They say a week is a long time in politics, but who would’ve thought the same could be said about Match of the Day.
The 'Gary Lineker row', as it euphemistically came to be called, appeared to blow over almost as fast as it blew up, but not before the BBC faced a pundit boycott, a PR disaster and accusations of political bias.
The way I see it, there are three questions: what Gary Lineker said (and whether people agree with it or not), whether he should have said it (as a well-known BBC sports personality, albeit not a news presenter), and whether the BBC, in the actions it took in this case and others, has or has not been guilty of double standards in its approach to upholding impartiality.
On the first question, Lineker tweeted about the government’s new laws that ban migrants who arrive on small boats from settling in Britain.
He said: “This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the '30s, and I'm out of order?"
You might agree with his view - or not. Personally, whilst I would not have phrased it like that, I do think he gave a focus for the millions of Britons like me who are alarmed by a Bill that many consider to be immoral, probably illegal, expensive and unworkable.
The BBC has essentially parked the second question: to end the stand-off with Lineker, it launched a review of its social media guidelines.
But it was the question of political bias that dominated debate in Westminster.
The director general Tim Davie has, in the past, stood as a Conservative candidate. BBC Board member Robbie Gibb has been described as "an active agent of the Conservative Party” by former BBC journalist Emily Maitlis.
Most of all, there are serious questions over the BBC Chair Richard Sharp, a major donor to the Conservatives, who was given the job by Boris Johnson after helping him arrange a loan - something he didn't declare when he was being appointed.
My Lib Dem colleagues and I are calling for Sharp to resign. We need leadership at the BBC that can withstand today’s turbulent politics and uphold the BBC’s independence.
Lineker might be back on screen but the fall-out from the furore will be going into extra time.
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