“Mr Blair’s commitment to extending aspiration”

My friend Stan Rosenthal complained to the BBC about Jeremy Paxman’s bias in describing Tony Blair as “the multimillionaire messiah” in an article in the Daily Mail in October. As I said, I like the multimillionaire TV presenter, but I do think he is biased and is allowed to get away with it on the BBC. The BBC rejected the complaint, and the BBC Trust has now rejected Rosenthal’s appeal.

Francesca O’Brien, the Head of Editorial Standards, has written to him to say:

You saw connotations of hypocrisy and delusion, while the Deputy Director and Head of Programmes, BBC News, saw an oblique reference to the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. I would have thought that “multimillionaire” is a matter of fact; as to the exact intention behind the use of the word “messiah”, I suggest it is not entirely clear. It may, for example, be a reference to Mr Blair’s commitment to extending aspiration when in power, and chosen for its alliteration with the preceding word (“multimillionaire”).

I presume from this that the BBC Trust has decided to try out new comedians by giving them the chance to draft replies to complainants. Look out for Ms O’Brien on Have I Got News For You soon.

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  Mighty Kugelschreiber

  My apologies. I thought you were someone I knew under a
  different Screen Name. The St. Saen reference was something he had mentioned earlier in the day; he’s quite the jokester as well. Your Screen Name (Fab) fits with a
  little joke we play about getting the mighty Schleiermacher into conversations. It’s just rolls of the tongue riproariously and is good for cursing and clearing the throat. Sorry for your inconvenience. Perhaps some more St. Saen,
  Danse Macabre?