Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:


Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts.

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268 Responses to Open thread – for comments of general Biased BBC interest:

  1. pounce says:

    Jon wrote;
    “Jon:
    “He generated a varied response amongst a small sample of people questioned in west London”

    Did you read what was written on that BBC web page;

    “I hear people say: “when in Rome do as the Romans do” – and yes we should all understand the society we live in.

    But people are not all the same here. People have different religions and no religion. People dress differently and wear different clothes.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/5413352.stm#najeeba
    3rd person down.

    It seems some people are more equal than others according to the BBC.

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  2. Jon says:

    Jack Straws remarks even get top billing over another BBC favourite.

    “Medic says marines murdered Iraqi”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5414396.stm

    I bet they are disapointed this news didn’t break next week – They could have had another good week or so to flog this one to death as well.

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  3. Bijan Daneshmand says:

    And now the Al Beeb propaganda machine moves into full gear. OH DEAR! Look what the Kuffar British are doing!

    Veil snatched from Muslim woman

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5414704.stm

    Insp Saied Mostaghel, of Merseyside Police, said: “This was a despicable attack, which has left the victim feeling extremely shocked and upset.”

    He added that police would not tolerate hate crimes.

    “This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in our communities and I would reassure local people that we are treating the matter very seriously,” he said.

    Will Insp Mostaghel also discuss events at Berkshire?! And the attacks by Muslims youths on an English woman and toddler?

    Somehow I dont think he will and neither will the BBC.

    Its a shocking and pathetic state of affairs when the outside world has to look at the BNP website when trying to find out what happend ed in Berkshire. This is one of the first links I got when I Googled that story.

    http://www.bnp.org.uk/reg_showarticle.php?contentID=1366

    Its a DAMNNED OUTRAGE that the BBCs non-reporting is now creating credability for the BNP!

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  4. Pete_London says:

    Is this the most idiotic (D)HYS thread yet?

    Should the state of limbo be abolished?

    The Pope is expected to abolish the state of limbo • the place somewhere between heaven and hell where many Catholics believe the souls of unbaptised children go if they die. The Catholic Church is concerned about the grief suffered by the parents of stillborn children, but some have suggested that the change is an attempt by the Vatican to prevent people in countries with high infant mortality rates turning to Islam.

    Why do you think the Pope wants to abolish the state of limbo? Is it to ensure people don’t turn to other religions? Is he right to abolish it? Should it be up to the individual to decide? Send us your comments.

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  5. Bijan Daneshmand says:

    Here are the details of the Medina Milk Mosque story from the Windsor & Eton Express that you will not find via the BBC.

    http://icberkshire.icnetwork.co.uk/express/windsor/tm_headline=pitchforks-and-a-bomb-%2D-windsor%2Ds-week-of-violence%26method=full%26objectid=17883631%26siteid=50102-name_page.html

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  6. Biodegradable says:

    Re: my previous posts regarding the female represantative of MPACUK who complained that Jack Straw should be doing something about allowing women into mosques instead of asking them to remove their veils:

    http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/116012794456932793/#310630

    and

    http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/116012794456932793/#310635

    That same woman has done a complete 180º about-turn and decided that Straw “… shouldn’t be allowed to comment on these kind of issues, this is a Muslim issue.”

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  7. gordon-bennett says:

    Watched the newsnight discussion about wearing the veil. How I wished that lindsey german of the stop the war coalition had been wearing one.

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  8. gordon-bennett says:

    gordon-bennett | 06.10.06 – 9:09 pm

    [deleted]

    Edited By Siteowner

    Go to this link to see what was deleted:

    http://littlebulldogs.blogspot.com/2006/10/muslim-cabbie-refuses-to-take-guide.html

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  9. Jon says:

    Bijan _ Would you agree that that is headline news? Can someone please bloody explain to me how things like this actually make the BBC news when other matters dealing with murders, rapes, gang warfare,Old people feeling unsafe in their homes,the EU’s endless coruption,strikes in the NHS, people losing their jobs,the gradual loss of decency and morals, etc etc. are only mentioned in passing. I am uterly outraged. You might say that I don’t have to read this tripe. But I would argue that I do it is effecting our very lives, our hard won freedoms, our right to live in a peacefully democracy. Yes I have a right to watch and read the BBCs endless trifling rubbish that panders to the facists in this country – because it is my country and my childrens country and I have a right to object strongly to mindless idiotic so called journalists who are hell bent on taking every good thing about this country away from me.

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  10. Diana says:

    What????? Limbo???? I had never heard of that at all??? Where does it say in the Bible that thing about Limbo????
    This is such a silly news by the BBC, in the attempt to compare religions and to portray the Catholic Church as a business rather than as an Institution of faith, and of course in a desperate attempt to find faults in the Catholic religion, so they can use these little tiny bits to put down christianity.
    There are so many worth-while readings in the Bible that promote respect, love, and order, yet the BBC chooses to put this retarded article, it is just insulting.

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  11. pounce says:

    The BBC and second rate reporting;
    Blair promises ‘more for troops’
    British forces in Afghanistan will be provided with whatever resources they need, the prime minister has said.
    ——————————————–xxx———————————————————–

    With 40 soldiers killed since September 2001, and high casualties in the past three months, Mr Blair was asked on the British Forces TV and Radio why troops are in Afghanistan.
    In September alone, seven soldiers died due to hostile action and 14 died when a helicopter crashed due to a mechanical fault.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5414974.stm

    I expect mistakes from so called second rate news orgs , But the BBC?
    What ever happened to the editor proof reading before publishing an article?

    The Nimrod is a Plane and not a helo.

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  12. John Prescott's Tiny Pianist says:

    re: the Jack Straw and The Veiled Woman potboiler- can’t you guys spot a set up story when you see one?
    Think on it.
    Mildly successful Tory conference drawing to a close. Media has been full of Dave & Boris.
    What coverage the government has received has hardly been upbeat. Will he or won’t he go? Is Gordon heir apparent?
    Then there’s the war news. Iraq, mess as usual but Afghanistan is providing extra grief with criticism of equipment provision and then there’s the revalations on the treatment (or lack of) of wounded servicemen.
    We’ve also got the ongoing unrest in Windsor which, despite the BBC’s attempts to emulate the three monkeys is all over the tabloids.
    Cue Jack Straw – MP for Blackburn but more importantly Leader of the House and a possible contender for PM.
    To quote from Jo Moore “It’s (always) a good time to bury bad news.”
    Remember, this story had no ‘sell by’ date on it. He could have pulled this out of the hat last month or next year.
    Upside – this is a mom & apple pie issue hence the 93% favourable polling on 5Live – PC Central. Look at the HYS responses .
    Downside – OK, he might lose the votes of a few penguin impersonators and the more hursuit of their menfolk but how many of them vote anyway. It might even play well with the fabled vast majority of law abiding, peace loving Muslims if both of them read the papers.
    What it does do is put the government back centre stage. Straw gets to look tough on extremism. Triangulating Tone disassociates his government from Straw’s statement without actually getting Cherie fitted with a burka (more’s the pity) so they manage to appear both tough and accomodating simultaneously.
    And soldiers succumbing to MRSA in Selly Oak General are yesterday’s news.

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  13. gordon-bennett says:

    pounce | 07.10.06 – 12:39 am
    In September alone, seven soldiers died due to hostile action and 14 died when a helicopter crashed due to a mechanical fault.

    I see that that error has been edited. I reckon they are eavesdropping on you, pounce.

    Incidentally, should casualties arising from a mechanical fault be strictly classified as war dead? After all, it could have happened on a training exercise in the UK.

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  14. gordon-bennett says:

    Further to the posts documenting muslim cabdrivers’ refusal to pick up guide dogs, gays or people with alcohol these questions arise.

    1. Can a gay person, a person with a guide dog or a person with alcohol shopping specifically request that the taxi firm send a non-muslim driver or is that religious discrimination?

    2. Can a person who doesn’t fit any of those three categories but disagrees on principle with the policy specifically request that the taxi firm send a non-muslim driver or is that religious discrimination?

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  15. archduke says:

    jon @ 12:26
    http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/116012794456932793/#310763

    totally agree. there are other more important stories to be getting on with.

    and yet , we’ve had nothing but “veil rage” all day. the bbc doesnt realise that the more they play the “muslim victim” card, the more that makes the average joe soap even more pissed off with islam. all this “understanding” is actually counter productive.

    no doubt, because of bbc coverage, we’ll have a mosque burned down, and then the bbc will wash its hands of responsibility, as it always does.

    privatise them. thats the solution.

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  16. Night Owling says:

    I found this on the FT website of all places: –

    New Labour on the run
    by Sick’nTired of New Labour 06 Oct 2006 11:51 AM

    There have been three political party conferences in recent week – yes three. You can be excused for not remembering the Lib Dems conference so you may have thought there had only been two.

    The New Labour conference provided us with yet another insight in to their deception. Not only does the country have a liar at No10 but we also have an apparent liar at no 11. Almost an Heir liar apparent!

    Enter David Cameron: the best by far of the three conferences with a leader who appeals to more and more and more of the electorate. Let us take the BBC’s example where they interviewed 13 students who are attending Bournememouth Uni. They said only 2 possibly 3 of them would have voted Tory prior to David Cameron’s speech but all 13, yes ALL 13, said they would vote David Cameron/Conservative after they had heard his speech.

    So, what happens the day after the Tory party conference? We know of course that New Labour tried to hit the headlines on Wednesday with the IRA story that failed to knock David Cameron from pole position in the TV News programmes and newspaper headlines.

    Yes, you have probably guessed by now that come Thursday and it’s a ‘Good Day To Release Bad News!’ Tony Blair’s ally Rupert Murchoch’s The Sun newspaper mysteriously has headline news of the Muslim policeman and his lack of involvement protecting the Israeli embassy. To top this Jack Straw asks Muslim women to un-cover their faces and the anti-British Broadcasting Corporation provides us with at least 25 plus minutes of their 30 minute News at Ten programme with the Muslim news.

    Are New Labour worried about David Cameron? You bet they are !

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  17. Diana says:

    That’s a good question. I think that if the Taxi driver is allowed to discriminate certain people, then those certain people (in order to be consistent with equal rights) should be allowed to discriminate against the Taxi driver.
    But in my opinion, none of them should be allowed to discriminate, and that applies to muslims too.
    It is the same situation as if it was a doctor or a teacher, they cannot discriminate against those who they offer services to, even though doctors are paid by private clinics.

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  18. Night Owling says:

    I am sorry to put provide a second . input so soon after my first but I have just read something from an earlier contributor (us newcomers need to learn to read and think first – oops).

    Tony Blair does not mind keeping all our British troops occupied in the Middle East while he and his spouse conspire, apparently, to ensure he becomes the UK’s first President. Thus undermining the CoE and of course the Royal family. But to the point, send them overseas: yes, but visit them in hospital? That is for the plebs and the Royal family, yuk.
    It makes sure there is no coop is his ‘no more lies Mr Blair time’.

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  19. archduke says:

    ” John Prescott’s Tiny Pianist | 07.10.06 – 12:51 am | ”
    exactly. the fucker wasnt exactly all pro-freedom when the danish cartoon stuff was kicking off. he was a proper dhimmi.

    here’s what he said

    “But what we have to recognise is that in a multi-religious, multi-cultural society every religion, not just Islam, has taboos and others from different cultures offend those taboos or ought to offend those taboos with very, very great reluctance.”

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  20. archduke says:

    “apparently, to ensure he becomes the UK’s first President. Thus undermining the CoE and of course the Royal family”

    cant happen. the british military and the police swear allegiance, on oath, to the crown – NOT to number 10.

    Liz has rather a lot of armed backup, so to speak.

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  21. Night Owling says:

    What is this rubbish I am talking about that lying Fu..er Blair! Who are you one of the bloody PR sheeIte’s from Ken the Bees Livingstone crap house or employed at greta taxpayers expense by no.10/11/12/… get the bloody point.

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  22. Diana says:

    Sorry to ask but I am from the US. Why do you guys call Tony Blair no 10?

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  23. John Prescott's Tiny Pianist says:

    Diana:
    For no 10 try 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and you’ll get the idea.

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  24. jinx says:

    “(us newcomers need to learn to read and think first – oops)”

    u sure do mate. If only to know who the regulars are an how they think.

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  25. John Prescott's Tiny Pianist says:

    “the british military and the police swear allegiance, on oath, to the crown – NOT to number 10.”
    Not sure that’s strictly true of Old Bill nowadays. I’ve got an idea that since they became a service rather than a force the oath got tampered with. Perhaps a copper could enlighten….

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  26. Night Owling says:

    Anyone see Question Time (UK) last night? Wasn’t Hazel Blears just awful!!!! Amazing how often they are held in Labour constituencies; that is New Labour MP and/or Council towns/cities.

    The majority of the people in the UK live in the SE of England but find QT anywhere near here? No bloody way otherwise we would have privatised the BBC years ago and as indicated in my first message above it would have been re-named in a similar manner to that indicated: the anti-British Broadcasting Corporation although personally I think BBC stands for Bolemic women (in recoginition of the bags of bones they always put in front of us), Browns brother (in recognition of GB’s brother as political editor) and Communists ( apparently for the same reason as before)- but I am biased.

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  27. Night Owling says:

    re:jinx

    so you like crushed nuts?

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  28. jinx says:

    just got back from the pub eh?

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  29. Night Owling says:

    Re: jinx.

    Yes, the public library – how did you know? mate !

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  30. Night Owling says:

    You removed that pretty quickly She He It BBC.

    Does everyone else know that the BBC runs this website?

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  31. Andrew says:

    Night Owling, I suggest you go and sleep off your skinful and come back in the morning.

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  32. gordon-bennett says:

    One more thing about muslims and “unclean” dogs.

    Do blind muslims forego having guide dogs?

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  33. dave t says:

    Just a quick aside reference South Africa by the way. Did you know that the enlightened SA government are passing a bill which makes it illegal for SA citizens to fight for foreign or private Armies? There are hundreds of SA lads in the British Armed Forces who now have to apply for permission to serve with our Forces when the bill becomes law. They would ALSO have to seek permission to take part in conflicts or peacekeeping missions. Therefore they would have to ask to be allowed to serve with their regiments in Iraq or Afghanistan (where at least one SA serving with 1 R IRISH has died). Oh and they have to pay a fee each time! There is a six month grace period after which unless they’ve paid their money and got permission they and their families will be banned from SA as mercenaries!

    Bill is at http://www.pmg.org.za/bills

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  34. dave t says:

    http://www.soldiermagazine.co.uk/mag/update2.htm

    Article on SA soldiers(scroll to bottom)

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  35. dave t says:

    http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006460631,00.html

    Household Cavalry officers hounded out of possible lodgings by Muslims. Funnily enough this is in a village near Windsor but nothing on the BBC about it…..so they are just back from serving in one of Blair’s Wars and this is the welcome they get in the country they are fighting for.

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  36. Umbongo says:

    Re the Windsor riots: The BBC’s (near)silence on these is highly reminiscent of the days of Radio Moscow in the 60s and 70s. When something happened which was newsworthy but which had highly charged political overtones, there was a 3 or 4 days delay before Radio Moscow covered the item. The reason for this was that RM was waiting for political guidance as to what line to take in its reportage. I can only assume that the same is happening (internally) at the BBC.

    As far as the local press is concerned the whole affair was kicked off by a local (non-Muslim) woman and her daughter being attacked by a gang of about 20 (apparently Muslim) attenders at a local “unofficial” mosque. Now this is a difficult one for the BBC: if the origin of the riots was down to unprovoked Muslim anger (again!) rather than indigenous community anger what does the BBC say? Of course, an impartial news-gathering service would give us all the facts that can be gathered and let us make up our own minds. The BBC (near) silence is deafening.

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  37. Pete_London says:

    Diana –

    Sorry to ask but I am from the US. Why do you guys call Tony Blair no 10?

    It’s not Blair taht’s referred to sometimes as ‘no10’, it’s the traditional London home of the Prime Minister – No 10 Downing Street. The Chancellor lives next door at No 11. When you have a situation such as we have now (for example) where the Prime Minister cannot stand each other, the press often refers to something along the lines of ‘a fued between 10 and 11’.

    Re the ragh- (oops, muzzie) cabbie: His attitude is, of course, reprehensible. If he drives a publicly licenced cab then his licence should be revoked. However, if he’s a mini cab driver then he’s entitled to turn down any fare. The car is his own property and no-one has an automatic right to be carried by him.

    Re. Jack Straw: Given his previous role as Minister for Dhimmitude I immediately smelled a rat when he just so happened to have dropped revelation of his into a newspaper article. I just didn’t link it with the end of the Cameroonian Festival of Fools in Bournemouth. Knowing this government’s penchant for opinion polls and sensing that things are getting very ugly quickly, I just put it down to a change of collective attitude in response to opinion polls showing a hardening attitude to islam.

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  38. Pete_London says:

    *Prime Minister and Chancellor cannot stand each other ………

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  39. Pete_London says:

    Let Iran have the bomb, says the BBC …..

    Iran behind Rice’s Mid-East tour
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5414788.stm
    By Jon Leyne BBC News, Amman

    Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has now been unmasked, (- ‘unmasked’? Not ‘named’ or even ‘revealed’? – Pete) by Bob Woodward in his book State of Denial, as someone to whom President George W Bush turns for advice. So his words should be taken very seriously. In an article in the Washington Post two months ago, Dr Kissinger argued for taking a tough line against Iran’s nuclear programme. Otherwise, he warned, “every country… will face growing threats, be they increased domestic pressure from radical Islamic groups, terrorist acts or the nearly inevitable conflagrations sparked by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.

    It sounds almost identical to the argument put forward by Vice-President Dick Cheney on the eve of the invasion of Iraq. Only tough action will make us safe. The implication of that theory is already being played out in Iraq. There is growing evidence Iran may be its next test.

    Well yes, Dick Cheney plus every senior Democrat within 100 miles of Washington. But anyway, Jon Leyne of the BBC is clearly advocating untough action against Iran. We may as well give them a bomb ourselves.

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  40. Bijan Daneshmand says:

    Household Cavalry officers hounded out of possible lodgings by Muslims. Funnily enough this is in a village near Windsor but nothing on the BBC about it …

    Also nothing about British soldiers being attacked in public hospitals by muslims. This type of incident is obviously not news worthy.

    This is one of the few remaining article referring to the Birmingham attack that I could find

    http://eursoc.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1127/Bedside_Manner.html

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  41. Bijan Daneshmand says:

    The article that Pete London has pointed to is a good example of the standard fare now generated by the BBC. The whole point of the article is to defuse an an issue that the BBC “group think” has deemed as sensative, (Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons) through obfuscation.

    Beyond failing to address the main issue, the article is it so poorly constructed and written by By Jon Leyne of BBC News, Amman that it is well nigh on impossible to make head or tale of it.

    But the underlying effort of this and other BBC articles on the subject of Iran appear to be:

    (1) cast the efforts of the US adminstration as malevolent and underhand.

    “Both the Palestinian and Israeli sides have governments too weak to handle any major initiative. Aides on all sides played down the prospects of any progress. It seems they were right. So why come at all?
    Many Arab and Israeli commentators have found the same answer: Iran.”

    (2) Imply that the US adminstartion policy is somehow against the real interests of the teh West and is perpetually seeking confontration and war .

    “If Iran was the real reason behind this visit, there is another implication.If the US wants to pursue the diplomatic route in the dispute with Iran, Arab support is not exactly critical.The only Arab country on the Security Council is Qatar, hardly a crucial vote to be lobbied for. No, the logic of this line of reasoning is that military action against Iran is now being very seriously considered in Washington.”

    (3) promote the Arab viewpoint and support this with references to Arab papers.

    “Another writer, Abdallah Iskandar, put it this way in Al Hayat newspaper on Monday: “Condoleezza Rice arrives in the region today. Her announced aim is to revive the Middle East peace process and stiffen the Arab position against Iran.”

    (4) Throw in an anti-Semetic jibe and cast Jews as the element in the US “neo-con” adminstration seeking war. Kissinger (who is best known as a Jew) as being the nefarious behind the scene influence on the US adminstration.

    “Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has now been unmasked, by Bob Woodward in his book State of Denial, as someone to whom President George W Bush turns for advice.

    So his words should be taken very seriously. In an article in the Washington Post two months ago, Dr Kissinger argued for taking a tough line against Iran’s nuclear programme.”

    (5) Make no mention of the fact that Iran persists in being in breech of its international obligations and UN resolutions.

    Let Iran have the bomb, says the BBC …..

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5414788.stm

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  42. paulc says:

    “Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has now been unmasked, (- ‘unmasked’? Not ‘named’ or even ‘revealed’? – Pete)”

    So the BBC implies that wearing a mask is bad…..?

    Must be something cultural.

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  43. archduke says:

    A veil has attacked someone in Liverpool…

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/5415478.stm

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  44. gordon-bennett says:

    paulc | 07.10.06 – 1:58 pm

    Cerebral, paulc.

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  45. Eamonn says:

    Any Questions and Any Answers seems to inhabit a parallel universe, full of cringing amd fawning Guardianistas and Stop the War members, with the incredibly naive liberalista Jonathan Dimbleby running the show.

    I mean take the veil issue. Do any of the comments by the panel members or any of the comments by the people who phone in on Any Answers bear any resemblance to the views held by the vast majority of the people of this country? I say not. And the BBC’s “Have Your Say” says not either. So how does the BBC mange to triage out anybody with a majority view? It must take some doing.

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  46. Eamonn says:

    I mean it beggars belief. Now we have Dimbleby reading out e-mails critical of Straw. How many e-mails did Dimbleby and his team ignore to find ones like that?

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  47. marc says:

    The media and the blogsphere are filled with reports on Foleygate in America and the veil and Muslim Pc refusing to guard Jews here in the UK.

    Important issues to be sure but I’d like to highlight something that’s about to happen that we might be able to stop.

    Several women are set to be stoned to death in Iran shortly. I’ve been trying to raise awareness about this issue for some time. Now, there’s a video of Iranian women being stoned on the internet. Maybe watching it will jolt people into action.

    I have a post with all the links including one that has form letters and email addresses to send them to, so most of the work is done.

    I’d like to see the blogsphere do a blogswarm to highlight this Muslim torture.

    Be warned the video is graphic.

    http://ussneverdock.blogspot.com/2006/10/iran-stoning-of-women-video.html

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  48. Pete_London says:

    From Our Own Correspondent: keep schtum about communist horrors

    The winners and losers of modern Russia
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5413226.stm

    The news that Russia may join the World Trade Organization before the end of 2007 is further evidence of the country’s transformation since the demise of the Soviet Union. Kevin Connolly, a longtime former BBC Moscow correspondent, considers what has been won and lost during Russia’s remarkable transition. When the Soviet Union died, it did not leave much behind in the way of achievement – it won the Second World War, it ran an electric cable across Siberia and it operated a chain of political prisons which once contained more inmates than the combined populations of Belgium and Holland.

    Eh? ‘Political prisons’? Would they be the gulags, by any chance? According to wiki:

    The total documentable deaths in the system of corrective-labor camps and colonies from 1930 to 1956 amount to 1,606,748, including political and common prisoners.This number does not include the more than 800,000 executions of “counterrevolutionaries” during the period of the “Great Terror”, since they were mostly conducted outside the camp system and were accounted for separately. From 1932 to 1940, at least 390,000 peasants died in places of labor settlements. One may also assume that many of the survivors suffered permanent physical and psychological damage. Deaths at some camps are documented more thoroughly than those at others.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulag#History

    But anyway, Kevin Connolly continues:

    Life in the Soviet Union was materially poor, and occasionally oppressive, but it did offer a kind of suffocating certainty – no-one had much, it was true, but then no-one needed much either.

    Eh? How does he know? What a stupid, trite, comment.

    This was after all a society in which even hot water was produced in central locations and then pumped into apartment blocks through miles of leaky, unlagged metal pipes. If you live for 50 years under that kind of wasteful, but well-intentioned madness, the pressures and anxieties of the market economy just seem madder still.

    The Soviet Union – ‘well intentioned’ according to the BBC and they even manage a pop at the ‘market economy’ in the same breath.

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  49. Pete_London says:

    Really now, that wasn’t my fault. You try and highlight half a dozen words and the whole bloody thing comes out bold!

    [I’ve fixed a few of these errors in the comments above – Andrew]

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  50. LMO says:

    Nice to have it confirmed that John Saregent (ex BBC political editor)is a liberal ,though.I always take great interest in BBC presenters’ views when they retire.

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