BBC needs to halt its march to self destruction

So the BBC have decided to let football presenter, Gary Lineker, go from his job as Match of the Day. Another decision that shows the gutlessness at the heart of the Corporation. Yes, Lineker is paid a huge amount of money (around £1.3 million) to present the weekly program plus other shows. But Lineker is very good at what he does. There can be little doubt that other rival channels will compete for the former England internationals services. He will probably earn more. The decision to let Lineker go, though, seems likely to be because of his controversial tweets. His comments about issues like the previous Conservative Government's immoral asylum policies attracted criticism from that government and right wing media. He was, though, absolutely right in what he was saying. There was a huge furore last year, when Lineker was suspended and fellow presenters - in an act of solidarity - went on strike in support. Lineker was reinstated. Issues of free speech were and are at stake, something that has apparently been withdrawn at the BBC for high profile presenters. But what the latest Lineker developments betray is an organisation that appears to have totally lost its way. The BBC management has cynically overseen budget cuts forced on it by government. It has used the shortage of funding as an excuse to further slash journalistic resources and dumb down. Journalists have gone, news coverage has been further devalued. Meanwhile, more and more seems to be spent on trashy quizzes and reality TV - often hosted by washed up soap stars. This stream of banality provides a source of ready ammunition for those opposed to the very existence of the BBC. Popular programs have been cut. So, for example, the popular Autumnwatch has gone, whilst the weekly, Countryfile, has now been reduced to an archive program, lacking original content.. The BBC seems to have totally lost its way. It has a habit of capitulating at times of trouble, rather than rallying support amongst the public and opposing the onslaught. The direction of travel at the moment will see the gradual erosion of that public support. This is not to say that all is lost. The BBCs news coverage remains amongst the most trusted by the public. The Corporation continues to produce some great drama like the recent adaptation of Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light and previously Mr Loverman. (Even if these dramatic triumphs do have to be set against a background of innane cop based dross.) There are many opponents of the BBC out there that need to be confronted. Instead, the present management seems determined to capitulate by backing an ever accelerating race to the bottom. The BBC urgently needs to rediscover its role at the heart of the nation. The present chipping away at all that is good in its content will only hasten it's demise