The past few days have been fascinating to observe.The BBC, in the Union like the Royal family, is supposed to be above reproach. The same kind of almost god-like status afforded to the Saxe-Gotha Coburgs is given to the BBC.

Since it’s inception, the narrative has always been that the BBC is the most trusted news source on the planet. Just like the English/Germanic royal family, we are told that the world envies both and all nations of the world wished they had an unelected monarch and a broadcaster like the BBC.

Column inch after column inch over the past century plus has been nothing but positive when it comes to the BBC. The BBC was founded on October 18, 1922, by a group of wireless companies, and officially became a public corporation in 1927. John Reith (a Scot) was the first General Manager, appointed in 1923, and played a key role in its early development.

Only 12 years after its opening, the British Empire was faced with its greatest ever threat, war with Nazi Germany. For those that have studied that conflict, will be aware that the first few years the war was not exactly going well for GB. The BBC via its radio broadcasts was given the job of keeping up moral of the population of GB and the Empire.

Television broadcasting was suspended at this time and was done to prevent enemy aircraft from using the broadcast signals to help them navigate to their targets.

As things got worse in 1940, when the Germans broke through allied defences in Europe and the rout and retreat in France gathered momentum the BBC was called into action. The Ministry of Information (MOI) took charge of the BBC’s output. The MOI was responsible for controlling the flow of information to the media and producing propaganda to maintain public morale and influence opinion abroad.

While the government did not take over the media completely, a system of “voluntary cooperation” was established with the BBC to ensure official messages were disseminated effectively. By 1941, this system functioned so smoothly that most people were unaware of the sophisticated pre-censorship being applied.

Post-war that voluntary cooperation didn’t end. Indeed, to this day that very same government long arm reaches right into the heart of the corporation. The government of the UK appoints the Chairman of the Board. He has the ultimate power in the corporation and influences output and  the narratives.

Indeed, when Tim Davie an ex-Tory candidate, was appointed in 2020 by the Tory Government, he stated one of his main objectives was his intention for the BBC to “find a better balance of satirical targets rather than constantly aiming jokes at the Tories.” In other words no satire was to be aimed at the right-wing ruling government.

There was another well known case where the British Government stepped into to censor criticism of itself and that was in 1964. People of a certain age will remember with fondness the TV show TWTTW that launched so many careers, none more famous than one David Frost.

That Was The Week That Was began on 24 November 1962. The late-night satirical show took aim at the establishment in a way that had never been seen on the BBC before, inspired by the success of the stage review Beyond the Fringe. TW3 – as it was known for the sake of convenience – was produced by Ned Sherrin, and presented live by David Frost.

TWTWTW only ran for two series, and was cancelled before the 1964 Election year, as the BBC Governors worried about its impact on the election. State interference has and to this day continues in broadcasting.

Josef Goebells, probably one of the world’s greatest propagandists, knew the power of broadcasting and media. He fully understood and utilised the power of broadcasting and media to control information and shape public opinion. After the Nazis took power in 1933, he immediately seized control of all media, including radio, film, and the press, to disseminate propaganda and reinforce Nazi ideology. 

Every other nation in the world is of similar mind, and the English ruling elite are no different. Like Goebels, the Anglo elite have always either been in total control or ensured their place men and women are in all media and broadcasting. Newspapers or broadcasters that don’t play the game don’t get access, it is as simple as that!

One of our greatest minds ever, Noam Chomsky when being interviewed by establishment toady Andrew Marr said, “If you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting,”  this was said during a 1996 interview with Marr. The remark is a concise summary of  the BBC “propaganda model,”  the theory of media, which argues that institutional pressures, not outright censorship, filter out dissenting opinions from mainstream journalism. It is undeniable!

It is why, when Devolution was being formulated, Westminster ensured that broadcasting was retained to London, not devolved to Edinburgh. The Anglo pro-union propaganda had to be in England’s hands.

In June 2014 a few short months before the referendum, Scots-born rabid English nationalist Alex Massie admitted as much in his Spectator article,

‘Yes,of course, the BBC is biased against Scottish Nationalists!’

This past week has seen turmoil in the BBC as at last, after more than a century of lies and manipulation, chickens are coming home to roost. BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness have resigned, saying in emails to staff that mistakes had been made.

The corporation has been under fire after criticism that a Panorama documentary misled viewers when it edited a speech by Donald Trump, making it look like he was explicitly urging people to attack the US Capitol.

It is one thing to lie about Scots, Welsh, Irish nations and leaders but you do not mess with a POTUS, especially the spray tan man! He is threatening to sue the Corporation for $1 billion. The reputational damage is of far greater hurt to the English establishment. £1billion is chickenfeed

UK Government minsisters are running around like headless chickens. The opposition politicians are using this as an excuse to stick the boot in and promote their own useless neoliberalism parties.

The extreme right-wing pundits and party toadies are rolling out the lie that the BBC is a platform for the left. The BBC has always been a mouthpiece for the right-wing establishment. That is why Nigel Farage has almost as many BBC QT appearances as Fiona Bruce and Jeremy Corbyn has had 3 appearances, while Farage has had 38 appearances!

English politics and society are in turmoil. Rubber dinghies, the rise of far-right English nationalist Reform Party, the collapsing of both the Labour and Tory Parties, Corbyn’s new Your Party, and the Green Party of Polanski both fighting for the votes of the left.

The scandals of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and the weakening popularity of the royals, the public disgust at the support for Isreal in its genocide, and the propping up of the fascist regime in Kiev all go against the sense of right in the minds of the British public.

The British Union has never been weaker or more vulnerable. Independence has never been more achievable, and yet our so-called leading party of independence refuses to take the necessary steps to grasp this opportunity.

All we need is unity. One  independence candidate in every Scottish Constituency seat at Holyrood 2026, an agreed slate of independence candidates on the regional lists, and in May we could be negotiating our secession from the Union.

It’s up to you, John Swinney: Party or nation first, your choice!