As a child, I can remember watching the “Basil Brush” show on the BBC. Basil Brush was a roguish fox puppet whose punch-line was “Boom Boom” when he cracked a one-liner. He disappeared for a number of years from our UK TV screens but has made a welcome return in recent times. But now he’s in trouble – with accusations of anti-gipsy racism thrown his way.
The craven BBC have backed away from supporting their fox. Bosses admitted that an episode which caused offence was “inappropriate” and have told police it will not be shown again. Officers have now decided no further action will be taken. The bizarre complaint was made by a gipsy living on a travellers’ site in Northamptonshire. He alleged a scene showing a gipsy woman trying to sell the puppet fox wooden pegs and heather was offensive and insulting. (To foxes?) The gipsy made an official complaint to Northamptonshire Police, which referred the matter to its Hate Crimes Unit. Last week, after speaking to police officers, the BBC reviewed the tapes and offered not to show the episode again.
Isn’t this so PATHETIC? Why are the Police wasting any resource pursuing this stupid allegation? Why is the BBC behaving so cowardly? This may seem a small event of little significance but in fact it is the failure of the BBC, and also the Police, to categorically dismiss the complaint concerned, that aids the daily advance of the toxic politically correct agenda which is in turn paralysing our free speech. How long before the BBC bans Cher’s “Gypsies, tramps and thieves”? I mean just think of all the offence THAT one gives to minority groups!
I wonder, did the gypsy have a TV license?
Fox me!
The original Basil had a real foxes tail, taken from a roadkill.
Not a lot of people know that 🙂
D’ya’wanna buy a dag ?
That someone complained should come as no suprise to anyone. Remember the trouble VIZ magazine got into some years back for running a strip called “The Theiving Gypsy Bastards”?
Iirc, back then the complaint came from the social studies dept. of some university.
On a completely different story, altogether the BBC are covering the proposed “tobacco under the counter” story as their lead item.
(Shopkeepers selling them singly to kids is instead an endemic problem.)
BBC Online have chosen to illustrate this problem with a picture of the average small corner shop owner.
“Inappropriate”. Is there any more obnoxious word (at least as it’s come to be used by the usual suspects) in the English language?
I’ve been trying to work out why the police just aren’t interested in the blighters who have taken up joyriding over my fields this last couple of weeks – even when one of their vehicles broke down mid-wheat! And then, the copper let slip that”We know who they are; they’re a big gypsy family…..” Ah, different rules apply at once.
There’s only,one word for the BBC’s attitude to ‘race’ matters: Balamory!
That someone complained should come as no suprise to anyone. Remember the trouble VIZ magazine got into some years back for running a strip called “The Theiving Gypsy Bastards”?
Iirc, back then the complaint came from the social studies dept. of some university.
I haven’t read Viz for ages. Did you know that Abdul Latif, Lord of Harpole, owner of the Rupali restaurant died earlier this year? I used to live in a flat next to his restaurant in the Bigg Market.
Anyway, I never did like Basil Brush, so I can’t say I was too excited that he made a comeback.
I never did like Basil Brush, so I shan’t claim to be excited that he/it/whatever is back on the telly. Though I do see how the Gypsies (shouldn’t that be ‘Travelling People’?) might take exception (at the behest of some PC handwringer, no doubt). I mean, pegs and heather? Get real. All Gypsies/Travelling People do around here is sit around a fire by the side of the road, near their garishly-painted, olde-style caravan, drinking cheap booze and contemplating which of their ratty chickens is going to be dinner.
What a romantic life.
Please excuse my retardedness. It’s relatively early…
That’ll be the same police force which refuses to go into the pikey camp outside Northampton to collect the stolen vehicles that the owners can see in there. Apparently it may start ‘an incident’.
However, unlike the bbc, the police are by and large only tarred with the nulab brush at the top.
No wonder the Northamptonshire police can’t attend the scene when their residents are burgled. They’re all tied up investigating the race hate crimes of the BBC!
Will the BBC will be paying compensation to the traumatised travellers?
Anyway, keep ’em peeled and if you see any incidence of racism on the BBC go straight to the police.
This pathetic and needless capitulation indicates yet again that the BBC is only a defender of free speech when those talking are espousing a left-wing or minority interest agenda. The Hate Crimes unit is one of the most vile creations of recent times – worse than anything I recall in 1984 -and yet the BBC shows white feathers whenever it is mentioned.
I don’t know what this actually has to do with ‘bias’, unless you’re accusing the BBC of having a right-wing, anti-ethnic minority bias, which would undermine your previous efforts significantly.
Blimey, Alex, you’re a bit slow in this morning!
don’t know what this actually has to do with ‘bias’,
Alex. it demonstrates a wonderful example of double standards. Contrast the BBCs stalwart defence of its broadcast of ‘Jerry Springer the Opera’, a broadcast which acaused great offence to the majority faith group in the United Kingdom with its craven apology for a perceived sleight on the Roma population
Well there’s nothing lubricates an apology like police involvement.
Of course there is a double standard at play here. If Basil had gone to visit a local Jew to borrow money at extortionate interest and maybe pick up some second-hand clothing, you lot would be fuming out your ears. Stereotype some other ethnicity and you’re furious that anyone even cares.
Gibby Haynes:
All Gypsies/Travelling People do around here is sit around a fire by the side of the road, near their garishly-painted, olde-style caravan, drinking cheap booze and contemplating which of their ratty chickens is going to be dinner.
What a romantic life.
———————————————————-
And of course, don’t forget that the law requires them to leave behind at least one stinking old mattress and large chunks of a car engine, when they do move on.
Or am I stereotyping again?
I note with dismay that BBC2 has been showing the film “Darby O’Gill & The Little People” this morning. Not only does this dreadful film propagandise young impressionable minds with ‘Irish’ stereotypes but it also promotes a blatantly sizeist agenda.
Shame on our much-loved and trustwothy state broadcaster for pushing this bigoted trash onto our multicultural society. I will be complaining to my local constabulary forthwith…
1. I live in Northampton and can tell you that the Northamptonshire police are the most useless bunch of PC (pun intended) idiots on the planet. You have to use the system against them. For instance if burgled they just give you a crime number, so tell them you are gay and it’s a hate crime and you will get 5 detectives and a full SOCO unit on the case.
2. The gypsies in UK and extremely well organised and funded (wonder where that cash came from?). Any action taken against them by anyone is met with 1,000 page complaint under hate crime laws from their lawyers. Most settled out of court so more cash their way.
3. As every gypsy owned car I have ever seen is untaxed I think it highly unlikely they buy TV licences and I am damn sure the BBC’s hired thugs dare not take them on.
Stereotype some other ethnicity and you’re furious that anyone even cares
You really don’t understand do you? The issue is not stereotyping one group or another, the issue is that some groups the BBC is happy to stereotype and gratuitously insult but others are protected and if accidentally insulted there is a prompt apology.
Christians, especially Roman Catholics, white working class, English Nationalists are all treated with scorn and derision but Muslims, immigrants and Welsh Nationalists get treated with overweaning respect. Its called bias.
Ironic that the BBC thinks this Basil Brush sketch is “inappropriate”, but stands by the decision to show a scene of a man being drugged and buried alive in the pre-watershed, family soap opera Eastenders. What kind of people run the BBC?
Gypsies have their uses:
Gipsy nightmare for Tessa Jowell as ‘family’ of 64 sets up mudbath camp yards from minister’s home
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=543350&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
Am I unique?
The only people who have ever sold me clothes pegs and ‘lucky heather’ were gypsies
It was a while ago, mind
Unfortuately the real Rommany people have been replaced by a rather unsavoury assortment of ‘travellers. with ‘alternative lifestyles’ who seem unencumbered by any need to obey the law.
“The issue is not stereotyping one group or another, the issue is that some groups the BBC is happy to stereotype and gratuitously insult but others are protected and if accidentally insulted there is a prompt apology.”
In this case the police were involved
“Christians, especially Roman Catholics, white working class, English Nationalists are all treated with scornand derision”
On what occasions has this happened? How has the BBC unfairly or negatively stereotyped English nationalists, Catholics and the white working class? And I mean stereotyped, not offended with a blasphemous opera.
“but Muslims, immigrants and Welsh Nationalists get treated with overweaning respect. Its called bias.”
I’m not sure where you draw the line between ordinary, everyday respect British citizens and residents are entitled to and overweening, but if you can give me some examples that would help.
Also Arthur Dent, thank you for actually debating on the issue at hand. This comments thread seems to have little or nothing to do with the BBC or bias and is mostly anti-pikey rent-a-rants.
A number of things here.
First off, the Daily Mail’s assertion that the BBC has “backed down” does not seem to be supported by the quotes they provide in the article.
Of course, if I were to suggest that the Mail itself had its own agenda, and may have allowed its own bias to creep into a story, I’ll get accused by the usual B-BBCers as being a “lefty Beeboid” so that they can ignore that point.
Secondly, if someone has a complaint about the content of a BBC programme, we should be encouraging people to use the Corporation’s own complaints procedure in the first instance. It may not be perfect, but it must surely be easier, quicker and cheaper to the taxpayer than involving the police.
Alex
FACT – Jerry Springer The Opera had more complaints about it than ALL other complaints to the BBC added together in history EVER.
A few complaints about other programmes and its goodbye to it or edited or apologised for by the BBC.
Please note the argument is as stated the BBC is happy to stereotype and gratuitously insult So blasphemous operas are equally pertinent.
In the case of stereotyping we need look no further than the BBCs recent “White Series” which depicted the white working class, and by impllication all of them, in ways that most white working clas people like my parents and their friends would have found a completely stereotypical negative image.
In the case of one episode the white ‘trailer trash’ were actually compared to a saintly islamic family. Can you realistically anticipate a programme in which a young girl fleeing from an islamic family intent on forcing her into marriage was shown being given succour by a white christian family?
“FACT – Jerry Springer The Opera had more complaints about it than ALL other complaints to the BBC added together in history EVER.”
Not quite the same as a visit from the police though is it? Offending some Christians’ delicate sensibilities by slandering a dead man is not going to land the BBC in court.
“Please note the argument is as stated the BBC is happy to stereotype and gratuitously insult So blasphemous operas are equally pertinent.”
Suggestions that Jesus was gay do not stereotype Christians nor do they insult them directly.
“In the case of stereotyping we need look no further than the BBCs recent “White Series” which depicted the white working class, and by impllication all of them, in ways that most white working clas people like my parents and their friends would have found a completely stereotypical negative image.”
Didn’t watch the ‘White’ series, wouldn’t have if you’d paid me, but from what I heard about it it was a ham-fisted attempt to show the white working class point of view which, from what you have said about it, failed embarrassingly.
How many actual complaints did the BBC receive for this series on grounds of racially stereotyping white people?
“In the case of one episode the white ‘trailer trash’ were actually compared to a saintly islamic family.”
In the context of an hour-long six-part series on white people and against the background of EastEnders and the vast amount of other “white working class” output, it is hardly the same as a simplistic piece on gypsies that dealt entirely in stereotypes
But my main point is, in this particular case, the police were involved and the BBC risked breaking the law of the land. You might think the law is an ass in this case, but it’s not the BBC’s place to spend license-payers’ money fighting it.
“Can you realistically anticipate a programme in which a young girl fleeing from an islamic family intent on forcing her into marriage was shown being given succour by a white christian family?”
Quite so Arthur and in spite of the fact that your scenario is by far the more common.
Alex | Homepage | 24.03.08 – 2:25 pm |
Bet you’ve never had to deal with gypsys.
Disinterested Bystander | 24.03.08 – 5:28 pm |
What’s that got to do with the BBC?
Alex | Homepage | 24.03.08 – 5:41 pm |
The answer is that you’ve never had to deal with gypsys have you.
Why are the BBC being so reticent in reporting the Jowell/gypsy contretemps?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/24/njowell124.xml
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=543350&in_page_id=1770&ct=5
Probably because it’s a politician’s personal life and they have rules about that sort of thing.
Alex | Homepage | 24.03.08 – 5:56 pm |
Pity they don’t abide by those rules when the politician is a Conservative.
David Cameron straying outside of a cycle lane, his wind generator, need I go on?
So the answer to my earlier point is that you’ve never had dealings with gypsys, professional or otherwise.
Disinterested Cystander:
The answer is that you’ve never had to deal with gypsys have you.
Let’s pass up my expertise, and examine a time when somebody else did:
They were not as bad as Jews, but they were not of pure Aryan blood, they did not live a settled way of life, and they did not fit into the kind of society the Nazis aspired to. The Nazis sought to determine which Gypsies were most harmful. Their treatment of Gypsies was influenced by whether they were “pure” or of
mixed blood, and whether they lived a traditional Gypsy lifestyle or not. Since at various times the Nazis regarded these factors differently, Gypsies were treated inconsistently. Some Gypsies were murdered, others were enslaved, others were to be sterilized
Just the kind of bleeding-heart liberal guff those Boibeeds come up with…
No, wait….it’s from Yad Vashem
Click to access Microsoft%20Word%20-%206324.pdf
Biased BBC: You Wouldn’t Want Them Living Next Door
.
Hillhunt | 24.03.08 – 6:40 pm |
Running off at the mouth again.
Do get a brain and then examine exactly what I said.
“David Cameron straying outside of a cycle lane, his wind generator, need I go on?”
These are both examples of a politician’s behaviour conflicting with his statements. As far as we know with Tessa Jowell, she hasn’t actually done everything except been living there already.
Not quite the same as a visit from the police though is it?
In other words the BBC will only take notice of criticism if it comes with a Police Helmet on.
Offending some Christians’ delicate sensibilities by slandering a dead man is not going to land the BBC in court
This is a typical BBC type example of belittling the views of Christians. Reference to delicate sensibilities (the poor deluded dears), ‘slandering a dead man (The worlds greatest prophet thought by Christians to be the Son of God, simply reduced to the status of a ‘dead man’.)
Suggestions that Jesus was gay do not stereotype Christians nor do they insult them directly.
I haven’t said that Jerry Springer the opera stereotypes Christians, I have made it clear that the complaint is bimodal. I am mildly amused by your knowledge of what a Christian would take as an insult. I suggest that in your sentence you replace Jesus with Mohammed, gay with paedophile and Christians with Muslims and then repost the sentence without blushing.
How many actual complaints did the BBC receive for this series on grounds of racially stereotyping white people
I don’t have access to the information that John Reith has, but why does it matter? The fact that so many Christians complained to the BBC without it making one iota of difference means that it is unlikely that people from its other ‘non-people’ groups would find it effective to complain.
against the background of EastEnders and the vast amount of other “white working class” output
But you make my point, EastEnders is itself stereotypical white working class. It may be a popular soap but is portrays the white working class in the same negative stereotype as we have come to expect. I would be interested to know what the remainder of the vast amount of white working class output on the BBC consists of?
Cystander:
Running off at the mouth again.
Do get a brain and then examine exactly what I said
Okeydokey. Here it is:
Bet you’ve never had to deal with gypsys.
And this:
The answer is that you’ve never had to deal with gypsys have you.
And this:
So the answer to my earlier point is that you’ve never had dealings with gypsys, professional or otherwise.
So now we’ve had a good look, what do we think?
1. You can’t spell gypsies.
2. You wanted to know if we had any experience dealing with gypsies.
3. My post points to someone with a lot of experience dealing with gypsies.
I thought you’d find that helpful. That’s all…
.
“In other words the BBC will only take notice of criticism if it comes with a Police Helmet on.”
You might not like this, but it hardly constitutes bias.
“This is a typical BBC type example of belittling the views of Christians. Reference to delicate sensibilities (the poor deluded dears), ‘slandering a dead man (The worlds greatest prophet thought by Christians to be the Son of God, simply reduced to the status of a ‘dead man’.)”
In terms of a potential writ for libel, he’s dead.
“I haven’t said that Jerry Springer the opera stereotypes Christians, I have made it clear that the complaint is bimodal. I am mildly amused by your knowledge of what a Christian would take as an insult. I suggest that in your sentence you replace Jesus with Mohammed, gay with paedophile and Christians with Muslims and then repost the sentence without blushing.”
An opera claiming Muhammad was a paedophile is not a direct insult to Muslims. Offensive, yes, blasphemous, almost certainly. A direct insult, no. And I didn’t blush a bit, although I do need a wee.
“I don’t have access to the information that John Reith has, but why does it matter? The fact that so many Christians complained to the BBC without it making one iota of difference means that it is unlikely that people from its other ‘non-people’ groups would find it effective to complain.”
Don’t see your point. Were any white working class people actually offended by this series or not?
“But you make my point, EastEnders is itself stereotypical white working class. It may be a popular soap but is portrays the white working class in the same negative stereotype as we have come to expect.”
It may be stereotypical but it does humanise its characters, unlike the clothes-pegs and lucky heather-peddling study in thieving ethnography Basil Brush ran into.
“I would be interested to know what the remainder of the vast amount of white working class output on the BBC consists of?
Only Fools and Horses? Last of the Summer Wine? Royle Family? Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps? Not a great deal off the top of my head and probably a lot of stereotypes, but hardly a hate crime.
An opera claiming Muhammad was a paedophile is not a direct insult to Muslims
I think you will find that muslims will disagree with you rather strongly, why not have the courage of your convictions and try it at the local mosque.
I am afraid to say that you really do display a somewhat arrogant view of what someone else might find to be insulting. I give you the benefit of the doubt that you do not profess any specific faith, but I can assure you that I as a Christian do take personally any blasphemous representations of my Saviour and was outraged at the BBCs broadcast of Jerry Springer the Opera and its subsequent mealy mouthed attempts to justify it. Christians and Muslims will both be personally insulted by such behaviour, the difference between us is that we will offer the other cheek, whilst my Muslim friends might kill you.
Were any white working class people actually offended by this series or not?
I do not know, although John Reith probably does and I seem to remember that the HYS was ricjhly populated with complaints along those lines. With respect that was not the point. It doesn’t matter if the representation shows complaints. The fundamental argument is that the BBC offers only sterotypes of the white working class, in almost all cases showing them as feckless, brutal, criminal(or close to it) and immoral. The only programme in your list that doesn’t show that is Last of the Summer Wine which instead shows them as bumbling idiots.
The fact that so many Christians complained to the BBC without it making one iota of difference
If I recall, the majority of complaints received by the BBC were made before the programme was transmitted.
In these days where email write-in campaigns are conducted as much for PR purposes as a true reflection of genuine offence, I’d venture that the actual number of complaints received is no indicator of the magnitude of offence caused, if any.
“Gipsy nightmare for Tessa Jowell as ‘family’ of 64 sets up mudbath camp yards from minister’s home”
You can possibly hear my cheers at that news story from down here in brighton.
An excelelnt result for the mind numbing nimby labour tossers
“Were any white working class people actually offended by this series or not?”
Try it on your plumber,but be prepared to wade through your own urine until the environmental health come and fumigate you.
It is the working class who make the country work.If the BBC disappeared tomorrow,people would just change channels and carry on if things stopped working you are knackered.
Hillhunt | 24.03.08 – 7:07 pm |
Professional dealings with gypsies
How about this: A small sample between 1977 and 1986.
Arrest gypsies for kicking a boy half to death for his moped.
Arrest gypsy tarmacers for ripping off OAPs. MO: “I’ve got some tarmac left over from a job (actually nicked from local council depot) I’ll do your drive for 50 quid.” On completion No, that was 50 quid a square yard. Pensioners then frogmarched to local bank and intimidated into making large-scale withdrawals (often life savings).
2:00am riot in hospital ward and corridors. Gypsys intimidating and fighting with hospital staff, dogs used to quell riot, number of police injured including me.
Arrest gypsies for stealing hay from stables.
Raid Irish gypsy tinker site with DSS. Multiple benefit identity fraud defrauded UK taxpayers of over £4 million. Used to fund lavish lifestyle on west coast of Ireland. Find sawn-off shotgun used in attempted murder. 15 sentence to lengthy terms of imprisonment
Arrest gypo woman for theft of daffodils, Selling them in the high street along with lucky white heather. In possession of parcel wrapped in newspaper. Parcel contained £13,000
Numerous arrests for theft of plant equipment, caravans etc.
Arrest gypsy builders for ripping off OAPs. MO: Look for houses in road owned by OAPs. Tell them they have loose roof tile. Climb up dislodge tile. Say roof needs repairing. Charge them £20,000. March them down to the bank and force them to withdraw cash. Depending on the amount in bank, repeat process over period of days or weeks.
Numerous arrests for burglary, robbery, theft involving gypsies
Gypsies make complaint against me for laughing at them when they report a ‘crime’. They try the 50 quid a square yard trick after tarmacing local pub car park. Publican tells them to piss off. Gypsies turn up mob handed little realising that pub is front for East End gangster money. East End gangsters waiting and beat up gypsies.
Numerous stops for traffic offences. Gypsy vehicles are rarely taxed or insured. Easy to get them disqualified from driving. Even easier to get them into prison for disqualified driving
Break up gypsy gang involved in pony and trap racing on dual carriageway having blocked off the road. Lots of violence from gypsies.
Violent confrontation with drunken gypsies in pub. Number of police injured including me. Publican had been warned about serving gypsies. Other clientele long since gone because of gypsies. Magistrates revoke licence. Pub converted in to private houses.
In one police area alone, gypsies responsible for over 30% of crime. Completely disproportionate to their number.
Assist local councils or bailiffs on numerous occasions to evict gypsies from illegal encampments. Rubbish clearance always falls on local taxpayers
Sillybunt’s contribution:
hysterical overreaction: Hillhunt | 24.03.08 – 6:40 pm |
and; You can’t spell gypsies.
So what. As I said to him – get a brain
back to Alex.
So the answer to my earlier point is that you’ve never had dealings with gypsys, professional or otherwise.