Party Political Broadcast On Behalf Of The Labour Party: By The BBC

Only one thing could kick Jade Goody off the headline slot on the BBC ten o'clock news. A non-story about the Tories 'going back' on inheritance tax pledges.

Backed up by footage of George Osborne in 2007 (a completely different financial climate, doncha think?), the BBC somehow contrived to portray Ken Clarke's words as being a massive climbdown.

"I don't think we are going around any longer saying this is something we are going to do the moment we take power."

Comrade Beeb selectively quoted the rest of the interview to hint at a U-turn. Yet it's still going to be in the Tory manifesto, and Clarke's reasoning is entirely sound considering the change in the country's financial circumstances that have occurred since 2007 ... when a certain monocular caledonian cock was in charge.

Cutting inheritance tax would not be a high priority for an incoming Tory government, Ken Clarke has said.

The shadow business secretary told the BBC its main economic goals would be to cut public debt and restore growth.

To coin a phrase, that would seem an entirely 'prudent' approach.

So where exactly is the story?

Well, considering the rest of the piece on the web-site (most of it, in fact) is an attempt to extend the row about the 45% tax rate, and refers heavily to Norman Tebbit and Boris Johnson, I think we know the answer to that.

If Comrade Beeb were searching for a story to prove that they aren't really a celebrity-obsessed shadow of the austere body that we used to expect them to be, they could have chosen to lead on this, which warranted a 30 second slot later on, or this, which doesn't feature anywhere on the Beeb network at all.

They're not even pretending anymore, are they?

In defence of the BBC, perhaps they think that all manifestos are as untruthful as others in the past (Where is that referendum again? And what was that about a partial ban?).

I see that Mandy gets high billing though. A concidence, surely, or else one might be tempted to tell the Beeb to whistle for their licence fee.

UPDATE: It wasn't an attempt to deflect attention from this about Gordon's bezzie mate, was it?.