Thanks a lot BBC

While I wait for the computer repair man to call, I just have to get this off my chest.

Did any of you watch the ultra sensationalist Panorama on BBC1 last night? The program as you will be aware, unless you live in a cave, rehashed some old bribery allegations aimed at FIFA and three members of its voting committee who in two days time will decide the location of the 2018 World Cup, for which England is (or was) a prominent bidder.

Rather than give the usual arguments against the program, I simply point you in the direction of David Bond's blog, which was written yesterday evening a few hours before the program went out:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2010/11/what_do_panaroma_allegations_m.html

I've got down to reply number 100, and I have never seen so many moderated replies - free speech for BBC journalists, but not for those who disagree - and all of the rest are against not so much the program, but its sensationalist timing. The first post wholly in support of the BBC doesn't arrive until no.131. At the time of writing there are 375 replies, and David Bond, perhaps unsurprisingly, has yet to respond to the avalanche of criticism aimed at his employers.

The most succinct reply is this, reply no.71 for WRIGHT_ALASTAIR:

'Is it helpful for an England bid already struggling? Probably not.'

What do you mean 'probably' - of course it's going to harm the bid, the BBC has just made serious allegations against the people who we need to support us for the bid!

Saying that it is in the publics' interest to reveal these allegations is insulting our intelligence - if you gave anybody living in England the choice of us hosting the World Cup or the BBC revealing some allegations against FIFA that may or may not be proved, 99% of us would choose the World Cup.

We have just come out of a recession and spirits are hardly at an all time high among the population. The World Cup would do so much to boost the morale of the country now, leading up to 2018 and 2018 itself.

So to say that it is in the publics' interest is rubbish, especially as the BBC has chosen to air these allegations three days before the vote.

Why three days before the vote? Because it will make the maximum impact and that is exactly what the BBC wants. If they really cared about the 'public interest' then they should have aired Panorama after the vote. Simple.

I thought the BBC had a bit more decency and integrity than to ruin something which the vast majority of the population would have been really looking forward to. I know many others feel the same as me and I hope their is a suitable backlash against the BBC.

'Will it lose England the bid?' Yes.

...and there's the fact it will lose the economy billions despite FIFA's tax concession demands.

I normally support the BBC, an organisation which comes in for a lot of unjustified criticism, especially when a right wing government is in power, but I cannot remember ever being so pissed off at our national broadcaster. "Public interest" my arse.

You may argue that the vote was already lost, but we can never know. One thing for sure, it certainly is now.

To end on a note of levity, any program that puts up David Mellor as a proponent of moral superiority cannot be taken seriously.

Outraged Licence Payer, Shoesville, UK