Those who find the constant drip of anti-capitalism from most of the presenters on the BBC Radio 4 'Today programme' aggravating now have a more bearable alternative: Radio 5 Live, despite also coming from the BBC, generally has more open-minded presenters. Nicky Campbell is certainly not anti-capitalist and is able to ask questions which seem wholly beyond John Humphrys and Jim Naughtie on the Today Programme. True, there is a certain Left-wing bias to the questions of a chap called Bacon, but he is not usually around in the morning, I think.

Despite all the evidence, I still hope that one day the Today Programme might reform. In case the producers finally decide that the interviewers should sometimes ask questions from a free market viewpoint instead of always a Left-of-centre one, I offer some suggestions:

TO BE PUT OVER THE MIRRORS OF JOHN HUMPHRYS AND JIM NAUGHTIE

"Wouldn't this problem best be left to the market?"

"Government service + monopoly = bureaucracy + bad service + rationing. Which part of that do you disagree with, minister?"

"Since this government service has done so badly, does it make sense to throw more taxpayer's money at it?"

"Is it responsible to raise taxes when you know - or should know - that all taxes have bad unintended consequences?"

"We know what all this extra public spending will lead to don't we, minister: more waste of taxpayer's money, more index-linked pensions and early retirements, less productivity..."

"The government already taxes people whom it defines as being 'in poverty'. Is it morally right to add to those taxes?"

And here is a long one, especially for Jim:

"Since the government already taxes poor, elderly people, any further spending by government has to face a severe test: it has got to be more worthwhile than reducing the taxation of the poor. Your idea [for letting off fireworks/keeping an out-of-date car factory going etc etc] does not pass this test, does it minister?"

Further suggestions welcome.

Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in Media, including BBC bias • Tax and growth • Waste in public services

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