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.

Bookmark the permalink.

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

  1. Lee Moore says:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6399457.stm

    Migrants should volunteer – Brown

    Eh ? That doesn’t sound at all like Gordon. This sounds much more like him :

    The chancellor told an audience in London that obliging migrants to carry out community work would help introduce them to the people they will be living alongside and would show they could contribute to society.

    Perhaps the BBC headline writer would benefit from sitting in on some of those compulsory English lessons for immigrants that Gordon was soundbiting with a few months back.

       0 likes

  2. JohnOfBorg says:

    Andy Tedd wrote:I wonder what I would find out about people here if they used their real names?

    If you use use your real name in a discussion forum, you are declaring that you do not intend to say anything you would not want your friends/colleagues to know you said.

    It is self-imposed political correctness.

    Sooner or later all personally-identifiable contributors get around to inviting others to break their anonymity, in effect attempting to control the debate by imposing political correctness.

    It is a tactic used by the Left against their worst enemy: honest debate.

       0 likes

  3. Biodegradable says:

    Compare and contrast.

    Hamas wins Moscow embargo pledge
    […]

    Hamas unmoved on Israel

    Mr Meshaal thanked Russia for its support and advice.

    But neither he nor Mr Lavrov gave any details of what actual steps Russia might take to lift the economic blockade.

    Russia, the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union have demanded that Hamas renounce violence and recognise Israel.

    Russia feels those aims can best be achieved by dialogue. Hamas’s message remains blunt.

    Mr Meshaal said that Israel must end its occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Only then, he said, would the Palestinians define their position.

    Mashaal warns of ‘open battle’ with Israel, hatred of US
    Moscow – Hamas politburo leader Khaled Mashaal called Tuesday for ‘fundamental change’ in the Quartet of Mideast peace brokers and warned of ‘open battle’ with Israel and Islamic hatred toward the United States unless Washington resumes aid funding.

    ‘The Arab and Islamic world need a fundamental change in the politics of the Quartet,’ Mashaal said of the group of Russia, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, in remarks made during a Moscow visit and quoted by Interfax.

    Mashaal added that the ‘Arab world demands’ the international community react positively to an agreement Hamas struck earlier this month with rival faction Fatah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that promised to pave the way for a future Palestinian unity government.

    Mashaal’s trip to Moscow marked the second time a Hamas delegation had traveled to the Russian capital since the militant group, ostracized by the West, took control of the Palestinian legislature in elections last year.
    The United States and European Union have labled Hamas a terrorist group.

    The organization’s founding charter is committed to the destruction of Israel, and the US-based Council on Foreign Relations estimates Hamas has killed ‘more than 500 people in terrorist attacks’ since 1993.

    Not backing from sharp rhetoric, Mashaal said during a press conference in Moscow Tuesday that the ‘refusal of Israel of our rights and the continuation of aggressive policies will lead the region to an open battle,’ Itar-Tass reported.
    The Hamas leader added that Israeli-led construction near Jerusalem’s Temple Mount would end in a ‘bloody battle.’

       0 likes

  4. TPO says:

    Nothing very interesting I expect, although it would be interesting to find out the exact nature of TPO’s relationship with the Shere WI. 😛
    Andy Tedd (exBBC) | 27.02.07 – 5:47 pm | #

    Pure carnal lust dear boy – pure lust.

    With regard to true identities, if you check with jr you’ll see that I’ve gone out on a limb with various comments which would result in me falling foul of certain legislation if identified.
    Happy whingeing (more on that later) must bath the sprog. Might not be able to respond for a couple of days or so but will be thinking of you.

       0 likes

  5. Biodegradable says:

    I wonder what I would find out about people here if they used their real names?

    Andy Tedd (exBBC) | 27.02.07 – 5:47 pm

    If you found out anything about me I’d have to kill you. 8)

       0 likes

  6. Andy Tedd (exBBC) says:

    JohnofBorg – run that one by me again please.

       0 likes

  7. Jon says:

    Oh so John Reith is the real JOHN REITH. there’s me thinking it was a pseudonym

       0 likes

  8. Biodegradable says:

    Definition of “Chutzpah” #65444644783

    Palestinians Turn Ruined Synagogues Into Terror Bases

    When Israel withdrew from the Gaza in August, 2005, it left intact 20 synagogues of the Gush Katif Jewish communities following an Israeli Cabinet decision against demolishing the structures. Immediately after the Israeli evacuation was completed, Palestinian Arabs destroyed most of the Gaza synagogues.

    Speaking to The New York Sun from Gaza, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, Abu Abir, said the area in which the synagogues once stood is now used to fire rockets at Israel. “We are proud to turn these lands, especially these parts that were for long time the symbol of occupation and injustice, like the synagogue, into a military base and source of fire against the Zionists and the Zionist entity,” Mr. Abir said.

    Mr. Abir blamed the Jewish state for the desecration of the Gaza synagogues by Palestinian Arabs, claiming the decision to leave the structures intact was part of an Israeli conspiracy. Israel “left the synagogues behind so the world would see the Palestinians destroying them,” Mr. Abir said.

       0 likes

  9. Andy Tedd (exBBC) says:

    Biodegradeable I thought I might get a response like that from you, but the smiley is noted. Is there a link to how the forum codes work here?

    TPO glad to hear it, obviously a campaign of mass civil disobediance would put me in an ideological quandry. I have just been doing some bedtime reading, my sprog particularly enjoys Five Year Plan 1928.

       0 likes

  10. joe bonanno says:

    Nice to hear the BBC starting to prefix the words ‘global warming’ with the words ‘human-induced’.

    Sounds like a memo has gone out to all staff.

       0 likes

  11. Jon says:

    Go to the BBC Politics page for all the news on their pals in NuLabour – it seems that other parties don’t exist.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/default.stm

       0 likes

  12. Jon says:

    Oh sorry there is a piece tucked away on the side bar.

    “MP makes vote fraud claim ”

    “A Shropshire MP has said he has been told that Labour Party councillors who work at his local sorting office are “manipulating postal votes”.”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/6400169.stm

    But this is only about voting fraud and the undermining of democracy – so maybe its not such a big story.

       0 likes

  13. will says:

    The BBC1 6pm News responded to the latest nonsense from the Prince of Tampons by giving the viewer a glimpse of a McSalad.

    In view of the apparent ignorance of the great unwashed, perhaps it would have been better to point out that whilst Chas is just exercising his anti-Americanism, one would be no better off subsituting a Big Mac with fish’n’chips, kebab, pies, pizzas or currys.

    BBC online report has an excellent photo of the Prince of Clowns.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6401223.stm

       0 likes

  14. Anonymous says:

    Andy Tedd (exBBC):
    Biodegradeable I thought I might get a response like that from you, but the smiley is noted.

    Gosh yes, I wouldn’t want you to think I was acually making threats or anything of the kind, even though I do practice Krav Maga 😉

    Is there a link to how the forum codes work here?

    You mean HTML code like <b>bold</b>

    <i>italic</i>

    <a href=”http://some.domain.com/”>link</a>

       0 likes

  15. Biodegradable says:

    Anonymous | 27.02.07 – 8:17 pm was moi

       0 likes

  16. archduke says:

    something you wont hear on the BBC

    the latest Hugh Hewitt talk radio show has a 3 hour interview with the English author of “A History of the English Speaking Peoples since 1900”

    amazon:

    in a nutshell, the author says that the Anglosphere has been a force for good in the world. makes a nice change from the self-hatred on the BBC…

    here’s the podcast rss feed:
    http://www.townhall.com/talkradio/podcasts/4e30b10c-64d4-4d39-b459-81a5039c6c55.aspx

    and if you dont have podcast software here’s the direct mp3 links to the three 1 hour interviews:

    [audio src="http://boss.streamos.com/download/Townhall/audio/mp3/0f239d68-5931-45cd-8006-3b7135bc44aa.mp3" /]
    [audio src="http://boss.streamos.com/download/Townhall/audio/mp3/39bb803e-9723-4285-8fd0-b6758666df31.mp3" /]
    [audio src="http://boss.streamos.com/download/Townhall/audio/mp3/0d3a4421-fff7-4927-8822-dc36933557e6.mp3" /]

    each mp3 is only about 8 meg. well worth downloading and having a listen if the BBC is getting on your nerve.

       0 likes

  17. archduke says:

    jon @ 7.56 pointed out this
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/default.stm

    ok.,.. deep breath.

    labour labour labour
    anti war song
    labour EU labour
    labour , labour labour labour

    then labour , labour , UN
    eurotunnel
    public want socialist traffic lights
    labour (afghan province)
    tories

    nick robinson – labour
    johnson -labour

    and to round it up.. dimbledore. former member of the Bullingdon Club (ssssh… lets keep that one quiet now, shall we?)

       0 likes

  18. Bodo says:

    Andy Tedd (exBBC)

    Andy,
    I have respect for the way you fight your [and the BBC’s] corner, esp under your real name. However, it’s probably a bit easier to openly defend the establishment line than it is to attack it. NuLab have shown just how dirty they can fight if pushed, eg the recent Guido Fawkes affair, so a little paranoia is probably healthy.

       0 likes

  19. archduke says:

    ” Lee Moore | 27.02.07 – 7:14 pm | ”
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6399457.stm

    in shorthand – “all you brown skinned people need to do community service before you’ve committed any crime”

    seriously – that is exactly what the one-eyed Cyclops is proposing here.

    i would bet my grandmother thats its completely illegal.

       0 likes

  20. pounce says:

    Andy Todd wrote;
    “Andy Tedd wrote:I wonder what I would find out about people here if they used their real names?

    Lets see a Christian couple are hacked to death in the US by Muslims who chased them down via the net and you start playing lets see who we all are. yeah right says somebody who works for an Orq which wouldn’t give the police the time of day if asked to hand over the names of terrorists here in the UK.

       0 likes

  21. Bodo says:

    Jon [and Archy] – yes, a classic example of how BBC politics coverage often consists of little more than govt press releases. Screenshot grabbed and available to any bloggers.

       0 likes

  22. archduke says:

    here’s the screenshot

    http://i9.tinypic.com/2wgronl.jpg

    worth perserving – or at least putting in a B-BBC blog post.

       0 likes

  23. Jack Hughes says:

    Andy Tedd (exBBC)
    Re: news blackout from Europe

    I am puzzled why there is so much more coverage of US politics and news – compared to Europe. In particular the TV and radio news.

    Please don’t copy JRs tactic of finding some obscure web page to try and disprove a general point.

    My view – after watching, listening, and reading for some 30 years is that the BBC runs a kind of “matrix” of subjects. Maybe you can verify this idea ?

    Each subject / topic is either “good or bad” and also “important or unimportant”.

    So America is “bad” and “important” – compared with say France or Germany which are both “good” but “unimportant”.

    Science is “bad” and “unimportant”. “The Arts” are “good” and “important”. So a brand new scientific breakthrough – say discovery of a new element or new planet is less important then some minor theatrical production in a corner of London.

    There are also special “fetish” subjects – such as islam and global warming.

       0 likes

  24. Abandon Ship! says:

    The Beeboid mentality: PC to the end.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6398869.stm

    The prime minister said marriage was “a good thing”, but he said problems were not limited to single parent families.

    So, marriage is “a good thing”, as opposed to a bad thing. Thankyou BBC.

       0 likes

  25. Jon says:

    BBC and its politics coverage sends out one message “You can vote for either labour or labour, no other party is doing anything worth reporting”

    Thats until the lead up to the next election when I bet it will be wall to wall vilification of any Conservative policies.

    Surely this is a clear breach of the BBC guidelines.

    “Principles of political impartiality

    * We must treat matters of public policy or political or industrial controversy with due accuracy and impartiality in our news services and other output.
    * We must not express an opinion on current affairs or matters of public policy other than broadcasting.
    * We must not campaign, or allow ourselves to be used to campaign

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/politics/principlesofpol.shtml

       0 likes

  26. J.G. says:

    TPO
    “must bath the sprog. Might not be able to respond for a couple of days or so but will be thinking of you”

    God, that’s some bathtime you got there!

       0 likes

  27. deegee says:

    There are 189, 191, 192, 193 or 194 independent countries in the world today, depending on who you ask. You can add to that an estimated 58 territories and/or dependencies.

    Nothing happens in about two thirds of them or at least the BBC News doesn’t report them. Some countries are always in the news such as America. Israel clearly receives greater than ½%.

    Still it’s not really different to the Beeb’s U.K. coverage. 7,429,000 people live in London. That means 52,406,000 live somewhere else. I ‘ guesstimate’ that around 85% of BBC U.K. coverage is London based – the inverse of the population. Nothing new here.

       0 likes

  28. Ingsoc is Doublethink says:

    Andy

    Good try mate

    However I like a little more authoritive account on the impacts of “multi-cultralism” with an AIVD (Dutch intelligence) report (written in English and I assume read by the powers that be as well in the UK)

    Dated March 2005 I think its quite clearly states the dangers of Islamic extremism,and the stratigies that the Netherlands approachs.

    Shame that Al Beeb spends all its time doing Ray Mears war reports and lazy PC stories.

    An news blackout indeed….

    From dawa to jihad – the various threats from radical Islam to the democratic legal order, General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), March 2005 (in English)

    Click to access dawa.pdf

       0 likes

  29. Biodegradable says:

    Remember that piece on last night’s Newsnight about those poor, downtrodden Bedouin Israelis?

    Gang rapes Jewish women as ‘revenge’
    A gang of serial rapists has been prowling the North, raping Jewish women as revenge for IDF actions in the West Bank, police revealed Tuesday after arresting six suspects.

    “We are raping Jews because of what the IDF is doing to the Palestinians in the territories,” one of the six suspects told investigators from the Northern District Central Investigative Unit (CIU) during questioning. During their questioning and their brief appearance at the Nazareth Magistrate’s Court Tuesday, none of the four main suspects indicated that they felt remorse for their actions.

    Police said they were aware of four attacks carried out by the gang, but they believed there were probably other incidents that had gone unreported by the victims.

    In all four cases, police said, the rapists’ modus operandi were strikingly similar – all of the attacks were directed against young women who were waiting at bus stops or designated hitchhiking points in the western Galilee and the Haifa area.

    In all of the cases, the attackers forced their victim into a car and drove together with the victim to an isolated spot, where they raped her.
    All of the suspects are from the Galilee town of Bir al-Maksur, a Beduin village near the Hamovil Junction. The last of the four known rapes was carried out in a forested area just outside of the village.

    The first attack occurred in April 2005, when a 13-year-old girl was raped at the Zevulun Beach in Kiryat Yam. In December of that year, a 19-year-old soldier was kidnapped and raped just outside of Kiryat Ata.

    [more…]

    Almost as brave as the two 18 year olds who hacked a father of 3 to death while he was praying.

    How can decent people have any sympathy for scum like this, justify their actions and blame it all on the Jews? Will Newsnight run another special, perhaps inviting along Jenny Tonge’s husband to assure us that if he were an oppressed Beduin he’d probably consider raping a 13 year old jewish girl too?

    … makes me want to spit!

       0 likes

  30. Anonymous says:

    .
    CIA: Bin Laden In Pakistan Establishing New Camps

    In the most definitive statement in years, America’s top intelligence official said Tuesday Osama bin laden is in Pakistan actively re-establishing al Qaeda training camps.

    http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/02/cia_bin_laden_i.html
    .

       0 likes

  31. Bryan says:

    Biodegradable | 28.02.07 – 1:13 am,

    That truly is despicable. The story was updated this morning. Residents of the Muslim Beduin village where these alleged human beings stem from have expressed condemnation of their actions and sympathy for the victims, one saying that rape was worse than murder.

    I just hope that’s what they genuinely feel and that it’s not just damage control with a mix of taqiya.

    And on the subject of the two Palestinians – also alleged human beings – who ambushed and murdered a defenceless man while he was absorbing the peace of a forest, let the BBC, through its visitors to this blog, take note of how they bragged about the murder back in their village:

    We have killed a Jew

    Damn pity that Israel doesn’t have the death penalty.

    We look forward to the BBC doing a series of in-depth articles on the hatred of Jews that Palestinians drum into their young from the time they can crawl. We expect that to be followed by another series exploring the radical anti-Jewish attitudes of Israel’s Muslims – even though they are better off in Israel than in Muslim countries.

    I wont say anything about pigs flying.

       0 likes

  32. Abandon ship! says:

    It’s the little things that give away the beeboid mindset.

    Montaquinn at 8.48am this morning talking about theatre:

    “How does an audience in America compare to an audience in, say, London?”

    Note, not Britain, or Manchester, but London, the limit of the Today team’s experience and interest.

       0 likes

  33. archduke says:

    “Nothing happens in about two thirds of them or at least the BBC News doesn’t report them. Some countries are always in the news such as America. Israel clearly receives greater than ½%.”

    i’m half thinking of setting up a news blog that just reports from the countries that the BBC doesnt report on.

    Karnival just happened in Cologne , Germany, with over 1 million people attending – never heard of it? thought so.

       0 likes

  34. Abandon ship! says:

    Want to hear Montaquinn sneering and laughing along as Jessica Lange rubbishes her Government in the USA?

    Listen in to the Today programme at 8.55am.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/

       0 likes

  35. Martin Belam says:

    >> By bizarre coincidence the phrase ‘left-wing think tank’ the phrase ‘right-wing think tank’ both return 500 pages of search results.

    That seems too much of a coincidence, Martin might have a technical explanation?

    No sorry, it is an all new system since I did the plumbing on it

       0 likes

  36. Sam says:

    I laughed at this:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6400689.stm

    Did you hear Jade’s apology on Indian TV? What is your reaction to it? Have you spotted her yourself during her visit?

       0 likes

  37. Alan says:

    Excellent! The ‘Daily Express’ is giving prominence (unlike Al Beeb) to issue of mass immigration to UK.

    “The true scale of Immigration”
    http://www.express.co.uk (28 Feb.).

       0 likes

  38. archduke says:

    “Jack Hughes | 27.02.07 – 9:47 pm |”

    jack – mark on your calender March 17th and watch the bbc coverage of the St Patricks day parades in the USA. or rather, the lack of coverage.

    compare and contrast to the Mecca Hajj wall-to-wall Beeboid lovefest.

       0 likes

  39. Anonymous says:

    700 are arriving every day from Eastern Europe

    “These statistics betray John Reid’s utter failure to get a grip on the chaos in the immigration system.

    The benefit payouts will be an embarrassment to the Government, which claimed they would be kept to a minimum.

    And more than 70,000 are now claiming benefits • costing the taxpayer £77million a year.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=439044&in_page_id=1770

       0 likes

  40. Ingsoc is Doublethink says:

    Morning gang…

    Bio:A truly horrific piece about the rape.

    I’m surprised “Wimmin’s Hour” isn’t jumping up and down.

    Because if it was a Jew that had commited this,then it would be front page news.

    Of course “the jews made me do it” will probably be the defence line (al la Cherrie “I would be a suicide bomber too” Blair)….

       0 likes

  41. archduke says:

    “Anonymous | 28.02.07 – 9:18 am |”

    to be honest, i dont mind the eastern europeans coming over here. good catholics mostly, hard working and they dont want to blow themselves up for Allah. i really dont see the downside to it. and if it displaces the Mohammedan nutcases, then all the better.

       0 likes

  42. Ingsoc is Doublethink says:

    Anon….

    While I fully support the idea of controlled immigration,I’m always suspitious when quoting “Eastern Europeans” as the problem.

    As far as I can see Polish,Czech,Romainian et al are not the ones who strap on explosives.

    The E.Europeans that I’ve worked along side are university educated,hard working,and are willing to adapt to Western European way of life.

    Also these reletive “newcomers” to democracy are proving to be our most reliable allies,Poland for example:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1054681.stm

    Lech Kaczynski sounds like the sort of PM that would be popular in the UK.

    Which is why I’m dissappointed with the DM-Usually it’s Al Beeb telling us how “swamped” we are with “pro-American” Eastern Europeans (they wouldn’t want them to be us about the realities of the “socalist dream”)

    As for immigration from outside the EU….prahapes and entry exam (like we do in Holland) on English language and culture?

    Or stop translating every document into 76 odd languages.

    Kalou (the footballer) failed his exams (and was kicked out of the Netherlands) and now guess where he ended up….

       0 likes

  43. archduke says:

    spot the difference quiz

    bbc news frontpage:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/

    international herald tribune:
    http://www.iht.com/

    you get a brownie point for guessing what is *really* the biggest story in the news right now.

       0 likes

  44. archduke says:

    for a so called “public service” broadcaster , the ignorance of the Polish immigrants is telling.
    over in Ireland, they run government health & safety and anti-exploitation adverts in Polish , informing them of their rights and telling them what the minimum wage is.

    i’ve yet to hear that in Britain.

    all i hear over here is wall to wall “some jumped up Jihadist is wailing over the right to wear a veil” rubbish.

       0 likes

  45. Ingsoc is Doublethink says:

    Much rejoycing in Minitruth’s canteen over Canada’s rejection of anti-terror laws:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6403241.stm

    “The minority Conservative government accused the opposition Liberals of being soft on terror.”

    Hmmm “liberials” soft on terror-I mean look at how the darling a trendy left causes Zapatero deals with groups like ETA:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6253393.stm

    Note in this article how Micheal Buchanan fawns over the terrorist spokeperson:

    “Miren AzKarate is one of these female politicians that you meet in virtually every Western democracy these days.

    Bright, articulate, well briefed, immaculately dressed and perfectly coiffured”.

    You could also be forgiven that Mr Buchanan was actually siting in the Leidseplein in Amsterdam rather than in Blibao:

    “At a table sat a group of about six or seven people, smoking some of the strongest cannabis I have ever smelt.

    The odour hit me as soon as I entered the bar, but no police officer would dare to come into such an anti-Spanish establishment and arrest the smokers.

    The cannabis fog may have clouded the bar, but its patrons’ thinking remained crystal clear: Eta’s bombing had been wholly justified”.

    The leftist state idea’s on “tough on crime,tough on the causes of crime?”

    Meanwhile back on Al Beebs “infomative” insights on Spain

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6245013.stm

    I couldn’t help but smile when reading:

    “But in early 2007, in the aftermath of an Eta bomb attack at Madrid airport, he apologised to the nation for having pinned hopes on peace talks with the group”.

    Will he do the same when the Spanish people find out that Spain remains a target for Al Quieda?

    Will he say sorry for misleading the Spanish people for linking Iraq with Islamic terrorism and attacks in Madrid (funny how the “link” is brought up when it suits the left)?

    Because not being involved hasn’t helped the French:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6398395.stm

       0 likes

  46. deegee says:

    Bryan,
    I just hope that’s what they genuinely feel and that it’s not just damage control with a mix of taqiya.

    I’m inclined to give the benefit of the doubt here. It is not generally reported but the IDF is not exclusively for Jewish citizens. Two minorities are drafted together with their Jewish peers: the Druze (Muslem or not depending on who you ask) and the Circassian (Muslem but not Arab). Others volunteer for service, most obviously the Beduin from Northern Israel. There is a memorial for fallen Beduin Israeli soldiers at the Hamovil junction in the Galilee. Many Beduin remain in IDF service as professional soldiers mostly but not exclusively as trackers or serve in the Border Guards division of the Israel Police.

    Many of the inhabitants of the village served or are still serving in the IDF. These would include almost certainly relatives of the rapists/murderers.

    I suspect the accused claimed nationalist motives:
    1) To gain financial help from the PA;
    2) In the hope of early release in a mass prisoner exchange;
    3) To gain sympathy and support from left-minded Israelis;
    4) Unfortunately it might also be true.

       0 likes

  47. archduke says:

    the beeboid sense of priorities.

    school lottery story is no.1
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/

    drudge report puts the BIG story of today full center and in your face:

    http://www.drudgereport.com/

    christ. the bbc – utterly pathetic.

       0 likes

  48. Ingsoc is Doublethink says:

    Just something that Jon posted ( 27.02.07 – 6:51 pm)

    “Well I left school at 15 without a qualification to my name (and without a penny) – I worked in all kinds of jobs with real hard working people, I saw the ugly face of the communist left in the steelworks in the 1970s. I have since got a MSc and am working in IT. And unlike you I think that people of all backgrounds should have a voice – not just the lefty trendy,s, and champagne socialists. That is what democracy is all about (or it was until the BBC and NuLabour started to take it away).”

    Right on the money.

    I was at a comprehensive school in the eighties (in “Middle England” no less) and needless to say plenty of lecturing about-

    -The dangers of Thatcherism

    -Why Ron and Maggie will plunge the world into nuclear warfare.

    -Why America is morally bankrupt

    -Why Kenneth Baker is the most evil man after Hitler.

    -Why nasty brutish policemen beat poor miners.

    Of course this is when we were on “continental” hours in between the bouts of egg throwing and one days strikes….

    And what did I get out of it?

    No qulifications and a message that the Sainsbury checkouts were calling from my Head of House.

    And since-well travelled around the world,got a BSc Hons and going for a second,now live abroad and had a good and forfilling life so far.

    So much for the “aspirational politics” of the left…

       0 likes

  49. archduke says:

    bbc 11 o clock news on radio 2:

    1. iraq soldier dies
    2. school lottery
    3. labour leadership
    4. brief mention of recovery of the ftse

       0 likes

  50. BaggieJonathan says:

    A cursory glance at the BBC website, TV, or radio gives the game away.

    Not just for news, but culture, sport and just about anything even weather.

    According to the breadth of Al Beebs coverage London constitutes well over half of the country.

    Then there is some coverage of the home counties (after all plenty of people who work in London like most of Al Beeb live in the home counties).

    Then just to show they “are not so bias” they put in some tokenism from Scotland and Wales (particularly as many top Al Beebers are Celts in exile in London).

    Coverage of the rest of England is shambolic and of the Midlands (there are more people in the Midlands than in London) is so non existent as to be truly pathetic.

       0 likes