MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: BBC bias undermines truly fair democracy

Published: 23:39, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 01:52, 31 May 2026 The BBC is obliged to be impartial, in return for the great helpings of public money it still receives from the licence fee. But it isn't. Its true nature is most often revealed in the byways of broadcasting. No BBC presenter is likely to cry out 'Vote Labour!' on a live broadcast. But that same programme may well have been subtly sneering at the Tories for years on end, through tone of voice, by the level of interruption or by giving the Left-wing participant in a debate the key last word. And once we move into areas which are not strictly news or current affairs, almost all restraints are off. Now we see the revelation – in a new biography of Nigel Farage – that he is banned from being a guest on Desert Island Discs. This invitation, to muse on one's life and choose a series of favourite records, is a sort of honour, the nearest the BBC can come to bestowing a knighthood.  And it hands it out very freely indeed to those it likes, including the miners' strike leader Arthur Scargill and the Stalin apologist and historian Eric Hobsbawm. Of course some people do not like Mr Farage or his party. Many also do not like Mr Scargill or the late Prof Hobsbawm. But the test is surely whether the person is prominent and interesting, which Mr Farage undoubtedly is.  Until the BBC can cure itself of its bias, we cannot have a truly fair democracy in this country. A general view of Broadcasting House, the BBC's headquarters in Central London  The Beeb has walked into another bias row after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage revealed he is 'banned' from being a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs In a well-run nation, government contracts are awarded clearly and fairly.  The quality of the work must be good. Delivery must be timely. The price must be just to taxpayers, but also just to contractors. It is really as simple as that.  In crazy countries, basic decisions such as this are instead subject to political and dogmatic priorities. Which often lead to failure and confusion. In the last century, the world saw such damaging craziness applied in nations ruled by various sorts of fanatics. Most of us had thought until recently that mankind had passed through that foolish stage. But new ideologies have grown and spread, moving with startling speed into politics, law and the media.  Labour leaders may pretend to be reasonable but in the small print of their actions we can see the minds of bullying commissars (Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer) And so we find, thanks to Parliamentary answers sneakily slipped out on the quietest day of the year, that the British Government now awards important defence contracts on the basis of various dogmas embraced by the intolerant modern Left. Labour leaders may pretend to be reasonable but in the small print of their actions we can see the minds of bullying commissars.  Enforcement is done with a heavy hand. Fail to abide by the ethnic or gender quotas, the ‘cultural sensitivity’ tests or the Net Zero sloganising, and you will suffer gravely, having your contract torn up, being publicly shamed and even disqualified from bidding on any other contracts. This sort of bullying makes us more intolerant, and actually damages free debate and free speech. It will result in a country which is less tolerant, less generous and less thoughtful. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Want Starmer out? Vote Labour. Think he should stay? Vote Reform. My poll proves it's a funny old world: LORD ASHCROFT