What's in a name?

The BBC got themselves in a right tangle last night on Radio 4's Front Row programme. They kept referring to Derry's bid to be the European City of Culture 2013. The legal/official name of the city is Londonderry and Derry is used by nationalists as part of their efforts to deny they are part of the United Kingdom. The BBC very definitely takes the side of nationalism against unionism in Northern Ireland and so I was not surprised, although still irritated, by their choice of Derry rather than Londonderry.

The Front Row website is rather more confused. The headline refers to Londonderry, the sub-header to Derry and the detail lead-in here to Derry but the detail further down the page to Londonderry (twice). Maybe the BBC think that by using both names they are being even-handed, I think that they are pandering to extremists. The official/legal name of the city in question is Londonderry so the British Broadcasting Corporation should use that name, whatever their political affiliations.