It was the story that should never have been. The government’s red herring. A way to destabilise one of the most trusted and respected brands in Britain. Taking the focus off what’s happening with Brexit, public sector pay and a fantastic tactic for keeping our society’s chief inquisitor in check. Having said that, doesn’t “The BBC’s great pay scandal” make fascinating reading?
It confirms everything we feared but didn’t want to believe. At the corporation, white men rule and black women are at the bottom of the pile. The revelations of the top earners prove that.
Auntie likes to think of herself as a modern, all inclusive meritocracy, but power is addictive and rarely given up willingly. When you have lived with it all your life, you (like anyone else) are drawn to people like you. They move like you, talk like you, drink like you. You are comfortable with them and think they deserve the same (pay) as you.
I am surprised, knowing these figures were about to be released and what they contained, the men in suits did not devise a discernible strategy. Equal pay, regardless of gender or race should be a basic requirement. How can it be anything else? If it is not out in the open that’s how. These revelations are for those who earn £150,000 or more, but why not release figures for everyone? Why would the disparity only be for high earners? How much confidence should we now have that the Asian female producer on £25,000 gets the same as the white male producer (and not just in the BBC). The answer is none; unless we can see it for ourselves. Open all the books and reveal everything. Have a valid reason for why x is payed more than y. Yes it will be messy for a while but only good can come from it in the end.
It would be great to know that when we pay our compulsory tv license, it is for an organisation which is the envy of the world because it delivers incisive impartial news and treats all its employees equally.
