Politics and Internal Politics at the ABC

Speaking of televised debates, the return of the ABC's regular political coverage culminates this Sunday with my favourite must-see, Barrie Cassidy's Insiders. Another year of hissing at Piers and cheering as David Marr tears strips off him ... this is my bread and butter.

Also starting soon (I couldn't get a precise date off the ABC"s website) is the ABC's new panel discussion show, `A Difference of Opinion', hosted by veteran reporter Jeff McMullen. The show - which, from early advertising, appears slightly like a cross between a Fabian Society forum and the SBS's Insight is billed as the embodiment of the ABC's new, `unbiased' editorial policy. The fact that the ABC was ever thought to need such a policy is sad; the fact that viewers are thought so stupid that a show emphasising the need for this policy is equally sad.

This isn't to say that I don't like the idea of the show - I'll certainly be tuning in to the first episode, and indeed, the clearly labelled left/centre/right format of the aforementioned Insiders has often been identified as an ideal by those critical of the ABC. What gets me down is the apparent fact that some members of the current ABC Board are too stupid to work it out for themselves.