We all know the BBC’s corporate view of the Great Satan America, but I think this is going beyond rhetoric.
“Politicians reacted in disbelief to the revelation that for over two hours yesterday, the BBC News website carried a request for people in Iraq to report on troop movements. The request was removed from the website after it sparked furious protests that the corporation was endangering the lives of British servicemen and women.
But according to accounts last night, a story on a major operation by US and Iraqi troops against al-Qa’eda somewhere north of Baghdad contained an extraordinary request for information about the movement of troops. Last night the BBC confirmed the wording of the request was: “Are you in Iraq? Have you seen any troop movements? If you have any information you would like to share with the BBC, you can do so using the form below.”
The BBC confirmed last night that this form of words had appeared on the website from “late morning” until early afternoon.”
The request was more likely to endanger the lives of US and Iraqi forces, being appended to this piece on the Diyala province offensive north of Baghdad.
Thanks to the glories of Revisionista, we can see that the request for troop information was there from revision 3 at 09.30 GMT up to revision 10 at 13.40 GMT – more than four hours.
The squaddies at ARRSE aren’t best pleased.
“Did you realise the BBC are now helping insurgents in northern Iraq with their intel ??”
I do hope if the BBC are going to request this sort of info that all their staff are security cleared. One wouldn’t like to think of such information falling into the wrong hands. Alternatively, could they try a radical new departure and request information on the movements of “militants” and “insurgents” ? And what would they say if Al-Jazeera asked their viewers to report on the movements of BBC staff in Gaza, Iraq or Afghanistan ?
Hat-tips to Max, Heron and David in the comments (via Tim Blair).
UPDATE – I think this is what’s called disingenuous.
“However, yesterday we used the phrase “have you seen any troop movements” in this request for information. The Telegraph and some others wrongly interpreted this as an attempt on our part to seek out military detail.”
What on earth could give that impression ? How could anyone think that asking about troop movements is an attempt to seek out military detail ?
“We phrased it badly, and as soon as we realised what we had done – a couple of hours – we removed the form.”
Four hours and 10 minutes according to Revisionista. Is Vicky Taylor not even capable of putting the corporate hand up honestly over the timing, is Revisionista wrong, or has she been inaccurately briefed ? Alas, I can’t ask her, because I’m banned from commenting – at least that’s how I translate “you are not allowed to comment”.
And off topic, but kudos to Nick Reynolds for his continuing ‘mission to explain’ and David Gregory for his contributions to an interesting discussion on the reporting of climate change in the comments to this post.
A propos of nothing very much, abolishing the licence fee would help towards the pensions crisis.
Al-BBC likes to adopt the strategy of defending the licence fee by dividing it by 365 to make it sound very cheap. Like catalogue companies do, you know – it’s only £5 a week so it must be good value, even though the interest rate is 477% or whatever.
The obvious challenge to this is that you pay for the BBC’s crap whether you watch it or not, and if you don’t it’s extortion rather than good value. But wouldn’t it be instructive to invert this tactic and put a sidebar on the site reminding us all of what the lifetime cost of al-BBC is?
Let’s see – get a TV aged 21 and pay the license till you’re 75. 54 years of £130-odd means al-BBC costs you £7,020 – plus of course 54 years’ compound interest on the money you’ve wasted funding the lefties.
I make that about £35,000 you’re down by by the time you hit 75.
Imagine what a difference it would make to pensioners if they all had another £35,000! Except they’re old, ugly boring gits, and many of them have the nerve to live in the countryside. So sod them all.
Poor Gordon Broon, meanwhile, is so poverty-stricken he’s been reduced to eating his own nasal mucus in Parliament. When journalists talk about his habit of biting his fingernails are they being coy? He bites his fingernails because that’s where the wee bawgies are to be found. Is this like 1970s journalists referring to Jeremy Thorpe’s “flamboyant collection of ties” to mean he was gay?
“I just can’t see why anyone wants to hang arround in a blog disagreeing with all other posters…”
Hanging around is about right. I’ve just run a quick macro an HillHunt (BBC) and his activities and in the last week he posted about 178 times.
That’s about 25 postings a day. They seem to be spread evenly over a 12 hour day so about one every half hour.
Somewhat obsessive I would say, if he isn’t paid to do it.
Sadly we cannot rule out the possibility that he has mental health issues. The clinically depressed often hang out on internet forums like this because they can’t face one-to-one communication.
I suggest that we assume HillHunt (BBC) is paid for by the BBC, probably not directly as his IP address would bear similarity to other known BBC’ers. If he tells us he suffers from depression or gives us some other credible explanation for his behaviour then we should change our upraisal.
Anyway, the weekend beckons, so I will say bye bye for now….
“Al-BBC likes to adopt the strategy of defending the licence fee by dividing it by 365 to make it sound very cheap.”
LOL! Like the guy who broke in and nicked your video: only 1.5p a day for life….
Ryan:
Tsk, tsk.
Diagnoses of mental illness tend not to play well, even here.
And I’m cheerful as hell, as it happens.
Hours of Glastonbury to look forward to over the weekend, for one thing…
Yes yes new thread for the weekend torrent of green/left bias from Glastonbury.
As I say above, the thread could be called:
“Bias from the mud”!
The BBC, racists gangs and half a story.
Sarwar plans to stand down as MP
Mohammad Sarwar, the 54-year-old Labour MP for Glasgow Central, has announced he is to stand down from Westminster at the next General Election. The father-of-four, Britain’s first Muslim MP, said he had received death threats over the Kriss Donald murder.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6228920.stm
So according to the BBC His right honourable Mohammad Sarwar the MP for Glasgow central has been receiving death threats over the Kriss Donald murder. So just who has been threatening Mr Sarwar? Well the BBC article doesn’t say in fact one has to migrate to another story on the subject in which to find out who the BBC claims is behind these death threats.
Sarwar faces down death threats
He was the poster boy of the political classes in Scotland’s Muslim community.
As the UK’s first Muslim MP, he was one of the most high-profile Asian figures in contemporary politics. Mohammed Sarwar may be bowing out of the murky world of public service but he remains defiant despite a series of death threats over his involvement in the Kriss Donald murder trial. The toll of political office appears to have been a high one. His family have faced a flurry of threats over the years from every hue of far-right group. His part in smoothing the wheels of the extradition of the three murderers of Kriss Donald from Pakistan has also triggered a fresh round of death threats. Mr Sarwar said: “Since I became involved in politics I have received death threats. I have received threats from the BNP, Combat 18, various neo-Nazi groups and the Ku Klux Klan.”I have also been threatened by people upset by my part in the extradition of the Kriss Donald murderers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6229824.stm
Did you catch that afterthought after the BBC tries to deflect attention away from the real culprits behind these death threats.
“I have also been threatened by people upset by my part in the extradition of the Kriss Donald murderers. An afterthought which is tucked in there after the BBC parades the likes of the (White) BNP, (White) Combat 18, Various (white)neo-nazis groups and the (White) Ku Klux Klan.
So from reading that just whom would the reader presume is behind those death threats.
The BNP
Combat 18 neo-Nazis?
KKK
Or prople who were upset by his part in the extradition of the murderers of Kriss Donald.
Here is how the Daily Mail writes that story;
Britain’s first Muslim MP is being hounded out of office by death threats.
Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar says he is stepping down after his family received the death threats linked to a gang he helped convict for a racist murder.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=463717&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow
The Daily Torygraph
UK’s first Muslim MP quits over death threats
A Labour MP has revealed that he is stepping down after getting death threats linked to a gang he helped convict for a racist murder.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/22/nsarwar122.xml
The Guardian
MP to quit over race case death threats
The Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar is to leave parliament after receiving death threats from people linked to a gang of racist murderers he helped extradite from Pakistan, he has said.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,,2109017,00.html
The Daily Record.
DEATH-THREAT SARWAR I QUIT
RECORD EXCLUSIVE Muslim MP to resign after his family are targeted over Kriss Donald murderers
BRITAIN’S first Muslim MP last night revealed he is to quit – following death threats from thugs linked to a race hate murder gang.Mohammad Sarwar will resign as Glasgow Central MP at the next general election.Yesterday, he spoke for the first time about the price he has paid for helping to bring the killers of teenager Kriss Donald to justice.He said murderer Imran ‘Baldy’ Shahid’s gang have threatened to slay him and his family.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=death-threat-sarwar-i-quit%26method=full%26objectid=19337317%26siteid=66633-name_page.html
Every man and his dog of every political shade report the fact that this man has had death threats directed at him and his family by the gang whose members he helped put behind bars for the Racist Murder of Kriss Donald. Yet only the BBC in its own warped sense of Islamic honour refuses to call a dog a dog and instead points the finger of blame at the BNP,KKK and the rest of the Neo-Nazis idiots who steal oxygen from Planet Earth.
The BBC, racists gangs and half a story.
hh
above you seem to defend the licencing system for the BBC.
Does this mean that you admit that the BBC is bias?
Can you explain why the BBC doesn’t have a sky card type licence – only those that have one could decode and watch the BBC output.
This would mean the BBC was a subscription service. At the same time free-riders abroad who don’t pay but watch/go on line would have to contribute to the Great Institution.
….Or would they simply stop watching?
My point is that the technology has been arround for at least 5 years to allow the BBC to be subscription financed rather than poll tax financed.
Why doesn’t the BBC want to be subscription financed?
Don`t know if anyone has recorded Alastair Leithead (spelling probably incorrect) on the 6 o`clock news running around Afghanistan. But whether intended or not, chalked on the side of his rucksack was “AL BBC”. 🙂
tom atkins:
Why doesn’t the BBC want to be subscription financed?
I answered something similar a little while ago:
The (licence fee) sums of money per household are trivial compared to all other licensing costs and taxation (and to the enormous sums fleeced by Sky, much of which goes to keep a few dozen footballers in lives of Babylonian luxury).
Most of us don’t get to choose whether we want subsidies for the arts, farming or FCO extravagance. But if we don’t pay our taxes, we end up in jail (or bankruptcy). How popular, exactly, is the spending of billions or public money (and the sacrificing of young British lives) in Iraq (apart from in these threads)? And could those of us who disagree with the war claim a discount on our PAYE?
The licence fee keeps this country’s major cultural asset at arms length from Government and from the commercial pressures which so disfigure Murdoch’s output and which have driven ITV and Channel 4 to squander so much of their public-service broadcasting
I suspect you will not agree with me, but there you go…
More news from the Jihad that Al-BBC refuses to report. How many more Buddhists and moderate muslims have to die in Thailand before the islamists at the Korporation get round to covering this ongoing bloodshed.?.
From The Australian news…..
“SEPARATIST militants in southern Thailand shot a Muslim man and then partially severed his head, while the nation’s junta leader was visiting the region, police said today.
The man, a 29-year-old local government official, was returning from evening prayers late Thursday when he was ambushed by suspected insurgents in Narathiwat province, police said.
The slaying was the most gruesome in a string of attacks around the Muslim-majority region, where more than 2300 people have been killed in three years of separatist unrest.
Ten people, including five soldiers, were hurt in two separate bombings early Friday, while a 54-year-old Buddhist was gunned down in a drive-by shooting late yesterday, police said.”
but hh
a subscription service would take the BBC international – if their cultural output is a good as you say it is – the BBC would keep all its home sales and start to make more money than it is now from international sales – from Ireland, Spain, Benelux and even the USA where avid (free riding) culture vultures hang on the BBC’s every change of artistic direction.
.
Ryan | 22.06.07 – 6:07 pm | #
Cast your net a bit wider, you’ll see that Killhunt turns up on lots a blogs and other places as a commentator. However his haemorrhoids do seem to itch more aggressively for particular types of blogs, B-BBC is just one of them.
Regarding age/experience – 50 going on 17 I would say.
Old enough to know better, too stupid to care
.
Gordon_Broon_Eats_Hez_Bawgies | Homepage | 22.06.07 – 6:07 pm
But wouldn’t it be instructive to invert this tactic and put a sidebar on the site reminding us all of what the lifetime cost of al-BBC is?
Let’s see – get a TV aged 21 and pay the license till you’re 75. 54 years of £130-odd means al-BBC costs you £7,020 – plus of course 54 years’ compound interest on the money you’ve wasted funding the lefties.
I make that about £35,000 you’re down by by the time you hit 75.
I like the way you’re thinking, GBEHB.
Also, thanks for the laugh.
OK I will reply to one of HH’s postings – no offence but I thought the conversation was getting very bogged down before.
HH, we _voted_ for the government, at least. And if we don’t like their war policies we can vote LibDem or Green or whatever at the next election.
Where’s our vote on the BBC?
And I don’t have to have Sky (and don’t) so don’t feel fleeced. Again it’s a matter of choice.
tom atkins:
The BBC already sells those programmes it has rights to in those markets. BBC America is in many ways what you propose.
The BBC does not have rights beyond the UK to many of the programmes we see here. Acquiring those rights in the teeth of competition from rival broadcasters, national and international, would increase costs and reduce much of the money it invests in culturally valuable but commercially unprofitable services.
One of the main reasons other broadcasters don’t want to see the BBC handed over to commerical interests is that this would instantly reduce the subscription/sponsorship/advertising revenue available to all, potentially damaging those companies, and seriously weakening programme quality all round.
Sky’s subscription model works only by selling (very expensively) to the viewer rights it has bid huge sums of money for, largely in major sporting events. It’s hard to see a public-service BBC succeeding in such a market.
here’s something from regent park mosque – that’s the centre of moderate islam that so far hasn’t been on the BBC
does this constitute treason?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=2QGQ2EGSAX2DVQFIQMGSFFWAVCBQWIV0?xml=/news/2007/06/22/wrushdie322.xml
hh
but your saying that the BBC is great because of its in house output (its cultural output). NOT what it buys.
By its nature, in-house output copyright is owned by the BBC – they can show it anywhere they want. Copyright is not an issue for the BBC to take its culture international.
(Unless some leftie twat has done a similar deal to the UK gold deal – the BBC sold the rights to its back book for next to nothing – Now I have to subscribe to UK Gold to watch repeats of the programmes I helped to finance in the first f ing place)
‘But whether intended or not, chalked on the side of his rucksack was “AL BBC”.’
Absolutley priceless!!!!
Jonathan (Cambridge):
It is a matter of political will. Does Parliament keep renewing the BBC Charter, funded as it is, believing that the BBC is despised, too costly and irrelevant? No.
Survey after survey shows enormous appreciation for the BBC, especially as a news provider, but also for its enormous cultural reach.
I won’t dwell on the negative political, social and cultural effects of Murdoch’s free-market empire, although The Sun’s coarsening of the newspaper market, the News of the World’s disgraceful dependence on sleazeballs like Clive Goodman and Mahzer Mahmood, the suborning and corrupting effects of its money on professional sport, its kowtowing to Chinese bullying and the abuse of its political power – think Blair weighing in on Rupert’s foreign interests – all give even the most open-minded of us pause for thought about a free-for-all.
Is it good for the nation’s cultural health to have such an insitution? Yes…. and one (but not the only) good reason is that the UK’s unique mix of licence-supported and commercial broadcasting has created a higely successful creative sector which punches way above the UK’s weight in world markets. It’s an indirect, yet important benefit.
tom atkins:
hh
but your saying that the BBC is great because of its in house output (its cultural output). NOT what it buys.
It’s not that simple. Just like Channel 4, a high proportion of what the BBC makes for UK viewers is made – at Government insistence – through independent producers, who have become increasingly strident about maintaining secondary rights to their shows.
On top of that, the mix of programming – some bought, some independently made, some on-house – and its scheduling is what defines the BBC as much as any one strand.
but the BBC is a monopoly buyer – why doesn’t it insist on owning the secondry rights of its commissioned output?
The way you say it now opperates, the BBC gives a one way bet to the independent makers – it underwrites their output but doesn’t keep the upside of the successes.
Great.
So what your saying is the BBC has done another UK Gold deal.
Sounds like BAe isn’t the only UK corporation that should see a corruption enquiry – because such crap deals can’t be the result of incompetence can it?
hh
answer this question
why did the BBC make such a bloody awfull deal with UK Gold?
BBC3 and BBC4 have almost nothing to show because some imbicile sold all the rights repeats to UK Gold for almost nothing.
Our culture certainly is in safe hands
hh
you don’t work for UK Gold do you?
BaggieJonathan | 22.06.07 – 5:57 pm |
I think you’ve been had over mate.
It’s a pity but my time is now more and more limited, so it’s my only chance to post here tonight. However must add this:
I see the liar shite detective has been back. To explain to all contributors, this particular liar was adamant that the BBC had shown the Mohammed cartoons which kicked off half the cretins around the world.
No the BBC did not. What the BBC did was to show the newspapers which had. However the BBC chose to rush the pages across the screen in such a manner that the viewers eyes could not take in the content. This process is similar to the discredited subliminal advertising techniques of the sixties.
For the intellectually challenged: Subliminal; of a stimulus or mental process below the threshold of sensation or consciousness.
Makes you wonder how often the BBC use this technique.
Will endevour to return sometime next week.
Hillhunt
You explain well why it is you like/love the BBC so much.
If you had just admitted from the start that you are a committed socialist that believes the free market is almost the root of all evil.
That taking on or being a counterpoint to Murdochs state liecenced media empire was the true reason you support the BBCs state liecenced and funded media empire.
Then at least you would not be so hated and despised for being a patronising rude imature dishonest little gitt.
It is clear to me that you know full well that the BBC is as politically BIAS as an SWP annual conference.
BE HONEST
You would not want to change a thing at the BBC. This I believe is because you are one of its sadly brainwashed victims.
I have no love for Murdoch as no one on this site does as far as I know. You are wrong about Murdoch wanting to get rid of the BBC whatever he may have said. Murdoch has as much to gain by the status quo as the Labour Party and it seems you have. Murdoch wants a privatised or dead BBC and a truely unregulated media market about as much as he does a hole in the head.
BTW
I dont watch the BBC more then about 30 mins a week, its just to harmfull to my blood pressure. However you love it so much you spend all your available time on the internet making excuses for it.
If you think the BBC is so great you post 28 times a day for free to say so. Why dont you spend more of your time watching the bloody channel, even a Labour Party Troll gets time off?
Clueless BBC reporter goes to the Basque country.
Basque grievances nourish Eta (BTW that should be ETA, like NATO and IRA)
The armed militants continue to enjoy small, but not insignificant, support in the Basque Country – and you have to be careful what words you use.
At a political demonstration some 32km (20 miles) from Bilbao, I mentioned to one protester that this was my first time in the region. “But I’ve been to Spain many times before,” I said.
With a face that looked about as cheerful as an undertaker’s, she corrected my mistake: “You’re not in Spain – you’re in the Basque Country.”
(Regular commenters may remember my old story about Ginger Baker and his band in the Basque country.)
But for many Batasuna supporters, it is Basque culture and identity that seems to motivate them, rather than the matter of constitutional change.
“I want the Basques to be represented in the World Cup”, a lawyer told me, “we want to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest, as Basques, not as Spain”. He was also campaigning to address local courts in Basque, rather than being forced to use English.
Excuse me?!
Nobody is forced to use English, neither in Spain or in the Basque country.
Idiot!
See also: http://www.mideasttruth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7738&sid=98ee712f475e132d9b8d9c682440d801
…< ) ... ( .... X 8====D DONT FEED THE TROLLS
tom atkins:
No connection with UK Gold. No idea how that deal happened. Not sure BBC3 and 4 would want to run all the UK Gold library, in any event. Each is developing some good programming of its own.
BBC is not a monopoly buyer. It faces competition for programme ideas from the others – ITV, C4, Five and the increasing number of digital channels. If the creators of succesful series come up with a great new idea, they can walk unless the price is right. This is often solved by splitting the rights, or entering co-production deals, for instance with foreign channels.
Garrypowell:
Thanks for the concern about my time off, but I’m used to writing and thinking fast and I understand the media world very well…
I don’t think Murdoch would want a privatised BBC – it would dilute revenue overnight. I suspect he would like it reduced to a narrow, worthy rump, and his papers have been trying to make sure that will happen for a long time now.
hh said
“No idea how (the UK Gold) deal happened”
So you admit that it was dreadful deal?
So you admit that the BBC is falable?
Good, then we’re half way to curing you.
Please come back next week at the same time.
You’re making great progress.
“BIAS AND THE BBC: ABOLITION THE ONLY ANSWER!”
http://www.libertarian.co.uk/news/nr052.htm
Via Samizdata.
Tom akins – very funny!
so why do we pay pounds 900m for it?
Hillhunt
Ok, lets say you have convinced me that the publicly funded BBC is well worth what we brits stump up for it.
In the interests of democracy shouldn’t the tax contributers have some say in how the Corporation is run, rather like shareholders. What I am driving at and what incenses so many posters here is the feeling of handing over ones cash to a group of self serving, self rewarding (salaries) people who then insult our intelligence in the diverse types of bias shown in good measure through these pages.
Much of it bias by omission, hiding or refusing to discuss or report anything they find “unacceptable”.
Bias by clique, inviting only those they like to discuss anything and constantly interrupting, during interview, those who’s points of view they do not like.
Additionally, the global “reach” some take so much pride in, moving into America, Arab speaking channels etc..all at the British taxpayers expense.
If we are stuck with this finance model then it should much more directly answerable to those who “own” it. I have no doubt that if posters here could see a reasonable system in place to actually influence this monolith their ire with its obvious bias (and it is very obvious, so obvious I am surprised at its lack of subtly) would be somewhat mollified.
There is no worse feeling than being mugged, and the BBC are mugging a great many of us leaving us poorer but worst of all feeling impotent.
You should be using your debating skills to get the BBC to change, before the revolutionaries decide enough is enough and invent the equivalent of the guillotine to deal with those at the top who refuse to take the building unrest seriously.
“We’ve all contributed to the cost of your education”
Well I can honestly say that no-one paid for my University education – I spent years studying part time for a BSc and then an MSc all paid for by me.
When I left school further education was a luxery – I had to go to work at 15.
HH on the other hand is probably funded almost entirely by the tax payer. He is probably unemployable. He gets his kicks from people engaging in “debate” with him. He has a very low IQ is more than likely a marxist who has never had one original thought in his whole lifetime. He is probably an attention seeker who will put up a defence of even the indefencable just for attention – I will , and I suggest others just ignore him.
Is it music, or is it politics?
In addition to BBC3’s wall to wall coverage of Glastonbury, BBC4 chips in
On the Other Stage are Björk, Arcade Fire and Rufus Wainwright (BBC4’s wisely nabbed all three) (Radio Times)
A pointed collection of anti-US “talent”.
Talking about IQ, I heard that the IQ disparity in “high achievers” at GCSE level and A level is more than 30 points.
Blimey.
Taking into account that the cut-off point was 130..
Hillhunt(BBC), what do you do? What is your calling, profession, wage-earning activity?
I work in the oil industry, until recently in Aberdeen, but now in Norway. I want a wee bit on your background to see if your warped mind is natural or the product of a failed education system.
And on the matter of muslims in Scotland, Sarwar etc, has anybody heard anything about that dreadful racist attack by racist Scottish stone-throwers(!?) against that poor, terrified, failed asylum seeker and her child?
Given that police investigating this attack have appealed for witnesses and that, so far, none have come forward, one can only assume that racist Scots have closed ranks and mouths to protect those racist attackers – or is there another angle?
TPO, Its amusing to me that you brand me a ‘liar’ when what I did was provide a link to an article and told you what it said. It is written in black and white for all to see. Your accusations only provide further evidence of your irrational state of mind.
BBC Bias: “Stop the world, I want to get off.”
How can the BBC (Mark Mardell) call Poland “another member of the awkward squad” and claim to be impartial – no doubt the other member of the “awkward squad” is Britain, although I would not call NuLabour awkward just dishonest.
There is another angle on Scotland.
“Labour MP Mohammad Sarwar described the 9/11 hijackers as “martyrs”.”
Muslims burn the Cross of St.George and insult the Queen and Al-BBC don’t bother reporting it.
Might portray their fellow co-religionists in a poor light ?
Would a crowd of whites burning the Koran in public be ignored by Al-Beeb ?
Al-BBC – Making your tax-money work for Islam..
Not sure if this has been mentioned here:
“AN Australian Navy boarding crew in the Gulf of Persia repelled an Iranian gunboat that threatened them a matter of weeks before 15 British sailors were captured in a similar incident, it was reported today.
The capture of the British crew in March developed into a major diplomatic incident before their release was negotiated.
But BBC reporter Frank Gardner, a security specialist, reported the Australians managed to avoid a similar incident – pointing their guns at the Iranians and used “colourful language” before a gunboat withdrew.”
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21948769-2,00.html
Apparently the Australian incident occurred in 2004! If so how come Frank Gardner etc are only revealing it now?
Allan@Oslo:
Hillhunt(BBC), what do you do? What is your calling, profession, wage-earning activity?
Come on, Allan, Hillhunt(BBC) has gone home for the night,possibly the weekend. Bullsh*t D is manning the night trollshift.
Question for the BBC:
Are you in London? Have you seen any mad jihadis?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017062
Question to the BBC:
Are you in London? Have you seen any mad jihadis?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/017062.php#comments
Hello Phoebe:
Well I’m in Birmingham. But I haven’t seen anything so far. I’ll keep my eyes open.
David Gregory (BBC) – Have yo got two jobs?
“David Gregory, right,, NBC White House correspondent, and his wife Beth Wilkinson walk through the Booksellers Area as they arrive for the State Dinner in honor of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, Monday, May 7, 2007, at the White House in Washington….”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/topics/David+Gregory