The Daily Politics Show......Bias

When i found out that the Daily Politics Show were doing a poll on the countries greatest political hero, i couldnt help feeling that it was obviously going to bias. As it so happened, my theory was bound to be proven soon enough, due to the final competitors battling for the title, being our very own Margaret Thatcher, and the far left winger, Tony Benn.
For some reason (still unknown to me), i decided to write in the comments box beneath the poll, claiming that the results were bound to be bias in favour of Benn because of his left wing stance. However, i didn't expect the comment to escalate into a full debate with myself, and the Daily Politics show's deputy editor, Mr.Gareth Butler. A copy of the debate is shown below:

James Skinner: Considering this is being held as part of the BBC, im gonna go out on a limb and say Tony Benn will win. Did someone say bias?

Gareth Butler: It isn't being held 'as part of the BBC'. It's a vote by viewers and users of our website. Of course, there's nothing to stop supporters of any of the candidates voting multiple times or circulating sympathetic blogs trying to whip up votes - I know that both Thatcher and Salmond camps have done just that, and I'd be very surprised if the Bennites didn't do the same.
Presumably the Hutton Report passed you by entirely. In case you hadn't noticed, relations between No10 and the BBC have not been particularly friendly in recent years. On the other hand, I understand users of Iain Dale's Conservative blog have just voted the Politics Show their favourite political programme - so we must be doing something right.


JS: You must be forgetting the incident that occured with the BBC back in May 2005, where the BBC personally assigned 3 people to heckle Michael Howard during an election speech. Doesn't sound like the BBC is very independant to me.


GB: If I remember rightly, that was a stunt for a BBC3 programme about heckling or something. It was certainly not a news programme.


JS: Still goes to show what a bias organisation the BBC is though. Then again, what do you expect for a broadcast network that is owned and funded by the government? Obviously its programmes are going to be bias in favour of Labour.......with the politics show being no different.

GB: You are quite wrong. We have excellent relations with the Conservative Party. Occasionally we get a complaint from them, just as we do from the other parties. Sometimes they have a point; mostly they don't. There really never has been an issue of bias concerning the Politics Show.


JS: But what i am saying is that the BBC has shown to be tied around Blairs little finger (as most of the nation will agree), so quite blatently, the politics show (being broadcast on the BBC) is going to be bias against the conservative party as well. You may have excellent relations with them, but that doesnt mean to say you dont favour the interests of the Labour government more.


GB: The BBC has not been shown to be anything of the sort; and opinion poll evidence suggests that a large majority of the population believe the BBC is fair and impartial. Since you clearly cannot produce any evidence for your accusations, I don't propose to continue this exchange.


Despite we had differing opinions, i did enjoy listening to Gareth's point of view regarding the BBC. In my opinion however, i hope he one day realises the spin and pro-labour broadcasting that the BBC is guilty of promoting.