Save BBC3!

It has come to light that the BBC are going to axe one of their channels within the next month in order to save money. There has been a lot of speculation into what channel would be getting the chop and the one that keeps getting mentioned is BBC3. It has got to such an extent that it is currently trending on Twitter and even celebrities such as Nick Grimshaw (who of course does the morning slot on BBC Radio1) have come out to stand up against the rumour.

#saveBBC3! Silly, funny, smart, young and essential......but enough me. Seriously though #saveBBC3

— nick grimshaw (@grimmers) March 4, 2014

To me, it seems, that BBC3 is a huge advantage for the BBC in engaging the younger demographic and hooking them in as life-long watchers which is something that other sister channels fail to do. With double bills of shows such as 'Family Guy' and 'American Dad' guaranteed every night as well as cutting edge documentaries on issues that appeal to a younger audience, the channel is an essential for many teenager's nightly viewing. This is something that other BBC channels (such as BBC4) fail to live up to. As a teenager, I can safely say that BBC3 is one of the first channels I check to see if something decent is on and I know that it is a channel watched by my whole family. The same cannot be said for BBC4 who seem to constantly show programmes about the war or some old comedy which wasn't funny 30 years ago never mind now. I am a huge fan of the BBC and all of it's channels but I fail to see BBC4's point when it comes to it's contribution to the television giant.

Of course I am not saying things on BBC4 are not worth credit, there have been many original dramas that have appealed to me but I have failed to watch as BBC4 seems to lurk in the shadows of 1,2 & 3 in terms of advertising. BBC4's job, in my opinion, is to be the over spill for BBC 2.

So what is the solution? Well I propose that it is BBC4 that dies a death and that there is a reform of BBC2. The both essentially do the same job in terms of what they show but sometimes both show complete and utter crap. Currently, at around 4ish, BBC2 show "classic comedy" such as 'Are You Being Served?' and ''Allo 'Allo' which is so dull no just to me but also to the poor people who had to endure it decades ago. Cut that out, put the decent BBC4 stuff in and you'll have a great sophisticated channel  not two mediocre channels trying too hard to be the same thing.

#SaveBBC3

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Gove is an arsehole.

I've made it clear in the past that Michael Gove to me is a perfect example of an absolute idiot with the Uni fees and the academy status (to name a few) and now he is beating out Labour peers from their posts with no reason and no warning? This man needs to leave politics and not come back.

This man is reluctant to allow the working class to have an equal right to education as the middle and upper classes and so triples University fees causing current students to be in debt until their 40. On top of this he enforces the Tory philosophy "If you're not a striver, you're a skiver." into compulsory education by making exams harder and harder for less able students to succeed. Somehow the man thinks these ridiculous changes will somehow raise the standard of the U.K's economy.

Some people may say that these proposals are a good idea and that we just have to wait and see yet almost 3/4 of the way through the Conservatives' term we have fallen out of the Pisa Top 20 and are now ranked at 26th place overall. To top this, Scotland (which is run by a separate government) are currently top in the U.K for the survey which tests 15 year old students on their maths, science and reading skills. Regardless, Mr Gove still insists that his new oppressive system which is pushing teachers out of their profession is exactly what the country needs.

It came to light over the weekend that Sally Morgan, OFSTED chair and Labour peer, had been sacked in order to, in Gove's words, "bring a fresh perspective" and insisted on the Andrew Marr show that it had nothing to do with the fact that she leaned towards the left and was a woman. Morgan and Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Harriet Harman seem to disagree. Morgan said in a Radio 4 interview that "I am the latest of a fairly long list of people now who are non-Conservative supporters who are not being re-appointed." which shows that Gove has an agenda to fulfil over the next year and a half to make weaken Labour's influence in organisations such as OFSTED. Harman stood up to Gove on the Andrew Marr show and asked why so many female's post were being replaced by men also saying "It's like raining men in the Tory party!" she continued to question Gove and asked "What is your problem in government with women?". I agree with her, apart from Nadine Dorries and Theresa May I wouldn't be able to name a recent female Conservative MP off the top of my head.

As much as I sympathise with Sally Morgan, OFSTED aren't in my good books either. They to me are a spineless organisation that seem too scared to stand up for what education is really about and go along with Gove's 'children are numbers' strategy to reforming the British education system. They do not motivate schools, they push them down and create tension in the work place and between the school and its peers. Yes, of course if a school need to improve, it needs to improve but the fact that some inspectors observe lessons and then don't give the teacher feedback afterwards (I am saying this from experience) renders the whole operation as a complete waste of time.

Maybe OFSTED does need a fresher outlook and maybe teacher need to improve standards because obviously schools in the U.K are not doing as well as they should be, as Mikey has told us that enough times, but how long can he put the blame on other people? The facts are simple: since the Conservatives came into power, standards in education have gone down and who is meant to be in charge of education? Yes, Michael Gove.

Sources:
Sally Morgan's radio interview - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25997102
Gove on Andrew Marr - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26005917
2013 Pisa results - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25187997
Harriet Harman on Gove - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/02/harriet-harman-mocks-gove_n_4711813.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

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