The Golden Age iii
Posted on January 26, 2009
It is amusing — as it is predictable — to observe the more paranoid, conspiracy minded elements on the ‘left’ arguing with their mirror images on the chauvinist right about the BBC’s decision not to broadcast the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal for aid for Gaza. In their minds, events do not unfold dialectically, but through the agency of unseen forces: sinister Zionists (often portrayed as a ‘fifth column’) placing pressure on the BBC on behalf of the Israeli state on one side, versus vile ‘Arabists’ on the other.
The real reason the BBC refused to broadcast the appeal is mundane, selfish, and close to home, as Marina Hyde explained on Saturday. It’s nothing to do with being afraid of the wrath of the Israeli government, which has not worried them before. We need to look at the ridiculous moralist Ross/Brand farrago to understand the BBC’s actions. They refused, not because of pressure, but because they thought someone might complain. Conspiracy over — go back to bed.
