Opinion

Published: 10:00 AM April 28, 2018 Updated: 6:12 PM September 17, 2020

Why didn't the BBC report the House of Lords' victory over the Customs Union on their morning news, asks David Perrin.

In the time I spent watching and listening to the BBC Breakfast programme on the morning of April 19, there was no mention of the very important amendment victory the Lords concerning remaining in the customs union. I suspect if the result had gone the other way we would have been sick of hearing about it.

Instead, the Breakfast coverage concentrated on the passing of Dale Winton and the BBC's continuing preoccupation with coastal plastic pollution (yes, I know that is important).

David Perrin, Bridgend

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I enjoyed your debate on supposed BBC bias (TNE #90). I would be tempted to join Liz Gerard and James Ball in the 'no bias' camp were I not a listener of Radio 4's Today programme.

This week John Humphrys told Ken Clarke, 'when we voted to leave, we voted to leave the customs union'. We did not. This was not on the ballot paper and leading Brexiteers said during the campaign that it would not happen.

Last month Humphrys told Chris Patten 'the people voted to leave the single market', Again, this was not on the ballot paper and voters were assured by the Brexiteers that we would have access to the (not 'a') single market.

Michael Radnor

If TNE readers are seeking up-to-date information about the EU on television or online, I highly recommend the programme Talking Europe on France 24 (English version). This is on Virgin Media's channel 624 and Sky's 513. It includes interviews with EU personalities and debates, almost all of them conducted in English.

Being weekly it more than complements the monthly Politics Europe show offered by the BBC. Also, I am glad to say that its presenters treat their key subject respectfully, avoiding the BBC programme's pitfall – a populist temptation to patronise or even deride this Association of European

Nations.

For example, this is how Jo Coburn, the presenter of Politics Europe, introduced one of the news items in the March edition: 'We'll delve inside the shady world of European bureaucrats'. Would she treat HM Civil Service in the same way?

Paul Smith

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