BBC Seen as "Unionist Institution" by Former Economics Editor

A former BBC economics editor, Paul Mason, has accused the corporation of propaganda during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum campaign, describing it as a "Unionist institution" led by individuals with a neoliberal point of view. Ex-first minister Alex Salmond expressed his own surprise at the perceived bias at the BBC, stating it was a "blind spot" he had not considered in his independence strategy. Salmond accused Sir Nicholas Macpherson, the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, of abandoning his commitment to civil service impartiality by actively working against independence.

Key Takeaways:

• Paul Mason, former BBC economics editor, described the BBC as a "Unionist institution" with a neoliberal point of view.
• Alex Salmond expressed his surprise at the perceived bias at the BBC during the Scottish independence referendum campaign, stating it was a "blind spot" he had not considered.
• Salmond accused Sir Nicholas Macpherson of abandoning his commitment to civil service impartiality by actively working against independence.
• Sir Nicholas Macpherson allegedly leaked an internal memo suggesting the Royal Bank of Scotland may move out of Scotland if the country voted for independence.
• Former first minister Alex Salmond compared Sir Nicholas Macpherson to a "Bond villain" due to his alleged actions during the referendum campaign.
• BBC political editor Nick Robinson accused Alex Salmond of vilifying him as "a symbol of the wicked, metropolitan, Westminster classes sent from England, sent from London, in order to tell the Scots what they ought to do".

Statistics:

• None mentioned in the article
• The article does not provide any specific numerical data or statistics

Sources:

• Edinburgh Book Festival
• BBC
• Facebook (referenced by Paul Mason's post)
• Newsnight and Channel 4 News (organizations mentioned as former employers of Paul Mason)