On Tuesday, 8th October 2013, BBC Director General Tony Hall delivered a speech outlining his vision of the BBC for the future. For a corporation suffering the after effects of its post-Savile crisis Hall's speech promised: - 

"We are going to show the British public, who pay for this service, that we know – and will never again forget – what we are here to do. "

The problem for Mr Hall is that many of us in Scotland will never forget what BBC Scotland have done. 

Not ever. 

The toxic nature with which the Rangers support view BBC Scotland was highlighted recently with the SDMC Production Ltd – Blue Bear Rises – a proposed feature length documentary charting the story of Rangers. Originally planned as a joint venture with the BBC, SDMC Productions soon realised that the reputation and standing of BBC Scotland amongst the Rangers support made the prospect of the joint venture untenable, as an SDMC Researcher explained:-

"This was originally to be a SDMC & BBC project; however, due to the relationship between Rangers/The Fans and the BBC we have decided to fund this ourselves." 

It is almost 7 years ago that Vanguard Bears instigated their first protests at BBC Scotland Headquarters citing bias in the manner BBC Scotland reported on our club as the reason for such protest. Subsequent follow up protests in December 2008 and November 2011 demonstrated that such a feeling of bias towards our club was no longer confined to Vanguard Bears, but was perceived amongst many within the Rangers support.

I doubt many would argue that the situation has gone from bad to worse. In fact that is probably a considerable understatement. Furthermore the conduct of BBC Scotland towards Rangers has attracted comment from outwith the Rangers support, which serves to negate any suggestion that this is merely a situation which has arisen from a group of football supporters viewing matters through blue tinted spectacles.

Veteran broadcaster Hugh Keevins suggested employees at BBC Scotland were guilty of "character assassination" on Rangers manager Ally McCoist. This was after it was discovered that someone at BBC Scotland had maliciously edited footage of the Rangers manager in an attempt to make it appear he was laughing and making light of a question regarding sectarianism, when in fact that response was in respect of a totally different and far less serious question. Whilst BBC Scotland acknowledged this as "inappropriate editing" no explanation was ever forthcoming for the motivation behind such action.

The situation was exacerbated due to the fact that this incident of "inappropriate editing" came shortly after a claim by BBC Five Live presenter Nicky Campbell that the physical attack on Celtic Manager Neil Lennon at Tynecastle, could have been perpetrated by "Rangers supporters in disguise". This resulted in BBC Scotland issuing yet another generic apology to the Rangers support.

For those recognising a theme developing here, of offend then apologise when challenged, then I'm afraid the now infamous Mad Men Montage – broadcast by BBC Scotland prior to a Rangers vs Motherwell Cup Tie and which depicted Ally McCoist falling to his death – completely usurps such a notion as BBC Scotland refused to apologise, instead issuing the following statement :-

"We accept that the creative animation - however well intentioned - may not have appealed to everyone but we would like to stress that there was no intention to cause any offence. 

One wonders, what kind of people making light of suicide does appeal to.

But perhaps there is an irony in that the most damning criticism and indictment of BBC Scotland has an "Et tu Brutus?" element to it. For it comes from a man who for many of us was, for more years than we care to remember, the face of BBC Scotland Sport – veteran broadcaster Archie MacPherson.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/...questions-need-to-be-addressed

If the dagger of Brutus, plunged into Caesar, signified the ultimate act of betrayal; then what does Archie's "And the wearer of the biggest tackety boots of all was the BBC" signify? The ultimate act of betrayal of journalistic standards and integrity by the BBC?

Furthermore, however hard hitting his commentary was on the lack of objectivity regarding the BBC Scotland documentary "The Men Who Sold The Jerseys" one is left to ponder how much harder it would have been had he known the full circumstances surrounding this documentary – that the material at the very heart of it - was actually stolen from the Rangers Tax Case.

"Meanwhile, BBC Scotland came, by unknown means, into possession of what they described as "dozens of secret emails, letters and documents", which we understand were the productions before the Tax Tribunal. These formed the basis of a programme entitled "Rangers – The Men Who Sold the Jerseys", which was broadcast on 23 May 2012. BBC Scotland also published copious material on its website."

(SPL Independent Commission Report Section 98)

However in the excitement to produce a documentary which suggested the guilt of Rangers over their use of EBT's, BBC Scotland have actually missed a bigger story – a story which would have probably had severe ramifications for a government agency and would have been the catalyst to questions in parliament perhaps even a government enquiry. 

Did it never occur to the investigative journalists at BBC Scotland that perhaps there was something fundamentally wrong when the Government Agency investigating Rangers – HMRC – were issuing statements to concerned Rangers supporters and shareholders that they would not comment on "speculation about alleged breaches of confidentiality" when in fact BBC Scotland themselves were in possession of evidence which confirmed such breaches of confidentiality? No "speculation" nor "allegation". Conclusive proof.

I make this pledge to the Rangers support – one day the story the BBC failed to report – will be told.

Perhaps with the result of the First Tier Tax Tribunal in favour of Rangers their support could expect a mellowing in attitude from within BBC Scotland. It was however, not to be. Despite Lord Nimmo Smith's legal ruling on the continuity of Rangers, the Scottish Football Association's transfer of membership, the rulings of the European Club Association, UEFA and even the Advertising Standards Agency – BBC Scotland decided to refer to Rangers as a new club. 

They dismissed complaints on this subject, and when such complaints were then escalated they met with similar response. The complaints escalated their way through the various tiers of management within BBC Scotland right to the top, until eventually the only recourse left was to refer the complaint to the BBC Trust at London. The BBC Trust upheld the complaints of a couple of particularly determined Rangers supporters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/...22951447

The petted lip response from BBC Scotland was to characterise their conduct in subsequent weeks with various broadcasters displaying considerable energy to usurp or get around their own Trust's ruling on the matter. One wonders if anyone from BBC Scotland remembers Director General Tony Hall's comments at the start of this article.

"We are going to show the British public, who pay for this service, that we know – and will never again forget – what we are here to do. "

My answer to the above question would be apparently not – and the consequences of this are apparent for all to see.

http://newsnetscotland.com/...fewer-than-half-of-scots-satisfied-with-bbc-news

Perhaps Mr Hall would be well advised to remind his Scottish employees that the British public who pay for the service include many within the Rangers support. Or of course he could just don a pair of tackety boots and swing a much needed boot in the right direction.