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.
General BBC-related comment thread!
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jimbob 3:33 pm
Yes; BBC get around to mentioning VAZ inquiry:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7648451.stm
But for details of the story, the BBC can look up the ‘Mail’:
“Labour MP Keith Vaz faces sleaze inquiry over his outrageous bid to sway judge on behalf of crooked lawyer friend”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1058575/Labour-MP-Keith-Vaz-faces-sleaze-inquiry-outrageous-bid-sway-judge-behalf-crooked-lawyer-friend.html
“Sleaze watchdog to probe links between Keith Vaz and fraudster”
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1059250/Sleaze-watchdog-probe-links-Keith-Vaz-fraudster.html
I was half listening to some drivel from the egregious Justin Webb telling us all how dumb the Americans are and how dumbed down their media is. How they just don’t understand the financial crisis etc etc. The beeboids sucked it all up without murmur and I expect they think we do too.
It never seems to occur to them that this is the biggest most successful economy the world has ever known, the most technologically advanced, the most advanced military with technology others only dream of. The ONLY country ever to have walked on another planet and more than 30 years ago at that. I could go on but you get the picture. It also seems to pass them by that the whole world is waiting for the Americans to pull the worlds economy out of the shit using their truly democratic system and tax revenues they can only dream of. The world could really manage without these idiots….right?
The only thing dumb about America is that they let this pea brained little twat reside in their country at all. Diverse and different they may be….. stupid? I don’t think so.
Yep. BBC blaming Boris Johnson for that dick head Bliar going. Good riddance to bad rubbish I say.
The BBC treats Labour’s VAZ better than it treats Conseravative Cameron.
Sir Ian Blair to quit Scotland Yard
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3122796/Sir-Ian-Blair-to-quit-Scotland-Yard.html
This excellent news. Like Jonathan Boyd Hunt I’m going to name-drop.
I’ve met Blair several times, from The Old Bailey to Bramshill. Once, when he had just taken over as Chief Constable at my home force and I was on secondment elsewhere, I was in an audience at a ‘secondee reunion day’.
I asked Blair how long he intended to remain in the post. He laughed, ignored the question and made some crack. I fronted him out and said ‘well you’ve got your laugh now how long are you going to stay. I got a load of old flannel about commitments etc, serving the county etc, yada yada.
18 months later he was gone. Some commitment.
Thoroughly a nulabour appointee of which the BBC wholeheartedly supported.
My own view is that he has done untold damage to policing in the UK.
I forgot to add, that like BBC/NuLabour people, I always thought of him as a self-serving publicity hound
I hate Muslims and am mentally unhinged, can I join your gang?
First blush of Autumn?
Why Ofcom’s top brass should be blushing
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/oct/02/ofcom.television
A view… certainly.
Mind you, I have been entertaining myself with some stories in this ‘quality’ daily by ‘journalists’ who so far have treated Sir. Ian Blair’s resignation as a reason to berate Boris as opposed to, oh, I don’t know, figuring out what he might have done over the last wee while to get to this current pretty pass.
But, as I read the first few comments about our favourite uniquely-funded news gathering broadcaster, it seems they may not be alone in this odd diversion.
Knox | Homepage | 02.10.08 – 4:00 pm |
no, your a twat.
The actual content of this article about absentee ballot voting by US citizens living in the UK isn’t biased. However, the featured quote is from a Democrat, and all three photos are of Democrat supporters.
The caption for the photo of Gwyneth Paltrow is either a lie or a gross misrepresentation (I’ll leave that for others to decide). While the caption accurately states the title of her video, it does not tell you that it’s a partisan broadcast disguised as a non-partisan “get out and vote” piece (a typical Dem strategy). The BBC editor who chose to put that photo up knows perfectly well that at 1:22 into it, Paltrow says, “I feel like I was born a Democrat”. And it gets worse, ending with a woman saying she’s voting Democrat, and then the piece ends with “Vote Obama” in big letters.
They’re not even making an effort at balance, because they don’t care. This is beyond laziness, and is not an oversight by one of Helen Boaden’s very, very young people who are paid very, very low wages, and have not yet gone through proper training. This is sheer bloodymindedness.
In fact, I’m having a hard time believing this doesn’t violate the law, never mind The Charter.
Combine that with Webb’s latest for a full partisan breakfast (NYC time).
All Justin Webb can do on the radio is play Saturday Night Live excerpts and dig up a few Republicans who aren’t sure about Gov. Palin. He spares no effort to create the impression that the majority of the US – including many Republicans – don’t want her or are at least very unsure about her. Everyone here will know that’s not exactly the case, but it’s not thanks to the people who you’re forced to pay to inform you.
Then he plays an audio clip of Sen. Biden saying that Hillary would have made just as good a VP as he, and ol’ Justin follows that by saying Biden will probably do well.
Webb did not mention the partisan Gwen Ifill, who is publishing her book on the new successes of black political figures – including The Obamessiah, although unlike what most complainers are saying the book isn’t about him alone – in the US, to be released on Inauguration Day. She obviously stands to make money off of an Obamessiah victory in November, and has made other comments on air which compromise her fairness. Somebody mentioned it in the comments on Webb’s blog, but has he said anything about this on air? If he doesn’t mention this on air before tonight, he is not doing is job properly, and most likely should be removed from his position. No excuses.
Come on lurking Beeboids, ignore the homophobic and anti-Islam remarks and debate reality. Your colleagues are violating the Charter, and probably violating international law with this one.
Sorry, forgot the YouTube link:
Skip forward to 1:22, then watch from there. Have a sick bag ready.
If people cancelled their direct debits/Pay-Point subscriptions to the BBC (aka “the TV Licence” scam)
If people stopped funding this spin machine (The BBC/NuLiebore)
If people realised that when the CONservatives get promoted to adding to the ruin of this country in the next ‘General Errection’ funded by the Bilderberg ‘Co-operation’.
… would the BBC still exist?
Of course it would. This is a good site for waking up the sheep… however actions speak louder than words.
Sorry… I’m awaiting moderation for stating the bleeding obvious.
I apologise.
Born Democrat? What the hell does that mean? Has partizan politics gone so far that it’s now encoded in your DNA rather than a concious choice?
Non Licence Payer,
You make a good point but it is not always possible.
I am an accountant and work with FSA registered companies.
Not paying your licence fee is a CRIMINAL offence and if conficted I would no longer be able to work for FSA registered companies as I would fail the initial screening plus I would be subject to sanctions by my Institute.
Its not possible for all but good luck to those who can.
As a reminder of the dhimmitude of Sir Ian Blair (an attitude so appealing to many at the BBC), here is a pertinent example given by author, Bruce Bawer, about a year ago:
“An Anatomy of Surrender”
[Extract]:
“If you don’t find the dhimmification of politicians shocking, consider the degree to which law enforcement officers have yielded to Islamist pressure. Last year, when ‘Undercover Mosque,’ an unusually frank exposé on Britain’s Channel 4, showed ‘moderate’ Muslim preachers calling for the beating of wives and daughters and the murder of gays and apostates, police leaped into action—reporting the station to the government communications authority, Ofcom, for stirring up racial hatred. (Ofcom, to its credit, rejected the complaint.) The police reaction, as James Forsyth noted in the Spectator, ‘revealed a mindset that views the exposure of a problem as more of a problem than the problem itself.’ Only days after the ‘Undercover Mosque’ broadcast—in a colossal mark of indifference to the reality that it exposed—Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair announced plans to share antiterrorist intelligence with Muslim community leaders. These plans, fortunately, were later shelved.” (Bruce Bawer).
http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_2_cultural_jihadists.html
And who will replace him? Ghaffur, of someone else from the Black Police Association lobby?
So Blair thinks that Boris got him. HE HE. Try years of trying to be a politician instead of being a policeman. Ken was backing him on Radio 5 a few mins ago. This to me means, well done boris.
For some reason, the author has posted this in the Guardian (I usually enjoy having a debate there, but on this issue it’s really not worth it. I’ve just left one where ‘they’ are asking why someone who might have a different view to the group is allowed on, and to voice an opinion. Bless):
The battle caused by Climate Wars
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/02/climatechange.television
I must say it makes for an interesting read, even if some links to ‘a bloke’s blog’ seems rather… unconvincing in support.
I must say on first reading I was unclear (great communicators that they are: ‘Maybe that’s our fault for not being clearer’ – that’s what £3.5B gets you, I guess) whether he was saying the climate debate was a done deal, or it wasn’t..‘…even if the scientific consensus is that global warming is a reality’, ‘..makes clear, it is that there is still a furious debate going on out there.’
As to the rest, with bitter irony it mostly makes this committed environmental campaigner weep… or feel like buying a Hummer.
Is there hope for us yet? Slowly the Tories are picking off the scum that hates this nation.
Oh and I see finally the BBC ‘briefly’ mentioned the Keith Vaz story. Briefly mind you.
The least the Conservatives could do if they get into government, is to abolish the every household licence fee and fund the BBC through limited amount of government funding tax, which the BBC could supplement with advertising, and the various other means it already has of making money. That’s how its done in Canada, Australia and other countries.
Then the BBC would have to be competitive. It would be a popular move because the BBC has long ago lost the trust and good reputation it used to have. Now, when the majority of people in Britain feel powerless and disenfranchised, the state broadcaster is behaving like a communist state broadcaster, sadistically distributing misinformation. And the people are forced to pay for this unpleasant experience.
I’m guessing that the reason there are no intelligent, informative, independent broadcasters is because a licence has to be granted, and those are granted by some sort of committee which, if not government, appointed by government. So we are stuck with BBC leftie propaganda; and Sky.
I’m beginning to believe that the only way, if governments won’t deal with it, is to have a huge campaign to persuade people not to pay the licence fee. But that is a difficult thing to ask of people for fear of maybe getting a bad credit rating, being prosecuted. Apparently, despite the nazi style ads, there’s nothing they can do. Has anyone ever been prosecuted for non-payment of the licence fee?
BBC report:
“European summit on financial crisis”
OR: –
‘Brown to go to EU meeting in Paris to be told what UK policy is on financial crisis’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7648249.stm
Sharamik | 02.10.08 – 4:27 pm |
The Paltrow is full of fluff. She’s been studying “Kaballah” lately as well.
The BBC is happy to mislead (lie to?) everyone about her, though.
Susan Franklin: The BBC can easily move to a subscription based service.
According to the BBC and the leftie liberals they BBC represents great value for money. Therefore we will all happily sign up for the BBC services. Won’t we?
David Preiser (USA): Does anyone really care what airhead actors think?
Red Ken was on Sky a bit ago talking about Boris, so Im betting he will be on Newsnight, Channel 4 news and Questiontime, Any Questions etc.
I had Five Live on accidentally just now, and heard a segment about Sir Ian Blair being “hounded out of office by the Tories.” Or at least, that’s what the only guest just said. She was apparently a police officer who had worked with him, and went totally partisan about it. The presenters could barely spit out Boris Johnson’s name. It was clear that in their minds this was a Tory railroad job. I guess the racial discrimination noise was a Tory stitch-up as well?
Switched over to Dutch Public Radio’s Concertzender instead.
Red Ken was on Sky a bit ago talking about Boris, so Im betting he will be on Newsnight, Channel 4 news and Questiontime, Any Questions etc.
Martin | 02.10.08 – 5:22 pm |
I read somewhere recently that Livingstone now cuts a lonely figure hanging around City Hill like Banquo’s ghost, waiting to be acknowledged.
Very much yesterday’s man.
It is a remarkable sign of exactly how bigoted the BBC has become, that even its previously staunchest supporters from the left are now starting to criticise it for it’s biassed, anti-British reportage.
Yes, believe it or not Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (aka the Yazzmonster) gives them a comprehensive slagging off in yesterday’s London Evening Standard.
Quote: “I don’t blame ordinary Britons for these perceptions. For years now, they have heard our ranting fanatics bullying and threatening reprisals, most of all on the supposedly ethical BBC, which habitually seeks out for comment the most vile Muslims it can find. And so it is today.”. Do read the whole article. See it on http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23562453-details/The+BBC+pumps+up+our+Muslim+hotheads/article.do
I had Five Live on accidentally just now, and heard a segment about Sir Ian Blair being “hounded out of office by the Tories.” Or at least, that’s what the only guest just said. She was apparently a police officer who had worked with him, and went totally partisan about it.
David Preiser (USA) | Homepage | 02.10.08 – 5:29 pm |
The Met Police Federation passed a vote of no confidence in Blair.
He was pretty much detested by the rank and file, especially when he tried to stitch three of them up over yet another spurious ‘racist’ allegation.
He was forced to reinstate them.
Blair was hated by most people except the politically correct BBC and Nu Liebour.
If Blair had been a right of centre copper he would have been ‘hounded out’ long ago.
TPO: Red Ken attends Mayor Questiontime every week.
What a sad little nasal nose shit he is.
Martin C: Quote: “I don’t blame ordinary Britons for these perceptions. For years now, they have heard our ranting fanatics bullying and threatening reprisals, most of all on the supposedly ethical BBC, which habitually seeks out for comment the most vile Muslims it can find.
Yep. She’s one of those very hate filled vile Muslims that is never off the BBC. She’s always on with that piece of excrement Abdul Bari Twatman who said he’d dance in Trafalgar Square if Iran nuked Israel. She doesn’t seem to mind scum like him does she?
TPO | 02.10.08 – 5:44 pm |
The Met Police Federation passed a vote of no confidence in Blair.
He was pretty much detested by the rank and file, especially when he tried to stitch three of them up over yet another spurious ‘racist’ allegation.
He was forced to reinstate them.
Thanks for clarifying that for me. So in other words, it certainly wasn’t something the Tories had been planning on since Boris took office, as the female officer claimed? It’s simply not true that this is the Tories hounding Blair out of office, then, which is how they reported it.
PM presenter, Carolyn Quinn on economics, on Radio 4 ‘PM’, 10 minutes ago:’What happened to all that money when share prices fell?’
Ms. Quinn wiil be probably criticising Sarah Palin, in a superior, authorative tone tomorrow.
For those interested in the soap opera of Justin Webb’s blog, I posted a link to this last night. It stayed up for 20 hours but has just been removed.
(Yes Mailman, you did tell me so!)
DB: Nice one. I noticed the doll clearly din’t have any balls or a dick, so it was life like.
Another hatchet job on Palin by the rent boy lovers at the BBC 6pm news.
For those interested in the soap opera of Justin Webb’s blog, I posted a link to this last night. It stayed up for 20 hours but has just been removed.
(Yes Mailman, you did tell me so!
That’s funny. I wonder which of the ‘House rules’ it violated? Is one of them ‘Thou shalt not make fun of the egotistical, hyper-partisan hack who authors the blog’?
David Preiser (USA) | Homepage | 02.10.08 – 6:04 pm |
A misunderstanding. The Met Police federation passed the motion of no confidence over a year ago.
Have to dive out now but will give a fuller explanation of the ‘behind-the-scenes’ wrangles if you wish later on.
His resignation is long overdue.
TPO, quite. I believe the involvement of Boris is to refuse to back him against the wishes of the MPF. He has no power to tell him to go, but he can effectively side with the MPF and force Blair to resign.
Livingstoneturd just turned up on Channel 4 news.
God this fucking creep is everywhere. Why does the media seem to think this rather creepy man is in the least bit interesting to the general public?
As someone who occasionally posts here I used to believe that our collective efforts would force a change; that free thinking people would wake up and say that they are not taking any more of this ‘low, dishonest…’ appeasing, totalitarian organisation, Al-Beeb.
There must be a change. As John Mccain recently reminded us, nothing is inevitable. Surely there are public spirited politicians out there who realise the decadence into which the BBC has sunk: The arrogance (Justin Webb/Matt Frei) and the sheer bias.
I hope that it is not too late. In case you think that Channel 4 is any better, Channel 4 news from the US(Jon Snow and Sara Smith) are utterly in the Democrat camp.
But 4 is not the public broadcaster.
TPO | 02.10.08 – 6:43 pm |
His resignation is long overdue.
That’s what I would have thought, considering the recent racial discrimination noise, and the differing opinions on whether crime is actually down or not, poor policing in certain neighborhoods, etc.
The broadcast interview has Blair pointing the finger squarely at Boris, and the Five Live talking heads backed him up on it. The female (ex?) officer said straight out that the Tories had wanted him out since Boris came to power, and Blair was being “hounded out”.
That’s why I asked if the racial discrimination thing was a Tory stitch-up. None of his problems can really be blamed on Boris, yet that’s how they played it.
The “Profile” article is more realistic and unbiased, although the Q&A page has it that “Sir Ian has faced attack after attack.” A few questions and answers are framed in such a way to make it clear that this is mostly Boris’s fault.
The question is whether Boris Johnson’s crucial role in Sir Ian’s ejection means that policing and politics are now bound together in a way no commissioner has ever seen before.
Reaction: Met chief’s resignation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7648986.stm
DOMINIC GRIEVE, SHADOW HOME SECRETARY
“This is the right decision….”
TONY MCNULTY, POLICING MINISTER
“Responding to Conservative criticisms: “I’m afraid that shows the profound ignorance of Dominic Grieve when it comes to ..”
I do query, vis-a-vis this blog’s ongoing pondering on the role of the BBC and its partcipation in creating and indeed seemingly often trying to shape events rather than simply reporting upon them, why I only notice one example of a reaction opportunity being provided within what was surely meant to be isolated quotes on the main issue at hand, namely the resignation.
How? Why?
Battersea: No, but Channel4 does get public money, just like the BBC so has a duty to be balanced.
What was VERY odd on C4 news tonight was Chris Hume (Lib Dem) defending Boris Johnson from Ken Livingstone.
Why wasn’t there a Tory in there?
Peter, what a sack of crap Tony McNulty is. So Grieve isn’t allowed to say that Blair is shit and should have gone, but it’s fine for him to spew nonsense about a shadow minister?
Battersea | 02.10.08 – 7:45 pm
In case you think that Channel 4 is any better, Channel 4 news from the US(Jon Snow and Sara Smith) are utterly in the Democrat camp.
Let’s not forget that sarah smith is the eldest daughter of the late labour leader, john smith.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Smith
Whats the odds that Ian Blair is given a safe Labour seat at the next election?
Talking of Tony McNulty, this letter from the people who published Inspector Gadget’s book made me laugh… 🙂
Spot the difference anyone?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7632000/7632827.stm
The Today show the day after Gordon Brown’s keynote speech
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7647000/7647690.stm
The Today show the day after David Cameron’s keynote speech.
I was thinking the newspaper’s not being shown on Newsnight was just unfortunate timing but now I’m really not so sure.
Jon: There won’t be such a thing as a safe Labour seat at the next election. More like Blair will join that other human failure Livingstone and spend his days poncing off the BBC for a living.