Tunnel vision

Ian Johnstone’s complaint (Letters, November 2), of BBC bias towards England in football reporting can be added to the flagship “national” BBC Six o’Clock News report on England’s qualifying for Brazil next year. Mention might have been made of the other three UK “partners” also in action that night, but space had to be made available to speculate on England’s possibly winning the World Cup.

The BBC Six regularly conflates England with UK in its choice of “national” reports.

Recently, the lead item was reform of the purely English school examination system, while the previous evening ended with coverage by the BBC arts correspondent on the uneven disbursement (in England) of financial support by the equally purely English Arts Council. That particular piece containing comments from arts luminaries and scenes from English ballet and stage productions ended with a throwaway single line to the effect that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had their own arrangements.

As ever, the programme closed with: “Now it’s time for the news where you are”. Exactly who are these “you”?

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent