Please use this thread for BBC-related comments and analysis. 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.
Hopefully, now that we’ve had a brief spell of slashing and burning of the surfeit of comments that have threatened to drown Biased BBC over recent months, things will return to normal and we can resume being the Biased BBC blog that we all know and love 🙂
Re: Misrepresentation on the Gordon Ramsey show
Funny how the BBC is quick to point fingers at a Channel 4 programme, but they sure are happy to broadcast the stuff as their own on BBC America. For which I pay extra to my cable subscription.
This is a voluntary fee (which includes lots of other channels and features). But it’s pretty lame that so much of what one is supposedly paying for isn’t even made by the BBC. They criticize, yet gladly license the stuff and flog it in the US.
The BBC, deportation and a sob story.
‘How I escaped from torture in Iran’
An asylum seeker who was deported to Iran in 2004 has been describing how he managed to escape from custody and make his way back to the UK. In this three-part series, the BBC News Website follows Shahin Portofeh’s story, from deportation and alleged torture in Iran, to his escape and flight to the UK in an arduous and dangerous journey across Turkey, Greece and Italy. Shahin Portofeh was so scared at the prospect of being deported from Coventry back to Iran that he sewed up his eyes and lips in July 2003 in an effort to draw attention to his case. Having had a gay relationship, Mr Portofeh, now 27, knew he faced the prospect of being repeatedly lashed and then executed if he was returned to his homeland, where homosexuality is illegal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/6900435.stm
So the BBC writes up a sob story hot on the heels of giving amnesty to every illegal immigrant and failed asylum seeker in the UK. Don’t get me wrong I’ am totally of the belief that people who require asylum should get it. However something about this story made me question just what are the real motives for this person are.
Today he tells the BBC he can’t go back as he is a practising Homosexual and we all know how Iran (which has just hung a number) treats its gay folk. However in July 2003 the very same person gave the following excuse to the BBC
“”He fled Iran to escape from religious and political persecution.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/3054330.stm
And the BBC are giving him 3 bites of the cherry
The BBC, deportation and a sob story.
Justice
Radio 5 Live consistently adopts a left of centre Liberal approach to law & order. This extends to consistently refusing to give ANY air time to any Right of Centre ideas, rubbishing any middle of the road ideas & giving extensive air time to left wing prison reformers.
Today, I heard very harsh treatment of the Conservative Shadow Justice minister, who was merely trying to criticise the Labour party for failing to build enough prisons to cope with existing LABOUR party policy.
Jeff
We’ve finessed impartiality down to a fine art.
That’s from the latest incestuous back-slapping article on The Editors blog. This one’s about the World Service:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/07/centre_of_attention.html#commentsanchor
It’s a fisker’s paradise. But unfortunately I ain’t got no time right now.
Sorry, Andrew et al. I realise you are trying to discourage this sort of tit-for-tat but I must just correct what JohnBosworth posted at the top of this thread about me.
Earlier I was responding to something he posted and something Pounce posted. To take Pounce first, I do think it’s important to correct some of his more extreme comments which are simply not true. So once again for the record, there are no muslim converts in the newsroom where I work and no people married to muslims.
Then I took issue with what JB posted; “I wonder if the pro-Islamic bias in the BBC began with the setting up of the “Asian Unit” in BBC Birmingham? It has a record of self-justification.”
Reading that post, it looks like Mr JB is confusing “asian” with “Muslim” or “pro-Islamic” I wonder if he’s even listened to the Asian Network? But what is he implying, that during my day to day work as a BBC journalist someone from the Asian Network comes to check what I’m doing?
I do not confuse what posters on B-BBC say with the website proper. I did not confuse what Pounce posted, with what JohnBosworth did. Both comments were a little off beam. I just wanted to put the record straight.
David Gregory BBC
“So once again for the record, there are no muslim converts in the newsroom where I work and no people married to muslims.”
Well I can now sleep easy in my bed knowing that.
But how many of your pals David are members of:
-Socialist Workers Party
-CPGB
-Stop the War Coalition
-Media Workers against the War
THOSE organizations are in bed with Islamic extremism, as well as being anti-democratic thugs, who peddle anti American/Jewish clap trap day in, day out.
Infact I would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the editorial line between Aerial (BBC in-house mag) and Socalist Worker.
Now Boris is standing for mayor, get ready for the BBC “elect Ken” campaign to begin in earnest. This will largely consist of portraying Boris as an idiotic bufoon, conveniently ignoring the fact that he has successfully edited a serious news journal, writes superbly crafted articles for newspapers and is an Oxford scholar of formidable intellect.
” IiD | 17.07.07 – 9:14 am |”
and what Miliband & co. seem to forget is that there’s a rather large Russian gas and oilpipeline feeding Europe.
all Putin has to do is turn it off, and sell his oil to the increasingly energy needy Chinese.
” Ayayay | 17.07.07 – 9:53 am ”
they already got one in the can – 10 o’ clock news last night.
So RDF has ‘apologised’ for the editing for the Queen documentary.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6901613.stm
The cynic in me would be inclined to think the RDF was not happy about apologising.
BTW-RDF board of Directors is very tight with BBC
http://www.rdfmedia.com/rdfmedia/board/
Ayayay
Look no further:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6901161.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6900384.stm
Mind you I have serious doubt about Boris as well:
http://www.boris-johnson.com/archives/2007/03/no_to_war_on_iran.php
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2006/10/12/do1201.xml
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2006/s1695573.htm
Interesting that Al Beeb makes no attempt at highlighting BJ’s “ME policy” BECAUSE AL BEEB IS IN TOTAL AGREEMENT!
So there you have it-a choice between a man that welcomes head-choppers and a man that thinks Iran should have the bomb. Clearly a CJD outbreak is taking place in the UK.
Steve Norris is a far better candidate IMVHO.
Thank god I’ve packed my bags and got out of London. ….
ARchduke/ IiD
I notice how the BBC is so in love with the term “new cold war”, they appear to find it much more appetizing and pronounceable than “War on Terror” don’t they? Strange.
It seems as if Russophobia, is far more interesting than “Islamophobia”. I wonder?
The Taliban hated the Russians too. Oh, and Chechyna, and those Islamists, they hate Russia too. And of course, Zakayev we love you! (Don’t mention Beslan and the massacre of the innocents) he’s absolutely safe on our hallowed English soil. A land fit for heroes indeed.
And that wanted criminal Mr Berezosvsky, who stole hundreds of millions, safe again, the one who openly talks of violent revolutionary overthrow- what a nice chap!
And of course there is always the BBCs John Sweeney explaining to us on BBC2 why the Russians (and not the Islamists) blew up apartment blocks in Moscow.
Yes, we prefer Russophobia to Islamophobia.
I really do think that some idiots in the FO are intent on “spinning us” a new enemy, so as to bring on board the religion of peace. What was that repeated line we got from TB about how we stuck up for the Muslims in Kosovo. Creating this new “Feindbild” is to appease those who are fed up with the war on terror. Expect more Sweeney type reporting by the BBC on Chechyna…
War on terror •bad
New Cold war •double plus good
Why don’t we have a “no taxation without representation” campaign to “dis-establish the BBC” and get rid of the hated TV tax.
I wouldn’t dream of buying The Guardian, but I am forced to pay for the BBC, which is the television equivalent.
After hearing Andrew Marr refer to “Young Miliband” yesterday on BBC Radio 4s Start the Week, I have also heard that a new book about him is soon to appear and will be in all the shops and supermarkets (except ASDA)
David Miliband and the new cold war on terror
Printed by FO/BBC Bloomsbury Ltd. Price £17.99.
Johnj
Your right, the hype surrounding this is too much to take.
My thoughts are:
-Why AGAIN our Security Services allow other countries problems to manifest in the UK.
-That the “luvvies” and “darlings” are way too close to the Russian exiles (all those free footy tickets to see Chelsea might have something to do with it), and knowing how tight the current administration is to Al Beeb-I wonder if our PSB is pushing this further still?
-That the feud taking place between these “old comrades” is more to do with old style mafia squabbles than geo-politics.
-Why is it that this crime was a serious threat to the public-but when Islamic Terrorists get hold of “chlorine bombs” in Iraq then nobody bats an eyelid?
Yes, the assassination was totally immoral, illegal and irresponsible, but by playing ‘macho politics’ is only adding to the ever growing list of groups and countries that are eager to “sort out the UK”.
will:
I know most commenters here think the BBC is pro-Brown, –
Will, this is the reason – “Last week a breeze of excitement rippled through the bruschetta crowd. Certain Labour Party members, almost all BBC radio presenters and just about everyone I heard being interviewed on the subject, became animated by the possibility that Gordon Brown had a new and admirable attitude towards the Americans.”
Like all useful idiots they will shortly find they are talking to themselves.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/david_aaronovitch/article2087401.ece
GW, CC, BBC, and the Greenies repent. Set Aside is to be…….er…..Set Aside.
Yes those pink faced townies shuffling bits of paper in their clean and green offices, have been forced into a U turn. They have had a revelation, land is useful, you can grow things on it! No longer will they pay Farmers to neglect their land, it didn’t last long did it? Why? because –
Biofuels are creating havoc in an agricultural market where the impact of industry has in the past been minimal. The International Grains Council predicts that industrial use of grains will rise by 23 per cent to 229 million tonnes in 2007-08, with 107 million tonnes absorbed by ethanol producers.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article2087482.ece
Going Green has come full circle. is the BBC aware of this, will they acknowledge it? Hardly likely as it is not in their terms of reference.
What is in their terms of reference is programmes like “The Great British Village Show” introduced by Alan Tiscmarch and his co-presenter who appears to have nothing more to do other than add “balance”.
The Great British Village Show – the BBC version of living off the land
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/tv_and_radio/villageshow_index.shtml
Indigenous
I have no doubt that even with the success of the “surge” that the UK and the US will pull out by the beginning of next year.
Not because it’s ‘good for Iraq’ (because during this whole sordid affair the ‘great and the good’ haven’t given a hill of beans about them) nor to do with our long term security-but because jobs are on the line in November next year in the States.
It’s a shame however we haven’t a plan B for ‘after Iraq’ and it shows.
Not one single editorial from Al Beeb and chums on what happens AFTER we have gone. Not one jot on how handing over Iraq to the head-choppers MIGHT be an even bigger recruiting sergeant for the cause (because everybody loves a winner),how psychologically defeat will play out here and in the US, or the possibility that a major regional war might happen due to the number of factions try and fill the void.
Not forgetting Al Quieda’s ability to shift martyrs from Iraq to Afghanistan, so increasing the pressure there. Not to mention the effect of those ‘volunteers’ coming back to Pakistan…
The potty land fantasy that all our problems will ‘disappear’ once GWB has gone in almost criminally negligent. Flip-flop politics might appeal to the Boris and Ken fan clubs, but when you are dealing with an ideology that is hell bent on victory and will use all means to achieve that-then any sign of ‘weakness’ just adds more petrol to the bonfire.
We need separation of media and state its that simple.
Dis-establish the BBC.
End the BBC poll tax (‘licence fee’).
Q) Why is this the one subject totally verboten of all discussions on the BBC?
A) They know the response they would get.
Check this out – a discriminatory beauty contest, only open to women of a certain skin colour! The BBC breathlessly reports on this outrage… but hang on a minute, only three paragraphs criticising the contest, and a full eleven paragraphs justifying it!! Wonder why that could be…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6901836.stm
Anti Boris campaign in full swing last night on the evening news – lots of talk of “foot in mouth” and alleged gaffes (Though I can’t see how upsetting a few fat people in Portsmouth compares in magnitude of offence with the hubristic signing a treaty with a Venezuelan Dictator or spending public money on a failed beano to see Castro etc). There was no balancing “humorous” comment re Comrade Kens’ anti Zionism, drunken punch ups, feuding and vendettas, bringing the office into disrepute, obsession with every brand of Marxist loonie, the IRA and the extremist sweepings of the middle east……………….
Is it beyond the BBC to have a balanced analysis or even mention that Ken has a bit of a reputation?
Probably yes
The campaign will be completely characterized by the liberal application of the “buffoon” title.
BBC Radio London phone in this AM – Cameron.
Interesting call from someone who pointed out that it is apparently OK to hate someone on the basis of their class (cf any other form of hatred – race, religion, disability, ethnicity etc) I thought this was apposite as Vanessa had spent at least 10 mins pointing out that Cameron was an ex-Etonian “posh boy” who had no life experience to offer the public. I didn’t count the number of times “privileged background” came up. I don’t think Vanessa disliked him – just that she was working from the scripted/briefed segment of her show a – product of the BBC machine. When was the last time we were treated to an exposition of the role of Fettes College in the upbringing of Tony? There was a man with a very similar privileged education and background but that didn’t seem to be an issue……..
sorry – didn’t see new thread re Boris
BBC says: We endorse George Galloway, the man who has admitted he took dirty money from Saddam Hussein.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6902635.stm
Excellent example of the BBCs infantile leftism posing as objective news reporting on BBC News 24 (15:05) by a smiling BBC journalist James Landale, as if to say, hey guys, I AM in the loop!
“We don’t call it the War on Terror anymore, Gordon Brown has unofficially banned it!”
SO the BBC has unofficially decided to follow the Labour Party? “Banned” sorry, so we must not hear it anymore?
I have just watched about 20 or so minutes of News 24 (combined with eating), guess who the BBC rolled on, Oleg Gordievsky, ex KGB. It is literarily jaw-dropping:
“Russia is a very nasty country…..They are not good people…Russia should be punished for it….They are very good at nasty things”
Ok so no Russophobia here then! BBC Bias, what bias?
SO now the FO and Harry Potter have jeopardised counter-terrorist operations with Russia in the war on terror, and I personally can’t think of a bigger threat to the British people than that! There is talk by Alex. Grushko of the Russian Federal Services withholding cooperation with the UK. Brilliant move Miliband, still wet behind the ears in the FO, and look where we are now! And we all know that Osama Bin Laden has Chechen bodyguards, the war lord Zakayev (safe in London) must be extremely pleased with Miliband’s actions. How many Chechen speakers do we have working in intelligence- clearly Miliband thinks we don’t need any help? The English are so good at languages.
Yes Archduke, I’m scratching my head too about this… what happened with Saudi Arabia recently and a certain enquiry into financial corruption and bungs with a certain Prince, etc. Wasn’t that put on hold, suspended by TB himself • because it could possibly damage counter terrorist cooperation with the Arabs?
Russophobia yes, Islamophobia no.
Johnj, regardless of the current contretemps, I greatly admire Oleg Gordievsky for all that he did (and all that he sacrificed) to bring about the downfall of the Soviet system. He’s a real-life naturalised British hero. The worry is, of course, that the old Soviet tendencies are coming to the fore once more in Russia.
You could not make it up. The BBC puts a positive spin on an exploding head. Could someone at the BBC explain to me in this column why they have such a downer on Scientology? Lay person that I am I observe that unlike Islam, Scientology has not gone in for mass murder, so why is the BBC so anti? It makes you think that if the BBC hates it, it must be worthwhile.
More to the point, would the BBC consider it ‘unwanted fame’ if one of their reporters ‘lost it’ when interviewing someone of the Islamic faith. Of course it would never happen because 1) they would not show the clip. 2) they would fire the reporter 3) they would burn all incriminating evidence.
However they are basking in the reflected glory of a certain Mr Sweeney and his unwanted “FAME”. Come one BBC Tell me why you hate Scientology and love Islam?
BBC One website – Your guide to the best of BBC One. … and how John Sweeney found unwanted international fame after his confrontation with Scientology. ..
Scientology is considering ‘legal action’. Islam if aggrieved would probably consider a murderous fatwa and Sweeney would now be in hiding in fear of his life. No one, Sweeney include has the guts to take on Islam in a similar manner.
The BBC appears to think that Sweeney’s outburst was OK given it was Scientology.
If Sweeney had lost it in a Mosque we might have had a different ending.
On George Galloway, by Nick Assinder of the BBC:
“It was classic, gripping Galloway and promised a riveting Commons performance to compare with the roasting he gave US politicians when they hauled him before a senate committee two years ago.”
He gave them a roasting? I watched those proceedings on the internet (not the BBC’s edited version) and Galloway most certainly did not give anyone a roasting. In any case, the BBC is as leftist and islamophilic as Galloway.
New BBC line. All weathers = ‘climate change’
Cold snap prompts Peru emergency
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6729375.stm
“The Peruvian government has declared a state of emergency in several Andean regions hit by unusually cold weather.
Scientists say the unseasonable droughts, heavy rains and frosts are due to climate change.“
What? All weather from droughts to heavy rains and inbetween is due to ‘climate change’?
Oh B*llocks. Give me strength.
I saw this example one the front page of the BBC’s web site on July 17,2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6288480.stm
The article was listed with this link.
“‘Pleasure island’ Nigeria’s Sharia police prepare to target Kano’s Christian area”
The way it’s worded makes it sound like the Christian Area is the “pleasure Island”. After clicking on the link and reading the article, I can find that there is an area called “Sabon Gari” that has a large Christian population but I don’t think it could be considered a “Christian area”, as they live with other groups.
The article also contains this statement, which implies that Christians leaving Kano resulted in peace! Never mind that in all likelihood, it was Islamic Militias doing the fighthing.
“But after years of ethnic and religious violence, much of Kano’s small Christian population withdrew further to Sabon Gari to seek safety in numbers.
This has resulted in a peaceful co-existence between residents of the area and the rest of the city. “
NOT coming to a bbc news report any time soon..
10,000 turn out for a “free the soldiers” rally in NYC
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2007/07/let-my-people-g.html
but when 18 “climate change” nutters go for a walk- the bbc goes all ga-ga
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6898605.stm
Marc Urban of BBC 2 Newsnight has just said on Radio 4s “PM”: that of the 21 individuals wanted by the Russians who we refuse to extradite, a number of them are Islamist Chechen refugees. Surprise surprise. Urban speculates on BBC radio that
“now London is theoretically a safe haven for them”
BBC always behind in the news! Well, we really guessed that with the granting of Zakayev’s permission to remain here in this land fit for heroes. God help us. It’s Melanie’s picture of Londonistan, just getting bigger and bigger really, isnt it? G&Ts all round, Londonistan calling, such nice people gathering here nowadays, all with solid government approval, anybody who feels that they will be persecuted by the Russians because they are Muslim, etc. We have even “banned” use of the term “War on Terror”- and we don’t insist on identity cards
I guess they will only really wake up when we have a Beslan scenario in a London primary school or a theatre taken over in Drury Lane? No doubt before that happens we will see MI5 (due to Islamist recruited sleepers) blowing up some apartment blocks in Brixton and blaming it on the Russians? Cue John Sweeney, who by then has given up his Panorama job and joined the Scientologists.
The BBC, its adoration for Sharia law and half a story.
Cracking down on Nigeria’s ‘pleasure island’
The Sharia police, or Hisbah, say they will soon commence raids in an enclave in northern Nigeria’s ancient Muslim city of Kano – dubbed by locals as “pleasure island”. The Hisbah have given themselves the task of enforcing morals and Islamic law in the city, but so far have largely left Sabon Gari, or New Town, alone, complete with its bars, brothels and night-clubs. But they say they must stamp out such “sinfulness” in case it “pollutes” the rest of the city. Sabon Gari has always been a district populated by “settlers” or non-Muslim southern traders and professionals who have settled and worked in Kano. But after years of ethnic and religious violence, much of Kano’s small Christian population withdrew further to Sabon Gari to seek safety in numbers. This has resulted in a peaceful co-existence between residents of the area and the rest of the city.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6288480.stm
If I was to say that Muslims living in Northern British towns withdrew further into their enclaves in which to seek safety in numbers would I be justified in saying;
“This has resulted in a peaceful co-existence between residents of the area and the rest of the city”
Because the reports into the Bradford and Oldham riots both picked up on two different parallel societies living side by side but not integrating as the major contributing factor towards those riots.
So why does the BBC use that statement in which to describe the situation in Kano. When in that part of the world when they riot they don’t use bricks and the human right act in which to defend themselves they use Guns, knives and bombs and riot they do often. Here are a few examples of those riots in Kano;
1999
Nigeria: More divided than united?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/538133.stm
2001
Eyewitness: Kano after the clashes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1600964.stm
2002
Human Rights Watch spoke to several hospital patients who were being treated for injuries sustained as a result of shootings by soldiers. Some admitted that they had been involved in rioting, but said that the soldiers shot directly at them without trying to arrest them. For example, a twenty-one-year-old Muslim from Sabon Gari, who was shot in the stomach, said he was among those rioting and attacking Christians. He said the soldiers arrested some people on November 22, then shot others at random:
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2003/nigeria0703/4.htm
2004
Nigerian city rocked by rioting
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3705989.stm
It appears the BBC doesn’t understand the meaning of peaceful co-existence
The BBC, its adoration for Sharia law and half a story.
(Non-Redneck sorry only just noticed your post on the very same subject hope you don’t mind me adding a bit more)
The BBC, race riots and half a story.
Six guilty over city race riots
Five men and a 15-year-old boy have been found guilty of criminal charges in connection with race riots which broke out in Birmingham in 2005. The defendants had denied charges related to disturbances in the Lozells area of the city. They were convicted of offences including riot, wounding with intent, violent disorder, robbery and racially aggravated damage to property.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/6903078.stm
Race riots Between whom BBC?
Whites/Black
Whites/Brown
Black and Brown
Now if it concerned the top two you can bet your bottom Euro (I am talking about the BBC here) that the BBC would let you know just how bad those Whites really are.
But for some strange reason the BBC leaves out just who were rioting. (Not even a historical link on the sidebar)
I wonder why?
The BBC, race riots and half a story.
LibDem’s Evan Harris, champion of civil liberties, does the studio rounds getting bug eyed & red faced at the audacity of anyone opposing the idea that doctors be given free rein to harvest bits of our dying body.
The BBC,Qassam rockets and half a story
Man jailed over terror blueprints
A British man who was found with blueprints for a rocket in his luggage at Luton Airport has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.
…………….
Nassari’s hard drive contained documents about martyrdom and weapons training, as well as instructions on how to construct the Qassam artillery rocket – a home-made steel rocket used by terrorist groups in the Middle-East.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6902942.stm
Terrorists groups BBC?
Only one terrorist org in the Middle East uses builds and uses ‘Qassam’ rockets funny enough all of them are launched from Gaza.
But hey don’t take my word for it, here is what Global security has to say on the subject;
“The rocket gets its name from Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam [less commonly, Izz Al-Din Al-Qassim], a militant Syrian preacher who advocated rebellion against European colonial powers in the Middle East during the 1920s and 1930s.
…………
Hamas has named part of its organization after Qassam and in recent years developed the Qassam rocket.”
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas-qassam.htm
Oh and before anybody points out ‘Hezbollah’ they fire ‘Katyusha rockets’
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/katyusha.htm
The BBC, Qassam rockets and half a story
john trenchard:
Across the channel, Sarko must be rubbing his hands with glee. Here comes the Franco-American alliance.
I was in Yorktown for the annual victory parade and as always the French navy was guest of Honour. Despite what the media report, the average American has the following engraved in his brain –
Victory would not have been possible without the French. French naval vessels blocked any re-supply from New York from entering Chesapeake Bay – the rescue effort did not arrive until well after the battle – and prevented the English from evacuating Cornwallis’s troops by sea. Two French forces and Washington’s Continentals blocked escape by land.
All American children know these names – Admiral de Grasse of the French fleet – Washington and his French aide, the Marquis de Lafayette, – Washington and French General Rochambeau with 2,500 Continental and 4,000 French troops –
cornered and attacked Cornwallis who was outnumbered, outgunned and was running out of food. He surrendered his army of 7,157 on October 19, 1781.
Cornwallis made a lot of mistakes but nevertheless, without French assistance Washington’s army would never have stood a chance.
ACCOUNT OF FRENCH ASSAULT on redoubts 9 & 10
http://xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/9and10.htm
Phone-in on R5 this morning in the wake of the publication of survey claiming one third of Britons keep a weapon of some sort in the house in case of intruders:
Lots of calls & texts voicing quite reasonable fears and recounting some (but not all) very bad experiences with the Police’s reaction ( the latter’s frequent tardiness and/or arse-covering apathy a major factor in some callers’ determination to protect themselves at whatever cost).
Striking then to hear the very next news bulletin on the station in which coverage of the survey that prompted the phone-in had added to it a cautionary note: out of all the overwhelmingly “we have to protect ourselves” calls, the station chose to play as part of the bulletin almost the only ‘anti’in the whole hour, who meanderingly warned that a householder’s weapon could end up being used against them by the intruder (!)
By the same token perhaps we should disband out armed forces in case they end up being taken over by an enemy and used against us.
Maybe I could call Tony McNulty if I hear my gaff being broken into…
The BBC, its hatred of Israel and a subtle lie of a story
Gaza-West Bank divisions harden
Ever since the Hamas takeover of Gaza in June there have been effectively two governments in the occupied Palestinian territories.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6900739.stm
Occupied Palestinian territories?
Silly me and there I was thinking it was only the West bank was occupied or is the BBC sending the message that Hamas is guilty of doing to Gaza what Israel is doing to the West Bank. Something tells me they aren’t.
The BBC, its hatred of Israel and a subtle lie of a story
This report…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/6897265.stm
…Is fisked here:
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=41011
“This is utter, utter rubbish that would be out of place in a ten year old’s homework. If this is the best the BBC can do, might I suggest that it should give up technology reporting and concentrate its efforts on pro-celebrity Come Dancing Eastenders?”
The BBC, its hatred of America and half a story
Baghdad diary: Journalists as targets
Namir Noor-Eldeen “was a brother before he was a colleague” and “a very generous man who gave away a lot of his belongings to friends”…
Saeed Chmagh, 40, “was a man of principles and high values, the peacemaker of the office”…
Khalid Hassan was “the prankster of our office and a constant source of good humour. There is a terrible void here now”…
A fourth Iraqi man, whose name his family do not want published, was “always polite and cheerful” and “very precise”..
Two of them, Namir and Saeed, were killed by the US military during what it says was a battle with insurgents. Khalid and the fourth man were shot dead by unknown gunmen. What these four men had in common is that they all worked for the media.
…………..
It is now estimated that at least 190 media workers have been killed in Iraq since the invasion.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6901235.stm
The BBC reports on just how bad media staff have had it since 2003 in Iraq. The BBC says that 190 media workers have died and from what the BBC tells you about life in Iraq. The Americans are guilty of at least half. In fact if we rejoin that story further on the BBC has this to say;
“Then there are random shootings, roadside bombs and the threat from the massive, indiscriminate car bombs launched by al-Qaeda.
And there is the threat of being mistakenly killed by the Americans. The Americans argue that the violence they employ is discriminating and targeted. But it can only be as discriminating as the quality of the information they have about their target. Once a pilot in a helicopter gunship or a gunner in a Humvee has decided to open fire, those at the receiving end do not stand a chance. On the streets of Baghdad, you can see just how scared Iraqis are of US troops every day, by the way drivers skid to the side of the road like frightened rabbits whenever they see an American patrol approaching. Allegations of US forces wrongly killing civilians are common. Certainly they are played up at times by some militia and insurgent groups for their own endsBut it is equally certain that many of these allegations are never properly investigated, or simply forgotten, buried under the next set of grim statistics.”
So there you have it. According to the BBC the Yanks are gun-ho and just let rip when ever they feel the need to do so. Lets return to that 190 figure does the BBC tell you were they got it from? There’s a clue in one of the small insert boxes.
Source: Committee to Protect Journalists
So I did a little checking and here is what I found;
JOURNALISTS KILLED ON DUTY: 110*
• In addition, CPJ keeps a separate tally of media support workers who have been killed. That number stands at 40.
Well that makes 150 where does the BBC get the other 40 from?
How did they die?
Responsibility:
• Insurgent action: 82 (Includes crossfire, suicide bombings, and murders.)
• U.S. fire: 15 (CPJ has not found evidence to conclude that U.S. troops targeted journalists in these cases. While the cases are classified as crossfire, CPJ continues to investigate.)
• Iraqi armed forces, during U.S. invasion: 3 (All are crossfire or acts of war.)
• Iraqi armed forces, post-U.S. invasion: 1 (Crossfire)
• Source unconfirmed: 9
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/Iraq_danger.html
Hang on the BBC paints this impression that the Americans kill as many if not more than the terrorists. Yet the figures quoted by the Committee to Protect Journalists. Tells me only 15 have died and most likely they died in crossfire. But what about the other 40?
Responsibility:
• Insurgent action: 36 (Includes crossfire, suicide bombings, and murders.)
• U.S. fire: 3 (Includes crossfire.)
• Source unconfirmed: 1
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/Iraq/iraq_media_killed.html
3 deaths so a total of 18 deaths at the hands of the US forces, with the terrorists killing 118 . Exactly 100 people more or about an 650% increase.
Even a reporters without frontiers report on the same subject (March 2006)
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16793
Indicates that 12% of media staff deaths were caused by the Americans.
So why does the BBC present this image that the Americans are killing anybody they see with a press pass willy nilly.
The BBC, its hatred of America and half a story
Once again the BBC promotes the EU Galileo as the Bees knees when compared to GPS.
Galileo challenges sat-nav firms
Entrepreneurs are being urged to look to the future of satellite navigation.
A competition, which aims to find novel ideas that exploit the pin-point accuracy of Europe’s soon-to-launch Galileo system, is calling for entries.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6897944.stm
But here is something I read 4 years ago in the Economist which the BBC isn’t very forthcoming about;
Navigating the future
Jun 26th 2003
From The Economist print edition
How America can learn from Europe
ONE is a state-owned monopoly, financed by taxpayers and free at the point of consumption. The other uses private finance, promotes competition and seeks payment for services rendered. So which is American and which European? Wrong. The commercial model comes from the Europeans.
The comparison is between the Global Positioning System (GPS), developed by America, and the incipient Galileo satellite navigation system being built by the European Union. America cannot understand why the Europeans feel the need to re-invent this wheel. But apart from a desire to exercise its sovereign right to maintain its independence of America in such an important strategic area, Europe also has a business case for investing over $3 billion.
Strange how the BBC doesn’t mention any of the above.
News 24 at 9:00 starts with news of Sir Tom Hunter’s generosity in intending to give away £1 bn (because – according to the BBC – Sir Tom feels the wealth gap is growing). This segues neatly into the “real” news: a 15 minute segment on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation findings about the wealth gap. That the wealth gap in the UK is widening might be true but who knows? Certainly the BBC cares little enough to adopt a sceptical stance concerning the figures. Even the JRF admits that its findings stem from a new “spatial” analysis of the situation. Accordingly, it must be assumed that this analysis is not strictly comparable with any other work done on the problem up to now: how convenient!
After all the JRF (“left leaning” is omitted from the BBC’s description of this organisation) is not exactly impartial, in the sense that the BBC is supposed to be, when it comes to this kind of thing. It would have been an enormous and unprecedented surprise if the JRF had produced figures if the wealth gap – according to the JRF research – hadn’t followed the JRF agenda. Also the BBC (with its usual careless incompetence where other people’s money is concerned) appears to have conflated both the reports from JRF released today: the first that concludes that the wealth gap is growing, the second that the public feels that the gap is growing. So the BBC seizes enthusiastically on some more ammunition in its war against those filthy, money grubbing [1] capitalists.
[1] copyright John Humphrys
Am I the only one who gets fed up with every time I turn on the BBC news programmes radio or TV they have the very left wing Kevin Maguire from the Daily Mirror on there spouting off. On Radio 5 live the other day they even made a joke of it. Does he ever do any work at the Mirror? I seem to remember they did the same in the 1980’s with a certain Alistair Campbell.
pounce | 17.07.07 – 8:23 pm | #
Pounce- The article you linked to (“Gaza-West Bank divisions harden”) contains another theme I thought worth pointing out. Consider the section subheaded Order in Gaza, which trumpets Hamas'”notable success” in “[restoring] a degree of law and order to the previously lawless territory.” Do you suppose that if Israel had ever resorted to any of the ‘law and order’ methods used by Hamas, al-Beeb’s take on the situation would be different? In the following sentence we read that “it is difficult to see what else Hamas can achieve if it is being isolated on all fronts.”
Well, not quite all fronts – with the help of the BBC, Hamas will always have a powerful platform.
This is a good old BBC unbiased read:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6902635.stm
bbc news 24 on the palestinian prisoner releases….
to sum up, they’ll put down their guns, but maybe not.
at no stage is the FACT that there is already a “palestinian” state – its called Jordan.
jordan was part of the original british palestine mandate, and makes up about 80 per cent of the territory.
‘Am I the only one who gets fed up with every time I turn on the BBC news programmes radio or TV they have the very left wing Kevin Maguire from the Daily Mirror on there spouting off.’
Chris | 17.07.07 – 10:36 pm |
No you’re not the only one.
This odious piece of work is regularly trotted out by the BBC to defend the party of vermin when they are caught out. His recurring refrain in such instances is ‘But the Tories did this in ….’.
The debate is then immediately switched away from the Bliar/Brown act of criminality and focuses on what the Tories may or may not have done in 1873 or whenever.
Its a very shallow and transparent trick that the BBC have been employing for years.
Did any one else hear John Humphrys this morning on the today program
rooting for the Taliban in Afghanistan ?:
To Spencer it makes perfect sense.”There is a deep ideological affinity between the Left and the jihadists. Whenever the hard Left gained power they instituted a reign of terror in order to create what they envisage as a just society, brought about by force. Islamic law works in much the same way: utopia created by force.”
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=29190
“The BBC boss is expected to mention that the BBC has just introduced a new training programme, aimed at educating BBC and independent production staff about the importance of not deceiving viewers.”
The BBC is the bottom – any raising of standards from will be an improvement.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article2093907.ece