– Dr Who was ace. Perhaps the best ever.
Apart from that, this is an 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.
Don’t blink.
GCooper
“Amusing diversionary tactics, Reith. Now, perhaps you’d like to address the ceaseless use of the airwaves to expound the political views of Messrs Hardy and Steel (among others)?”
Hardy, Steel, Toksvig, Brigstocke, the late Linda Smith all have three things in common:
1. They are/were all politically a long way left of centre by any standards.
2. They are/were all regulars on a variety of politically-based comedy programmes on the BBC.
If I may digress for a second, I do find political satire very worthwile (I am a subscriber to Private Eye, for example), and with old classics such as Have I Got News For You and newer shows such as Mock The Week, together with its radio output, the BBC leads the way in this regard. However, despite the light-hearted nature of the broadcasting, these shows should be required to be just as free of bias as news reporting is. All I can see in much of the radio output is a good number of lefties (and by that I don’t mean New Labour, believe me) balanced by no-one on the right, and often no-one on the centre either. Even a token Tory such as Jim Davidson (see point 3 on why he would be a stunning choice…) would add some balance. What adds to this unfortunate situation is that it appears that these people mentioned at the top may have been chosen BECAUSE OF their “controversial” views, rather than their comic ability, because…
3. None of them are even funny. Seriously, Hillhunt, “George Bush is a moron” has never made me laugh. Not once.
John Reith writes:
“To represent it as ‘normal’ among UK Muslims would be wrong.”
You weren’t ever in the Navy, were you? Laying down smoke is their first instinct, too.
Leaving aside your personal speculations about the motivation for this murder, it remains a fact that, by the father’s own admission, his religious beliefs were a key component in this crime.
That is a fact the BBC has chosen to obscure.
Why?
John Reith writes:
“To represent it as ‘normal’ among UK Muslims would be wrong.”
Though to represent it as ‘commonplace’ would have a ring of truth about it, n’est-ce pas? I think that is the gist of our concerns over the reporting, which you have not yet addressed properly.
Is one damned as a Muuslim if one murders one’s daughter as this chap did? Or is it permitted?
Christians go to Hell for this sort of behaviour, but maybe the plumbers cut a better deal.
Linda Smith made me laugh once about somewhere having a suicide pact with somewhere else. The Beeb repeated it many times as a trailer. It must have made somebody else laugh too.
None of her other stuff was funny, though.
Heron:
All I can see in much of the radio output is a good number of lefties … balanced by no-one on the right, and often no-one on the centre either. Even a token Tory such as Jim Davidson … would add some balance.
It’s an interesting point, although your solitary example, Jim Davidson goes a long way to explaining this.
Davidson’s humour is an, er, acquired taste (although he did get a lot of work from BBC1 over the years), but even his biggest fan would not call it sophisticated.
Apart from Jimmy Carr – who wound up liberals with his effortlessly offensive views on gypsies – it’s very hard to think of a modern British comedian conservatives would be happy with (and they wouldn’t enjoy Carr for long either).
Same goes for world-quality popular musicians. Apart from Cliff and the odd quickly-forgotten boy band member, when did a truly successful headliner last cheerlead for conservatism?
after the “car swarm” and the “kill a jew” looks like Pallywood has come up with a new one.
its the “roof throwing” sport.
http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=070610165035.601588ya.php
poor dears. the lack of jews to throw down wells must be getting to them.
“- it’s very hard to think of a modern British comedian conservatives would be happy with ”
i dont mind Ian Hislop , Private Eye, and even Bremner Bird and Fortune.
why? because they all revel in taking digs at idiotic bureaucracy and politicians and government.
as a libertarian, i’m quite happy with that.
archduke:
after the “car swarm” and the “kill a jew” looks like Pallywood has come up with a new one.
its the “roof throwing” sport.
poor dears. the lack of jews to throw down wells must be getting to them.
archduke, if you carry on with invective of this quality, we’re going to have to nominate you for services to the BBC.
None of us could do more to call into question Biased BBC’s credentials for rational analysis than you with such obsessional bile.
Well done.
Same goes for world-quality popular musicians. Apart from Cliff and the odd quickly-forgotten boy band member, when did a truly successful headliner last cheerlead for conservatism?
hillhunt | 12.06.07 – 12:06 pm
28 May 2006
http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article571538.ece
Biodegradababble:
Ted Nugent? Cliff’s crown is safe.
illc*nt,
You asked for an example of “world-quality popular musicians” who “cheerlead for conservatism”.
He rarely gives interviews to the British press; the last time he did, some years ago, he managed what is possibly the most extraordinary achievement of his remarkable career – proving too right-wing for the Daily Telegraph.
Ted Nugent, 57, best known for his 1977 hit “Cat Scratch Fever”, has sold 40 million records over four decades.
So what exactly is your problem with Ted Nugent?
You asked a question and got an answer. Which is more than anybody ever gets from you.
Rueful Red: Rueful Red | 12.06.07 – 11:57 am |
Is one damned as a Muuslim if one murders one’s daughter as this chap did? Or is it permitted?
Rueful Red,
10 Myths About Islam
Chapter 9 – “Women are Respected and Equal in Islam”:
http://www.studytoanswer.net/islam_myths.html
Colin Powell Wants to See More Terrorists Freed:
“I’ve never liked Colin Powell, and I’ve always seen him as the General and Secretary of State with no clothing. Everyone was so impressed with him, based on absolutely nothing. He was a lousy general, a worse Secretary of State, and a pan-Arabist who helped advance Islamists all around. True, he served our country in the military and during Vietnam, but so have many completely unsung others far better than he.”
More http://tinyurl.com/2o9mts
.
hillhunt -> invective bile is all Pallywood deserves, for the situation there has gone so far beyond reason and rationality that to apply as sort of calm analysis would drive anyone to madness. oh wait. that explains the SWP and “we are all hezbollah” so.
i particularly like their version of a “ceasefire” – you cease, we fire.
Biodegradababble:
So what exactly is your problem with Ted Nugent?
Hard to know where to begin. You sure that “My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Grits”, “Pussywhipped” and “My Love is Like a Tire Iron” play well at Young Conservative club nights?
after the “car swarm” and the “kill a jew” looks like Pallywood has come up with a new one.
its the “roof throwing” sport.
Hillhunt
I think that Archduke is expressing here his contempt for organisations like Fatah and Hamas.
In my opinion that contempt is well founded.
Gordon:
I think that Archduke is expressing here his contempt for organisations like Fatah and Hamas.
In my opinion that contempt is well founded.
Might be. Not a recipe for pointing out other people’s bias, though, is it?
it nice to counterbalance the tiresome “cry me a river” pro pallywood BBC bias.
Hard to know where to begin. You sure that “My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Grits”, “Pussywhipped” and “My Love is Like a Tire Iron” play well at Young Conservative club nights?
hillhunt | 12.06.07 – 12:54 pm |
We weren’t talking about what would go down well at “Young Conservative club nights”, we were talking about the BBC.
Is there anybody else other than Billy Bragg on the the BBC fave rave playlist?
hillhunt: direct replies to stupid questions will only elicit abrupt changes of of subject, red herrings and straw men.
Lucky they didn’t call them ‘aid workers’:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6743501.stm
One person was killed and two others injured when locals and activists of an Islamist group clashed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
…
Dawa activists deny they fired at villagers
And so on. (The word ‘activists’ appears 6 times in this short report).
From the rabid right-wing outlet Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/15/AR2005101501392.html
But here amid the rubble and the rain at the heart of Pakistan’s earthquake zone, the zealous foot soldiers of Jamaat ul-Dawa, one of the country’s most prominent Islamic extremist groups, are very much in evidence.
And..
Pakistan placed Jamaat ul-Dawa on its “terrorism watch list” in late 2003.
Contrast & Compare:
Hamas threatens assault on Fatah
Hamas warns Fatah: Cede Gaza positions or face attack
What about that nasty little band “Mc Fly”? They supported the Torys.
Archduke,
“‘ceasefire’ – you cease, we fire.”
Yes followed by – we fire, you cease (to be).
Red wrote;
“Is one damned as a Muslim if one murders one’s daughter as this chap did? Or is it permitted?
The legal codes in most Islamic countries absolve the murderer of any crime if it can be shown that the crime was one of honour.
Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan and every Arab country have laws in which if the murderer is under 16 he gets a lesser sentence. That is why most Islamic killers of women are the youngest boy in the family.
In Palestine is common for the neighbours to host a party celebrating the release of a so called Honour killer.
The BBC often removes from the storyline of any Honour crime in the Uk how the mother of the daughter is complicit in the death of her daughter. In fact in a horrible case in Nottingham a few years ago, it was the mother herself who held her daughter down while the son killed her. Such is the barbaric system of Islamic honour and the myopic view of those (usually White skinned liberals) who defend the rights of those who get caught practising female oppression as a cultural right.
Biodegradababble:
You sure that “My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Grits”, “Pussywhipped” and “My Love is Like a Tire Iron” play well at Young Conservative club nights?
hillhunt | 12.06.07 – 12:54 pm |
We weren’t talking about what would go down well at “Young Conservative club nights”, we were talking about the BBC.
Is there anybody else other than Billy Bragg on the the BBC fave rave playlist?
I’ll join you in lobbying for the BBC to start playing “My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Grits”, “Pussywhipped” and “My Love is Like a Tire Iron”, but I think we might have a long wait, if only on the grounds of good taste.
Question was which headliners (Ted Nugent – strangely absent from Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time) cheerlead for Conservatives.
Not sure that the many YCs I’ve come across would welcome redneck misogyny as their anthem du jour …
Profile: Gaza Strip
Too much to fisk, too little time.
Here’s the bottom line:
Israel’s former settlements in Gaza were bulldozed by the Israeli army – except synagogues, which were controversially demolished by Palestinians, and greenhouses, which were handed to Palestinian farmers.
Correct. Israel offered to leave the settlements intact but the “Palestinians” said they didn’t want any reminders of Zionism and asked the Israeli government to demolish them.
A massive clear-up was meant to have taken place to rehabilitate the rubble-strewn areas, but this has not happened.
Why not?
The PA received money from the EU to pay for it.
In a rare gesture of goodwill, wealthy Jewish American philanthropists paid the departing settlers about $14m (£8m) to leave the greenhouses standing.
“Rare”?
There have been plenty of gestures of goodwill towards the “Palestinians” but they were spat upon.
One of the “American philanthropists” was James Wolfenson, former head of the World Bank. Another was Bill Gates, who is not a Jew.
The once-lucrative market gardening sector has proved disastrously unprofitable, as goods crossings have remained closed and produce has had to be thrown away.
It has “proved disastrously unprofitable” because those hi-tech greenhouses were looted no sooner had the settlers left and the plastic roofing used as cover to dig tunnels.
Blaming it all on the Jews – it’s what we do!
woman burned alive in merseyside
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/6743625.stm
yet another “honour” killing?
hillhunt | 12.06.07 – 1:38 pm
Like I said:
hillhunt: direct replies to stupid questions will only elicit abrupt changes of of subject, red herrings and straw men.
Biodegradable | 12.06.07 – 1:15 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6744713.stm
have a look at the right hand column.
note the items listed as
“obstacles to peace”
no points for guessing which extremely major obstacle to peace has been left out.
hint: it begins with the letter “I”, and no, its not “israel”.
So what exactly is your problem with Ted Nugent?
Hard to know where to begin. You sure that “My Baby Likes My Butter on Her Grits”, “Pussywhipped” and “My Love is Like a Tire Iron” play well at Young Conservative club nights?
hillhunt | 12.06.07 – 12:54 pm |
dont worry hilly,here’s the band for
you…..
http://www.geocities.com/neither_washington_nor_moscow/about.html
“Same goes for world-quality popular musicians. Apart from Cliff and the odd quickly-forgotten boy band member, when did a truly successful headliner last cheerlead for conservatism?”
Didn’t Phil Collins express some views along those lines once? I seem to remember the NME getting very cross about it.
Geri Halliwell? “Thatcher was the first Spice Girl” (although Sporty demurred I recall).
And there’s plenty of comedians who are prepared to take the p*ss out of absolutely anything, which I guess is right wing in the libertarian sense and left wing in the anarchist sense, or are they the same really?
Personally I think comedians should either be straight down the line family entertainment no politics/religion/swearing or they should have no boundaries at all. Anyone who can take the piss out of Christianity but not racial stereotypes, or vice versa, isn’t funny they’re just humourless political ‘activists’ in the wrong job.
archduke | 12.06.07 – 10:03 am:
I’m really pleased that you liked the slide show. Let’s hope
B-BBC’s cinematic maestro Ultraviolets likes it too.
Let me know what you think about this one.
.
Question was which headliners (Ted Nugent – strangely absent from Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time)
Performing nonstop for almost 40 years, wildman Ted Nugent has always followed his own unique path. There’s no denying his exceptional talent on the guitar, his knack for penning arena rock anthems, or his standing as one of rock’s top live acts with over 30 million albums sold.
i can see someone who sells a measly
30 million albums could never be considered a headliner….
those self detonating bombs that have a life of their own have turned up again in iraq
“Suicide bomb targets Iraq police”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6738247.stm
Suicidal bomb breaks down in tears : “I’m too depressed to do it”.
Anyway, I liked the slideshow but I can’t import it into my video editor. Perhaps it would go well with some Phil Collins.
” Cockney | 12.06.07 – 1:58 pm |”
regarding ted nugent and rolling stone – well rolling stone is pretty much a self-loving leftist hippy clique, thats really found it hard to keep up with the times.
for example, its top 100 “Most influential” which is here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty
leaves out one band which has pretty much singlehanded influenced the electronic music of the past 30 odd years.
kraftwerk.
Re: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5122404.stm
In a rare gesture of goodwill, wealthy Jewish American philanthropists paid the departing settlers about $14m (£8m) to leave the greenhouses standing.
Here’s another gesture, not reported by Al-Beeb:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3397470,00.html
In an attempt to alleviate the despair on the Palestinian street, the District Coordination and Liaison Administration at the Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza is making an effort to redirect the citizens away from terrorism.
Colonel Nir Peres, head of the administration explained: “During the last few months, owing to steady activity at the Karni crossing, record quantities of strawberries and flowers have been exported from the Strip. This means that thousands of Palestinians have been working and not looking for an alternative in terrorism.”
Promote Palestinian economy
“Our policy is clear,” he said, “We are fighting the terrorist organizations, but we are in no way at a war with the Palestinian people. We want to give the citizens the means to develop the Palestinian economy, by operating the crossings and coordinating all of the organizations that handle the matter.”
Peres expects positive results several months after the implementation of the policy. Over the last few months there has been an obvious increase in the quantities of raw materials entering the Strip and in the amount of furniture, textile and other products coming out from there.
The security establishment believes that a 2.2 percent decline in Palestinian unemployment has even influenced the scope of Qassam launchers.
“I am not naïve,” he stated. “It is obvious that this will not stop terrorism in the Strip, but it reduces the despair among thousands of Palestinians who now have a livelihood and a direction in life. Otherwise, it is clear that some of them would have chosen to launch Qassam rockets for a nice sum from the terrorist organizations.”
‘They understand that we are not against them’
The administration rejected Palestinian claims that there is a humanitarian crisis in the Strip as a result of Israel’s actions. “After the disengagement, there is a Palestinian Authority which is the responsible body. We do not determine the quantities of goods that are imported or exported, and we do not involve ourselves in internal matters,” he said.
“Occasionally, due to security considerations, when there are attempted attacks at the crossings • and there have been quite a few terrorist attacks at the border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip • we close them temporarily,” explained Col. Peres.
At a recent High Court of Justice session regarding a petition filed by several organizations against the security establishment, Col. Peres claimed that January 2007 saw a 72 percent increase in imports into the Strip compared to the same time in 2006 and that exports had increased by 24 percent.
The High Court of Justice rejected the petition. The judges asserted that the security establishment was doing everything possible to keep the border crossing open regularly.
Peres noted that his statements were recently published in one of the larger newspapers in the Strip.
“There is a feeling that they understand that we are not against them,” he said.
“At the end of the day they need to choose whether they want to work in Ashdod or Ashkelon or whether they want to launch rockets at them; to live and work and develop the economy or develop terrorism that brings despair and death.”
The BBC says, “The once-lucrative market gardening sector has proved disastrously unprofitable, as goods crossings have remained closed and produce has had to be thrown away.”
Perhaps it’s because some of that produce is below standard and can’t be sold to a wider market?
Look who’s helping the “Palestinians”, instead of whinging like the BBC:
Palestinians, Israelis cooperate on farm
90 percent of strawberry and cherry tomato growers in Gaza who are implementing these standards now enjoy benefits of export to European Union countries, raising prices of their produce substantially, reaching an additional 45 cents a kilogram
The BBC: we only tell you what we and Hamas want you to know!
Kraftwerk are GODLIKE. We owe so much to them.
Here’s a video idea – the BBC and far left communist traitors
“When I’m feeling blue
All I have to do
Is take a look at you
Then I’m not so blue
When you’re close to me
I can feel you heart beat
I can hear you breathing
In my ear
Wouldn’t you agree?
Baby, you and me got a groovy kind of love
“
Question was which headliners (Ted Nugent – strangely absent from Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time)
401. (Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd), Lynyrd Skynyrd
here’s one hilly…
i can see someone who sells a measly
30 million albums could never be considered a headliner….
morgan | 12.06.07 – 2:11 pm
According to the Independent interview (see my link above) it’s 40 million.
re: ted nugent.
here’s another one you wont hear about on rolling stone.
country & western singer George Strait.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Strait
62 million records sold.
Rolling Stones “Immortals” really is just a list of the pinko journalists favourite bands. It’s no more authoritative then the lists on Myspace.
What I want is a pedal steel synthesiser.
illc*nt often accuse posters here of spewing “bile”. Here’s some real bile from the BBC’s Abu Bowen, now reduced to comparing “Palestine” to Kosovo and Israel (you guessed it) to Serbia:
Jeremy Bowen diary: Kosovo v Palestine
“Same goes for world-quality popular musicians. Apart from Cliff and the odd quickly-forgotten boy band member, when did a truly successful headliner last cheerlead for conservatism?”
the thing is that , in the main, popular music has been libertarian, sometimes anarchic, hedonistic and anti-establishment, whether that establishment was left or right wing.
popular music just starts going up its own arse when it starts taking a right or left agenda. a prime example is Saint Bono and Live 8.
pop music is at its most exciting when it goes into full on individualistic debauchery mode with a very loud “f**k the government, lets enjoy ourselves” message attached – e.g. the sex pistols ,acid house, speed metal…
The BBC,Kosovo and half a story
Abu Bowen writes;
“Traditionally, Serbs were brought up to believe that Kosovo was their Jerusalem, even though in modern times Serbs have been outnumbered there nine-to-one by ethnic Albanians.”
Tell me Abu is Kosovo full of sites that hold religious sentiments to the orthodox church of Serbia.
Tell me Abu why are the Serbs outnumbered by Albanian immigrants nine to one in Kosovo. Could it have something to do with how Muslims breed something awful.
So by dint of a much higher birth-rate the immigrant population from across the border in Albania have taken control of a corner of Serbia and now demand independence.
Tell me Abu by way of a much higher birthrate are the immigrants of Paris, Blackburn ,Bradford etc.. demanding that we respect their ways or else there will be trouble.
The BBC,Kosovo and half a story
What connection have kraftwerk to “the history of rock & roll”?
get a load of THIS from Australia.
you wouldnt find this on the BBC in a million years
its comedy. and they’re taking the piss out of a Muslim imam