Will BBC cover-up cover up BBC cover-up? And is Iain Dale an “honest man”?

The on-the ropes BBC is making much of the fact that it is boldly screening a Panorama investigation into why a Newsnight investigation into Jimmy Savile was dropped. But there’s hardly any point watching this great new investigation as we already know the result. Panorama will conclude that there is no evidence the Newsnight investigation was dropped because the BBC had planned two tribute programmes to their favourite paedophile and rapist Jimmy Savile. Surprised?

When confronted with evidence of Savile’s paedophilia, BBC bosses first claimed that nobody knew nothing. When it was discovered that BBC’s Newsnight had actually started an investigation, the BBC implausibly claimed that the Newsnight piece was only about whether the police should have dropped an investigation into Savile’s paedophilia and not (honest guv) at all into Savile’s paedophilia itself. Only some PR idiot could have come up with such a ludicrous explanation.

And now Panorama will conclude that there is no evidence of anybody ever covering up anything. Yeah, right.

Yesterday I had a rather bruising encounter on LBC radio with someone called Iain Dale. Dale is a Tory and very successful blogger and now radio presenter. The piece was about whether MPs should travel first class. I widened the issue to my belief that MPs are engaged in a massive series of scams to enrich themselves at our expense. First I said that MPs had hugely increased the amount they claim in expenses. Mr Dale said this was not true. Yet House of Commons figures show that the amounts claimed rose from £118m in the 11 months before the last election to almost £165m in the following 11 months. To me, that’s an increase.

Then I said that MPs had watered down the rules on expenses by putting pressure on IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) and that Cameron had even threatened to abolish IPSA. Mr Dale said this was not true. I suggest Mr Dale looks at the statements made by John Bercow, Tom Harris, Adam Afriyie (page 72-74 of GREED UNLIMITED) and of course Cameron himself “it is anti-family and it is unacceptable”.

I also claimed that many MPs earned over £100,000 a year from second, third and fourth jobs. Mr Dale said there was only one Tory who did this – Tim Yeo. So I suggested Mr Dale looked at the earnings of MP and barrister Simon Reevell. Despite being a Tory and political expert, Mr Dale claimed he hadn’t ever heard of someone called Simon Reevell.

Most of us can argue with someone who has a different point of view to ourselves – but it’s quite difficult when that person seems to be deliberately denying the facts.