I’ve just heard the BBC anchor respond “absolutely” to a Labour talking head’s suggestion that we need to remember Peter Hain’s “great achievements” as Work and Pensions Secretary. I am sure this is not an isolated incident of BBC sympathy. Would you care to add your thoughts in this thread? BBC story and coverage HERE.
Oh, and of course, this blog offers kudos to Guido on his great success.
Do you think, if was a Tory, we’d have XXXX resigns to attempt to “clear name”
The HYS is warming up nicely.
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=1&forumID=4148&start=15&tstart=0&edition=1&ttl=20080124142500#paginator
what ‘great achivements’ were those then ? I must have drifted off and woke up just as the government refused to honour the pensions safety net for that last batch……
He dug up a Cricket pitch once. Perhaps a career as a landscape gardner beckons?
http://www.order-order.com/2008/01/how-guido-destroyed-hains-ambitions-in.html
bbc coming in for a lot of stick in the comments on guido’s blog above.
and why is hain story not on the bbc front page.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/default.stm
Unfortunately, this incident is one of the blackest chapters of bias in the bbc’s history. They failed completely to investigate or report on numerous aspects of the hain fraud case ( which is what it is).
Then again, they also turned a blind eye to the nulab / brown think tank scam, so at least they are consistent !!!!
Hain the hero resgins | 24.01.08 – 2:53 pm
Good riddence to bad rubbish!
Hain was a communist who turned Liberal and then Labour as the need arose – a political chamelian of shameless proportions.
As to the Tories hounding him out it was the Welsh fascists of Plied Cymru who broke the story and reported him to the Standards Commitee.
Maybe when you gain a little better literacy you could do some research on your hero and his dodgy dealings?
I did enjoy Carol Walker’s tribute video piece, on Hain. What a hero he seems to have been. Fought against Apartheid, wanted to raise taxes on top earners (that damned Blair blocked him), loyal, always the champion activist and protest leader who wasn’t afraid to stand up to controversy. He even founded the Anti-Nazi League (how many decades too late?), spoke out against hunting, and brokered peace in Northern Ireland.
Such a shame that he finished fifth out of six candidates, “which ultimately cost him his job”. It’s too bad the Labour Party had to lose one of its most loyal and committed ministers because of that and the Labour Party’s funding issue, something over which he apparently had little control.
The few times I heard Hain on Any Questions? he affected a sneering disdain, not at all unreminiscent of some old-style Soviet Regional Party Boss (ie a jumped-up bureacrat) dismissing the views and complaints of the plebs he was allegedly representing.
But pleasingly, on a few of those Any Questions? appearances he was loudly hissed, if not actually booed.
Good riddance, I say.
2:53 I can spill you deck.
2:58 Rubbish the bcc wwere obsessed with this issue are were lead by te fake outrage of the tory blogosmoeare who have tolerated osbounrne half million quid of failed donations Where is their fake outrage there.
I am sure my view will soon be deleted as bias bbc is biased itself.
Peter Hain’s “great achievements”.a bit like the worlds largest heamorrhoid .
Kenya needs him on that wall.
David Presier –
Your comment is either bitingly sarcastic, or just a shade too partisan – I honestly cannot tell.
But perhaps I cruelly misjudge you.
Culture Sec (and pro-BBC licence fee ‘top slicer’) James Purnell is reshuffled in Hain’s job (so reports BBC). Whoever gets the Culture Sec post could have a big bearing on future of BBC licence fee……
Hain was a standard toytown revolutionary who ran away fro Africa to fight South African Apartheid in liberal,tolerant Britain.Much easier digging up cricket pitches than getting his arse shot off in Africa.Since then he has not held down any kind of job which would qualify him to be home care,let alone Home Secretary.
Obviously he has all the attribute that make him a darling of the BBC.
Even the Guardian has a more accurate impartial headline:
Hain quits over donations inquiry
http://www.guardian.co.uk/
The BBC:
Hain quits jobs ‘to clear name’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7206812.stm
Ha ha ha. Wot no ‘donations inquiry’ BBC?
4:13 Rubbish This is south african secret police not the noddy toyland cops. Thye had ther ability to destroy people in numerous nations look at krugergate. He was brave to stand up to them. .
Why the f*ck is this tripe hogging space on ViewsOnline when Hain has resigned?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7206591.stm
“Mr Hain declared 17 of these donations – totalling £103,000 – more than four months after the contest ended, placing him in potential breach of electoral law. ”
BBC – the missing words in your article are:
“failed to declare contrary to election law”
Oh and you could mention the various ways he tried to get around election law….he resigned to clear his name……… rolling on the floor here!
Wonder if there are champagne bottles strewn around the BBC tonight as there were after the 1997 election? (See side panel)
James Purnell’s CV in brief:
Before becoming MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, he worked for the Institute for Public Policy Research, the BBC and the Number 10 Downing Street Policy Unit.
That revolving door is turning faster. BBC – Downing Street Policy Unit – Government minister. Spot the difference.
Hain’s replacement at Work and Pensions, James Purnell, is of course an ex beeboid.
Head of BBC Corporate Planning until he left to work for Blair in 1997 (is that what he was planning?)
On that subject, we’ve just launched a new project on our BBC Pioneers blog.
We’re giving our “Hero of Socialist Broadcasting” award to past and present BBC folk with strong Nulab connections – of which we’ve found over 30 so far.
Have a look at the first dozen or so at:- http://bbcpioneers.blogspot.com/
Purnell’s name will appear shortly.
Keeley O’Lomb | 24.01.08 – 4:00 pm |
Sorry, I should have added tags. Aside from Apartheid (which obviously I would not support, and good for him for standing up against it, especially the focus on sports), the rest of Hain’s achievements seemed to be a laundry list of Leftoid BBC faves: attempting to force more socialist income redistribution, anti-hunting, the anti-Nazi League (of 1977, an alliance of union bosses and Socialists), pretending the St. Andrew’s Agreement on Stormont actually amounted to anything.
A video tribute indeed, if you are of the same mindset as the producers of the report.
I have often wondered just why the BBC commisars are able to get away with such blatant bias and one sided political propaganda without a squeak from the BBC governers or BBC trust? and now I know, all the people who should be watching for bias and dirty tricks are NuLabour cronies and placemen!
Is it any wonder that the BBC are able to lie and cheat and suckle vast ammounts of cash out of the taxslaves?
According to the BBC Hain is a hero and brave freedom fighter brought low by the spiteful Tories!
You couldnt make it up could you?
“Thye had ther ability to destroy people in numerous nations look at krugergate. He was brave to stand up to them. .”
Bollocks,Hain didn’t get destroyed but prospered mightily.Notably as a toytown revolutionary here in Britain.Odd he never went back to Africa when Apartheid was over.
But Kenya needs him now and he could enhance his tan.
David Preiser,
“Aside from Apartheid (which obviously I would not support, and good for him for standing up against it, especially the focus on sports)”
He did this by digging up cricket pitches in Britain, making sure he raised his political profile.He wasn’t out in the bush with an AK47.Hain isn’t in Kenya now
Indeed it is a historic day…
Blogging’s first UK scalp
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/politics/brassneck/jan08/bloggingscalp.htm
….not that you’d know if you rely on piss-poor BBC News for your info.
Guido on Newsnight tonight. Vs Hain perhaps?
http://www.order-order.com/2008/01/back-on-newsnight.html
Ed Thomas: Give us a time and I’ll check the ROT back to see what was said.
Virtually no word from the BBC on dozens of people killed by “Muslim militants” in Thailand every month:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jBLB6KQVGZ6z7gvsjqlBYydYajugD8UC3GG00
The BBC admits fakery today and will apologise this week and give refunds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7207665.stm
Only wasn’t this already the case months ago.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2575614.ece
Even the faking is faking…
Ritter
Moral of the story: don’t underestimate the power of the blog. Beeboids take heed. As Tim Fealty says
“it ain’t fluffy and has real teeth that bite”
Ritter
Who next? Red Ken? Bring it on!
No not death to Red Ken, utter and public humiliation and a proper airing of the disgraceful way he has (a) given all his mates jobs despite most of them being unqualified or suitable and (b) wasted millions on his Cuban style socialist workers’ paradise.
Maybe we’ll be able to have a St George’s Day in London this year?
Isn’t WoAD’s post “Death to Red Ken!” deserving of removal?
davet,
Impossible to shame Red Ken, the man is utterly shameless.The usual suspects the the BBC and the Guardian( see Seamus Milnes neocon plot)will give him enough exposure to turn this into smears and victimisation.
Better off just hurting him where it matters most destroy his power.
Alan, you’re right.
Regarding ” Recent killings in Thailand”
– the virtual of absence of comments by the BBC is a continuing scandal. Likewise the regular islamic killings in the Philippines, Somalia and elsewhere.
The ‘Islam: The Religion of Peace” blog http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
is a useful source of information, and doubtless there are others.
1. Hain’s defenders say that he was just incompetent not deliberately corrupt. So it is perfectly acceptable to have an incompetent in charge of a government ministry.
2. As a pensioner he did nothing for me, in particular he did not increase the winter heating allowance to take into account the huge rises in fuel prices. Apparently he doesn’t care one iota if British pensioners freeeze to death.
David Preiser (USA):
Keeley O’Lomb | 24.01.08 – 4:00 pm |
Sorry, I should have added tags…
================
David,
I owe you an apology – i was confusing you with the BBC’s David Gregory. In the circs, and as you are not he, I think you’re entitled to be as partisan as you like!
Thanks.
I wonder what bad news had been buried this afternoon?
Hain’s successor at Work and Pensions, James Purnell, worked as a researcher for Tony Blair in the early 90’s, later becoming BBC Head of Corporate Planning – and then returning to New Labour after the ’97 election.
Ed Richards, ex BBC Controller of Strategy had an almost identical career profile.
Makes you wonder what particular “strategy” they were “planning” at the Beeb just before the election.
We’ve just added the story to the blog:-
http://bbcpioneers.blogspot.com/
I notice the BBC news was making out that poor old Mr Bean (the former clunking fist) knew nothing about it all.
This is the man that made sure no one in Nu Labour could take a dump without getting Gordon’s permission.
How quick people forgot Gordon and THIS story.
“…Hot on the heels of a very long week in politics for the Labour government, due to the petrol crisis, there’s fresh misery with accusations that the chancellor, Gordon Brown, lied about details surrounding a donation of £1m from Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone…”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theissues/article/0,6512,370852,00.html
In regards tot he Tories and the BBC bias. The Tories had 18 years to kill off this vile little organisation of Communists and camp Liberals.
If the Tories do get in next time round, they must finish the BBC once and for all.
However, I don’t think they have the balls to do it.
Two big stories today, Hain resignation and child trafficking from Romania.
SO the BBC 10 o’clock news spend two thirds of its first half covering a fraud at a bank in France.
And of course Nick Robinson has to end his talking head (does he camp out overnight in Downing St, or has he got a flat there) by saying all parties (ALL) are worried about who is next. Yes lets ignore Labours track record on this shall we?
Check out the EXCELLENT Richard Littlejohn article on Peter Hain.
It’s cracking!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=510199&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=322&in_check=N
Notice how Kirsty “Villagate” Wark harassed and harried the Tory on Newsnight but was much more gentle on Geoff “Buff” Hoon.
Geoff Hoon is a wanker. This is the piece of shit that sent our army to war in Iraq less well equipped than just about any army has ever been sent to war. The man is an arsehole.
Naturally The World Tonight on R4 led with a long item about Hamas breaking open the Egyptian border fence.
Maybe they dealt with Hain’s resignation, but I didn’t bother sticking around to find out.
“dave t:
No not death to Red Ken, utter and public humiliation and a proper airing of the disgraceful way he has (a) given all his mates jobs despite most of them being unqualified or suitable and (b) wasted millions on his Cuban style socialist workers’ paradise.
Maybe we’ll be able to have a St George’s Day in London this year?
dave t | 24.01.08 – 8:55 pm |”
Ahh, I stand corrected dave, well done.
I don’t want Ken dead, that would make him a martyr. I want his figure destroyed. I want the peoples champion held up before their bovine faces for mocking and scorn; for shame and destitution. Then I, Vlad Dracul, will be master of London. I will hold the sacred scrolls of the past and by the power of the Dark Crystal which I took from the belly of the Dragon will lead Londoners to a New-Age of darkness and tyranny. And Ken Livingstone will be permitted to see all of this: his dream refuted.
Also, Newsnight was typically awful. Beeb were in full damage limitation mode.
Peter | Homepage | 24.01.08 – 5:35 pm |
He did this by digging up cricket pitches in Britain, making sure he raised his political profile.He wasn’t out in the bush with an AK47.Hain isn’t in Kenya now
Yes, I vaguely remember that stuff. But little things like that got shown over in the US and helped raise awareness. Especially the non-violent part. It was a time of political statements in sports anyway, so that kind of thing resonated. But that’s the only activism worthy of note in the video kiss the BBC blew at him.
David Preiser,
“Yes, I vaguely remember that stuff. But little things like that got shown over in the US and helped raise awareness. Especially the non-violent part.”
Yes it was a good career move for Hain,but it was criminal damage.Like all of his kind Hain picked an easy,soft target.
As I said why isn’t he in Africa now demonstrating against the genocide?
From my end of things he looks like another John F.Kerry.