Here are some numbers:
Brazil 1
Russia 2
India 3
China 8
OK so you guessed these are the so called BRIC countries. The ones with the fastest emerging economies. The ones where the UK really needs to focus its efforts on selling and understanding these markets, so that we can export our way out of the economic crisis.
Here are some more numbers:
USA & Canada 26
of which Washington, 14
Europe 22
of which Paris, 6 and Rome, Moscow and Madrid 2 each
Latin America 10
Asia Pacific 32
So the US, Canada and Europe gets a combined 48 - these, to remind you are the old economies.
The numbers? They are the BBC correspondents assigned to those countries.
14 correspondents in Washington and 5 in Paris - I know the relationship is special and the entente is cordiale but really?
Only 1 in Brazil? Only 1 to report on what is happening in a country of almost 200 million people with a booming economy? Only 1 to help us Britons gain a better understanding of the culture of this country?
India and China fare no better - populations of 1.3 and 1.4 billion respectively and booming and complex economies and the BBC can hardly be bothered to turn up.
If David Cameron, William Hague and Vince Cable are serious about promoting trade and getting GB out there, then they really need to speak to the Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, and tell her to get the BBC to be more focused on where the UK needs to be rather than on the cosy and highly remunerative posts in the old world.
And Mr Hague, I would be very surprised if the distribution of Foreign Office overseas staff didn't closely correlate to that of the BBC.
Why the title? Think about those 5 correspondents in Paris or the 14 in Washington - does anyone think they are free? That they do not have BBC paid for accommodation, high and tax protected salaries and frankly a good lifestyle? It's waste because we are not getting value for the money we pay in TV Tax.
Those of us that suspect the BBC is pro-EU will look at those 5 in Paris and the other correspondents in Europe and will understand why, for the BBC, they really can't see outside of this continent. They will look at the number for Washington and see why the BBC was so pro-Obama - what better way of exporting the failed social policies of Europe?
Don't expect this to appear on the Saville-denying BBC but other media might follow-up, unless of course they too, have a cosy, easy posting focus rather than one that is forward-looking.
Brazil 1
Russia 2
India 3
China 8
OK so you guessed these are the so called BRIC countries. The ones with the fastest emerging economies. The ones where the UK really needs to focus its efforts on selling and understanding these markets, so that we can export our way out of the economic crisis.
Here are some more numbers:
USA & Canada 26
of which Washington, 14
Europe 22
of which Paris, 6 and Rome, Moscow and Madrid 2 each
Latin America 10
Asia Pacific 32
So the US, Canada and Europe gets a combined 48 - these, to remind you are the old economies.
The numbers? They are the BBC correspondents assigned to those countries.
14 correspondents in Washington and 5 in Paris - I know the relationship is special and the entente is cordiale but really?
Only 1 in Brazil? Only 1 to report on what is happening in a country of almost 200 million people with a booming economy? Only 1 to help us Britons gain a better understanding of the culture of this country?
India and China fare no better - populations of 1.3 and 1.4 billion respectively and booming and complex economies and the BBC can hardly be bothered to turn up.
If David Cameron, William Hague and Vince Cable are serious about promoting trade and getting GB out there, then they really need to speak to the Culture Secretary, Maria Miller, and tell her to get the BBC to be more focused on where the UK needs to be rather than on the cosy and highly remunerative posts in the old world.
And Mr Hague, I would be very surprised if the distribution of Foreign Office overseas staff didn't closely correlate to that of the BBC.
Why the title? Think about those 5 correspondents in Paris or the 14 in Washington - does anyone think they are free? That they do not have BBC paid for accommodation, high and tax protected salaries and frankly a good lifestyle? It's waste because we are not getting value for the money we pay in TV Tax.
Those of us that suspect the BBC is pro-EU will look at those 5 in Paris and the other correspondents in Europe and will understand why, for the BBC, they really can't see outside of this continent. They will look at the number for Washington and see why the BBC was so pro-Obama - what better way of exporting the failed social policies of Europe?
Don't expect this to appear on the Saville-denying BBC but other media might follow-up, unless of course they too, have a cosy, easy posting focus rather than one that is forward-looking.
I don't think these numbers are accurate.
ReplyDeleteCheck out BBC Correspondents on Wikipedia - that is the source. They may be understated because I suspect that these are just the TC correspondents.
DeleteMake that TV correspondents
Delete