Independent editor Simon Kelner on Kelvin MacKenzie and the BBC

[Guest magicsushi]

Apologies if this has already been posted. I just came across it today

 

 

 

The most despicable character ever written

Simon Kelner

 

Published 08 January 2007

 

It seems that any group of activists can get their mates to email the BBC, and the corporation will oblige them with terrified self-censorship

 

 

Here's a story about the craven editorial judgements of the post-Hutton BBC that in its own small way is shocking. A month ago, I spent a long evening recording a programme which the producer said, in true Alan Partridge style, was to be "the jewel in the crown" of Radio 5 Live's Christmas schedule. It was a knockabout current affairs show called Fighting Talk in which two comedians and two serious media figures, including myself and Kelvin MacKenzie (you can decide which category we fell into), discussed the year's events. I quickly realised I had misjudged the tone. The first topic was Iraq. The floor was mine. I gave a measured answer in the manner of the Today programme. Kelvin was next up. "I think we should turn it into a big Ikea," he blustered. "It's got four letters, it begins with I, there's plenty of room for parking, and the only problem is that as soon as you start putting the country together again, there'll always be a piece missing."

 

It would not have had Lord Reith bursting with pride, but thanks largely to Kelvin's well-practised controversialism, it was a mildly diverting hour of radio. It was scheduled for 7pm on Christmas Eve and was heavily trailed in the preceding days. I switched on at the appointed time. But instead of Kelvin's reflections on global warming - can you believe he thinks it's all exaggerated? - we got a lame, supposedly comic, programme about Premiership footballers and their wives. There was no announcement that the schedule had been altered, even less an explanation of why the nation was to be deprived of my witty aperçus on Patricia Hewitt.

 

I texted Richard Bacon, the presenter. He replied thus: "After Kelvin's inflammatory comments about Hillsborough, 5 Live received a petition of 700 signatories asking for him not to be put on air." He had that week defended his well-known opinion that the Hillsborough disaster was caused by Liverpool fans, but it's not as if this subject was even discussed on our programme. Kelvin may have unfortunate views in a number of areas, Hillsborough being one of them, but who's to say he doesn't have a right to air them? It seems that any group of activists can get their mates to email the BBC, and the corporation will oblige them with terrified self-censorship. I'm now thinking of doing the same next time I hear that Sir Andrew Green, with his repellent views on immigration, is slated to appear on Today. Or David Irving. How ironic that the BBC has turned Kelvin MacKenzie into a martyr. Free the Hillsborough One!

 

Studied insouciance

 

I once sat next to Bill Clinton at lunch; I have met Nelson Mandela; and Bono took my chair to guest edit the Independent last year. We editors lead privileged lives, and it's easy to become blasé about encountering the powerful and famous. But on Christmas Day, I had to put any studied insouciance aside when I met my comic hero, Larry David, creator of Seinfeld and star of the peerless Curb Your Enthusiasm. David, at the age of 59, was making his first visit to Britain and was having Christmas lunch with a friend of mine. In Curb Your Enthusiasm, he plays a hapless curmudgeon whose habit of speaking his mind turns the most promising situation into, as he would say, a great big bowl of wrong. David has said this is the man he would like to be in real life.

 

Disappointingly, he was charm itself. We discussed our interest in golf, but he couldn't be tempted ("no Jewish man plays golf in temperatures less than 60°F"). He agreed to phone a message to my duty editor ("I see your Jewboy boss has got you working on Christmas Day") and posed for a picture with my dog. Sometimes you shouldn't meet your heroes, I thought. As I left, he told me he's going to write into the series he's filming someone called Kelner. As I pondered my comic immortality, he called after me: "He's going to be the most despicable character I've ever written."

 

Justice for some

 

On the same day that Saddam Hussein, who grossly exaggerated the weapons capacity of Iraq, was executed, John Scarlett, who also exaggerated the weapons capacity of Iraq, was knighted. How dare they talk about victor's justice.

 

Simon Kelner is editor of the Independent

 

Link: Simon Says

[Coyler]

Free the Hillsborough One!

That's pretty sick.

[Billy Dane]

Is this the same d1ck that was responsible for the piece about Liverpool being a city of self pity that Boris took the rap for?

 

Wonder what the t*** e-mail address is......

 

nice to know the BBC did react to the petition, which I believe was actually 11,000 strong.

Edited January 10, 2007 by le2red

[cymrococh]

what a c*nt.

[gkmacca]

No, the Spectator piece was written by ginger knob holder Simon Heffer. Odd about the NS piece - I tried to post a response and I didn't get the access email you need.

[Des]

Is this the same d1ck that was responsible for the piece about Liverpool being a city of self pity that Boris took the rap for?

 

 

No, that was Simon Heffer.

[Billy Dane]

I stand corrected, another simple Simon then.

[nrkintheuk]

The independent often gives you an email address to reply to articles & editorials. I know this was in the NS but he's the editor of the independent so the same principles should apply. So here it is...

 

s.kelner@independent.co.uk

 

Wonder how he would feel about his journalist playing fast & loose with the facts and making jokes in poor taste?

[Cunny]

me and the mrs had a debate about this. she thinks McKenzie is vermin but thinks he has the right to free speech and the bbc should not be censored.

 

I can see her point to be honest and every time he opens his mouth he does himself and that rag no favours and makes the campaign for justice more high profile.

[baja the hut]

I hate these guys, looking at things from their elevated positions, people who can't write a coherent sentence let alone article, name checking to save face. Who gives a s*** what he thinks.

[Guest magicsushi]

Warning guys, I wouldn't back your chances of getting any kind of response from mr Kelner. He never responds to anything. Some know him as Simon 'Silent' Kelner

[Stevie H]

sounds like he's having a whine about not getting to hear his own voice on the radio on christmas eve.

 

there's no defence for mackenzie's hillsborrough comments, they're flagrant lies and therefore not worthy of freedom of speech.

[cymrococh]

me and the mrs had a debate about this. she thinks McKenzie is vermin but thinks he has the right to free speech and the bbc should not be censored.

we are not censoring them though, just exercising our right to protest. They censor themselves when they feel that protest is justified.

[Billy Dane]

Kelvin's free speech vs free speech of 11000 - majority rules.

[nrkintheuk]

me and the mrs had a debate about this. she thinks McKenzie is vermin but thinks he has the right to free speech and the bbc should not be censored.

 

I can see her point to be honest and every time he opens his mouth he does himself and that rag no favours and makes the campaign for justice more high profile.

 

Freedom of speech is protected in law and if we had a constitution it would be enshrined in it, but..... there are laws against slander, libel, defamation of character and (stretching the point) racial discrimination if it is likely to cause public unrest.

[gkmacca]

Very odd - I've registered, logged in, posted a response only to have an error message, 'Your Session has expired'. My 'session' seems to allow me to do what I like on any other page but that one. It's almost as though the NS doesn't want us to comment.

[Armin_Tamzarian]

He replied thus: "After Kelvin's inflammatory comments about Hillsborough, 5 Live received a petition of 700 signatories asking for him not to be put on air."

Link: Simon Says

 

Was that a deliberate misreporting of the number of signatures or just shoddy journalism?

[Stevie H]

we are not censoring them though, just exercising our right to protest. They censor themselves when they feel that protest is justified.

absolutely. as a publically-funded organisation, the bbc is open to public condemnation. 700 complainants is quite a lot for the beeb, certainly more than enough for them to pull a show.

[gkmacca]

I doubt Kelner would defend David Irving's similarly erroneous and offensive remarks about the Holocaust, so I don't really see what liberal principle he is trying to exemplify here.

[ion]

It seems to me that the wider point of the piece concerns freedom of speech, as others have mentioned. In that sense MacKenzie is entitled to his views, and equally entitled to the backlash he provokes.

The more specific point the writer I think is making questions the policy of the BBC, which would seem to be: "We'll hire the guy until somebody notices/complains", which of course shows that they are willing to employ him but are also aware that he's a c**t.

The "Free the Hillsborough One" comment I take as satirical, as the BBC through their policy are perversely making a martyr out of the c**t instead of doing the right thing by not employing him in the first place. If they are aware of his character they should stick by their guns and now get rid of him entirely.

So it would appear that the BBC are willing to play ball with the devil for ratings, and will back down a bit when caught out.

That's how I read the article, though I think on issues as sensitive as this the writer should make his viewpoint crystal clear. Poor editing, perhaps?

[Cliff M]

Was that a deliberate misreporting of the number of signatures or just shoddy journalism?

 

Both

 

Or was that rhetorical?

[Gomez]

So the BBC, paid for by the british public, should give time to anyone to air whatever views they have, no matter how contraversial?

 

I look forward to my hour long piece at prime time discussing the fact that Simon Kelner is a c*ck.

[filopastry]

Its not a freedom of speech issue though is it, its an issue of the BBC, which we are all pretty much forced to fund no matter how much or little we use it, using our money to pay this ****.

[smithdown]

sounds like he's having a whine about not getting to hear his own voice on the radio on christmas eve.

 

there's no defence for mackenzie's hillsborrough comments, they're flagrant lies and therefore not worthy of freedom of speech.

 

 

Not a bad shout at all that, Steve.