FM: No apology for criticising BBC

Feb 9 2012

Alex Salmond has dismissed renewed calls to apologise for his role in a row over a decision not to include him in BBC coverage of last Saturday's Scotland-England rugby match.

The First Minister stood by his complaints that the move to drop him from a sport show appearance was politically motivated.

And he defended his use of the term Gauleiter which he used to describe a BBC adviser. The name was given to provincial governors in Germany under Hitler and also more generally means someone in authority who behaves in an overbearing manner.

He was urged to apologise by Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson shortly before a planned meeting between Mr Salmond and Lord Patten, chairman of the BBC Trust.

She said the First Minister is embroiled in a "petty sideshow" and should apologise for the Nazi connotation and concentrate on discussing jobs with the chairman.

Mr Salmond, at First Minister's Questions in Holyrood, said: "The noun Gauleiter is defined in the Chambers 21st century dictionary as an overbearing wielder of petty authority. It's been used in public parlance a number of times."

He continued, after jeers from the chamber, that the public expects journalistic decisions are not made because of "political factors".

Reading from a letter from Carl Hicks, editor of BBC TV sport, Mr Salmond suggested the request for his attendance came from the corporation. Quoting from the letter, he said Mr Hicks told his bosses he had "a little think" about getting the First Minister involved and did not anticipate problems.

Mr Salmond told MSPs: "The reason that Mr Hicks did not anticipate any problems is that he didn't know there was going to be a political instruction from the political adviser to withdraw the First Minister of Scotland from a programme.

"I think Scotland, I think journalists, have the right to expect better from the British Broadcasting Corporation."