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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archduke, when do you think you guys will have an election?
Phil | 14.10.08 – 9:10 pm |
we probably wont have one.
there is something called the “civil contigencies act”
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2004/ukpga_20040036_en_1
do have a read through it.
when you do , then you are on my wavelength.
“That was the point being made in the program, not that the Koran somehow makes Islam more scientific.
At no time was any claim made suggesting it was still the case. “.
harpy | 14.10.08 – 9:27 pm | #
i would kindly suggest that you rewind your video tape and actually listen to what was ACTUALLY said in that documentary.
not what you think what was said
Richared Lancaster writes: “Do you think stonehenge alone is sufficient evidence towards comparable levels of development with cultures covering a vast region?”
I’m not sure what you think is relevant about the ‘vast region’ aspect. I’m also far from sure how you feel you are able to draw meaningful comparisons between cultures.
It seems to me that you are inferring an awful lot from astonishingly little evidence, in respect of European neolithic society.
Moreover, I also think that the considerable number of barely understood neolithic sites strewn across this part of Europe gives the lie to the 19th century ‘cultural cringe’ towards the near-east, fascinating and absolutely seminal though it may have been.
I strongly suspect that your original intention was to play the ‘who are really the savages?’ game and, frankly, that is a tired old canard.
jon: The snot eater doesn’t care. Most of this borrowing will be paid back long after he’s gone from office and got himslef a nice fat pay cheque in the City.
We will be paying back this money for decades to come. The sums of money are just huge. God knows what the interest payment are.
As James Max pointed out on Sky News, why has our Government had to spend more than the Americans to bail out the banks?
Our total borrowing is something like 520 billion pounds (about 800 billion dollars) yet the Americans only have a bail out plan of some 700 billion dollars (about 400 billion pounds)
Whatever happened to “no more boom and bust, Mr Prudence and fiscal management?”
Anon: What utter crap you spout. To build something like Stonehenge would have required a high degree of scientific knowledge, a working understanding of the calendar and seasons and maths.
Who knows what science the people who built Stonehenge? What we do know is what they built. Many skills are handed down by word of mouth and that is true even today. Just because something is not written down does not mean it’s not true!!!! We have the evidence of their work.
You can argue the same for the people in South America that built those huge outlines of animals and their own pyramids. That must have been quite an undertaking.
And not a Muslim in sight.
The fact you can’t work that out says it all.
jon
I expect the truth is that nobody in the entire world is prepared to invest in our useless banks because they suspect that their so called assets are worth much much less than 3 trillion. No wonder Redwood sounds worried. Our heroic leader- Newsnight used that term tonight- is gambling bigtime. If it fails then we go bust or face really huge tax increases- like a basic rate of 50%- and no pensions, no civil service pay etc etc. A bankrupt state.
if I was a charitable person I would even feel sorry for these poor Nulabour politicos so obviously way out of their depth. But I don’t just dismay at such incompetence and perfidy.
happier time.. relatively..
one thing to note – there are no bodyguards…
mid 1970s
watch that vid above… not about john lennon per se..
leftists will never get over the fact that lennon immigrated to america.
i wonder why? something to do with “freedom” maybe……
Richard Lancaster | 14.10.08 – 11:40 pm |
I more meant as an example of recording methods generally. What do you think of Diamond’s explanations for development trajectories?
Look, this is just a hobby. I studied history and archaeology for a couple of years in school, read BAR and a couple of other things. For obvious reasons, there have been a number of stories in the last few years about digs in Kurdistan. I recognized the reference, that’s all. I misunderstood you and thought it was odd to equate the Inca knots (seen it on the History Channel, even) with an actual system of writing. The “Aryan Indo-European” remark was a joke made in the spirit of this blog’s contention that the BBC would be biased against them for being white Imperialists, etc.
I didn’t mean to cause offense.
I wonder what the legalities are these days of showing, well, intruding on the public in public places. Especially just to ‘help’ illustrate a story.
Today on the BBC news I have seen two sets of unfortunate folk leaving their place of (now ex-) business carrying their careers in a cardboard box.
I presume they gave permission?
Oh, and if any see the crew of an entity that is ‘uniquely funded and hence does not have such work/life concerns as others’ shooting outside, I wonder what the odds would be of getting featured if you write ‘Nice one Gordon’ or ‘You’re next!’ on the side?
– Sack BBC’s MARK THOMPSON now!:
From today’s ‘Telegraph’
“BBC boss says Islam shouild be treated more sensitively than Christianity”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/3198804/BBC-boss-says-Islam-should-be-treated-more-sensitively-than-Christianity.html
Thompson is behaving like a classic dhimmi* in the face of Islamic interests.
Earlier this year he admitted that the BBC was ‘over-cautious’ on Islam, which is code for ‘the BBC is frightened of allowing Islam to be criticised, as the BBC allows Christianity to be criticised’:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3724384.ece
So, in his cowardly manner, Thompson has shifted his moral position from admitting that the BBC was ‘over-cautious’/weak on Islamic representation, to now rationalising such moral weakness and dhimmitude* into justifying the preferential treatment which the BBC so blatantly gives to Islam, relative to other religions, especially to Christianity.
So, from confessing that the BBC is weak on Islam (his position 6 months ago), Thompson does not now strengthen his stance towards Islam, relative to Christianity, he (who happens to be a Roman Catholic)justifies, and intends to perpetuate the gross preferential treatment of Islam into the future as official BBC policy, subsidised by the overwhelmingly non-Muslim British licencepayers!
It is a resigning matter, Mr. Thompson. I suggest you get a full-time job in religion. Which one you prefer is up to you.
*DHIMMITUDE –
[Extract]:
“Dhimmitude: the Islamic system of governing populations conquered by jihad wars, encompassing all of the demographic, ethnic, and religious aspects of the political system. The word ‘dhimmitude’ as a historical concept, was coined by Bat Ye’or in 1983 to describe the legal and social conditions of Jews and Christians subjected to Islamic rule. The word ‘dhimmitude’ comes from dhimmi, an Arabic word meaning ‘protected’. Dhimmi was the name applied by the Arab-Muslim conquerors to indigenous non-Muslim populations who surrendered by a treaty (dhimma) to Muslim domination. Islamic conquests expanded over vast territories in Africa, Europe and Asia, for over a millennium (638-1683). The Muslim empire incorporated numerous varied peoples which had their own religion, culture, language and civilization. For centuries, these indigenous, pre-Islamic peoples constituted the great majority of the population of the Islamic lands. Although these populations differed, they were ruled by the same type of laws, based on the shari’a”.
http://www.dhimmitude.org/
George R: Why am I not surprised.
Interesting the gold-adorned (figuratively) Mr. T should come up…
BBC: Beeb bans champers
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/bbc-beeb-bans-champers-961389.html
Gotta love some of the quotes:
‘When we got the FoI request and added up the figures, we realised just how much we were spending and decided to stop that practice.’
I must try running my business on the basis of FoI requests submitted.
“In the current climate, it just doesn’t feel right to spend licence payers’ money on champagne. We had to take a view and ask ourselves whether we could defend this as a legitimate expense in the programme-making process and we decided we couldn’t.”
So… it doesn’t ‘feel’ right, eh? At the moment, eh? And mainly it’s whether we could get away with it, eh? Nice one, dudes.
But some bills will be more difficult to cut as they are deemed essential for programme-making. … £350,000 on bottled water… “Things like that will be almost impossible to cut back on.”
Hmnn. Harking back a few months, were they not running a ‘planet ban-it froth and bother’ on this issue?
As with almost all from the output of this entity I am forced to co-fund, to this…
‘…we need to closely scrutinise everything we do to ensure that we are spending our public funds to the best effect.”
… I fear my only thought is: ‘best effect for whom?’.
I’m guessing, despite their favourite super-hero pay-dispener’s (we still do the paying) vocal lead, that outrageous bonus cultures in this uniquely-funded entity will be a wee while longer in coming?
Another from the Indy, with some more ponderings on what is said and what is meant…
Simpson fears for the future of the BBC
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/pandora/pandora-simpson-fears-for-the-future-of-the-bbc-961406.html
“It may be better, but I somehow doubt it. What the hell do I care? I’ll be 75 or something like that.”
Bless.
Simpson was equally glum, reserving special vitriol for the men in grey suits… “I’ll hate the so and so’s • I hate them pretty much anyway, but I’ll hate them even more.”
Sounds a great place to work. I wonder if they fund dental?
Umbongo | 14.10.08 – 11:39 pm
mathematics is a subject woefully ignored in the media.
Generally yes…. But the other day I heard a programme about Godel (sorry can’t do umlauts) and Hilbert. Fascinating.
Still on Listen Again ‘til tomorrow:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/inourtime/inourtime.shtml
Peter: The BBC is a total joke. The next time that TWAT Harrabin comes on wanking on about bottled water and climate change or some other leftie bollocks I’ll throw my plastic bottle at the TV.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/blog/048-bottled-water/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7247130.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1309841.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/worldhaveyoursay/2007/07/bottled_water_blues.html
George R | 15.10.08 – 8:30 am
Aren’t you going overboard calling Thompson a Dhimmi?
Surely it is right, and only good manners, to treat different groups differently, and with an eye on their particular sensitivities?
If some comedian started doing crass Holocaust gags on TV, I’d be the first to argue that broadcasters should extend extra sensitivity to Jewish viewers in this respect.
All Thompson was saying is that because so many Muslims are also from ethnic minorities, there’s a good chance they might mistake jokes about their religion for racial taunts.
That’s undeniably true.
I’ve seen it happen.
Climate plan concern as EU meets
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7670814.stm
Only the greenie twats and those mindlessly following their agenda are ‘concerned’ about this, so straight away we’ve got a biased bit of writing.
How about those people relieved that the climate plan is heading for the rocks because of the massive taxation that would be implemented and the wholesale trashing of EU economies to ‘cure’ global warming that isn’t feckin’ happening anyway?
Tom
All Mark Thompson has done, and conitunes to do is turn the BBC into a pro-Islamic, subsidised propaganda broadcasting organisation.
To call Thompson a ‘dhimmi’ is an understatement if anything. His cowardly actions are specifically aimed to further the cause of Islam through the BBC.
Did anyone else crack a wry smile at the funereal tones used by the BBC when reporting the Canadian election result?
Yet more shame heaped on the Corporation. They ignore the election almost totally in the preceding weeks, then report the outcome as if relaying the death of a much loved relative.
Surely it is right, and only good manners, to treat different groups differently, and with an eye on their particular sensitivities?
Indeed you might make a case for that, the problem on this site is that the BBC only makes this point in regard to Islam, it walks all over Christian sensitivities without a second thought. (Jerry Springer the Opera for example)
Tom 8:30
Islam is not a race, it is a religion.
Of course, Thompson is a dhimmi. He thinks that by appeasing Muslims, they will treat him well, if they get power.
He is also a coward, because he is afraid of terrorist reprisals if the BBC are critical of Islam.
If Christians had a terrorist wing, the BBC would treat Chistianity in a “sensitive” manner.
There is no principle behind BBC creeps like Thompson, just dishonesty, hypocrisy and cowardice.
Tom writes: “Surely it is right, and only good manners, to treat different groups differently, and with an eye on their particular sensitivities?”
Surely it is incumbent, when a guest in someone else’s country or culture, not to demand privileged treatment – least of all on pain of violence?
Thompson should be sacked, but at least he has admitted what most sensible people have known to be BBC policy for several years.
I don’t believe it. The Daily Politics has got Piers Morgan on a feature about climate change. Talk about scraping the barrel.
Be fair, Grant – Moron is a specialist on the subject of hot air.
I do not know how to put in a link but a look at “If this is a triumph, I’d hate to see a disaster” by Daniel Finkelstein on the Timesonline site.
Perhaps a clever person can do the link for me.
How I long for some such similar analysis on the BBC. Is that a whole squadron of pigs I see flying?
Harriet Harman and William Hague at PMQs. Andrew Neil at 11:55 ” Well, it is almost the witching hour”.
GCooper 11:57
Just caught Moron complaining about bankers and high salaries. Guess he just doesn’t do irony !
Finklestein’s article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/daniel_finkelstein/article4944288.ece
On PESTON, like son, like father: both Labour, through and through.
[Extract]:
‘WHILE BBC business editor Robert Peston has umpteen opportunities every day to expound his views on the current economic situation, it appears his father, Lord (Maurice) Peston, is feeling left out.
‘The Labour peer, emeritus professor of economics at Queen Mary, told the House of Lords yesterday, that it was “an absolute disgrace” that there had not been a full-day debate in the second chamber on the financial crisis. And he said that Government Treasury spokesman Lord Davies of Oldham had nothing to fear.
‘Peston Snr told peers: “If we have such a debate, he will have a rare and rather pleasant experience, as he will hear a number of speakers from this side cogently and strongly supporting the Government.”‘
http://londonersdiary.standard.co.uk/2008/10/peston-snr-call.html
Robert’s Dad will be able to have the pleasure of sitting next to the unelected Labour Cabinet peer, Baron Mandelson, in the House of Lords:
“The picture that tells us everything about these ghastly old socialists’ lust to lord it over us” (Max Hastings):
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1077734/MAX-HASTINGS-The-picture-tells-ghastly-old-socialists-lust-lord-us.html
Tom
” . . . about Godel (sorry can’t do umlauts) and Hilbert . . ”
Thanks for that – I’ll try to listen.
Unsurprisingly this isn’t on TV. I suspect it’s probably too specialised. Certainly though, in the opinion of the BBC and the Open University, such a programme would be far too demanding for the licence payers – even those with an IQ above 100 and who breathe through their noses. Besides, a programme concerning Godel and Hilbert can be dealt with in the studio which means that the presenter (+ crew) don’t get a world tour as part of the deal.
Interesting that Tom is equating straight reporting about muslim terrorism with doing “crass gags about the holocaust”.
The BBC seems to have celebrated the Prime Mentalists insane gamble a tad too early!
Just seeing the joyous grins and exstatic demeanor start to slip as they have to report the inevitable slide in the FTSE and UK economy cheered me up!
The disaster reminds me of the last moments of the Titanic, as the front half sank the stern first lifted clear of the water, then the ship broke in half and the front dissapeared, the stern fell back down and settled, everone cheered a miracle, they thought for a minute that they were saved BUT alas the already submerged front half dragged the rest down too and the joy was shortlived!
The moral of the story? Jonah McSpendalots mental gamble will look great at first THEN it will make the final crash that much harder to bear, in effect the mental defective at No10 has doubled the pain and left the cuboard bare so there will be no help when mass unemployment appears, the BBC has been crowing and glowing about the bailout while hiding the bad news from view as much as they can!
Looks like the wheels are starting to come off. We have Simpson’s comments today which bode well for the future. There are rumours circulating that PAXMAN IS ABOUT TO RESIGN FROM NEWSNIGHT as the BBC’s flagship News progamme becomes ever more risable.
Thomson’s comments on Islam will surprise no-one. These statements are now what people expect from the BBC.
They have lost the arguement. People have stopped listening. Bye Bye BBC.
george r -i thought finkelstein was v. funny
esp. liked
” I think this success is confined to the fluency of his signature on the surrender documents.”
Contrast & Compare:
Israelis kill Palestinian youth
IDF troops kill Palestinian fire-bomber near West Bank settlement
Cassandra | 15.10.08 – 1:11 pm:
Talking about hiding bad news, am I alone in thinking that the massive increase in unemployment is being deliberately misreported by the Beeb?
There seems a readiness to point out that the new figures are not as bad as they were during the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher, but surely, the two eras are entirely different.
The fact is, when Margaret Thatcher came to power she did so to bring about a change in British industry.
Thanks to her policies there was an almighty, very painful shakeout across the entire industrial landscape, as newly emboldened management finally strove to make their companies internationally competitive.
I remember it well. It was painful but, IMHO, necessary, and the upshot was a massive influx of investment by companies like Toyota and Nissan who would never have come to these shores during the strife-ridden 1960s and 1970s. In time unemployment fell like a stone just like the woman said it would.
So, what is behind the current surge? And why is the BBC not pointing out the different factors?
(Is there an economist who can speak with authority on this issue?)
For reference about the future:
Up until now, the BBC has hidden behind ‘sub judice’, for its self-censorship on the many cases there have been involving Islamic jihad bombing plots against the British people.
But now, the BBC interviews the mother of the Muslim convert charged with the Exeter bomb plot:
“Mother of Exeter bomber talks”
-as the trial continues:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7668090.stm
Does Mark Thompson of the tax-funded lunacy at the BBC, have a sub-editor?
“What Christian identity feels like it is about to the broad population…”
Maybe he could get someone to translate the above into English.
I read it several times, wondering if there was some punctuation missing or maybe some extra words put in by accident. Did he mean “What Christian identity feels like”?
It is easy to see why they have a problem with literacy at the BBC.
This man has a degree in English.
I posted a comment on the DT website, under the article about Thompson, using a Muslim pseudonym, to the effect that Thompson is a dhimmi, but if he thinks he will get better treatment from Muslims when we get power in a few decades, he is a fool.
The moderators actually let it through, but 1 hour later it had gone ! Guess they knew I was a troll.
One more thing about Thompson’s rant: aren’t Jews also a minority? How come they don’t qualify for BBC sensitivity?
On the contrary, we get episodes of Spooks with secret Jewish conspiracies to commit acts of terrorism and blame it on you-know-who.
How come they don’t qualify for BBC sensitivity?
Because they don’t threaten to behead those who offend their sensitivity, even though, as Benjamin Disraeli famously said, “The Jews are a nervous people. Nineteen centuries of Christian love have taken a toll.”
regarding the BBC talking about the Islamic world contributing to algebra, why don’t they consider christianity as having a big contributuon to math and physics. afterall plenty of mathematicians and scientists were christians, Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal to name a few.
Bob | 15.10.08 – 12:59 pm
Interesting that Tom is equating straight reporting about muslim terrorism with doing “crass gags about the holocaust”.
I’m not.
The Telegraph article linked reports Thompson’s remarks in the context of Ben Elton, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, the TV series Goodness Gracious Me and Jerry Springer, the Opera.
It’s about religious jokes in comedy, not news reporting of terrorism.
So my interpretation of what Thompson is saying is that he is responding to Ben Elton’s complaint that the BBC is too wary about making jokes about Islam.
Thompson isn’t saying such gags are outlawed. Merely that people should be a bit sensitive, bearing in mind many of these people have pigmented skin and might be quick to ring the racism alarm. Which seems fair enough.
I agree that Muslims should themselves work on being less prone to being offended, but Thompson’s position doesn’t make him a dhimmi.
BBC Question time prepares; the BBC is scouring the college student unions, Labour and Islamic societies, around Stoke as we speak, for its pro-Brown-Obama audience; the panel already fixed:
G.Hoon (Labour),C. Short (‘socialist’),D. Grieve (Conservative), J. Goldsworthy (Lib Dem) and J. Caan, nee N. Khan (Muslim businessman).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/question_time/default.stm
Didn’t we have some joker in here the other day, lying through his teeth about the BBC not supporting Obama?
Well just look at what Guido has turned up!
http://www.order-order.com/2008/10/bbc-gets-ready-to-celebrate-obama.html
Why does the BBC feel the need to have two Labour politicians on the panel?
They did this the other week on Newsnight when they had Livingdead and some Liebour minister on talking about Boris Johnson.
I have to laugh (I can’t cry anymore tears) when the BBC thicko female newsreader on Radio 5 just read out Harriet Harperson’s PMQ’s bollocks.
The beeboid made it sound as if Churchill had been speaking.
Oh and did anyone see that C**T Piers morgan on the Daily Politics? What a creep. The man that tries to get British soldiers killed in Iraq spouting on about how Gordon Brown can be compared to churchill.
What a shit he is.
Tom:
Flipping heck! He did not say anything about skin, let alone “pigmented” skin. That’s some locution. What is the matter with some people?
GCooper 3:11 pm
Yes: ‘Guido’ on BBC:
‘BBC Gets Ready to Celebrate Obama Victory’
“Guido has got hold of an invite to an Obama victory party sent out by BBC Wales political reporter Toby Mason. Now there are strict rules about impartiality at the BBC, particularly for their political reporters. Guido spoke to Toby about his party and asked him if it was perhaps a little partisan in tone. He’s getting back to Guido….
“Rumour reaches Guido that despite the Credit Crunch the biggest party in New York on election night will be held by… the BBC. It is a fact that the BBC has more reporters covering the U.S. election than any domestic American broadcast network. Evidence, if evidence was needed, that it is incredibly bloated and over-funded. Bet the Beeboids can’t wait to crack open the champagne…
“UPDATE : The Indy reports that a memo has gone out to Beeboids to cut back on the Champagne.”(Guido).
http://www.order-order.com/2008/10/bbc-gets-ready-to-celebrate-obama.html
George R, why do the BBC feel that Claire Short somehow doesn’t count as a Labour MP? I’d also bet money Caan is a Labour sympathiser.