By Elliott West
“I’ll tell you something. If they do – the BBC get rid of Gary Lineker – I’m out, I’m gone. I’m not staying there. On his own platform he should be able to say what he wants to say”.
Ian Wright
Introduction
Many countries stand in awe of the freedom of speech bestowed on the inhabitants of Great Britain. It is one of the many rights that make this country so great to live in. However, sometimes the personal opinions of people in the media spill into the world of politics and cause an almighty political storm that is splashed across the various media outlets that we have in the UK and globally. The latest being that of the BBC presenter, Gary Lineker who has never been afraid to speak out on his Twitter account when he feels that a wrong needs to be aired. To refresh your memories, Gary was angered by Rishi Sunak’s attempt to tackle the rising problem of asylum claims, fuelled by illegal trafficking and the Conservative government’s pledge to stop the daily influx of boats crossing the English Channel.
The new asylum policy launched proudly in press conferences by both the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman and Rishi Sunak was highly criticised by Gary on Twitter, likening the language used by Conservative ministers about asylum seekers to “that used by Germany in the 30s”. After this Tweet, there was an outpouring of criticism, mainly from the government, calling Gary’s views offensive. Although the Conservative Party has always been critical of the BBC, saying that it isn’t impartial and leans to the left with its broadcasting. Many of the parties also believe that the licence fee isn’t worth the paper it is written on and should be scrapped.
Unity
Heavily leant on, the BBC decided to issue a media statement, temporarily parting ways with Gary Lineker as presenter of the BBC Sports flagship football programme, Match of the Day, saying that Gary’s comments on Twitter were a breach of BBC guidelines and he would remain off the programme until an agreement had been reached on his use of social media.
“The BBC has been in extensive discussions with Gary and his team in recent days. We have said that we consider his recent social media activity to be a breach of our guidelines. The BBC has decided that he will step back from presenting Match of the Day until we’ve got an agreed and clear position on his use of social media”.
BBC
Ian Wright and Alan Shearer refusing to go on air without Gary at the helm. Alex Scott, the former Arsenal player, also hinted that she was unwilling to step into Gary’s shoes for the Saturday night football show.. The same reaction was also given by Mark Chapman.Apparently it was the BBC who told Lineker to step back, keen to douse the media fire that had been burning all week about this issue with a large number of paparazzi tracking Lineker’s moves, keen to get a comment and a reaction.
Double Standards
Gary Lineker is not the first and probably won’t be the last to be hauled over hot coals for a social media outburst. However, it does seem that other individuals who have stepped over the BBC’s red line have not been tarred with the same brush. Sir Alan Sugar, the technology mogul and host of the BBC’s The Apprentice aired his personal disgust for the former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn,ripping up his membership card, stepping down as a Labour peer to become an independent with a plea on the front of the Sun newspaper at the last general election to vote Conservative. Needless to say no action was taken against him by the BBC.
Auntie
The BBC has been involved in a number of scandals over the years, most recently with Richard Sharp, the BBC Chairman being appointed to the position by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Yes that is common practice but what muddies the waters is the fact that Sharp was a former Tory donor and acted as a guarantor for a substantial loan to the former Prime Minister. Sharp still remains in post and is a clear stain on the cooperation’s pledge to be impartial.
The BBC’s decision to suspend Gary Lineker from Match of the Day has been branded in a Tweet as “cowardly”by Angela Rayner, the Labour Party Deputy Leader and ‘an assault on free speech’. A position that they believe the BBC should “rethink”. Without a presenter and pundits, Match of the Day will still be broadcast with just match action. A wave of solidarity that has rocked the very foundations of the BBC with the news that Football Focus won’t be aired on Saturday afternoon as all the team have refused to take part. Greg Dyke, the former Chief Executive of LWT and BBC Director General, has weighed into the crisis, saying that the BBC has “undermined its own credibility’”. Alistair Campbell, the former Labour Party spin doctor who worked closely with Tony Blair for many years described the decision as a result of “creeping Right Wing authoritarianism in this country”. At the time of writing this article, Jason Mohammed and Alex Scott have also pulled out of presenting Final Score. The football goalposts of BBC football coverage are literally crumbling as I write this as I try to keep up with the news alerts on my mobile phone.
Some argue that this may be the end of road for Gary’s long career at the BBC with the Match of the Day firmly bolted as the BBC will have no choice but to keep him out in the cold as there will be no solution to their dilemma. Lineker may also in the end, have to bite the bullet, cut his losses and stay in the media wilderness for a while as probably no broadcaster will want to hire despite his expertise for the sheer fact he is a hot, media potato.
Afterthoughts
In hindsight, Gary Lineker probably regrets pressing the Tweet button whilst seeing red. The BBC have fallen into the Conservative government’s trap of deflecting their own dire woes and creating a smokescreen for something that could have been dealt with internally. We all know that Gary was angry at the time of sending this Tweet and constant repeats of ministers churning out the same lines on news channels certainly doesn’t help matters. However, one of the drawbacks of 24 hour news that once you are sucked into controversy, you very rarely exit unscathed. No one doubts Lineker’s brilliance as a former premiership and international footballer nor his articulate and knowledgeable presentation skills. The fact is that he is passionate about politics but that conflicts with the BBC guidelines, exposing the thin tightrope that anyone in the media must tread.
It does anger me with so many pressing issues in the world, this has become the dominant news story. The press and media barons have decided to home in on it and not give up, like a hungry dog with a bone. The Conservatives dislike the BBC and so this is a golden opportunity for them to twist their knife in its side, hoping that it will be mortally wounded by the scandal. This story has the fingerprints of the Conservative Party Head Office all over. The BBC will do well if they can contain this media blaze as their football scheduling crashes before their eyes, Radio 5 Live Sport being the latest with Mark Chapman and Dion Dublin pulling out of coverage. Expect many more repeats of the Repair Shop and Bargain Hunt before this issue is finally resolved.
