Cornwall: TV Licence protest over BBC bias and contempt

The Secretary of the Kernow Branch of the Celtic League has told members that he will refuse to pay his television licence fee until the BBC stop treating Cornwall and the Cornish with bias and prejudice.

Mike Chappell told members and supporters of the League that he had now written to the BBC three times in the past three days about unfair practices and discrimination against the Cornish and that he had had enough. He added that if the BBC continues he will break the law by not paying his licence fee when it comes up for renewal and hopes others will join him in the campaign, adding:

"This will be a public campaign and I hope others will join me. I shall publically destroy my existing BBC Licence... and then face the consequences."

Some of the issues that Mr Chappell has protested about over the course of the last three days have involved the following issues:

a) BBC Radio 4 (13th April 2010) – the `Vote Now Show' suggested that Cornish people were stupid and insular.

b) BBC Spotlight TV News (12th April 2010) – excluded the political party Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall (MK) from its programme about the St Austell and Newquay constituency, despite showing all other political parties on the show. MK's parliamentary candidate in the constituency, Cllr. Dick Cole, is widely tipped to take the seat.

c) BBC online news (10th April 2010) – the BBC has not listed MK's political profile on its political party elections page .

Mr Chappell has written to the BBC on numerous occasions over the last few months, on behalf of members of the Kernow branch of the League, in complaint of bias, discrimination and unfair practices by the Corporation.

This article prepared for Celtic News by Rhisiart Tal-e-bot, General Secretary Celtic League. For follow-up comment or clarification, contact:

Tel: 0044 (0)1209319912 M: 0044(0)7787318666

gensec@celticleague.net

J B Moffatt (Mr), Director of Information, Celtic League

14/04/10