Robin's Blog - The NBP, the BBC and Black Professionals

Last month, the hot topic was the BBC’s decision to invite Nick Griffin of the BNP to appear as a panellist on Question Time on Thursday 22 October. I agree with Lord Ouseley’s assessment that the BBC was wrong to invite him, and that their argument that they were obliged to do so because of the percentage of votes polled by the BNP in the European elections was something of a smokescreen. The viewing figures for the programme - 8m viewers for a programme that normally attracts 2.4m - point to what the real motivation may have been. In addition, the BBC has, as Lord Ouseley argues, ignored its public duty to promote good race relations in favour of a short-sighted victory that allowed, in Griffin’s own words, the BNP to "hit the big time".

In my view, the BBC has set a rather dangerous precedent that might come back to haunt it in the future. What will it do, for example, if an extremist Islamic Party emerges and polls sufficient votes in Euro elections? Will it be given the public platform to proselytize it message?

Switching tack, we at the Network have seen something of a spike in casework as the financial pressures on colleges mount. As the funding pressures increase, more mergers are inevitable, and more staff will go through restructuring and face potential redundancy. In these circumstances it is vital that Black staff in all public sector organisations are protected by trade union membership. While we know that the Black experience of trade unions has not always been positive, at a time of public sector cuts it is foolhardy not to be a member of an appropriate union, if only as an insurance policy. It is also vital that colleagues keep up to date with developments in the sector they are in, and make sure they know what’s coming. The NBP’s recent successful "Recession Proof Your Career" masterclasses, run in partnership with Navigate, and funded by LSIS, provided those who attended with some useful tips on understanding why things are happening, and how to make appropriate personal preparations. There will be further events coming soon, including work in partnership with ACM on preparing for appraisal and redundancy, so keep your eyes on our events calendar.