Pity the BBC

After a day of claim and counter claim the BBC now have to report that:

'Business groups back Tory National Insurance plans

Britain's main business groups have waded into the row over Labour plans to increase National Insurance.

The British Chambers of Commerce, the CBI and five other organisations said the Tories "deserved credit" for their opposition to the planned increase.

Earlier, 23 company bosses had spoken out in favour of the Tory position.'

Of course the BBC have to shoehorn Peter Mandelson's earlier accusations that "Mr Cameron and Mr Osborne are peddling a deception."

For the first time in ages I switched onto Sky News and the Jeff Randall program is somewhat different in emphasis. It reports the original letter and Peter Mandelson's claims but then has Labour's Lord Desai all but siding with the Conservatives before interviewing a business spokesman who pointed out that the business leaders are not the naive fools that Peter Mandelson seems to portray them as but sophisticated leaders of commerce.

Meanwhile back on the BBC Robert Peston is doing his best to portray the businessmen as Conservatives, Conservative donors or 'chummy with... the leadership clique around David Cameron' and explaining that 'None of which is to say this letter of endorsement of an important Tory policy from some business heavyweights is trivial - just that it isn't terribly surprising.' and that 'it's worth noting that the interests of business and the interests of the country are not identical. '

Maybe I'll leave the last word to sandy winder in Robert Peston's comments:

'It's a bit of a dilemma.

Should we believe the Labour party, who have been wasting billions every year even by their own admittance, who have deceiving us for thirteen years and who did not foresee the recession or what was happening in the banks?

Or should we believe relatively honest business leaders who have provided wealth creating jobs for millions and been responsible for growing their businesses and pouring billions into the Treasury coffers?

Tough one that.

I think I'll plump for the one who has got the least debt.'