Tory Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald is in the midst of an almighty row with the BBC. Fitzgerald has accused the BBC of "dreadful biased reporting" after a huge bust-up LIVE on air.
Fitzgerald used to run a strip-bar in the city of Peterborough and is a director at Cross-Keys Homes. Cross-Keys is the city’s largest housing association following the transfer of the city council’s 10,000-strong housing stock over seven years ago. Fitzgerald is facing opposition over his plans to close two Peterborough City Council care-homes, reportedly making savings of £1.75 million.
During the interview Fitzgerald, who got very hot under the collar (as did the DJ), alluded that in his opinion the views expressed on the show didn't count as the audience wasn't large enough. The interview tumbled into an almighty personal row full of kidney shots and low-blows. Listen...
5 comments:
Well done posting the Interview with former Strip club owner Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald but I take issue with the comment the "DJ got hot under the collar" The BBC presenter Paul Stainton and his breakfast show team had been gathering audio and comment all week, interviewed around 20 people before the Fitzgerald interview. Staintons point was that he being a BBC employee was hired to challenge the local councillors viewpoint not simply endorse everything the councillor put forward. The truth is that moving 90 year olds of care homes where they have been resident for a number of years does statistically kill some 50% of those moved as the staff is also disbursed. The council said they would consult but they added it was a consultation on closure so the decision had already been taken and unfortuantely that is how the Tories run Peterborough City Council. Further information on our #PFNN NEWS BLOG http://tinyurl.com/STANGROUNDPFNW
The DJ seemed to get frustrated and raised his voice, that's getting hot under the collar. Granted however, he only did this as Fitzgerald was being so outrageous.
Peterborough seems like it needs an injection of democracy.
Cllr Fitzgerald is Deputy Leader, under Cllr Cereste, who adds zest to the story by occupying the Chairmanship of a company which claims to be specialists in healthcare and retirement Living development. The transcript of the interview in question.
I must correct myself and say that full-time train guard Cllr Lee is Deputy Leader. There's a bit more background in that Cllr Fitzgerald is a former DJ himself who is trying to set up a commercial radio station in Peterborough. So what you have there is two DJs, one unemployed, arguing about who's got the biggest audience.
I thought the councillor stayed quite calm in the face of what seemed, to me, to be a deliberately hostile interview aimed at scoring points with a certain audience.
The DJ kept saying: "Why are you attacking me?" and yet I saw no evidence of the councillor doing any such thing. Then he would say: "Speak to the people of Cambridgeshire" which is presumably why the councillor came onto the show in the first place and exactly what he was doing.
Not all BBC journalists are biased, but this guy seemed to want to be Paxman. it didn't really work.
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