Seems OK. As so often when the BBC is concentrating it is pretty good, it’s the off-the-cuff remarks that let it down. I haven’t seen enough to make any better assessment than that. More interesting by far than the TV was this real-time vote counting thingy that clocked up the votes as Bush took Florida. This similar doodad for Ohio says that Bush is likely to take that state, too – and hence the US.
The BBC seemed slow to mention developing results within crucial states although millions followed the count via Drudge or by clicking on the state concerned on the BBC’s own map. To be fair, the other channels – even Fox (on the internet) – were just as cautious, and after the too-early call for Gore in 2000 maybe better safe than sorry.
ADDED LATER: Any hopes I might have had of posting the above in the wee small hours and reporting on the news as it happens were dashed by the fact that several million other Blogger users were trying to do the same.
What’s left to count, aside from examples of self-serving bad-loser behaviour by Kerry and the BBC?
Prediction: main BBC CYA tactic will be to switch to covering the coverage by others. (“American networks claimed…blah, blah, blah.”)
Frei hasn’t been seen all night and Blousy Galleon Simpson has yet to talk to an actual American on camera. BEEB APOLOGISTS: SHOW US LICENCE PAYERS VALUE FOR MONEY HERE AND EXPLAIN WHY FREI ISN’T TOAST.
Dimbleby did well, as did a couple of others — the curly-haired youngish attractive blonde woman in Ohio, whose name unfortunately escape’s me right now, will probably be fired: she spent the evening outside, in the open in mediocre weather, acting like a real reporter, giving both sides and talking to real people. Can’t have that.
hehe..and the beeber reporting from a bowling club in Ohio, desperately looking for a kerry voter only to find out all but one voted for Bush…he must have felt like that elephant in the Dali painting.
Question of the election award goes to that beeb woman interviewing Jesse Jackson, asking:
“How will Bush **spit** relelection affect the mood of African Americans?”
Well, 2 of the bowlers did not vote.
It would be ironic if Clark County ended up deciding it in favour of Bush.
I’m sure the Dems in Ohio will be pleased with the Guardian.
al BBC Radio 5 Live on the radio here at 945.am. Ohio still to be confirmed but its looking good. The callers are ringing in and its painful stuff! Sheesh. These people are really bitter. I’m riveted!
Think I’ll break off for a minute to call the emergency services. As this rate loonies will be swinging from trees like Christmas decorations.
I agree with the commentator (the excitable one) who said that Kerry made the same mistake as Gore; he followed his consultants advice, played it safe.
When Kerry should have been establishing an alternative vision, and setting out his policies, he just sat back.
If Kerry had been active during the summer, he would have one in my objective opinion.
In July, Kerry had a solid lead over Bush, which he then proceeded to squander in a manner reminiscent of the England football team (score a goal, then sit on it).
*Update*
Think I’ll hold off from calling the emergenvcy services for a while. I just want to give the loonies time to find plenty of strong branches.
“It would be ironic if Clark County ended up deciding it in favour of Bush.”
Well, it is officialy ironic. Clark ‘grauniad’ county results:
Bush, George W. Republican 34,444 50.96% Kerry, John F. Democratic 32,824 48.56%
..“Well, 2 of the bowlers did not vote.”
True, escaped me while on gloating neocon rampage spree.
But 2 non voters, as any beeb propaganda agent would testify, are 2 lost votes for Kerry. That is such a shame.
I lost it completely… sorry for the extended italics
Damn, I’d beter stop, right now! sorry folks.
Wally
The BBC reporter in Ohio was Philippa Thomas – and yes, she did an excellent job. No havering about the Ohio result – she declares it to be impossible for Kerry to win.
Apart from that, most of the BBC coverage was tatty. ITN wiped the floor with them, far more pertinant interviews and more on-the-ball detail of the actual results. Someone ought to flush out how much the BBC spent on their debacle over recent weeks – a damn fortune, but how many £ millions ?
Paxman failed to hold back an embittered tricoteuse-style democrat from making a complete fool of herself bhy talking as though GWB had already lost the election.
Matt “Increasingly Desperate” Frei.
I’d love to how the BBC could possibly legitimate their lavishly expensive election coverage.
What was their special contribution? What did they provide that the British public couldn’t have gotten on ITN or Sky News? (or even CNN with their former BBC man Richard ‘quacko’ Quest)
The whole raison d’etre of the BBC is that it should provide a service that Brits wouldn’t otherwise get from commercial television. Clearly, about 95% of its programmes do not match this criteria.
The BBC ‘have your say’ forum has gone nuts following Bush’s victory. Rarely does a single post exemplify the mindset of the average user than this:
“The comments here split into two groups: Those outside America who can see the damage Bush has done and those inside America who seem to believe the never ending propaganda they are bombarded with.
Tim Barraclough, Birmingham, UK”
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I believe the technical term for this kind of neurosis is ‘projection’.
Justin Webb on the PM programme on being asked why Kerry lost explained it was because he was a european style politician appealing to reason.
Six o’Clock News Shock!
At last, a sighting! Crestfallen Frei incoherent and near meltdown. Count the ways: Spaghetti Junction sentences; unable to make eye-contact w/ big bad basilisk H Edwards Esq; my-eyes-don’t-track-right glances in the direction of elusive cameras; strained platitudes failing to mask profound and pervasive melancholia. The public implosion of an agenda-driven fraud no one can trust!
This is the guy selected to fly the BBC flag on the very pricey press plane tagging the Bush campaign. And yes, he’s been blowing your money for years. Now he’s busted.
Hey, Matt baby, try this: go to Hawaii to follow up on your terminal act of evasion, the “report” about Cheney’s last-ditch attempt to salvage a collapsing Republican campaign.
…then, for all our sakes, FOAD.
…then, for all our sakes, FOAD.
I’ll drink to that!
I wish I could be there to see it all 🙂
As long as we are in Frei-bashing mode, check out this eruption of stupidity on the so-called “Reporters’ log”:
“Secondly, there is a spirit of bipartisanship that despite all the emotion and bitterness of this election campaign runs in the political bloodstream of this country – it is a spirit that was born on the battlefields of Gettysburg in the civil war. He will have to keep that in mind when he tries to unite the country.”
Bi-partisanship was born at Gettysburg? WTF? Is he just saying that because Gettysburg is the only important even in US history he actually knows about? What a dreadfully stupid non-sequitur. This man needs professional help – badly.
Stupid indeed. But also aimed at deflecting criticism of the politics of hatred practiced by BBC newsrooms and the loony left. Good summary of the electoral consequences of hate here.
Also, see the interview w/ Tom Wolfe in Grauniad a couple of days ago — before the vote — for warnings about arrogance and stupidity.
Grauniad must be smarting bad, but given their capacity for denial, it’ll wear off soon. Ditto for the sweaty gussets in Islington. Michael Moore, I suspect, is too damaged ever to learn.
Ergo, if they won’t be convinced…
OFF TOPIC
Have you noticed that while BBC 2 interrupted its normal programming to bring you Kerry’s speech at 7pm on Wednesday, they failed to broadcast Bush’s victory speech live? I only have the standard five channels, no freeview or cable, but I still pay my TV license damn it, and I wanted to see it!
Do you know what we got instead? BBC1 had a RERUN of what not to wear with trinny and susannah (they were bad enough the first time around), and BBC2 had some program about food. The rubbish type with a studio audience. We will write a complaint to the BBC with my husband.