capital day

Travelling by early train through to the capital (Edinburgh) is always a bit of a media event. Journalists from most of the big media players join at Queen Street station and exit at Waverley, making their way up to the parliament building (by the lowest incline of course). Normally I will be going to Barclay House or to a meeting with one or two of our many political friends and it gives me a chance to spill the beans about the latest development at one or another of our main employers. No prizes for guessing which is current favourite for the chat.

Along with STUC officer Stephen Boyd and officials from Equity and Musicians Union, I met with Culture Minister Linda Fabiani and her team this week. She asked me a few times (tongue in cheek) couldn't I do something about my members and their reluctance to report on some of the recent good or interesting news. However most of our discussion surrounded the future of broadcasting in Scotland and it was gratifying to see how much progress this issue has made on the Scottish political agenda.

Trying to engage with the last regime was difficult at the best of times, but mention broadcasting and they ran a mile, in one case to vote on female circumcision - honestly.

However following the Broadcast Commission there is lots of interest being shown by politicos in Westminster and Holyrood on what is happening at BBC Scotland and STV among others.

They should be aware that there could be trouble at mill and I mean at Pacific Quay not Pebble Mill. Jobs are being threatened at BBC Scotland and the threat includes compulsory redundancies, not something the joint unions are too keen on. Talks in London, aimed at mediation, broke down today and it looks as though a ballot is on the cards.

It is crazy as both sides know that there is money available to create new jobs, which had been earmarked for BBC Local, and it could easily be accessed with some swift movement by the BBC Trust Scottish contingent. We also need similar swift movement from BBC hierarchy in delivering more network programmes and commissions to Scotland, they appear to be stretching it to 2016 and that is just not on.

Political support for the Scottish media is essential and I welcome the setting up of another initiative by Secretary of State Jim Murphy MP on broadcasting. Hopefully he will invite ALL interested parties who are keen to help move things in a positive direction and have a word in the shell-like of BBC management at the same time.