Tory MP who claimed ‘I subsidise Wales’ insists he doesn’t want Welsh radio stations to be scrapped
A Tory MP who claimed “I subsidise Wales” has insisted he does not want Welsh radio stations to be scrapped.
Michael Fabricant, who represents the constituency of Lichfield, made the claim while arguing that the BBC should ditch some of its regional radio stations.
He said that they are “expensive to run” and that their audience figures tended to be “very low”.
But he said he was “not talking about stations like BBC Radio Wales and Cymru” because they’re “national stations”.
During an interview on Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers, the Conservative politician made the case for scrapping the licence fee.
Claire Summers asked: “So, what should they do then? If it’s not a licence fee, how can the BBC, how should they be funded?”
Fabricant replied: “Good question, and maybe it should be a combination of several things. Perhaps take advertising on Radio 1 and 2. I do sometimes wonder whether some of these very small BBC local radio stations, which are quite expensive to run, and I’m not talking about stations like BBC Radio Wales and Cymru, and BBC Scotland and BBC Ulster. They’re nation stations.
“But some of these small country stations, I just wonder whether they really are value for money. Their audience levels tend to be very low, and they’re very costly as I said, now to run. So there’s a whole series of things and maybe things should be paid for on a streaming basis.
“I think there’s all sorts of areas where you could have combinations to try to keep the compulsory licence fee down a bit”.
During the interview Fabricant suggested that there was one BBC Radio Wales programme in particular that he is happy to “subsidise”.
He revealed that he is a fan of Sunday Supplement, and he described his presenter Vaughan Roderick as a “top rate broadcaster”.
‘Under fire’
Fabricant has previously come under fire for his “I subsidise Wales” claim.
He made the claim during an attack on the measures that have been taken in Wales to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
In response, the Welsh Government’s Counsel General, Mick Antoniw has accused the Conservative politician of telling the people of Wales to “know your place”.
He also said that the “Tories are clearly rattled and trying to divert attention from their disastrous government in Westminster”.
Welsh comedian Mike Bubbins said: “Mike, I know Wales is already swimming in cash, but any chance your charitable chums at Westminster could pay Cymru for all the coal, slate, copper & gold it nicked for hundreds of years? Should only be a couple of trillion in today’s money. We’ll sort the water out later. Diolch.”
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A Welsh national PIRATE radio station with a huge antenna on private property with a massive blood red dragon on a field of green fixed to it. Let’s start doing it for ourselves an let them spring up and thrive throughout the country to act with impunity from any threats from Westminster.
No need for the big aerial DAB will do, but who will fund it ?
Reminds me of the days of illegal CB radio when they found a fool trying to work the east coast of America from Llantwit Major. They never discovered if he did but his rig was so powerful it swamped the ground services radio at RAF St Athan and nothing could land because the fire tenders and ambulances had no comms.
Stop being little Englanders and be proud to be welsh it’s time for a New Wales 🏴
Glad to see you here Grayham. I looked at the comments on one of the posts earlier and you weren’t there. I was getting worried.
Im setting up a ‘ Gyfeillion Grayham ‘ group – a sort of fan
club ….
Graham is an institution, like the anti – Brexit man, leave him be
…or, perhaps, should be in one?
Wales subsidises his wigs.
My question is….why did radio Wales have that fecker on, in the first place?!?!
Because they couldn’t afford a real comic like Rhod Gilbert.
The Tories have wheeled out this bewigged parody of an MP a few times recently. They’ve even had him supporting Boris on TV. I’d keep him hidden if I were them. His head is a very strange sight
He has the bloody nerve. Besides looking rediculous with that dead badger on his head, he represents the constituency Litchfield well used to taking from Wales and the Welsh. Litchfield harbour’s stolen goods from Wales. Namely the Gospels of Chad. The manuscript holds some of the oldest Welsh writing and was stolen by Saxon raids into Wales and subsequently taken to Litchfield as trophy. And I get increasingly angry when I hear these Conservative cretins continually claim how Wales is subsidised, when in reality we propped up England for centuries not only with human resource, fighting numerous wars etc.. but… Read more »
Absolutely spot on we would have been one of the richest countries in the world without any doubt if we weren’t robbed by the British empire ànd the welth had stayed in Wales
He’s right. ALL BBC radio stations should be immediately defunded and closed down.
A new station will take their place on all their frequencies and multiplexes.
UK Radio Tory. Broadcasting from 6am to midnight.
Opening at 6am with God Save The Queen.
Dame Very Lynn songs and Winston Churchill speeches on constant rotation. Closedown at midnight with God Save The Queen.
His mam needs to take him to the barber’s.