BBC Is Wet, Says The Grauniad
Posted only a couple of hours ago on the Grauniad website (never let TheEye be accused of not being in the fast stream of news *groan*) we learn that the BBC spends £406,000 a year of our taxpayers money on bottled water.
According to reporter Donnachadh McCarthy (TheEye would love to know how to pronounce this…any phonetic assistance in the Comments would be appreciated!) we learn:
The BBC has been accused of wasting public money and creating unnecessary environmental damage by spending nearly half a million pounds a year on bottled water. Responding to a freedom of information request from the Guardian, the public broadcaster said it spends £406,000 annually on large bottles of water for its water coolers.
In addition, BBC staff can order bottled water for the organisation’s hospitality events. But the BBC refused to reveal how much it spent on bottled water at the 103,000 events it held last year, claiming that the cost of finding out was more than the Freedom of Information Act required.
Bottled water can also be ordered by staff for internal meetings, provided a meeting lasts more than two hours. The broadcaster said it was assessing the “health issues” of switching from bottled to mains-fed water.
…………………..
The BBC defended itself against accusations of wasting licence fee payers’ money on an environmentally destructive practice. A spokesperson (they mean spokesweasel of course) said: “The BBC is committed to reducing waste and promoting environmentally sound practices. We are also working to implement a policy of replacing bottled water with other options where they are used, for example, in meetings and hospitality functions. Current contractual commitments are being reviewed and the health issues related to replacing bottled water with jugs of tap-water are being assessed.” The organisation’s press office had initially refused to give the figures. They were only revealed after a freedom of information act request.
There we go – the catch all Elf’n’Safety excuse. Works every time. Given that it is the BBC here, it’s amazing that Climate Change and/or Obama don’t get roped in to it as well.
Here’s another little item About The BBC that people may not have seen. The entire corporation needs to be dismantled and restructured, the moment that their beloved government a jackbooted from power.
When I think of the BBC these days, the spectre of New Labour is never far behind. Publicly run, publicly funded, politically correct to the point of nausea, ridiculously biased, and obscenely wasteful.
New labour in a nutshell – but I was commenting upon the BBC.
Donnachadh is pronounced Don-a-ka sounds like Monica
The Grauniad ratting out the BBC? Pots and kettles spring to mind along with everything that Dazed And Confused said!
Dazed – yes, the time for the BBC has passed. Most organisations recruited or promoted Labour supporters to senior jobs which was logical back in the 90’s and early 00’s. However that means that next year the Tories will be in office but not in power until a whole generation of the Left is cut out like a cancer. In many ways the BBC is the easiest target to deal with because privatisation is not technically tricky. It just needs the political balls.
Guest – Thank you. I confess my unfamiliarity with Irish names and appreciate being educated here.
Barking Spider – In the dog days of this Lab govt we are seeing the quangos and the bastions of the left turn on each other to survive the next decade out of power. Survival of the fittest. Let’s step back and watch the fun!