional paedophilia within the BBC; which spanned decades and continues to this day. BBC Trust fat cat, sorry I mean Chairman Lord Patten, told BBC staff when he took up his post in May 2011 that there has been “no golden age of governance”. In light of his remarks, one can only assume that the “Golden Age” is not starting anytime soon or at least not under his watch. So, in true children’s BBC tradition, “lets go through the round window” and take a closer look at the BBC Trust and see how exactly they represent us – the licence fee payer. The BBC Trust was established at the time of the last Charter renewal in 2007. On the BBC website the Trust states :

Our job is to get the best out of the BBC for licence fee payers. We set the strategic direction of the BBC. We hold the Executive to account for its performance of its functions, and for its compliance with the law, with regulatory requirements, and with the policies, guidelines and codes that we set. We are supported by the Trust Unit, a team of professional BBC staff who report directly to us and who are operationally independent from the rest of the BBC

In other words the BBC Trust is responsible for employing my old frenemy, former Director General Mark Thompson who oversaw the Newsnight fiasco. So I believe it’s unlikely that they will find themselves at fault for hiring the wrong man – or was he? Maybe Thompson was the right man for the job as he’s given himself plausible deniability for his staff’s actions; which gives the board a buffer zone of protection. The BBC Trust members are made up of people from privileged backgrounds. They have conflict of interests galore and are members of a globalist oligarchy.

How are the BBC Trustees appointed?

BBC Trustees are appointed by the Queen on advice from DCMS (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) ministers through the Prime Minister. When new trustees are needed the posts are publicly advertised. The one thing that puzzles me is this. If the posts are truly advertised publicly – meaning the public who apply have a fair and equal opportunity to be on the board – then why isn’t the board more diverse? Or is it simply lip service recruitment policy whereby the Royal Charter and law states that posts must be externally advertised which happens in nearly all major corporations nowadays. In other words unless you’re a “good ole boy or gal” you haven’t got a hope in hell of getting involved in the BBC Trust.

How much do the BBC Trustees earn?

Everything it seems about the BBC Trust is hidden in plain view. Trustees’ fees are set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport. The Chairman’s fee is £110,000, The Vice Chairman £70,610, £37,660 for the National Trustees and £32,952 for other Trustees. The Chairman, Lord Patten, is expected to spend 3-4 days a week on Trust business and the Vice Chairman, Diane Coyle, about 2.5 days. Other Trustees are expected to spend about 2 days a week at most for their £32,952 salary. In the words of Mel Brookes, and of course I’m paraphrasing massively … “It’s good to be a member of the BBC Trust!” So without further ado – here are the BBC TRUSTEES, or as the Sicilians would,call them, the BBC Cosa Nostra, and I suppose they would know. Make of them what you will … Chairman Lord Patten Education: Oxford – now Chancellor of the University of Oxford Conflict of Interest: Best friends with Cabinet Minister Kenneth Clarke and all that implies. Salary: £110,000 for 2-3 days per week maximum. Vice Chairman Diane Coyle OBE Education: Oxford and Harvard Conflict of Interest: Married to BBC correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones and runs a private technology consultancy for new technologies. Salary: £70,610 a year for 2.5 days a week maximum. Trustee Sonita Alleyne OBE Education: Cambridge University Conflict of Interest: Non-executive board member at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and screenwriter husband. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum. Trustee Richard Ayre Education: Unknown Conflict of Interest: Board of OFCOM, Food Standards Agency and Chairman of the Broadcast Review Committee. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum. Trustee Anthony Fry Education: Oxford, Harvard Business School Conflict of Interest: The Rothschild Group, Global Media and European Telecoms, lead franchise bid for the National Lottery, Evercore Partners and Espirito Santo Investment Bank. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum. Trustee for England Alison Hastings Education: 1 year at the National College of Journalism Conflict of Interest: Runs a private media consultancy business and appointed to the Press Complaints Commission. Salary: £37,660 for two days a week maximum. Trustee David Liddiment Education: Always knew he wanted to work in Television Conflict of Interest: Creative Director for All3Media the country’s most successful “independent” programme producer. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum. Trustee for Scotland Bill Matthews Education: An engineer by training Conflict of interest: Portfolio of non executive roles and Broadcasting Council Member. Salary: £37,660 for two days a week maximum Trustee for Northern Ireland Aideen McGinley OBE Education: Unknown Conflict of Interests: UK National Lotteries Charities Board, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Employment and Learning and at the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland. Salary: £37,660 for two days a week maximum. Trustee for Wales Elan Closs Stephens Education: Unknown Conflict of Interest: A career academic at University of Aberystwyth – guarantees jobs for favoured students within the BBC. Welsh Broadcasting Council and Chair of the Welsh language broadcaster S4C. Salary: £37,660 for two days a week maximum. Trustee Suzanna Taverne Education: Unknown Conflict of Interest: S.G. Warburg & Co Ltd, The Independent Newspaper, consultant Saatchi & Saatchi, Director of Strategy and Development at Pearson Plc and Managing Director of FT Finance. Managing Director of the British Museum, executive director at Nationwide Building Society and at Ford Credit Europe, Trustee of the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Shakespeare Schools Festival and sits on the Advisory Board of Manchester Business School. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum Trustee Lord Williams of Baglan Education: University College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies Conflicts of Interest: Under-Secretary General The United Nations – implementing U.N Agenda 21 and board member of the BBC World Service Trust. Salary: £32,952 for two days a week maximum. It appears that not only do the BBC Trustees not represent the diversity of our nation. They all have conflicts of interest ranging from owning or running private media organisations and consultancies to being former high level executives of banking cartels. Of course if you go the University of Aberystwyth and implement ideas of BBC board member Elan Closs Stephens - you are almost guaranteed to walk into a senior role at the BBC, or at least that’s the perception. Would the University of Aberystwyth be a main media hub if it wasn’t for their connection to the BBC? I’m absolutely certain that if I was on the board of the BBC Trust then my film production company would benefit greatly from my participation. Just take David Liddiment for example. As Creative Director of All3Media he ensures his company gets the lions share of commissions to produce programmes for the BBC. Which again proves that so-called independent production companies are simply ex-BBC staff or current BBC Trustees setting up major media firms to soak up lucrative commissions. Read more