Villepin “seemed to strike the right note” says the BBC. Suckups. Can anyone confirm the impression I got from a commenter that for a while the link text leading to this story actually said, minus the “seemed”, “Villepin strikes the right note”?
The American Expatriate analyses the evolution of the BBC’s coverage of Wilson’s trip to Niger. This post is extremely detailed and supplies copious links. [UPDATE: There’s a follow up post and the BBC’s Paul Reynolds says in the comments that he’s preparing a response.]
Scott Burgess both defends the BBC against an accusation of pro-American bias …
Yes, you heard. He then, ever impartial, criticises Sarah Montague for misrepresenting Jean-Marie Le Pen in a radio interview.
Villepin,
I had to laugh – they get tough with a curfew etc, and the violence drops off. So much for Simpsons view.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4414442.stm
Scott Burgess article,
If we are having a ‘love-in’ then Paul Reynolds’ article on the former British man in Washington is ok.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4421812.stm
My only real critisism would be – no mention of the UN Oil-for-Food Scandal, which I think is critical to understanding the attitude of Kofi Annan and the French and German leadership – and the wider UN -in the run up to the war.
This morning’s BBCA news didn’t mention France, the arson, or rioting, at all.
Fausta – not only is there an elephant in the room, but it is on fire. Even more difficult to ignore!
OT:
“Tag ‘too bulky’ for bail woman”
A teenager has successfully challenged a court bid forcing her to wear an electronic ankle tag as she said it would not look right with a skirt. Natasha Hughes of Arboretum, Worcester, was described in court as a woman who liked to dress in a feminine way.
Worcester Magistrates’ Court heard she should wear a tag for breaching the terms of her bail curfew.
Ms Hughes, 18, said: “I didn’t want to wear a tag because they are really bulky and embarrassing.
‘It looks stupid’
She is on bail accused of assaulting another woman causing grievous bodily harm…”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/4425198.stm
No comment. I’m dumbstruck!
Well, there you have it. Even cruel and inhumane punishments such as forcing someone to wear an electronic tag are overturned because it impinges on a criminal’s dress sense.
Meanwhile, looking out of my window, an entire town cowers as the ruling class, the uncultured, the criminal and the yobs roam their roost, strutting like the arrogant cocks they are.
It is a miracle that our entire society hasn’t fallen into anarchy. Only the indolence and stupidity of your average yob is preventing them from kicking in the whole rotting front door.
Quite frankly I am disgusted by nearly all the media reporting and blogging on the current crisis in France. Only a few commentators seem to have got it right when they describe the rioters as simply disaffected youth given an opportunity to express their ill feeling towards a system within which they have no control.
Some on the left have seen the riots as a genuine uprising against capitalistic forces. How sad is it that they believe that ignorant youths are marching to a drum that was silenced years ago.
Then again the right appears to believe that this is the start of a co-ordinated muslim take over of Europe. A more idiotic suggestion could be hard to find. These rioters have little interest in political philosophy (or even theology hiding behind politics), although the so called Muslim community leaders are seeking to make political capital out of them.
It is a quite simply case of a whole section of society being ignored by the majority and seeking to assert themselves. Yes there is some responsibility to be bourne from the French political classes but this is specifically that they have, through a closed state apparatus, not given the opportunities to the young that they seek.
To reference this to Britain it is as if a union ran the whole country, where only members were in protected jobs, and those from outside the union were unable to get employement or access the advantages that union members enjoy.
So summing up, strangely these riots are more about free libetarian expression than a will to join a failing closed shop.
PS flames about drug dealers will bounce off my asbestos shell.
O/T
The first of the Question Time questions this evening concerns the failure of the government to push through the anti-terror 90 day internment the police had requested. The majority audience mentality selected by the BBC was clearly shown by the applause received for the buffoon (I’m a celebrity get me out of here)Rhona Cameron, which she got for her comment, naturally opposing this bill. The reasons she gave was about police intelligence displayed previously by shooting a man for holding a chair leg, and a Brazilian electrician on a tube.
What a typical liberal facile excuse for thought process.
YouGov & Populus polls published on Monday showed 72% & 64% (respectively) of the public in favour of the proposal for a 90 day maximum detention period.
How can the Questiontime audience be representative of public opinion when about 95% oppose the 90 days?
In John Simpson’s column concerning the Paris riots, among many unsubstantiated conclusions he states as fact, one about Chirac goes “No matter that events have thoroughly borne out his criticisms of the US and British invasion of Iraq in 2003. The Muslim teenagers who briefly applauded him then have long since forgotten all that – though of course if he had supported President George W Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair then, he would be in even greater trouble now.”
Just what criteria does he use to make the highlighted statement (mine)?
An evil tyrant who supported terrorism and was a threat to the surrounding region has been ousted.
The Iraqi people have a democracy that even women can vote.
Pressure has been put on other regimes of that ilk to make them review their dubious policies, like Syria withdrawing its troops from Lebanon.
The main reason Chirac didn’t support the Iraq war was because of French financial interests with Saddam.
So what ‘events’ is Simpson referring to?
I find Homer Simpson makes a lot more sense than this idiot masquerading as a journalist.
How can the Questiontime audience be representative of public opinion when about 95% oppose the 90 days?
dan | 10.11.05 – 11:40 pm | #
It’s not easy but hey, the BBC has to justify the license fee somehow;)
I wonder for how many people-days UK citizens have been incarcerated for owning an unlicenced TV?
“Villepin strikes the right note”
According to this report, I’d agree that he struck the right note:
VILLEPIN URGES PROTESTORS: “NOT THE FACE”
PARIS • Amid an 11th straight night of unrest by rioting immigrant youths across the country, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin made an urgent appeal to protestors requesting that “pas le visage! Pas le visage!”
Villepin, who is a man, made the emergency request during another fiery night in the Parisian suburbs that saw 1300 cars, dozens of buildings, and hundreds of overpriced desserts go up in flames.
http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2005/11/news_niblets.html
what in the world have we imported into Europe?
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?id=2005111012160002710349&dt=20051110121600&w=RTR&coview=
Where is the great EU?
Who is looking out for freedom here?
Where is Sarah Montagues outrage, or La Wark? It is women who have the most to lose from all this and they`re not even putting up a fight.
I guess we’ve established where the problem lies, SiN… all those Lefties who are in favour of blind multiculturalism simply don’t live in multicultural areas. We should force politicians who are in favour of more (muslim) immigration to live in areas which are mainly populated by muslims.
If our Western values – which are being despised by most Lefties – are being replaced by mohammedan values from the 8th century that is what you get. Rape, murder, lawlessness (unless you want to live under sharia law).
If the events in France aren’t a wake-up call I will finally begin to lose all hope for this continent. If there comes a civil war let’s hope those who believe in our humanist traditions are still the majority.
O/T: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4425712.stm
“Among the religiously-aggravated offences, the victim’s actual or perceived religion was Muslim in 23 out of 34 cases.
It was Jewish in five cases, Christian in four, Hindu in two and Mormon in one. In four cases the religion was unknown.”
How religiously-aggravated offences can be determined in four cases when the religion was unknown is not established.
Meanwhile, 23 (Muslim cases) + 5 (Jew) + 4 (Christian) + 2 (Hindu) +1 Mormon (shouldn’t this be categorised under ‘Christian’?) = 35, not 34.
We also have a subheading “Four Murders” in this piece. Next year’s CPS report should see a bit of a jump with the fifty-two religiously-aggravated murders on July 7th alone.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie is quoted: “There must be no toleration at all of race hate or faith hate crimes.”
Quite so. So no more harassment of Salman Rushdie then Sir Iqbal.
When I had my electronic tag, I sucked it up and dealt with it. I’d done something wrong and I was being punished, for crying out loud! I can’t get over this: it never even entered my head that the courts would allow me to thumb my nose at them like that.
And if I wanted to wear skirts, I wore full-length ones. And there’s plenty of those about at the moment, what with all this Victorian-inspired fashion for the winter, so the girl’s got no excuse.
Lets look at how the BBC is sucking up to Blair and New Labour by “protecting” us from the real story……..
As you may know ITN and Sky news both reported last night that the Government was possibly going to be put under investigation over its lobbying of Police Officers in the run-up to the 90 day vote……these “Officers” then wrote letters to MPs of all factions, saying why “they” thought that the plans were a good idea…….this is obviously just blatant manipulation by New Labour, using the Police Force as it’s own Propaganda tool……
Still…..on the BBC today the first Paragraph of the “Dear Leaders” itinerary review says:
“Tony Blair’s Cabinet colleagues have united to voice their support for him after his defeat on anti-terror laws in the Commons.”
SKy News says in its first paragraph:
“The Prime Minister could face a Commons inquiry into claims of Government “politicisation” of police chiefs over new anti-terror laws.”
…and ITN Channel 4 News Says:
The Government has been accused of dragging the police into the political arguments over whether to hold terror suspects for 90 days without charge.
So let us now look again at the BBCs first paragraph. I always thought the first paragraph of a story was a brife summation of the whole story…..as we can see in the ITN and Sky reports……..
So….did the BBC get the main thrust of the story out with :
“Tony Blair’s Cabinet colleagues have united to voice their support for him after his defeat on anti-terror laws in the Commons.””
Is that even news? What next? “Tories gather to congratulate Mr Howard on his Victory?”???……
I think the BBC are just sad and pathetic now……no respect left at all, I wish the UK public would have the guts to stand up to them, but they’ve been beaten down with threats of prison and fines……they are forced to pay for their own brainwashing and mental castration.
And now for today’s Crap Chapter:
Israel is deploying a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening “sound bombs” that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children.
Both The Guardian and the BBC quote Palestinian Dr Eyad Sarraj, a psychiatrist, who, in a sweeping statement lacking credible scientific or medical evidence, claims:
The sonic booms are having serious effects on children in Gaza, including anxiety, panic, fear, poor concentration and low academic success. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4402326.stm
Big Mouth, from your link:
However, the Jewish state [my emphasis] continues to control the territory’s airspace, coastline and borders.
I wonder if the BBC knows how many Israeli Arabs there are and that there are Arab members of parliament.
In June 2001, an ‘oppressed’ and ‘occupied’ Palestinian follower of the ‘Religion of Peace’ set off his explosives outside the disco at the Dolphinarium, killing over 20 young people.
I was miles away, on the other side of Tel Aviv, but I heard the blast. It was like a distant clap of thunder, but quite distinct.
I can only imagine how traumatised those who were right in the vicinity of the blast must have been.
And the Palestinians have the gall to complain about sonic booms.
Slightly OT, but this link (from Socialism is Necrotizing, above) beats anything on the BBC! Maybe there’s a fault with my browser, but the story appears to segue seamlessly from violence against young women in les banlieus, via de Villepin’s promise of financial backing for local support groups, to an actual financial report.
http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?id=2005111012160002710349&dt=20051110121600&w=RTR&coview=
“Oussekine says the conservative government of Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin should provide groups like hers with means to educate young women and offer them hope.
Villepin has said he will increase money for local support groups, after years of cutting back state funds for tn Thursday that quarterly profit rose a better-than-expected 34 percent on strong sales and big gains in its credit card business, but gave a disappointing forecast for the current quarter, which includes the critical holiday season.
The discount retailer, which ranks behind No. 1 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) in the sector, said earnings-per-share growth in the fourth quarter would likely be only in the mid-teens on a percentage basis, below analysts’ expectations.” And so on.
Regarding the BBC’s report of the ‘race hate crime’ figures mentioned above:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4425712.stm
There is no mention at all about the ‘race’ or religion of the perpetrators of these attacks. It is falsely insinuated, however, that all of them were white, given that the only group permitted to comment was the Muslim Council of GB.
I would be interested to learn what the percentages actually were. I would imagine that whites were probably the largest group given that they dominate the population in terms of numbers, but I would also imagine that the proporting of attackers who are “Asian” or Muslim is far, far higher than their percentage of the population would merit.
Are the following two statements true?
1. The racial or religious identity of the attacker is not recorded.
2. An attack has a racial nature simply if the victim believes it to be.
If both of these are true, we are in the ludicrous situation where an upsurge in Muslim violence against Jews, or attacks between blacks and South Asians can be misrepresented by the MCGB as more attacks by whites against them! Ludicrous!
Regarding the BBC use of the quote “The Jewish state” in the article about “sound weapons” (sonic booms are not a weapon, or perhaps they are a chemical WMD?). Any bets on a stealth edit within the next few hours?
No doubt give it a week or two and they’ll be calling it “The Zionist entity”!
The Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel is specific in establishing that Israel is a Jewish state?
Rob, obviously the Israelis are dropping those Sonic Bombs from Star Wars: The Attack of the Clones. You know, the ones that sound a huge guitar chord in the vaccuum of space. Imagine how loud they’d be in an atmosphere. 😉
I’m sick of hearing that if the 90 day detention law had been in it wouldn’t have stopped the 7/7 bombings. Lies, Lies, Lies. They were watching the four bombers twelve months ago. If they’d had these powers then they could have held them for 90 days and got their evidence and 52 people would still be alive today.
OH sh*t!!
Whining about sonic booms really takes the biscuit.
I live in Malta and our “festa” season – replete with exteremly noisy fireworks, lasts for most of the summer months – now, while we grumble and belly ache, there is no way that the constant banging affects our “concentration and academic success”. It’s a bother – nothing more.
The beeb really scrapes the bottom of the barrel in trying to chuck mud at the “jewish state”.
Pathetic attempt really.
Deepdiver
DAW: “If they’d had these powers then they could have held them for 90 days and got their evidence and 52 people would still be alive today.”
Disagree. The police have a huge arsenal of possible charges at their disposal, not least the charge of “conspiricy to…”
90 days detention of a determined group would have delayed their attack by … 90 days. Very effective that.
The Jordinian government can detain suspects for, pretty much as long as they want to. How do you account for the recent blasts in that country?
This idea that the population at large is in favour of 90 day without charge for terrorists may be correct. But I think the survey is biased in the questions asked. For example,
Q1: Do you think the government is right to give the police powers to detain terrorists for 90 days?
Q2: Do you think the government is right to give the police powers to detain innocent people for 90 days?
I think (hope) you would get dramatically different answers to each of the above.
OT
Here’s one inefficient public sector organisation -the Beeb- scratching another’s (the NHS’s) back:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4426090.stm
Nick Triggle (interesting surname that,sounds as if it should be some sort of verb) makes no attempt to balance the piece at all, he just goes to the usual public sector vested interests and gives them a free shot of publicity. He certainly doesn’t ask any patients who’ve had their waiting time for an operation cut by a year or more through the use of private sector health companies. (For non-UK readers, the National Health Service rations healthcare by making people wait an age for treatment. If they die in the meantime, well, so much the better.)There’s plenty of evidence to show that patients don’t care tuppence who provides their care as long as they don’t have to pay a hidden subsidy to the NHS in terms of anxiety and pain. But Triggle really can’t be arsed to do a proper job of journalism, and he knows that to take the corporatist line won’t at the very least do him any harm.
And we’re paying for this cobblers!
It really is a nuance here and a suggestion there.
Sarah Montague on the (Socialism) Today Program introducing an item on why the young dont wear poppies;
“What is it that puts them off” – who says they are Put Off? perhaps they dont know or are more interested in being young.
“some see poppies as legitimizing war” – Who? names please, or at least one example not just the usual BBC “some say……”.
also, on the issue of Legitimizing War, Montague should know the difference between War for its own sake and War as a response to attack.
I am quite sure that this ghastly postmodern woman has her mind so far open that her entire brain has fallen out and left the building in disgust.
I posted the following comment a few hours ago on ‘French Riots: What Now’ – the latest ‘Have Your Say’.
When you start asking the right questions, you might find yourselves getting the right answers:
What percentage of the rioters are practicing Muslims?
Did their leaders in essence oppose the riots, encourage them or remain indifferent to them?
People scoff at the idea that there is any Islamic influence at work here. But turning a blind eye to it is hardly the way to establish the truth.
They’ve posted other comments since, but not mine. I hit a lttle too close to home, perhaps?
I am quite sure that this ghastly postmodern woman has her mind so far open that her entire brain has fallen out and left the building in disgust.
Socialism is Necrotizing | 11.11.05 – 1:28 pm | #😆
They love to hear the echo of their words coming back to them, it makes them feel like they’ve said something meaningful and intelligent.
It’s time the liberal left understood an important factor, that to maintain their present strategy will eventually cause them great grief in the future. So long as the majority of the public feel that proper steps to combat the real militant Islamic threat are being tripped up by ‘apparently’ well meaning multiculturalists, the fear that will result, will cause increased prejudice and acts of racism, affecting many truly innocent Muslims. The very thing leftwingers (pronounced winge-rs) claim their policies are trying to prevent, will be increased.
Melanie Phillips has more on the subject
Britain’s moral imbecility which also makes reference to Carol Gould’s observations of BBC Bias over failing to give the police the powers they requested to deal with terrorism.
Bryan “What percentage of the rioters are practicing Muslims?
Did their leaders in essence oppose the riots, encourage them or remain indifferent to them?
Mark Steyn in the Spectator has similar observations. Also articles by Liddle & ANOther examining the Muslim future in (of) Eurpoe.
PS The Times leader, discussing Blair’s opponents in his own party, says
some of whom constitute the Fidel Castro fan-club wing of the Parliamentary Labour Party
I am sure they will be welcome contributors to the Castro smitten BBC.
Simon Jenkins lays into the Beeb’s largesse with our cash….
A tale of two BBCs – with one very depressing moral
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,1640084,00.html
“Fair enough, but the one thing that this saga blows apart is the BBC’s claim that British public-service broadcasting needs one overarching coordinating genius, one monopoly supplier, namely itself. If it can dole out public money equally to quality and tosh without a shred of critical control, who needs it? Why not give the same power, and the same money, to a broadcasting commissioner or a television council to distribute as it chooses? What is unique about the BBC, the “great Grasp”? “
Thanks dan, I saw Mark Steyn’s article. Spot on, as always.
Jeezuz Christ, when I was growing up in California near a large air base, I heard sonic booms as a young’un all the time. They were NOTHING. We LAUGHED at them.
They were definitely more welcome intrustions into our lives than earthquakes.
The Beeb is insane.
Come off it – the Israelis have been producing sonic booms at extremely low altitude, hence magnifying their impact. I’m sure that wasn’t the case in California. You can sort of see why they feel the need to do it, but then you can sort of predict that some sleepless p*ssed off Gazan might decide to murder some Israeli civilians and that some missiles might be fired in response and that some bereaved Palestinian might blow up….etcetcetcetcetc
Teddy Bear
Reading Carol Goulds piece raised the following questions;
is the BBC as Left leaning as they are because they know that the culture is far to the right of them and thus see themselves as a kind of counter-balance?
is the BBC so enamoured of illiberal Islam because they fear the reprisals that would follow taking another position?
Is the BBC so enamored of illiberal Islam because they know just how easy it would be to tip the population into something short of permanant civil disturbance?
does the BBC proceed down the Left wing road because because they do not know how to put the genie back into the lamp and are hoping against hope that something will turn up to save thier sorry asses?
either way, soon the lies will reach critical mass and people will be unable to reconcile what they are told by the State Broadcaster and thier actual experience. It is at such times that the Emperor is revealed to be naked, lies are inherently unstable.
rrr,
actually the sonic booms are what is done in response to the firing of the kassam rockets. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Check to see what came first.
And do you honestly think that an appropriate response to being kept awake at night is firing of weapons with intent to kill??
Don’t bother answering. what you think is quite obvious.
deepdiver
rrr,
though on reading your post again I take back the “what you think is obvious” part. Apologies.
Nonetheless, the sonic booms were done after kassams were fired – the idea is “if we can’t sleep, then neither can you”. I’d think that it’s a more mellow response than a few rounds of 155mm. If the gazans want to sleep at night they can stop popping kassams over the wall.
Deepdiver
rrrrr…Right, so I suppose you believe there’s no difference between the Israelis doing their level best to only kill Palestinian terrorists, and Palestinian terrorists doing their level best to kill as many Israeli civilians as possible.
On ‘Have Your Say’, they’re going on and on about the legacy of Yasser Ara Rat.
I found this comment priceless:
Added: Friday, 11 November, 2005, 12:33 GMT 12:33 UK
Nothing has changed since the departure of Yasser Arafat. He was a man who was devoted to peace and an accuse that the Israeli government used to stall the peace process. I guess now the easy escape goat for Israeli is gone!
c mustafa, USA
Recommended by 2 people
Paper admits libel of Annan’s son
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4428050.stm
Never mind about Kojo, suddely Kofi Annan is a saint…..
“The investigation admonished the UN for mismanagement of the programme.”
Yeah, and didn’t Kofi win a prize for “Best UN Secretary General” as well?
What the BBC forget to mention in their overwhelming desire to provide biased reporting:
“In a highly critical assessment, the independent commission finds instances of “illicit, unethical and corrupt” behaviour and blames UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for mismanagement.”
here:
Oil-for-food scandal: Key reports
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4550859.stm
SiN, I wish I could believe that the BBC agenda was based on the belief that they were doing good for the society, however mistaken we might believe them to be. I’ve no doubt that there are many of their journalists who do believe in the ‘good intent’ of the BBC, for any of the reasons you’ve mentioned.
However, for those who lead the policy of the BBC, I believe have only one purpose – greater power than they have already. They wish to dominate world media, knowing just how much they can influence world events. They see themselves as a kind of God, and even if they have convinced themselves of their ‘good intent’ at the end of it, they will have done so much damage to our society in the meantime, that it is really pure evil.
The UK public who are forced to support this corrupted behemoth are no more than a meal ticket to give them the status to make other regimes want to use them. It is not by chance that the World Service has more Muslim listeners than any other ethnic group, even the hardline regime of Iran allows BBC broadcasts. So long as the BBC continues to broadcast what these regimes want their subjects to believe they will be happy clients.
Now the BBC is the first Western media to have negotiated TV and Radio contracts with the Chinese, you can be sure that any news reports about China will do their best to present them in a good light.
Got to go – my escape goat is out of the paddock again and eating the washing.
I wonder how the Beeb and other media be handling the French riots story if it were taking place across the USA?
Like Hurricane Katrina?
yes, it’s quite the schadenfreude moment for Americans right now. The much-vaunted “European social model” doesn’t seem to have helped France much. But at least everyone there has universal healthcare (channeling Matt Frei). Of course, that doesn’t seem to have mollified any of their rioting, burning thugs.
Lurker, is that you?
Bryan, er yes…I thought I would have a play with the escape goat concept.
I sent Scott Callahan, the American Expatriate, my response on Friday afternoon and am looking forward to seeing it on his site. I have called it the “Callahan Calumnies.”
Paul Reynolds