General BBC-related comment thread!

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 also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.

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237 Responses to General BBC-related comment thread!

  1. moonbat nibbler says:

    “Brown urges increased oil boost”
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7422802.stm

    Nowhere in the, currently lead, news story does it mention the major reason for a drop-off in North Sea oil production is Gordon Brown. A couple of years ago he doubled the supplementary corporation tax from 10% to 20% making it uneconomic to drill in parts of the North Sea.

    Astonishing that the most pertinent aspect of how Brown can influence oil production – taxation on production – is completely ignored by the Brown Broadcasting Corporation!

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  2. Peter says:

    From the same source, and for the same reasons as above:

    BBC’s Matt Frei ’still ignored by President Bush’

    http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/3227?disqus_reply=541349#dsq-message

    Why is it that I feel the news I co-fund, that should be objective, is coloured by very petty, personal overtones?

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  3. canon alberic says:

    It truly is the “peoples broadcaster” and I have noticed just how many people I know loathe the BBC with a passion. A new thing, previously they (and I) would hate bits of it, and especially would tend to think that it did not give fair coverage to their own particular political stance (especially when that stance was in opposition); even then the same people would defend the institution because parts of its output were excellent or even just funny. This just isnt so any more.

    The BBC’s “state broadcasting” news output is completely out of touch with modern intermediation etc (despite the huge online presence the online news is dreadfully shallow and incoherent rather than sinister); it seems to be nothing so much as an over-manned 1970’s local authority staffed by dismal non-entities with a very powerful sense of their own worth as “broadcasters”. Hence the preposterous bullying of decent public servants, and the oft commented easy ride for unelected spokespeople for unrepresentative pressure groups like the absurdly pious Ms Chakrobarti on the ghastly “flagship” Today programme.

    Its just all so intellectually shabby as demonstrated above all in the very noticeable decline of its once innovative and globally significant Comedy shows. The overwhelming sense of being stuck on some doomed cruise ship with a repertory company of third rate egomaniacs who wont leave the stage. To mention one other BBC universal “genius”: Stephen bloody Fry. I’m sorry its just Radio 1 before Samshy and Nicey were publically executed (declaring confidently the end of fun and pop civilization) only on a bigger and more important scale, and the problem to be a bit Stalanist here (which someone needs to be) is the people.

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  4. Martin says:

    moonbat nibbler: Just like the BBC don’t mention Brown’s milking of the pension funds when talking about the UK pension crisis.

    Or the fact that Brown sold off our gold reserves for almost nothing. If the finance director of a large company had done that he’d be fired. Instead fatso got promoted.

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  5. Hugh says:

    From that Press Gazette story Peter linked to: “Despite attending White House press conferences for six years, Frei complains that he is still ignored by President Bush. “They know it’s going to be a rude question,” he says.”

    So, he admits he’s biased, then?

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  6. Dave says:

    Just seen tonight on Radio 4 will feature a debate on Burma.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/pip/dhhby/

    Check out the panel, a noted selection of left, lefter, very left and positively Chavez-esque.

    I expect the US will take the blame for this, somehow.

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  7. Martin says:

    I also understand that Hillary Clinton has been boycotting the BBC as well. In fact I don’t think any of the candidates have been on the BBC that much. Funny, as the BBC were the ones for attacking Fox News over the fact that Clinton and Obama wouldn’t appear on Fox (when both have been on live numerous times)

    Perhaps the Democrats see Fox as more balanced than the BBC!!!!

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  8. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    Nah, Dave – it’s the global Zionist conspiracy.

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  9. gharqad tree says:

    N Oxf – stop calling it a conspiracy. The secret Jew-Lizard shape-shifting rulers of the world don’t even need to “conspire” together, they are so insinctively shifty and ruley by nature.

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  10. Jack Bauer says:

    tree — and they have big hooked noses, thus making them easy to spot.

    I know that because I watch HAMAS TV.

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  11. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    They don’t need to conspire because they are so all-powerful, ruling the universe from their secret HQ on Arcturus III (linked through a wormhole to the Dimona facility), that they just laugh at any protests about their rule.

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  12. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Hugh | 28.05.08 – 3:53 pm |

    “They know it’s going to be a rude question,” he says.”

    So, he admits he’s biased, then?

    The boy Frei thinks he’s just asking the tough questions. Of course, he and his colleagues think nothing of the fact that he often disparages Bush in his on-air banter. One of his favorite things to do is refer to “the grim last eight years of the Bush Administration,” or variations thereof.

    The White House press people know all to well what Frei says – on air, as a supposedly professional news anchor. He’s also from a foreign state broadcaster, and not likely to get much attention in the first place.

    Of course, this little dig at Bush conveniently ignores the fact that the President gave Frei a whole in-studio, sit-down interview not so long ago. But, yeah, pity the poor innocent reporter being snubbed by the nasty, petty White House all the years, just because they know he’ll ask a tough question.

    As for Hillary, they used to get access to her during the campaign without too much difficulty. She even thanked Frei for being “very faithful” to her campaign when he briefly caught up with her entourage in Iowa. But Hillary’s campaign has kept her appearances and opportunities to be questioned in the same way that North Korea allows visitors to speak with locals. That is, not much, and only under very controlled circumstances.

    I’m not surprised Hillary didn’t give the BBC much time, especially lately as they have turned off her and onto Obama. Her people don’t realize – and don’t really care – that the BBC just wants a Dem to win, and they’re not too particular about which one. Once the Bill Clinton pining dried up, though, I guess they didn’t see too much positive gain out of the BBC for Hillary, and gave up on them.

    Despite the fact that most United Statesians have heard of the BBC, most still don’t know they have a special news broadcast, made just for us, never mind the wonderful “less insular” concept. (“Less insular” is code for “Foolish, ignorant United Statesians need to know much the world hates them, how terrible their president has been, and how awful they are, so we’re going to tell them”.)

    I doubt at this point that any of the campaigns see Frei’s tiny audience as worthy of their time. Well, maybe after the nominations are set, Obama will talk to them. After all, they’ll be leading the international cheers for him, and he has been reading about a “Post-America World”. Gosh, now why wouldn’t I want a president like that?

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  13. Garden Trash says:

    “BBC’s Matt Frei ’still ignored by President Bush’”

    Would that be Arbeit Matt Frei?

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  14. George R says:

    I don’t suppose that this will influence the Greens-Labour-BBC mantra about man-made CO2 causing climate change:-

    “Scientists question climate change consensus”

    http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/37938,features,whatever-happened-to-the-climate-change-consensus

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  15. adam says:

    Condi rice is a lizard if i ever saw one.

    Mr G Cooper,
    i agree with you.
    and Alaistair Campbell (sic) pops up whenever he has a book to sell, which annoys me also.

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  16. DB says:

    R5L’s Peter Allen interviewing George Monbiot about his plan to make a citizen’s arrest of John Bolton:

    “I’m not allowed to wish you good luck because you’re probably breaking the law but do take care.”

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  17. will says:

    Oxfam which like many other charities seems to direct a lot of its effort into lobbying the UK etc government to provide funds, has joined the BBC in the support Brown initiative. On BBC News Channel the desk jockey & Oxfam rep are making Brown sound like a Nobel contender, with his move to ban cluster weapons.

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  18. GCooper says:

    DB writes:

    “R5L’s Peter Allen interviewing George Monbiot about his plan to make a citizen’s arrest of John Bolton:”

    Allen has been climbing further out of his tree, lately. When that ghastly old bag, Dunwoody, died he was trilling on air about her ‘fighting the good fight’. Naturally, he meant for the socialist cause.

    Well, Joel, Hillhunt, Korova? Any excuses to make, or are you all off on a course today?

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  19. Zevilyn says:

    Here’s an idea, its crazy I know, but how’s about, instead of taxing vehicles, give us a better and cheaper public transport service.

    One of the reasons people use cars is because public transport is so shoddy and expensive.
    Seems the environ-mentalists prefer to punish the poor through taxes, rather than come up with a positive and constructive solution.

    The Green Lobby are doing the Treasury’s dirty work.

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  20. Jack Bauer says:

    R5L’s Peter Allen interviewing George Monbiot about his plan to make a citizen’s arrest of John Bolton:

    Has Moonbat seen the stocky, tough John Bolton? If he lays a hand on the terrific Mr Bolton, I imagine John will deck him.

    Also… Laying hands on a person in America is an assault…

    which can be a felony…

    which is itself open to anyone who witnesses the felonious behavior in progress to themselves make a Citizen’s Arrest.

    Which would be rather amusing if it was Moonbat who was arrested.

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  21. BaggieJonathan says:

    Here’s an idea.

    Privatise the BBC.

    Use all 3.2 billion a year to subsidise the buses for fares and additional bus services.

    Use the 30 billion from selling BBC assets and selling the newly private BBC plc entirely on urban public transit systems – park and ride, tram metro and train.

    Immediate drop in congestion without punishing car drivers.

    A lot of happy motorists.

    A lot of happy passengers.

    A lot of happy environmentalists.

    A lot of happy taxpayers.

    And goodbye state owned and poll taxing BBC.

    Win-win-win-win-win.

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  22. DB says:

    rather amusing if it was Moonbat who was arrested

    Even more amusing if he gets a good kicking from Bolton’s minders.

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  23. Jack Bauer says:

    DP-USA

    Yes, it’s hard to believe that the White House would ignore such a smug, supercilious Institutionally Leftist jerk.

    Lose the attitude Matt, and maybe you’ll get somewhere.

    Take this attempt at being superior than thou… “Only” 25% of Americans hold a passport.

    Now we all know that this is an “oh so superior” Brit’s attempt to imply that American’s are such hopeless rubes they don’t even have passports to broaden their cultural minds.

    Here’s a little fact Matt. Until THIS YEAR, Americans didn’t need a passport to travel to Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

    Think of these places as the equivalence of where the vast majority of British passport holders invade every year.

    They do need a passport to indulge their sophisticated tastes in Torremolinos, Majorca, Ibitha, Disney World, or drunken binges at Club-Med…

    These British passport holders are such a credit to our nation.

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  24. George R says:

    I hope that reporting and discussion of Labour’s apparent intention to build a new generation of UK nuclear power stations will get significant attention.

    “Brown expands nuclear ambitions”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7424158.stm

    I’m no fan of Brown, but any UK PM, Labour or Conservative, has to plan ahead, assuming ever higher fossil fuel prices; I’m impressed with the record of France, where 80% of electicity comes from nuclear (compared with about 20% here). Many ‘Greens’ in France are pro-nuclear. How will the BBC cope with this scientific maze/ moral maze issue?

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  25. Martin says:

    Toad of Toad Hall (of the SNP) was just interviewed on the BBC. Salmond came out with the usual crap about “Scottish Oil”.

    I’m no expert on international borders but taking a look at the England/Scotland land border, it clearly cuts through the North Sea oil and gas fields. Even if Scotland did sod off, there’s not doubt that some of the fields (and hence money) would belong to England.

    Yet I’ve never heard Toad picked up on this once on the BBC. Salmond gives the impression that ALL oil and gas is in Scottish waters.

    I wonder why?

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  26. Martin says:

    Jack Bauer: I heard that interview as well. No offence here, but liberals tend to be either gay or at least very camp and most of them couldn’t arm wreslte a 5 year old girl. Remember Tatchell getting slapped by a couple of Mugabbe’s body guards?

    Listen liberals (and beeboids) if you’re gay or camp don’t go around making physical threats you can’t back up.

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  27. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    Oxfam, another ignorant Israel-bashing pile of turds.

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  28. Jack Bauer says:

    Martin — I have no personal knowledge (you understand) but I read that there are some gay chaps who are quite tough, into body-building. etc.

    And Mr Bolton does look a bit like he could form a Village People tribute band with that mustache..

    But I get your drift!

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  29. Phil says:

    There is a comment piece about Matt Frei over in the Guardian at the moment

    http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tim_dowling/2008/05/land_of_the_frei.html

    “He’s the face of the corporation’s new US channel BBC World News America, and he’s got a book out called Only in America: Inside the Mind and Under the Skin of the Nation Everybody Loves to Hate. If that title is not exactly formulated to endear him the American public…”

    No kidding. Kinda sums up the typical beeboid attitude to America though.

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  30. gharqad tree says:

    JACK B – on US passports etc, spot on. Nice one.

    If Frei feels so restricted in his ability to do his job in the US, and loathes the country so much, perhaps his masters could withdraw him from the beautiful place and send him as new permanent correspondant to Gaza. I’ve yet to hear any BBC complaints that there are any such restrictions placed on reporters there, and apparently the murderou – sorry – local people, are more than fond of travelling beyond their own borders. (Though for some reason, the rest of the world, including their friends in Egypt, seems keen to keep them out. I’m sure that’s something Matt could quiz their President about, throw him a few hostile questions.)

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  31. John Reith spins in his grave says:

    Found these T shirts at the “Peoples Cube”.

    The beeb’s fame is spreading ever wider.

    https://13695.spreadshirt.com/us/US/Shop/Index/design/design/BBC—Children-in-need-of-brainwashing-818997

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  32. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    LOL, JR.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    outstanding link mr grave spinner sir, it’d be funny if it wasnt true

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  34. BaggieJonathan says:

    I know some posters here like him, mostly because he is less pc than many.
    In this case the BBC seem to agree with you, clearly ratings do matter!
    I don’t care, this ‘man’ is unacceptable.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1022438/Jeremy-Clarkson-admits-drove-186mph-public-road.html

    For the BBC some employees are more equal than others.

    Clarkson drives illegally whilst on the mobile phone and then admits to driving at 186 miles per hour on a public road.

    He presents the BBC’s driving programme!

    If you knew someone maimed or killed by senseless speeding or driving carelessly as I do you might consider the truly shocking example it is to have this ‘man’ presenting on driving.

    Other BBC ‘talent’ have been disciplined or sacked for less and when it was apparently unrelated to their specific job.

    Not if your name is Clarkson..

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  35. Martin says:

    With all due respect to Clarkson, Beeboids get done for drugs, barebacking etc and STILL don’t get sacked.

    As for Clarkson, I agree with him. The Police drive fast and they are forever killing people in road accidents. I don’t find that acceptable.

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  36. Martin says:

    Going back to the Mattheis Frei article. I loved this quote.

    “Our market is those Americans with passports, which is about 25 per cent of the population, about 60m people. These are the sorts of people who would read The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and quite a lot of people in the middle of the country, the so called fly-over country, in Kansas and Iowa and Dakota but in smaller numbers. It’s essentially those Americans who are curious about the outside world.”

    For those that don’t know, those newspapers are left wing, the sort of Guardian or Independent of the US media.

    So basically, left wing liberals care about the world, but those evil white red necks don’t.

    Not only is Frei a tosser, he’s also full of crap.

    It just proves the BBC loves those middle class skinny latte drinking lefites. They see them as “would be Beeboids”

    Enough for me. Get a proper job Frei you tosser.

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  37. Martin says:

    Oh and reading this bit, was Frei showing bad taste?

    “In London, you walk down the Edgware Road and it’s like the West Bank, you walk down to Piccadilly Circus and you are surrounded by foreigners, you are steeped in international juices and in Washington you are not.”

    Yes, Edgware road is like the West Bank. Bearded f**king arseholes detonating suicide bombs. Very funny Frei.

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  38. Jack Bauer says:

    “In London, you walk down the Edgware Road and it’s like the West Bank, you walk down to Piccadilly Circus and you are surrounded by foreigners, you are steeped in international juices and in Washington you are not.”

    Now I know why I now hate the sewer London has become since I came down from oop North. Piccadilly is particularly insufferable.

    Oh and those “juices” are piss, B.O. and vomit flowing down from Leicester Square.

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  39. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Frei’s comparison of London and Washington, DC shows just how completely useless he is. DC is the nation’s capitol, yes, but, aside from all the national monuments and famous landmarks, it’s more like a corporate headquarters city and tourist destination than any kind of center of international activity or great melting pot. And he’s been here how many years?

    A proper comparison would be New York, but Frei is so useless he compares apples and oranges instead. Yet this fathead has his own news broadcast targeted directly at me and my fellow citizens. As if he had a clue.

    Frei and co. have been saying from the start that BBC World News America was supposed to be a new and different viewpoint of news for insular, ignorant United Statesians. So far, except when they’re recycling reports from the mother ship, Frei and his playmates are pretty worthless. They don’t come across as having a viewpoint worthy of my respect.

    Even BBC World and its subsidiaries are supposed to be objective and adhere to the Charter and Agreement. It’s supposed to be objective news, isn’t it? What’s this about a certain viewpoint, then, BBC?

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  40. NotaSheep says:

    Collaborators – did anyone else catch the Toady programme’s piece on Palestinians who have “collaborated” with the Israelis and are now mostly living in Sderot which explains why that town is the target for Palestinian rockets – the subtext being that it also excuses the firing of the rockets. As if that was not enough, the Israeli government was also criticised for not treating the collaborators well enough and the collaborators’ neighbours criticised for negative feelings towards them. The BBC no story on Israel small enough to tell if it can be spun against Israel. Any news on the Balen report BBC?

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  41. Hugh says:

    “Our market is … the sorts of people who would read The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune,” says Frie.

    I really struggle to understand how he can fail to see this is an admission of bias. If “our market” comprises mainly left wing newspaper readers, what does that tell you?

    Is he really so arrogant he doesn’t even see the need to disguise his bias?

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  42. gharqad tree says:

    David Presier: even I as a Brit can vouch for that. I visited Washington DC on a Sunday (at a time when I was living in NYC) and found it to be a virtual ghost town. Small handfuls of tourists wandered around wondering where everybody was and what there was to do.

    AN afternoon visiting the monuments and a couple of museums and galleries was all I could find to do, and they too were virtually empty.

    DC is not a real city. A fair-minded person would understand that. London does not stand comparison with NYC and Mr Frei doubtles knows that. It is an international city (and thus wholly American) that makes my current home, London, look like the sinking, soulless, islamised, cowed little garbage heap of castrated urban meanness that it surely is.

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  43. DB says:

    The BBC’s account of the childish antics at Hay on Wye neglects to mention that one of its own was also involved:

    The comedian Marcus Brigstocke, who tried to pursue Bolton as he left the other side of the tent, was also blocked by security staff.
    http://books.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2282556,00.html

    I’m sure we’ll hear about it soon enough from Brigstocke himself on one of the many BBC programmes he regularly presents or appears on.

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  44. Martin says:

    The BBC Radio 5 lite phone in this morning is about the comments made by the Arch Bishop of Rochester about a moral vacuum.

    Anyone want to take a gues as to what part Victoria Derbyshire left out?

    Yep, the bit about radical Islam filling the void.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html

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  45. Martin says:

    DB: I like the comment the BBC makes at the end of the article about shithead Moonbat’s book. I quote

    “…Last year he published a book entitled Heat, which calls on the public to make serious changes to their personal lives in order to combat global warming…”

    Yep, he made changes. He bought himself a car.

    So just how is that supposed to help the planet then? And why doesn’t the BBC mention it?

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  46. GCooper says:

    I tried to post about this last night, but HaloScan ate it. As I’m still fuming this morning, I’ll have another go.

    Last night, Gavin Sneer on Newsnight had McBean’s energy sock puppet, Malcolm Wicks, on his comedy show, to talk about the current fuel crisis.

    As usual, the interview went round the houses, with Wicks allowed to trot out all the usual lies and spin, waffling about nuclear energy and increased North Sea oil, as if either will have any effect within a decade.

    Not once did Sneer manage to summon the courage to ask Wicks the single, relevant question and keep asking it until he got an answer: Why is the government profiteering from rising VAT returns on fuel and will it reduce fuel tax to compensate?

    Still, I suppose if you earn a BBC size salary, a few pence on a litre of unleaded is nether here nor there really, is it?

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  47. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    “With all due respect to Clarkson” –

    why? He deserves nil respect. He is a disgusting piece of shit who deserves to be behind bars. And then there is his illegal driving.

    Mentioning the police is a total irrelevance.

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  48. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    “Now I know why I now hate the sewer London has become”

    Now I know why I started hating London in the mid-90s until I left it. If I wanted to live among a lot of Bearded f**king arseholes detonating suicide bombs I would have moved to Ramallah.

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  49. Jack Bauer says:

    I would have moved to Ramallah.

    Is that the London Borough of Ramallah? Or Ramallah, West Yorkshirestan?

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