A recent report by an investigative media journalist exposed the BBC to be withholding substantial amounts of Scot licence fee money (approx £300M pa) from investing and financing the media within Scotland itself. Hence the question - "Why is Scotland's media industry so weak compared with other similar sized independent countries in Europe"??
Scots have a right to know how much of the money we give to the BBC actually goes back into Scotland’s creative industries. The “indirect’ spending that the BBC lists is a fudge masking the reality that the BBC in London is effectively syphoning money and talent out of Scotland.
If Scotland were an independent country, Scots could make better use of the money to support a thriving media and culture industry instead of making do with the crumbs from London’s table.
Feeding and nurturing Scotland’s creative ecosystem with public money is the base strategy that has allowed other small independent countries like Denmark and Ireland to build vibrant media sectors.
There is no shortage of creative talent in Scotland. Our people are equally talented and hard-working; the thing holding back the success of Scotland's creative industries is simply that we are part of the UK. Scotland's resources, both human and financial, are being redirected to the south of England - that is what we call the ‘Westminster Effect’. Various studies of BBC activities and formal reports on BBC activities confirm this totally unacceptable situation. For example, if one looks "across the Irish Sea" to the ROI (a similar sized country to Scotland), Irish media and Culture draws in approx 6B Euros pa - Scotland's media total is about one fifth of that total!!!
Scots have a right to know how much of the money we give to the BBC actually goes back into Scotland’s creative industries. The “indirect’ spending that the BBC lists is a fudge masking the reality that the BBC in London is effectively syphoning money and talent out of Scotland.
If Scotland were an independent country, Scots could make better use of the money to support a thriving media and culture industry instead of making do with the crumbs from London’s table.
Feeding and nurturing Scotland’s creative ecosystem with public money is the base strategy that has allowed other small independent countries like Denmark and Ireland to build vibrant media sectors.
There is no shortage of creative talent in Scotland. Our people are equally talented and hard-working; the thing holding back the success of Scotland's creative industries is simply that we are part of the UK. Scotland's resources, both human and financial, are being redirected to the south of England - that is what we call the ‘Westminster Effect’. Various studies of BBC activities and formal reports on BBC activities confirm this totally unacceptable situation. For example, if one looks "across the Irish Sea" to the ROI (a similar sized country to Scotland), Irish media and Culture draws in approx 6B Euros pa - Scotland's media total is about one fifth of that total!!!