Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may be moderated.
I see the headlines on the BBC news website, have no mention of the 13% lead in the opinion polls, for the Conservatives or the slump in Brown’s personal rating. A couple of months ago, I seem to remember, the BBC loved headlining good (mostly faked) poll ratings for Broon. They don’t seem so keen to give the Conservatives the same positive publicity. Hmmmm wonder why?
I just watched a Sky News interview with Lauren Bush, regarding her feed1 bag and the World Food Programme. It was a decent interview with some difficult yet non-judgmental questions asked. It was then I pondered the following:
How much and what kind of coverage has the BBC given to this story about an ethical, eco-friendly bag that fits (almost) all of their check boxes for a newsworthy story?
I was shocked at not only the lack of a story on the bag, but the complete lack of ANY stories with her name in. BBC Search Results:
http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?scope=all&tab=ns&recipe=all&q=%22lauren+bush%22&x=51&y=14
A young, female, sexy, blonde relative of President Bush and not a single story of note on the BBC website. What are the odds eh?
To the liberal arts education of a large proportion of BBC staff must be added the essential component,television and radio are show business,all the denizens thereof are all luvvies.As such none of them will risk being outside the troupe.
Leftwing playwright Sir David Hare exposes the twisted corrupt beeb.
From The New Statesman:
A few years ago I was rung up by the BBC and asked if I could record an interview for a film they were preparing for the night the Queen dies. They told me that everyone they had chosen to speak to had unsurprisingly turned out to be an admirer, and, in the fabled interests of balance, they needed the opposing point of view. “Oh,” I said, “you mean you want me to attack the Queen on the night of her death?”
I declined, not because it was the Queen, but because it was anyone. In fact, as it happens, they asked me again, this time for Margaret Thatcher and I said no a second time. Surely, the day someone dies is the day when the serious business begins of working out who on earth they were.
Comments from “Reactionary Roger”:
If it wasn’t for the late queen we most certainly would have lost the second war and we would have failed to fight off the red menace. I propose to throw my radio into a lavatory. Jenni Murray, I will listen to you no more.
– and “forthurst”:
The BBC believes in balance. Oh really? I have ceased listening and watching their current affairs, or documentaries on matters of public interest precisely because their programmes totally lack balance or depth or indeed any effort whatsoever to fulfill their broadcasting remit.
That the BBC assumed that because David Hare was a bit of a leftie he would share their own total lack of a sense of decorum indicates that they are indeed the bunch of vile scumbags some of us imagined and that therefore their own demise would be an occasion for celebration by the whole nation.
That shrinking icecap. It is Back
Let’s not have ‘moral relativism’ reporting on this,
1.) WOLFOWITZ (American), resigned from World Bank;
2.) VERHEUGEN (European), he and ‘friend’ keep top jobs at E.U.
“Remember the Wofowitz saga”
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2007/12/remember-wolfowitz-saga.html
One solution to “global warming” will see arise in the price of oil. This will help al Qaeda.
Green = Terrorism.
I love it!
The current state of global warming knowledge
PeterUK:
It may not be ‘politically correct’ to some, but nuclear power is becoming increasingly economically correct:
“Nuclear power ‘must be on agenda'”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6681377.stm
And, nuclear power plants can assist in war against Islamic jihad:
“Nuclear Power as Part of the War Effort” (Hugh Fitzgerald)
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/11862
I note that the UN official in charge of climate change/screwing extra money from taxpayers was crying when he thought they might not get an agreement…. and the US turned around and said Yes just to shut the other buffoons up. Do you honestly think the US Democrat or Republicans will place their economy in danger to satisfy some far away country such as China or India who cause more pollution than the US does? Yeah right. Watch the US and others such as France do their own thing over the coming years. Bali was a bally disgrace, a waste of travel time and carbon offsets!
Still waiting for the BBC to put an alternative viewpoint to all this ballyhoo on their sites or news reports.
(I’m sorry – I’m in a terrible punning mood today.. 8-0 )
dave t
Yes your are right they absolutely will not under any conditions.
However our western governments still want the vastly higher environmental taxes.
But even worse then that. Their financiers still want to make a very healthy return on the trillions they have already invested in their otherwise useless technologies and mind control scams.
If the likes of Al Gore do not get their way, its not just their bank balances that could be on the line. No wonder some of these crooks are sometimes reduced to tears.
Is there really any uninterested person out there that believes Al Gore cares about anything other then himself?
If there is they must have had their brains either removed or seriously damaged beyond repair.
At the latest count Gore has made some $50 MILLION out of his carbon offset company alone not including royalties for ‘An Inconveient Truth” (which the courts of LAW have shown to be a LIE in major aspects)
Wot? No Panorama investigation?…..
Inconvenient! Damm the spiel chooker!
” Pope: Global warming assessment
must be based on ‘science not dogma'”
http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2007/12/it-is-something-of-topsy-turvy-world.html
” Pope: Global warming assessment
must be based on ‘science not dogma'”
As a Catholic I could be rather cheeky and say ‘How about all that Genesis 6 day world creation stuff then?’ 😎
But since I’ve seen the Jesuits (Papal Shock Troops) in action I won’t!
*dives for cover behind nearest BBC employed non-believer*
PS To the BBC – no-one (not least you lot) expects the Spanish Inquisition. One day my friends, revenge will be gained for Jerry Springer the Opera. We will tie you on racks and make you listen to Madonna CDs and Gregorian Monks chanting whilst flaying your skin from your weedy bones with whips made from Victoria Beckham’s hair extensions and David Beckham’s underpant fillings….. you’re all doomed I tell you! 8-P
dave t:
We will tie you on racks and make you listen to Madonna CDs and Gregorian Monks chanting whilst flaying your skin from your weedy bones with whips made from Victoria Beckham’s hair extensions and David Beckham’s underpant fillings….. you’re all doomed I tell you! 8-P
—————————————-
For FREE? They normally have to pay good money for that sort of thing. Goes on expenses…
AL-BEEB should not decide how society develops:
As Sir Michael put it in a speech last month, the BBC is being “challenged to play its part in reinforcing social cohesion in an increasingly diverse society”. He went on to give his personal commitment to that objective in these terms: “All of my previous work has convinced me that diversity both within and between local communities is a source of strength rather than weakness – and that the UK will become stronger the more it recognises and builds on that diversity. The BBC can and should help with this.”
Whether you agree with those sentiments is neither here nor there. Who precisely is Sir Michael, not to say all those hundreds of faceless programme producers, writers and editors, to decide that the UK will become stronger if it embraces diversity? Who elected them?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=H4QFAFPAWO1INQFIQMGSFFOAVCBQWIV0?xml=/opinion/2007/12/17/do1701.xml
Janet Daley’s article on the BBC, raises several important policy issues, including:
…” the money provided by the licence fee for public service broadcasting should cease to be monopolised by the BBC.”
‘BBC should not decide how society develops’ (Janet Daley).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=WMV0SAYBQFCU5QFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/opinion/2007/12/17/do1701.xml
“”challenged to play its part in reinforcing social cohesion in an increasingly diverse society”. He went on to give his personal commitment to that objective in these terms: “All of my previous work has convinced me that diversity both within and between local communities is a source of strength rather than weakness – and that the UK will become stronger the more it recognises and builds on that diversity. The BBC can and should help with this.””
Curse their insipid newspeak, it makes my blood boil. We’ve already seen how they, the BBC, enforce “social cohesion”, with “social responsibility” (thanks Gordon Brown), by apologising for mass murder, and little ditties like “Don’t Panic I’m Islamic”.
Today programme 7.20am
“0721 Tony Blair will be chairing a conference today of the 90 countries who support the Palestinian authority.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/
Jeremy “Balen” gives up any sense of balance in this latest report from the Middle East. In a report lasting about 3 minutes, “Balen” is highly critical of Israel throughout and does not mention Palestinian terrorism. Also in this report he spends about three seconds acknowledging that Israel constructed the barrier for security reasons, but listen to the tone he uses to deal with this issue – lower voice, dismissive tone.
I thought that Bowen was there to provide context and balance, but this is a travesty. Any more and the cry will go up: “Bring back Orla!”
As Janet Daley’s article suggests, the BBC pursues a continual, one-sided case for MULTICULTURALISM:
‘BBC should not decide how society develops’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml;jsessionid=WMV0SAYBQFCU5QFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/opinion/2007/12/17/do1701.xml
With a mixture of intellectual arrogance and cowardice, the BBC, in effect, censors a counterbalancing anti-multiculturalism on a daily basis. Intelligent, opposing philosophical positions to that of the BBC, like that ably presented by Paul Weston here, are simply relegated or discounted in the BBC’s presumptuous manner, as it carries on with its daily, unchallengeable propaganda:
‘Multiculturalism- Merits and Debits’
http://my.telegraph.co.uk/british_renaissance/may_2007/multiculturalism_merits_debits.htm
“Turned out nice again, hasn’t it?”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=502751&in_page_id=1773
Wonder if anyone at al-Beeb can tell us the carbon footprint of the annual Muslim get-together in Mecca?
Here is a link from the BBC World Service 75 years “Free to Speak” about the use or not of the T word: http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20071217-0953.mp3
“All of my previous work has convinced me that diversity both within and between local communities”.
Yes, like strapping on a bomb and blowing yourself up along with diverse members of local communities.
Or better still strength through diversity,just like the Balkans or India and Pakistan,Northern Ireland.Perhaps Darfur,or the Philippines even dear little Belgium.
This isn’t stupidity it is insanity.
Looks like Gramsci,Foucault and the Frankfurt School have won.Pity the victor isn’t going to be the socialist one worlders.
Will the BBC’s commitment to MULTICULTURALISM allow it to report nationally this story about London Labour Mayor, Livingstone?:
‘The Mayor is denying the truth’
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23428132-details/%27The+Mayor+is+denying+the+truth%27/article.do
Paris hosts Mid-East donor talks
Appealing for aid, Mr Abbas told donors in Paris a “moment of truth” had arrived.
“Without the payment of aid … we will be facing a total catastrophe in the West Bank and Gaza,” he said.
This may turn into one of my Gaza is not the most over-crowded places on Earth obsessions.
Israeli activity is only one and not the most important one of the causes of Palestinian economic catastrophe no matter how often the BBC says it is. Jeremy Bowen had some economic training at one time but hasn’t grasped this fact.
IMHO the causes of Palestinian economic problems are:
🙁 Continuing a state of war and incitement against the neighbour who is your largest likely employer, market, port and supplier of raw materials;
🙁 Proving, by deliberate withdrawal of labour, sabotage and murder of employers during the 1st Intifada, that Israel doesn’t need Palestinian labour;
🙁 Unnecessary siding with Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War leading to the expulsion from the Gulf States of all Palestinians, who at the time were remitting salaries and paying income tax to the PLO;
🙁 Enormous and continuing corruption from the top down preventing at least half of the billions donated from any productive purpose;
🙁 Importing a vast arsenal of economically non-productive weaponry;
🙁 Employing (and not necessarily paying) large numbers of Palestinians in multiple, overlapping, economically unproductive security and police services;
🙁 Keeping ‘refugees’ in camps for decades instead of building on open land and creating a building boom;
🙁 A welfare mentality based on UNWRA and foreign donations – why work?
🙁 Treating Israeli settlement as a threat and not an opportunity for employment;
Oh and at the bottom of the list:
🙁 The check-points and barrier fence are not helping. See point one.
Will there ever been a time when Britain announces that millions of British tax payer money will be given to the Palestinians and the BBC will ask, “Why” ❓
For an anti-BBC, anti-multiculturalist view of Palestine’s apparently permanent massive subsidy from the West, (and elsewhere), as in Paris today, suggest see:
‘Infidel Man’s Burden’ (by Hugh Fitzgerald):
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_direct_link.cfm/blog_id/8501
George R | 17.12.07 – 3:01 pm,
deegee | 17.12.07 – 2:45 pm,
Palestinian terrorists only have to unstrap their suicide belts and stack their weapons in a corner for five minutes for a smoke break for Western powers to be jostling at their door for the privelege of being the first to continue showering them with money.
All that remains is for the Palestinians to convince the West to give those actually firing the Kassams wagon loads of money in exchange for a distant promise of a ceasefire.
I have never really understood this almost supernatural ability of the Palestinians to attract Western cash. Maybe I’ll ask somebody at the BBC to explain it to me. They seem to know them pretty well.
Excellent post Deegee. The day the BBC gives such a clear, accurate and concise account of the reasons why the Palestinian economy is a washout, really will be worth celebrating. But back in the real world – Jeremy Bowen gave another of his utterly biased reports for the Today programme this morning. Pessimism about peace talks is all “because Israel is building settlements” – no mention of course of Pal rocket attacks. Meanwhile looks like the European taxpayer is going to be forced to pay the jizya for this psychopathic culture. Surely they should know by now that chucking money at the problem is only going to make everything worse.
Bryan | 17.12.07 – 3:44 pm |
I have never really understood this almost supernatural ability of the Palestinians to attract Western cash. Maybe I’ll ask somebody at the BBC to explain it to me. They seem to know them pretty well.
Puzzling isn’t it? You’d think the West wanted to see more dead Jews. Ah. 🙁
Re: Janet Daley’s article in the Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/12/17/do1701.xml
One of the reader’s comments was very interesting. It read:
I have a friend who is a cameraman for BBC News. He informs me that since the inception in 1988 of an organisation – disguised as a charity and known as ‘Common Purpose’ – all BBC managers have to attend one of their training courses.
If you aren’t familiar with the sinister ‘Common Purpose’, visit this link for a description of its purpose and methods used in brainwashing and developing vital personnel in positions of power and/or influence for future activity – akin to sleeper cells:
http://www.themidnightsun.org/?p=1268
Do read the link. I have no idea as to the veracity of this, maybe John Reith could enlighten us further.
Janet Daleys crappy article: “That, apparently, is the sound conclusion of the Conservative Party, which plans to endorse an idea that has been going the rounds for some time: that the money provided by the licence fee for public service broadcasting should cease to be monopolised by the BBC. A share of it should be available to any broadcasting outfit that proposes to make programmes deemed to be in the public interest. Not only would this be more just, but it would be a stimulus to all the channels to raise their game.”
No, the whole idea of a telly tax should be scrapped.
How typical of the new conservatives. Having seen the disasterous effects of Socialism they then say what we obviously need is yet more Socialism.
“A share of it should be available to any broadcasting outfit that proposes to make programmes deemed to be in the public interest.”
No I don’t want any more of my money being used to tell me about how wonderful the ‘socially responsible’ EU dictatorship is.
We’ll be seeing death camps by 2020.
‘You mean you don’t have an editor? You must be higher up in the BBC hierarchy than you’ve let on. Or is it simply the case that those above you know that you’ll faithfully follow the BBC’s agenda and so they happily let you get on with it?’
*****
As a journalist of some 20+ years, and having worked for a number of the country’s best-known newspaper and magazine groups, I can categorically state that you wouldn’t last long in any job in the industry if you didn’t toe the party line.
So David Gregory might well be an excellent, fastidious reporter who is given free range to cover any story he thinks might be of interest to his viewers.
But, and I mean no offence to David personally whatsoever, at his level he would be highly unlikely to progress within the BBC unless he broadly follows the editorial direction laid down by his superiors.
Like it or not, that’s the way the business works as indeed do most businesses • look at the outcry when Mr Ratner described one of his products as ‘crap’.
If you feel very strongly that your beliefs and principles are out of synch with your employer’s, then you have to move on, you can’t really fight the system from within. Anyone who tries to claim they are doing that is a liar.
More unbiased reporting from the Beeb on AGW:
“Rising seas ‘to beat predictions'” (there’s those quotes again!)..
It turns out to be another prediction, which (surprise surprise) is even more scary than the previous one.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7148137.stm
Might be interesting to examine why archaeology involves digging UP things which date from the period when Greenland was green.
The Fat Contractor,
Nobody, least of all the BBC, will ever know how many millions in Western aid got/gets turned into weapons of terror against Jews by the Terrostinians.
Rob Clark,
I noticed that the esteemed Dr. Gregory didn’t respond to my comment about him toeing the party line.
Here’s a two-part summary of a Hardtalk interview with Hazel Blears on dialogue with the Muslim community.
http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=hardtalk&tab=all&edition=i&recipe=all&scope=all&start=1
There is quite a revealing moment when Sackur asks her about her interaction with Azzam Tamimi, pointing out that he said he would be prepared to be a suicide bomber in a Hardtalk interview a few years ago. I’m convinced she had no idea about this inclination of Tamimi but she recovered quickly and went on to spout more PC.
“. . .challenged to play its part in reinforcing social cohesion in an increasingly diverse society”.
If “diversity” is such a “strength”, how come it presents such a “challenge” for our society?
Please multi-culti obsessives, could you explain that one, pretty please?
Rob Clark:
Interesting post Rob, and confirms my suspicion about editors ruling the roost.
“If you feel very strongly that your beliefs and principles are out of synch with your employer’s, then you have to move on, you can’t really fight the system from within. Anyone who tries to claim they are doing that is a liar.”
I think Doc Gregory is correct in assuming he has total freedom to report what he wants, purely because I doubt he has ever reported anything his editors DIDN’T want him to report.
No offense meant to David, he is a very likeable chap, but he does appear to live in a cosy, insular middle class utopia as do most Beeboids. The Archers and cream teas in the BBC gift shop with friendly old ladies.
However, he has often asked people here if they would like to put forward a suggestion of something they would like to see reported on Midlands today, and I have yet to read anyone take him up on the offer.
Therefore, how can Doc Gregory ever be proved that his editors opinions on what’s newsworthy is more important than his own if someone doesn’t set that challenge before him.
Oscar | 17.12.07 – 4:24 pm
But back in the real world – Jeremy Bowen gave another of his utterly biased reports for the Today programme this morning.
Recommend we all take Jeremy Bowen’s book War Stories out of the library and read it.
Some salient ‘facts’:
■ If we are to take the book seriously J.B. never-ever researched a story before jumping in to report on the ‘bang-bang’. In his own words he’s, “hooked on the war drug” (p.32). Not exactly a balanced point to stand,
■ J.B. has some experience in finance but was never really interested. “I had no real interest in the City of London; unlike some of the stripe-shirted 1980’s people I had to interview, I didn’t think greed was good”(p.20). Not exactly the ideal person to analyse Palestine’s economy.
■ Drinks too much (p.21, p.23, p.36, …) This might be a prerequisite for the job.
■ Doesn’t speak any language of the region so is forced to surround himself with local staff/ fixers without which he would have no idea how to proceed.
•Malek, … “turned to television news after spending time as a gunman in one of the militias. He chose the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.(p.x)”
•Abed, … (soon to be deceased and by his death create a life-time hatred of Israel in J.B.) “knew everyone from the bearded and serious men at the offices of the Islamic resistance, Hizbollah, in the southern suburbs of the city, to the head waiters at the best fish restaurants.(p.x)”
•Saddoun … “chief minder at the (Saddam’s)Ministry of Information before being demoted for being too friendly with foreign journalists (picture insert between pp.24-25)”
•Boaz … “He was an Israeli conscientious objector who used to tell me not to halt or show any documents when the army in which he refused to serve tried to stop us at one of its checkpoints in the West Bank.(p.232)” J.B. views reality through the filters of his support staff. What a surprise that J.B. reports as he does.
DeeGee,
Oscar | 17.12.07 – 4:24 pm
But back in the real world – Jeremy Bowen ….
……..So really he’s just a lazy old drunk then. Clearly his poisonous views on Israel will have done incredible damage throughout the world. It is appalling that his voice is that of the BBC. Until I became aware of this bias I trusted the BBC and believed it was the best broadcasting company in the world.
It is utterly sickening.
“Unity in Diversity” and “Strength through Diversity” seem to come from the same PR company that wrote “Arbact Macht Frei”.
Farcical! ludicrous! are the people who make these decisions, the same people who were sacked from Blue Peter and all the others over competition hoaxes and phone scams.
By censoring the word “faggot”…all the BBC are doing is linking this word more deeply with gay people. The woman is breaking up with her male partner. She is a character within a story. Are we now not to see nay dramas involving gay bashing from the bbc ever ? In fact we should now never see any negative feelings portrayed to any character coming from any social group, for fear we may upset that group.
Should the BBC not have consulted gay people and asked “How many gay people have bought the record?”
I would be interested if there are any gay people reading this thread whether they are offended.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/18/faiytale_censorship/ regarding above post