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.
Heard just now on BBC News24. BBC Middle East reporter Aleem Maqbool at the Gaza/Egypt border.
“Well, Hamas has come out of all this loking quite good….”
??!! Er. Indeed.
Ritter,
The BBC loves Hamas. It’s a simple and as decadent as that. They also love Hizbollah, they love the IRA, they love the Jihadi in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why? That’s for another post.
I wonder how the BBC (and Yasmin AB) will report or comment on the latest donor scandal involving Alan Johnson and two gentlemen of Pakistani origin?
Some time ago Al-Beeb was happy to emphasize the Jewish/Israeli connections of another individual in a similar case.
Despite his incorrect prediction of being fed to death whilst a prisoner of Hamas, Alan Johnston is back still full of tales about the cultural trait of the kindness & hospitality of the Muslim. He introduces “From our Own Correspondent” & includes a report by one Kate Clark. She tells us of a trip to Iraqi Kurdistan where a Kurdish taxi driver called her back to dispute the EXCESSIVE tip that we, through her, had provided. Kate muses that it couldn’t happen in London, but then corrects herself stating that it does occur when the driver is Afghan, Pakistani or Iraqi.
If we were to believe these tall stories perhaps it could help explain the BBC’s enormous taxi bill.
On another matter I note that per the BBC, that the barrier between Gaza & Egypt is definitely a FENCE, unlike the WALL between Israel & Gaza/West Bank.
£141m in loans from the EU – no wonder the Beeb aren’t too interested in covering the debate on the new constitution:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3257748.ece
BBC4 is running a World Cinema series. On a panel commenting on the films Bjork suggested that anti-americanism had become boring. Unabashed, fellow panelist, sometime director & BBC movie programme presenter, Alex Cox, piped up eagerly that it was the film’s anti-Americanism that had drawn him to the movie, can’t get enough of that US bashing.
Is it his anti-US position or a drying of the creative juices that has left Cox with just 7 creative credits this decade in his Wikipedia entry, including “The election broadcasts for the three UK Green parties (2005)”?
Ideal BBC commenter.
I can tell you why the prats at the BBC like terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah so much.
The BBC is run by vile little University educated white middle class liberals, who used to go on demonstrations to support Communism, CND and Socialist Worker garbage.
The world has moved on for most normal people, but those at the BBC still live in their sad little world of “revolution” and Islamic terrorism is the flag for the vile left to rally around.
Mike Mardell on his Euroblog has managed to link climate change with euroscepticsm!!!!, how does the BBC manage to keep coming up with these bizzare links?, what will be tomorrows line…climate change is linked to watching any other channel apart from the BBC?.
Sigh!!!! Martin, how many lefties that run the BBC protested in Northern Ireland in favour of the IRA/UDA/LVF/etc? None. Only leftie I recall is Ken Livingstone openly associating with them.
There were more terrorists than those mentioned by David Vance. Did they march for the red brigade?
One turns to the right as one gets older! Relax………Lest you become a circus freak and tell people they are in bed with the IRA.
will
From our Own Correspondent has long been a showcase for all the best in Islamic culture. Kate Adie and fellow conspirators see it as their duty to scour the Islamic world to highlight the fact that muslims are nice. To be honest I have no great objection to this as I know from personal experience that muslims are extremely nice and hospitable. It’s just a pity that Kate et al are unable to do the same for certain other cultures, in particular American and Israeli.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23385944-details/What+is+the+loneliest+job+in+Britain+Being+a+Tory+at+the+BBC/article.do
I notice that in the From our own Correspondent she fails to mention the fact that a large number of Americans were held in Iran for a year and that numerous westerners were taken hostage back in the 80’s and 90’s around the middle east. Not to mention the hijackings and the taking of that cruise liner.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A730900
She also fails to point out the barbaric practices of Islam, such as the stoning to death of women (or in Afghanistan the good old tearing teachers in half one)
She seems to paint the Taleban as the sort of “cuddly” terrorists, these are evil men who shoot people for the crime of trying to educate girls. If SHE were a Muslim from Afghanistan would she be allowed to ponce around the world working for Al BBC?
I think not.
The BBC and half a proof-reader – as Pounce might say:
The second item which comes up in a search for “Gibraltar” in the BBC search engine:
“BBC Best Link: CBBC – Gibraltar
A children’s guide to the long-standing debate over the terroritory.” (!)
So they managed to type t-e-r-r-o-r – but only when it was inapplicable!
Do you think we should demand they change that to “militantory”?
Tom,
The article refers to BBC Worldwide, not the BBC.
BBC Worldwide is a separate company which operates commercially at arms length from the Corporation and is not funded in any way by licence payers.
BBC Worldwide has a loan facility with the European Investment Bank – not an actual loan, this is in line with similar agreements they have with many other banks.
It is one of the ways in which BBC Worldwide funds their investment in programme rights acquired from both the BBC and from independent producers.
The agreement with the EIB does not prescribe the way in which BBC Worldwide can apply the loan, nor does it carry any editorial obligation either regarding the EU or any other subject matter.
The EIB themselves say: “public service broadcasting plays an important role…in guaranteeing objective and pluralistic information and in supplying quality programming”.
The EIB offers advantageous rates on its loans and this is good for BBC Worldwide. In turn, this is ultimately good for the licence fee payer.
Through the sale of these products and other business activities, BBC Worldwide returned £106 million to the BBC last year which was re-invested in public service programming. This is in line with successive government objectives that the BBC should generate more of its own income in order to keep the level of the licence fee down.
The Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide has written to the editors of the newspaper in which this story was originally published to request that a correction is printed at the earliest opportunity.
Bias by omission:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7211529.stm
“The Muslim Council of Britain has ended its boycott of the event. It had wanted more recognition of recent genocides. ”
Such as in the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” eh BBC?
But don’t take it from me, Beeboids, just go to the MCB website:
“it is important that the Muslim community is represented at such National events and [it] would like to do so if the Memorial Day is inclusive of the sufferings of all people and does not exclude or ignore other ongoing genocide and human right abuses around the world, notably, in the occupied Palestinian territories”
http://www.mcb.org.uk/article_detail.php?article=announcement-410
The MCB was shamed in its attitude in trying to argue that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict was similar to the Nazi genocide. It’s also a shame that the BBC try to cover this nastiness up (apart from Jhn Ware, who is one of the few Beeboids not willing to bow the knee to Mecca in the interests of multiculturalism:
http://mcbwatch.blogspot.com/2005/09/when-is-genocide-not-genocide.html
The BBC how it defends radical Islam and half a story.
Hospitality in a suspicious world
Working as a Westerner in the Muslim world has been complicated by the conflicts of recent years but BBC correspondent Kate Clark who has worked in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gaza still finds delight in the hospitality and kindness of strangers.
………
“Why do you go to such dangerous places?” people often ask me. They mean dangerous, Muslim countries. I usually report from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East.
“Do you have to wear a headscarf?” I’m asked.
“Do you ever feel threatened as a woman?”
……………
It is difficult to explain that the sort of generosity and open-heartedness shown by the Kurdish taxi driver is very compelling and very normal across the Islamic world. It is generally a good place to be a guest.
In Afghanistan, foreign reporters and aid workers used to work alongside every faction in the long civil war.
Anti-Western feeling in Afghanistan has increased in recent years…When I lived there before 2001, there was very little anti-Western sentiment, not even from the Taleban.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7209024.stm
Ah the BBC remises about the good old days when openly promoting radical Islam as a victim was the done thing. Here are a few snippets that BBC correspondent Kate Clark leaves out about her time in Afghanistan.
..
BBC correspondent leaves Afghanistan
The BBC correspondent Kate Clark has now left Afghanistan after being ordered out of the country by the ruling Taleban government on Wednesday. Clark – who has reported from Afghanistan since 1999 – said she was “very unhappy” to be leaving. She has crossed overland into neighbouring Pakistan. The Taleban have accused Clark of filing “biased” reports of their controversial order to destroy all statues in Afghanistan, including two giant Buddhas in the central province of Bamiyan. In a statement, the Taleban’s Foreign Ministry said the BBC’s reporting was not based on “existing realities” and conflicted with Taleban mentality.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1221857.stm
The BBC how it defends radical Islam and half a story.
Richard Pacquette- if you are going to comment seriously, why don’t you drop your silly moniker and sign in using your real name as a BBC employee?
“BBC Worldwide is a separate company which operates commercially at arms length from the Corporation and is not funded in any way by licence payers”
“Through the sale of these products and other business activities, BBC Worldwide returned £106 million to the BBC last year which was re-invested in public service programming. This is in line with successive government objectives that the BBC should generate more of its own income in order to keep the level of the licence fee down.”
Perhaps the name should be changed to Arms Length Worldwide.
Who guarantees the loans by the way?
Ed,
Maybe “Richard” fears the groupthink of the institution for which he works?
Could I just put on record the fact that the only time that I have been diddled by a taxi driver was by a muslim taxi driver in a muslim country. However, unlike the frankly ludicrious Kate Clark, I don’t use that to make generalisations about a whole people.
What do Fergal Keane and Kate Clark have in common?
Yes, they are both Beeboids (and hence by definition self-hating middle class liberaloids).
Yes, they were both featured in this week’s bending of the knee to Mecca on Kate Adie’s From our Own Correspondent.
Yes, they both went out of their way to blame Western Whitey for the problems in a) Kenya and b) Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq etc.
Oh, and do listen to Keane’s description of why tribal Kenyan’s kill each other:
“tribal violence errupts because they are poor, afraid, enraged at being robbed for generations by British colonialism”
etc etc
Speaking of Alex Cox – has any of you seen Breakfast with Hunter? There’s a bit in that where he travels to Owl Farm to give Hunter S. Thompson his ‘vision’ for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Cox was penned to direct and write at one point). His ‘vision’ doesn’t go down too well – and that’s putting it lightly – so he and his fawning assistant have to scurry out of there before they become a crime statistic (Thompson was fond of guns).
It’s awfully entertaining and might be something to do with Cox’s hatred for America. Or maybe it’s just because he was on Aunty and wanted to fit in. Or maybe it’s a bit of both.
Repo Man (1984) was good though, so his career hasn’t been totally worthless.
Richard Pacquette:
Tom,
The article refers to BBC Worldwide, not the BBC.
BBC Worldwide is a separate company which operates commercially at arms length from the Corporation and is not funded in any way by licence payers…….Through the sale of these products and other business activities, BBC Worldwide returned £106 million to the BBC last year which was re-invested in public service programming. This is in line with successive government objectives that the BBC should generate more of its own income in order to keep the level of the licence fee down.
Richard Pacquette | Homepage | 27.01.08 – 2:22 pm | #
Hang on a mo, Richard.
Maybe I’m missing something, but how can BBC Worldwide be completely independent of the BBC if it relies on it for its “product” and returns all its profits?
In fact, as I imagine you well know, it is legally a “wholly owned” subsidiary of the BBC with BBC directors on its board.
The BBC are therefore responsible for its debts and ultimately. beneficiaries of its receipts and borrowings so Tom’s comment was quite appropriate.
You also say a “loan facility” isn’t the same as a “loan”. Well, of course, the size of the loan will depend on the borrowers cash flow and how much they need to draw on at any one time – but why would any company negotiate a facility unless they felt they might need it sometime?
Simple question – do the EIB borrowings appear on the BBC’s consolidated balance sheet?
You may think we’re just a bunch of Daily Mail reader on here – but we’re not that easily bullshitted.
Paddy O’ Connell (sp?) on the BS programme this a.m… He tries (and fails) to do whimsy, but does a great job of not funny.
Anyway his idea of ‘balance’ vis-a-vis the Postie Johnson ‘problem’ was to invite a Blair placeman on to say how under-resourced the deputy-leader campaigns were and thus how could we really expect the relevant Cabinet Minister not to break the law.
“The Chief Executive of BBC Worldwide has written to the editors of the newspaper in which this story was originally published to request that a correction is printed at the earliest opportunity.”
Poor Beeb. They don’t like it up ’em do they?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7171409.stm
Diary: Jonah and the whale-chasers
The ongoing diary about the Greenpeace ship chasing the Japanese Whaling Fleet.
No one that I have so far seen has worked out what the Carbon Footprint of the Greenpeace ship is. I think all taking part should look into their hearts and decide whether they can afford to be so cavalier with the planet?
The article on off duty soldiers wearing uniform has an interesting adjective in it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7211979.stm
It refers to the current policy discouraging the wearing of uniform off duty as stemming “from the IRA bombing campaign in the 1970s when military personnel were _perceived_ as targets” (emphasis mine). Given that dozens of British soldiers were killed in mainland UK and Europe I find the use of “perceived” odd. A simple factual statement would be to say that “military personnel were targets”. The use of “perceived” introduces an inaccurate implication of doubt about the risk.
Peter de C
From the same article:
“The review came after a spate of stories signalling that the public lacks support for the forces, including a woman who complained when disabled veterans were using public swimming pools as part of their rehabilitation and were told to leave.”
Bollocks! The mad woman complained and the SNCO in charge decided to take the lads back to Headley Court rather than allow this stupid cow to carry on upsetting the children present etc. They were NOT told to leave and the pool/council issued a statement to that effect.
BBC – £3 billion and still they get it wrong but one wonders WHY they wrote this article because such statements as ‘public lacks support for the forces’ and so on are just not true. Witness the many parades where the public have come out on the streets and welcomed the Jocks etc home.
If anything it is the BBC and other media that have been undermining public support for the forces and other organs of state for decades now.
Ye gods!!! Some sanity being published by the BBC.
I don’t think Mr Harrabin will be taking any notice though.
Am I the only who thinks the only reason the greenies’ protest outside airports is nothing to do with pollution but their lothing of technological western societies?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7201114.stm
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/01/26/reuters-fauxtography-alert-spreading-hamas-propaganda-fake-power
The BBC, its continuing policy of demonising Israel and half a story.
Israel drops Arab killings case
Israel’s attorney general says no policemen will be prosecuted over the killing of 13 Arab Israeli protesters in 2000. Menachem Mazuz said there was insufficient evidence to pursue a prosecution against officers who opened fire during anti-government riots. The unrest erupted in sympathy with the Palestinian uprising against Israel. Relatives of the victims were angry at the decision. One said it “gives the green light for attacks on Arabs”.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7212394.stm
and here is what the BBC left out of the above story;
Official: Arab public refused to cooperate with October riots probe
Senior Justice Ministry official defends attorney general’s decision not to indict officers involved in October riots, saying victims’ families, Arab sector refused to cooperate with investigation
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3499495,00.html
The BBC, its continuing policy of demonising Israel and half a story.
John Reith,
Here are some excerpts from Egyptian blogger Sandmonkey ( 0. http://www.sandmonkey.org/2008/01/26/gaza-lessons-and-facts/#comments ), who, by the way, cuts Israel no slack in his criticism of Israel’s perceived attempt to foist the “problem” of Gaza onto Egypt. Still, from an inside-the-Arab-world point of view, he has this to say about the situation in Gaza. It seems to me that the BBC ought to be more thorough and provide more context in its reporting on the Middle East, as required by the recent investigative report it commissioned (the one with a bunch of British-sounding surnames on it) which it routinely touts to demonstrate how impartial it is.
Here we go:
”
“This was all premeditated: Hamas has been cutting the wall for a month now, preparing for it to come down on the eve of the Palestinian factions conference hosted by Hamas in Syria. This was done in order to maximize the media attention to Khaled Mesh3el and his gang of Syrian-Iranian-backed cronies, thus giving them more of the spotlight than they would’ve ever received. This is a PR stunt, a Hamas PR stunt to be exact, and as always, the Palestinian people are being used as props and tools, but not only them.
0. The Palestinians are the Gods of the PR game: No one, and I mean no one, have the ability to manipulate the media like the Palestinian authorities. I mean seriously, mucho respect to y’all. I mean, did you see that picture of Haneiyah having a cabinet meeting lit by candle-light? Or the way the women and children looked like, as they crossed the border as the wall fell down? Or the “People Power” branding they gave the entire thing? Yes, cause I am sure the Palestinian government did not store enough fuel for itself in cases of emergency, or that the fact that the words “People Power” showed up in every f**kin’ blog post and news item covering this debacle was merely a telepathic coincidence amongst all the writers the world over. I love it. Gives me the warm fuzzies all over, you know?
The people aren’t as hungry or suffering as you all claim: A Palestinian-american friend of mine just came back from visiting his grandparents in Gaza ( just jumped over the fence and back he said, no one is controlling the borders apparently), and he was telling me how the entire “they are hungry people looking for food” headline story is a crock of sh*t. He laughingly told me that they are buying motorcycles, mattresses and TV’s and other such basic survival needs (the media is confirming it if you think I am lying you big morons), and how some of his family members after going to Al Areesh-on the first day of the “people power” event-for vacation mind you, were like “This is Areesh? This sucks! Gaza is better!” and then went back the next day. He also told me that the price of the AK 47 in Gaza has now dropped to a measly 400 JD’s. There is apparently too much supply to the demand. Yay for Open Borders!” “
Mark Steyn on, among the other, newspeak creep in:
“First, they came for Piglet”
http://www.ocregister.com/opinion/islamic-anti-pigs-1967025-activity-islam
Alan:
“The broader message it sends is that ours is a weak culture so unconfident and insecure that if you bomb us and kill us our first urge is to find a way to flatter and apologize to you.”
Yup. That sounds like the simpering wimps at the BBC. The same sort of spineless vermin that would suck up to the school bully in the vain hope he wouldn’t hit them.
“Fears of bias as BBC gets £141m in EU loans”.
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-has-emerged.html
I recall John Reith saying western countries (eg. USA, Israel, UK etc) should be held to higher standards. Why doesn’t the BBC treat the EU with the same scrutiny?
Why does the BBC always try to pin the blame for the current turmoil in the financial markets on the USA alone?
Has it not occured to the BBC that the insane and stupid economic policies of the EU and its regional NuLabour government might be also to blame?
The EU has been throwing away countless billions with reckless schemes such as the CAP and foolhardy and crackpot directives concerning the fantasy of AGW/MMCC.
Gordon Brown has been perhaps the most incompetent finance minister ever to hold office, his criminal stupidity in selling hundreds of tons of OUR gold at $200 against all advice(its now over $900) has cost us very dear!
This is surely proof of collusion with the NuLabour regime and I would just love to see the phone and web records from Downing Street and BBC HQ, I am sure they would tell a very interesting story?
The BBC likes to flog the image of the EU and its regional UK regime as ‘world players’ but only it seems if the news is positive? Any negative news is either buried or pinned on the USA.
The BBC news has become a soviet style fantasy fairytale filled with soviet type propaganda(tractor production up 1000%,hail comrade Brown and our glorious leaders five year plan)
I wish SKY or channel4 would do a comedy drama of the underhand and crooked goings on between the EU/Downing St/BBC HQ as I am sure it would be very funny!
But the funny thing is that while the European economy sinks, the EU commisars are planning to strangle whats left of our economy with its truly mental ‘fight’ against climate change.
The BBC of course will continue to publish glowing reports of this EU tragedy right up to the point that the global warming fantasy is consigned to the dustbin of history, but what then? who will take the blame for the economic ruin? Will the BBC/EU commisars step up and take the blame? Er no, they will crawl back under their stones to enjoy their gold plated pensions while the rest of us suffer the destruction that they have caused!
What lesson can we draw from this tragedy in the making?
Never ever let a socialist run ANYTHING!
Lurker in a Burqua 1.00am
Yes, the more the BBC omits to make frequent, clear and explicit reference to the fact that it receives £141m. in European Union loans, the more we are right to suspect that the BBC adopts a politically sympathetic view towards the E.U.
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-has-emerged.html
The same problem arises with the fact that Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace get E.U. subsidies and these evironmental lobby organisations broadly support E.U. environmental policies/ propaganda.
3.5 billion a year and these arseholes have to borrow money?
Dear Martin,
Its not the money, its the influence and jobs for the boys that goes with the money! Its a mutual backscratching deal with the money just being a kind of fake front. The sums are small but the influence that the EU/BBC gets is substantial and it creates a symbyotic relationship.
The EU are now experts in buying off potential critics and funding ‘rent a mob’ scumbags to lobby on the EUs behalf!
The EU models itself on the old USSR and we all know how that evil and corrupt bag of snakes ended up dont we?
Nice to see the BBC giving a news story about sleaze and an MP top news billing.
Peter Hain? No
Harriet Harriden? No
That fat jock bird? No
Ken Livingstone? No
Alan no name? No
Yep, a Tory MP. Well thee’s a shock
From Lurker in a Burqua link
“The EIB has described itself as “an autonomous body set up to finance capital investment furthering European integration by promoting EU policies”.
A bit like borrowing money from the Mafia and pretending there will be no strings attached.
Cassandra
Yes, its an old method used well by the New York Mafia. A sort of, refined protection scam.
Instead of the politician paying for protection, he/she gets bribed for it, and then WE pay for it later though government corruption, either financially or worse.
Once a foolish greedy politician is trapped into illegal funding activity however slight, he/she becomes no more then a puppet on long strings.
Being on the take is a prerequisite to increasing, and more importantly keeping political power.
If the powers that be cant control the politician, there ‘friends/fellow victims’ in the media will be instructed to destroy their prospects.
If they can be controlled, then the sky’s the limit.
Illegal cash bribes however, are only one way.
One of the other best ways is to posses graphic evidence that the over promoted politician is a raving sexual pervert. Preferably also a married homosexual with a well documented past, enough to make even the most liberal member of humanity throw up into their Cornflakes.
Then job done. A criminal fascist type socialist conspiracy is running your country and future without any of them having to go anywhere near a parliament, kissing babies in public, or a TV studio.
Cheap as chips, at a thousand times the cost.
Compare and contrast, second from top biz story at BBC news is:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7212465.stm
“European and Asian shares have fallen sharply as concerns remain about the threat of recession in the US and its impact on the world economy.”
“All eyes are on the US again”
No mention is made of the Chinese market’s 7.2% fall overnight. China is only mentioned briefly by a quoted analyst:
“There’s a lot of uncertainty out there: uncertainty over the US economy, uncertainty over China’s economy,”
Huh? What are these concerns about China? The BBC article gives us no clue. FT’s superlative Markets Live makes a big deal of the Chinese falls however:
http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2008/01/28/10509/markets-live
“Just to recap — weakness in London today follows some hefty falls across Asia overnight
Chinese stocks were WAY down overnight • Shanghai composite off 7.2% I think.
Inflation, monetary tightening by the authorities • and the snow.
One to watch • millions of Chinese trying to get from their factories to their homes in the interior • all stranded by the snow.
Reports of riot police being deployed.
Oh, and the authorities are promising price controls.”
Price controls? Riots? Snow? All in China? Well, that explains the omission of Shanghai data in the BBC news piece, it simply doesn’t fit the beeboid narrative bias.
Alan,many thanks for the excellent article by Mark Steyn. He is a lone voice, alas.
Martin Amis has excellent critique of ‘multiculturalism’ and of Islam/Jihadism in first 10 minutes or so of ‘Start the Week’ today, here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/starttheweek
George R | 28.01.08 – 2:21 pm | #
Yes, and did you read that sneering review by William Dalrymple in the Sunday Times of Amis’s book ‘The Second Plane’?
Stop giving Amis the oxygen of publicity. That man is scum.
Anyway, would it be possible David Vance to do a post on the BBC taking EU loans?
http://eureferendum.blogspot.com/2008/01/it-has-emerged.html
Did you know that the transitional government in Somalia is backed by Ethiopia and without its dastardly military backing those good guys from the Union of Islamic Courts would be in power and unifying the country in peace.
How do we know?
Because anytime there is an article with absolutely anything to do with Somalia the BBC tell us, time after time after time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7213058.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7129562.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7092212.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6655261.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6594647.stm
I can’t imagine anywhere else in the world where they would keep repeating themselves like this.
And all this despite a BBC producer being killed there during the golden age of UIC control, obviously BBC impartiality at its strongest.
Martin Amis holds a number of unpleasant views which I would certainly disassociate myself from and he is most certainly not right about everything but to call him racist if his views were anti muslim is plain wrong, being a muslim is not a race.
He himself says it is about Jihadis and Islamists not muslims in general or Islam as a religion.
But even if it was it would not be racist, other things perhaps but not racist.
Otherwise the BBC would have to admit to being racist for its self admitted bias against Christianity and I am sure lots of BBC types will come on to assure us they and the BBC are not racist.