BBC in Scotland

John Mullin (Perspective, 17 July) is right in that BBC Scotland does make a lot of good TV programmes and that the licence fee must remain but he is far too complacent about how out of touch BBC TV is with modern Scotland.

The fact that the majority of viewers in Scotland feel that the BBC no longer reflects their life in news and current affairs content should ensure that the BBC’s Charter Review recommends that broadcasting should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament where its output can be democratically scrutinised on behalf of licence fee payers rather than the ludicrous position whereby BBC Scotland executives ignored requests to appear before an all-party Scottish Parliament Committee.

BBC Scotland needs a fairer share of the licence fee raised in Scotland to reflect Scottish arts, culture, music and live sport, which are all underfunded 
compared with south of the 
Border.

However, the poorest BBC performance lies with its news and current affairs programming; Scotland must be the only country that has a parliament but where the vast bulk of its TV news and current affairs output concentrate on the issues of a another country.

Indigenous Scottish news and current affairs programming need not be parochial and should report on world and European affairs from a Scottish perspective.

The London-centric attitude is evidenced by the fact that the Scottish Government had not been consulted at any point over the UK Government’s green paper on the BBC, despite being recommended to do so by the Smith Commission.

Post-devolution there is no longer any case for the broadcasting status quo.

Fraser Grant

Warrender Park Road

Edinburgh