The Beeb Removes Traditional Views of History.

From: William Snowden, Butterbowl Gardens, Farnley, Leeds.

TOM Richmond (Yorkshire Post, February 25) expressed surprise that “the BBC’s political correctness police” had “approved” Jeremy Paxman’s comments about the British Empire. But why wouldn’t they? Mr Paxman is, after all, a BBC insider, and his statement was not contentious; merely a truism.

Moreover, it was advance publicity for his forthcoming BBC TV series about the British Empire. I suspect that the programme (like the book) will reflect Mr Paxman’s acerbic and provocative style.

The BBC has a predilection to commission historians of a Liberal-Left (a classic oxymoron!) persuasion, like Simon Schama and the ubiquitous Andrew Marr while erudite historians like Andrew Roberts and Niall Ferguson, who represent the traditional school of history, are pointedly ignored.

Niall Ferguson (Harvard Professor of History) is a recognised authority on the history of the British Empire. But his contention that the British Empire had a broadly benign influence would indeed cause apoplexy at the PC BBC! (Yorks Post)