New DG for BBC

Sorry for the title of  initials, but that seems to be the trendy way of communicating these days: these do have the advantage of a little rhyme.

The appointment of Lord (Tony) Hall as the replacement Director General for the BBC was swift and appears to be popular and appropriate.  I am, however, alarmed to see that, not only is he to be paid the full whack annual salary of £450 000, which we knew about because that was the pay-off for the last one, but in addition her is to continue to receive a pension of £80 000 a year.

Given the the average wage in Britain is around £24 000 a year,  that total payment of £530 000 a year is as much as more than half of us earn in 20 years.  Do we really want, or even need, to pay that kind of money to public servants?

I was fortunate to retire as a teacher on half pay.  After a couple of years a a volunteer teacher in Malaŵi and then some occasional lecturing for the WEA  I was, much to my pleasure and surprise, invited back to school teaching on a regular basis.  However, the rule was that I should work only part time, and should not earn more than a sum which, combined with my pension , would amount to what  I would have received if I had not retired but continues as a full-time teacher.  That seemed to me to be a very generous deal and I felt very lucky to have it.

Tony Hall's £80 000 pension (more than three times the average full time pay) is from the BBC, as he has worked for them before.  The same rule should apply to him.  Even with that restriction he would still be in financial clover, especially considering that, should he be short of a bob or two he can, as  a Lord, just pop into the Upper House, sign the register and receive his expenses on a daily basis (is it £300 a day?)

I have no wish to provide ammunition to the BBC bashers, who have their own agenda of wishing  to grab a slice of the service for their own profiit-maximising selves, but this absurd over-payment of people at the top, even in the public service, make a mockery of our being  "all in this together."

Welfare payments are, of course, about to be cut, along with many services which provide vital lifelines for those at the bottom of the pile.