BBC PROMS DECISION ‘IN BREACH OF CONTRACT WITH BRITISH PEOPLE’: Under a multiple by-line, the Daily Mail (25/8) said that the actor Laurence Fox was leading protests to defund the BBC after the Corporation had decided that the last night of the proms would be staged on September 12 with orchestral versions of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope of Glory which would not include the ‘patriotic’ sung version of the words. The article contained numerous quotes from politicians who wanted the sung versions to be retained, with culture secretary Oliver Dowden stating:
‘Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory are highlights of the Last Night of the Proms. Share concerns of many about their potential removal and have raised this with the BBC. Confident forward-looking nations don’t erase their history, they add to it.’
The authors of the story included quotes from Michael Fabricant MP, Richard Holden MP, former MEPs Richard Tice and Nigel Farage, and Father Marcus Walker, rector of Great St Bartholomew’s church. Richard Tice said in a tweet:
‘If BBC wants to cancel our patriotism & our history by not singing Rule Britannia & Land of Hope & Glory, so I want to cancel my license fee. They are in breach of their contract with the British people #DefundTheBBC.’
The article reported that a BBC source had said that the two songs would not be included because they could not be performed properly without a full choir and audience to sing along. But it added that arts commentator Norman Lebrecht had said there was no reason why they could not have people singing, because, for example, the nearby Cadogan Hall was putting on concerts with audiences.
Guido Fawkes (25/8) said that Conservative MPs, cabinet ministers and ‘basically all the non-woke’ were bashing yet another decision by the BBC that brought into question whether ‘its London-based pandering leadership can even remember their audience’. The article added that the corporation had been forced to release the programme for September 12 early and had revealed that the songs would go ahead – without the singing. It concluded:
‘Guido’s not sure why anyone’s surprised at the BBC’s decision – they’ve been trying to stamp out hope and glory for years…’.
Kurt Zindulka (Breitbart London 25/8) claimed that the BBC decision not to include the sung versions of Rule, Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory in the last night of the proms programme was an indication that it had bowed to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Mr Zindulka reported that Nigel Farage had reacted to news by stating that the only thing that needed cancelling was ‘the BBC itself’.