After today’s Turkish ferry crew fake news and all the other s**t we have to take write to this guy

Professor John Robertson OBA

There’s no point filling in a BBC Complaints form which goes to Darlington and comes back essentially unanswered. Write to this man directly, copied to your MSP, on paper preferably.

Howard Simpson is the current Head of News and Current Affairs at BBC Scotland, overseeing the editorial direction for Reporting Scotland. He took on this role in May 2025, succeeding Gary Smith. As head, he leads the news teams producing the programme, including reporters, producers, and output editors. While specific programme editors handle day-to-day production, Simpson’s position makes him the key editorial figure for Reporting Scotland and other news output.

Howard Simpson, Head of News, BBC Scotland, 40 Pacific Quay, Glasgow G51 1DA

7 thoughts on “After today’s Turkish ferry crew fake news and all the other s**t we have to take write to this guy”

  1. Howard Simpson , Head of News at BBC Scotland ?

    I thought they just reprinted the Scottish (sic) Daily Mail and Scottish (sic ) Daily Express headlines as it saved time and allowed their ”journalists” to concentrate on FOI requests to the Scottish Government .

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        1. I know but bears repeating for those who are unaware of that. But maybe an FOI to find out why would be in order? Would highlight the BBC’s privileged position. Their ‘journalists’ are always going on about transparency when it comes to politicians etc so how about some from the BBC?

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  3. O/T apologies

    Lucy Powell has been elected as Labour’s new deputy leader.

    (The old one , Angela Rayner, had to ‘resign’ , as in she jumped before she was pushed).

    During her victory speech she, Powell, said the party needed to be “bolder” and promised to be a “champion for our Labour values”.

    “I’ll be a champion for our Labour values and boldness in everything we do, and I know that you Keir, as our leader, want that – and I will be your ally in that fight“

    Powell also singled out Reform UK, saying it “starts with us wrestling back the political megaphone and setting the agenda more strongly, because let’s be honest we’ve let [Nigel] Farage and his ilk run away with it”.

    She said the party could not win support by “trying to ‘out-Reform’ Reform”.

    This was a speech by Powell on the back of what was seen as a catastrophic defeat last week in Wales for Labour in a seat that Labour have held for a century.

    The polling in that election was indicating that Reform UK would win that seat, indeed on the night of the count various TV News channel political correspondents , who were at the count , were all stating that it was “too close to call” as to who would win it.

    Yet it turned out Plaid won by nearly 4000 votes……..so not really that “too close to call” but more really a decisive win for Plaid.

    This victory speech by Lucy Powell was one that in part was trying to convince those of us who already knew that Reform UK, as a party and also as a future potential UK government , are not the answer to any existing concerns for any nation within the UK….

    Indeed Reform UK are seen as the source , as in the catalysts, for some of the many existing political problems that exist within their UK already…..however traditional parties like Labour (and the Tories) have also played their part in creating many of those political problems too that exists for all Nations within the UK.

    Lucy Powell’s party, Labour, have been trying to emulate both the policies and rhetoric of Reform UK………thus for certain voters this is then seen as Labour , and the Tories also, legitimising, reinforcing and so then approving the policies and rhetoric of Reform UK.

    “Wrestle back the political megaphone” from Reform UK said Ms Powell.

    Really ?

    I thought Labour were reiterating the exact same kind of political message as Reform UK via their own Labour party “Political megaphone”.

    “Labour values” ?

    What are Labour’s values ?

    Well so far all we have seen happening via Labour’s so called “Values” is that………

    Labour are now endorsing and championing the Brexit that Nigel Farage had formerly pressurised the previous (Tory) UK government upon as a UK policy….in forcing them, the Tories, to hold a referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Labour now allowing Nigel Farage to dictate the UK’s immigration policy.

    Labour also now maintaining the Tories policies on Welfare Benefits.

    Labour also now keeping the Tory two child cap policy.

    Labour’s existing position on compensating WASPI women now being the exact same as the former Tory UK government in Labour now ignoring and refusing to fulfil that pledge they once made to WASPI women.

    Indeed when many of them were formerly Labour opposition MP’s (including Keir Starmer) , the pledge they made was that if Labour won the next GE then they would then compensate WASPI women and so then reverse the Tories former (bad) decision……but Labour have now betrayed WASPI women.

    Labour , like the Tories and Reform UK, want to protect the rich while also damaging and penalising the poorest and most vulnerable within the UK….

    As Labour were determined , as a new UK government, to not impose a wealth tax upon the rich but instead to impose penalties upon the poorest and most vulnerable within the UK.….that included pensioners as being the vulnerable targets of Labour’s cruel decisions.

    Keir Starmer also binned all of the former pledges that he made to win the Labour leadership.

    The above is not an exhaustive list of Labour’s U turns, back peddling and also Labour trying to win over and appease those voters , who have been and still are being so easily convinced by Nigel Farage, and so then they , as voters, have voted for and still will vote for Reform UK in elections….

    So Lucy Powell may be trying to use her victory speech to try and convince us all that she , as the new Deputy leader of the Labour party, will try to help reshape Labour and so will then also try to reset Labour’s supposed ‘Values’ …..

    However let’s be honest here, had Reform UK won that Welsh by-election last week then Lucy Powell’s victory speech would have been most different in tone and in content.

    In fact if we are really being honest here , it is very hard , indeed impossible, to associate Labour, as a party and as governments , as being those who hold and adhere to any values, traditional or otherwise.

    Indeed Labour as a political party are the epitome of those who have no values, principles or morals based on their record , as in their poor performance and also their cruel decisions and despicable actions that they have made and taken as a new UK government……..

    So now with Lucy Powell being elected as their new Deputy leader that will not “change” or indeed “renew” anything with Labour.……that is as far as Labour suddenly adopting and so committing to holding any real “values” that we , the people, would and should expect from a government……..

    I am afraid Labour have now gone too far down the road in taking their UK on the same path as Reform UK have also chosen.….and also the Tories too……

    So it is now way too late for Labour, as a UK government, to now turn back, as everything is already completely and utterly ducked up……in their Brexit UK (as endorsed by Labour, the Tories and Reform UK)……

    A Brexit UK duck up that has been and still is largely ignored by the UK media…….especially in Scotland as it might win kudos for the SNP who have, as a party, always been opposed to Brexit and still are……for Scotland).

    Lucy Powell forgot to mention in her wee speech that it is parties like Labour and the Tories who have enabled Reform UK to gain credibility as a party within her UK….(especially within England).

    Indeed all that we have heard , as voters, is both Labour and the Tories mimicking the language, the policies and also the obvious lack of values and decency that we have come to associate with a party like Reform UK , who are really a pretend political party, who as a supposed political party, work only on behalf of those who fund them as a supposed political party .

    Labour as a party and as the latest UK government are not worth listening to, supporting or voting for….now that’s a proven fact.

    Liz S

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