Think Tanks and BBC News

6th August 2010 2 Comments

If you follow me on Twitter you’ll know I tend to watch BBC Breakfast. We don’t have Sky, if I did life might be different. Breakfast television is an endless source of annoyance for me, they always seem to find the most stupid people in the UK to interview ‘on the street’ or occasionally get in them in the studio, just so they can be particularly galling.

In the last two years they seem to have started asking an endless number of people representing obscure ‘Think Tanks’ onto the television alongside their favourite commentators which seem to include Liz Fraser who talks endlessly about parenting from her privileged position and a jolly, fat female astronomy expert who just makes good television. Most of these ‘Think Tank’ representatives are nervous, they wear cardigans and either look very trendy (you can tell from the glasses) or very much like Daily Mail readers. They usually spout sense at a ration of 20% sense for every 80 % of words.

It seems easy in this new politically quango’ed age to name oneself as a Think Tank. I have a whole list of parenting questions and issues I would like raised at Government level, maybe I should call myself one. Only joking on the Think Tank, but I am worried about the consideration which is being given to the number of spending cuts this government seem to be rushing through. One thing that really worries me, as I work within the heritage sector, is the amount of money that is being taken away from cultural activities and museums. This will have an impact on all of our children, culturally and educationally. There are a number of areas where spending cuts will impact on our children and I don’t think these have really been highlighted enough by the media. Yes, cuts in spending on schools and education sector will have an impact, but cuts or changes in local authority housing could have more of an impact. I’m waiting to see and hear more. I just hope the BBC finds some people who have begun to consider these issues properly to interview and some proper ‘Think Tanks’. They could of course draft in my husband who had his first article published in The Guardian the other day.

Claire Walsh

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2 Comments

  • Chloe 6th August 2010 at 9:03 am

    Well said X

  • Spencer Park 6th August 2010 at 9:06 am

    I couldn't agree more. The spending cuts are going to affect our everyday way of life and it is our kids that will be most affected. If we don't fund education, and I am including museums and parks etc. in that category, they will miss out on so much that helps to create well rounded individuals.

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