Gaelic Broadcasting (Repeal) Bill

A

BILL

TO

Repeal the Gaelic Broadcasting Act.

Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Section 1:

(1) The Gaelic Broadcasting Act 2023 is hereby repealed.

Section 2: Extent, Commencement and Short Title

(1) This Act extends to the entire United Kingdom

(2) This Act comes into force after receiving Royal Assent.

(3) This Act may be cited as the Gaelic Broadcasting (Repeal) Act.

This bill was written by The Most Honourable Sir u/model-willem KD KT KP OM GCMG KCT KCB CBE MVO PC MP, The Leader of the British Alternative, Member of Parliament for South East (List).

Opening speech:

Deputy Speaker,

The British Alternative do not believe that we should be funding the BBC further, there are other ways to receive the information that people want to get than through the BBC as it stands right now. The BBC focuses too much on entertainment and too little on the information function that it should have.

One of the manifesto pledges made by the British Alternative was to privatise the BBC, our state-run television channel. One of the changes recently made by this institution is the creation of Rèidio-Alba, a television channel with programs in Scottish Gaelic, a language spoken by approximately 57,375 people in Scotland, according to the 2011 census. This amount of speakers make up 1.1% of the people of Scotland at that time.

The British Alternative do not believe that we should be spending the money we get through taxation on the hard-working British people on a television and radio station that is aimed at not even 60,000 people in Scotland. We should be spending that money on better healthcare options, better schools and if possible less taxes on the people of the United Kingdom.

We believe that repealing the Gaelic Broadcasting Bill is a first step for us to slowly decrease the BBC. The Scottish Parliament has not yet made the necessary arrangements for the changes in the original bill to happen, the 365 days that are required for the transfer of the assets of the BBC Gàidhlig and Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig to happen as well. It means that this is the moment to repeal the bill before the institutions have been fully created.

This debate closes at 10PM GMT on 26 March 2024.