Open Thread

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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103 Responses to Open Thread

  1. Peter says:

    Just had to share the cheerful assertion from the bouffant on BBC Breakfast News just now…

    “Oh dear; we just read it”. Not sure what the blonde thought.

    Must make coming into work so professionally rewarding, as well as financially.

       1 likes

  2. Martin says:

    I see fatty slapper shagger Prescott is all over the BBC this morning. Notice how no one brings this up with him? Could you imagine a Tory not being asked about it?

       1 likes

  3. archduke says:

    a bit of background reading on the current IMF bailouts – because the MSM this morning seem to be either completely dazed or want to bury the bad news…

    the article below was published before Hungary went cap-in-hand to the IMF

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/3260052/Europe-on-the-brink-of-currency-crisis-meltdown.html

    note that Austria is pontentially next… and with it – possibly the Eurozone..

    “Austria’s bank exposure to emerging markets is equal to 85pc of GDP • with a heavy concentration in Hungary, Ukraine, and Serbia • all now queuing up (with Belarus) for rescue packages from the International Monetary Fund. “

       1 likes

  4. Peter says:

    Could you imagine a Tory not being asked about it? Martin | 27.10.08 – 9:38 am | #

    It’s supposedly a story about ‘class’, not a total lack of it.

    A point that the blonde and bouffant ‘we just read it out’ presenters, with their incisive interviewing style, failed to help our spinning moral compass-endowed ex-DPM to distinguish from education, money, Toffs, snobs looking down on folk, etc. Like the lobbies of Westminster are not oozing with those who have got there by, and are now profiting from all the various systems of ‘privilege’ can confer.

    A 5 minute party political, no more; no less, IMHO.

       1 likes

  5. ipreferred says:

    Yes Martin, I can. In fact I’ve seen tory MPs and ex-MPs who’ve done naughty things before on the BBC and not have them mentioned. Shocking eh? Clearly we should constantly judge people by their past mistakes. No forgiveness.

       1 likes

  6. Martin says:

    ipreferred: You are having a laugh troll? The BBC continually bring up Tory sleaze.

       1 likes

  7. emil says:

    Anyone else catch the Today report at just after 6:30am supposedly analysing the fallout for Osborne and Mandelson from the Oligarch’s yacht?

    After several minutes criticising Osborne from every angle our dynamic duo were left with “very brief” time to comment on Mandelson , which simply consisted of a light hearted comment about him going to Russia today on other business.

    Balanced reporting a la Beeb.

       1 likes

  8. Lurker in a Burqua says:

    Gloating cruelty, foul vulgarity and a BBC that has lost all sense of shame

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1080823/Gloating-cruelty-foul-vulgarity-BBC-lost-sense-shame.html

    (Melanie Phillips)

       1 likes

  9. Lurker in a Burqua says:

    Yes, we are biased on religion and politics, admit BBC executives

    Senior figures admitted that the BBC is guilty of promoting Left-wing views and an anti-Christian sentiment.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411977/Yes-biased-religion-politics-admit-BBC-executives.html

       0 likes

  10. Arkangel says:

    Just popped onto the Beeb site to look for any reporting of the Brand/Ross outrage.
    Oddly enough, there’s no trace…at least none that I can see.
    Anyone got a link?

       0 likes

  11. ipreferred says:

    Martin, I thought you were specifically suggesting that the BBC should mention all sleaze when an MP is on one of their shows – no matter how much time has passed, what the outcome of the rumours were or whether it’s relevant. They don’t bother after the news has passed, because it’s not relevant, with either party’s MPs.

       0 likes

  12. George R says:

    The BBC falls into the politically biased trap of talking about ‘Single parents’ and ‘One Parent Families’ here:

    “Changes made to child maintenance”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7692374.stm

    And the BBC goes on to spout the propaganda of such lobby groups as:
    ‘One Parent Families/Gingerbread’.

    The BBC routinely does NOT consult groups such as ‘Families Need Fathers’ on such issues:

    “Fathers need their Families”

    http://www.fnf.org.uk/about-us/the-first-article

       0 likes

  13. Arkangel says:

    Cheers whitewine…obliged.
    I note that we are not allowed to comment on that story though.
    Disgusting pair of pigs.

       0 likes

  14. Derek W. Buxton says:

    The “Radio Times” has Prescott all over it, a plug for the two programmes on him and an “interview?” with him. This latter is a bloody disgrace, he is allowed to lie and lie again with no hard questions asked. You may be surprised at his claim that they improved education, but he made it and was not challenged. He got into politics by being a trade union shop steward, what a laugh, the idle leading the rest.

       0 likes

  15. Martin says:

    ipreferred: Rubbish. You clearly didn’t read the John Redwood apology from the BBC did you?

    “…The BBC apologised to senior Tory John Redwood last night for screening a 14-year-old film clip of him struggling to sing the Welsh national anthem…”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-475556/BBC-apologises-ridiculing-Redwood.html

       0 likes

  16. jimbob says:

    bbc manages to cover the death of mohammed omar

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7692373.stm

    without mentioning that he is the former leader of afganistan ,1996 -2001 , during which time numerous acts of genocide were committed gainst various afgans ethnic groups.

    pretty poor obituary for one of al beeb ‘s own..
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Omar

       0 likes

  17. ipreferred says:

    Martin: again, I was making an argument regarding pointing these things out directly to their face, not in a report, although that incident was a mistake. They did apologise though, and if that’s the most recent example you can find, it’s hardly systematic.

       0 likes

  18. David says:

    ^^ Derek, you noticed that too, huh?

    I particularly liked the way the interviewer (one Benji Wilson) referred to Cameron and Osborne as “posh boys”. I have complained, suggesting that if such language is appropriate for the Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, then perhaps former Deputy Prime Ministers can be referred to as “fat plebs” in the future.

       0 likes

  19. George R says:

    Further to BBC report:

    “Sharia rulings ‘can go to courts'”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7690809.stm

    -Joshua Rozenberg has some concerned comments on the UK and Sharia law:

    [Extract]:

    “Like most people, I am concerned about the spread of Islamic law in Britain. I thought it important to report last week that the law lords had condemned sharia law in Lebanon as “arbitrary and discriminatory” because it would have prevented a mother from bringing up her own child.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/lawreports/joshuarozenberg/3265271/Religious-law-subservient-to-family-courts-says-minister.html

       0 likes

  20. Martin says:

    ipreferred: Oh dear you really are a fool. The BBC continually refer to ‘Tory toffs’ and their public school backgrounds, yet ignore the Labour ‘toffs’ like Harriet Harman.

    When was the last time her very expensive public school upbringing was ever mentioned?

    Why did the BBC commission a painting of Camerons Bullingdon club mates?

    Is the BBC suggesting that anyone who went to public school shoudn’t be allowed into poltics?

    So Bliar and most of the Labour cabinet shouldn’t be in politics either.

       0 likes

  21. 1327 says:

    Interesting story on the Register about what the Beeb has managed to keep a state secret ..

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/27/beeb_tvdetector_secrets/

    Interesting isn’t it they (the Beeb) do Nu-Lab a favour and they get one in return.

       0 likes

  22. Martin says:

    How interesting that the BBC ignored the Mandelson corruption stories ALL weekend, but all of a sudden have brought up the George Osbourne story again.

       1 likes

  23. Jonathan says:

    Just watched the 1 O’clock news on the BBC. Second story was all about the GVN’s new get tough policy with disabled benefit claiments.

    So which independent expert do the BBC hire to offer his impartial analysis of this new policy? A former New Labour Treasury PR officer.

    Classic!

    BTW – he claimed this new GVN policy would solve the problem. Why am I not surprised.

       1 likes

  24. Martin says:

    Jeremy Bowen (the Jew hater) is all over the BBC claiming (with no evidence) that this attack in Syria (which the americans have denied so far) is being done by George Bush to help out John McCain.

    What a fucking wanker Bowen is.

       1 likes

  25. David says:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7693241.stm

    Martin, quite. This is now the top story because Osborne ‘admitted’ that what he did didn’t look very good. No admission of actually doing anything wrong, but simply that he understands the consequences of how things can look. BBC will spin this as ‘Osborne confesses’ all day.

    Meanwhile, the FTSE fell 5%, 15 leading economists have told Brown his plan is bollocks, Blair still lied to the HoC, Mandelson isn’t out of the shit, Ross and Brand commit criminal act with Licence Fee money, la la la…

       1 likes

  26. David says:

    ^^ Jonathan, interesting isn’t it. ITV get someone from the Treasury and Ruth Lea to comment. Amazing that you need to watch frickin’ ITV to get good economic coverage.

       1 likes

  27. D Burbage says:

    Prescott even butted in after the interview when Ed Stourton started talking saying he didn’t know how he could carry on after being privately educated (or something like that).

    Prescott said “it’s the way you talk Ed” was his wisdom.

    Can you imagine the outcry if someone (like a private school educated Tory MP) criticised a regional-accented presenter?

       1 likes

  28. Peter says:

    Nope, sorry, still can’t get ‘BBC’ and ‘sensible deal’ to work in the same sentence.

    BBC and regional papers need to negotiate sensible deal for their online future

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2008/oct/27/national-union-journalists-bbc

    Two interesting comments so far; from folk who sound like they know the business.

       1 likes

  29. Jonathan says:

    According to the BBC website, the top story of the day, is: ” I made a mistake, admits Osborne”.

    Would any Beeboid care to explain?

       1 likes

  30. Martin says:

    Channel 4 Dispatches has a programme on tonight that suggests that Brown’s ‘plan’ is aload of shite.

    Of course if you prefer you can watch a really fat twat who shagged slappers whilst being paid by you and me talking about ‘class’

    Prescott, you wouldn’t know what class is you vile pig.

       1 likes

  31. George R says:

    Labour’s unelected Cabinet Minister, Lord Mandelson, and a consequence of the lack of democracy (which the BBC is keen to discuss, sometime?):

    An ‘Independent’ report, with a ‘pigs might fly’ ending:

    “Today in Politics: Mandelson to return to Commons?” (Andrew Grice, 23 Oct.):
    Grice comments:

    “Lord Mandelson’s unexpected return to the Government has sparked a debate about how MPs can hold accountable senior ministers who have been parachuted into the House of Lords. The Business Secretary was quizzed for two hours on Tuesday by the select committee of MPs which monitors his department. But an occasional appearance before the committee is no substitute for the cut and thrust of a session of Commons questions every month, which Mandelson would now face if he were still an MP.

    “The Tories are pointing out that, with a recession looming, the minister responsible for British industry should be held to account regularly. Peter Luff, chairman of the Business Select Committee, is calling for the rules to be changed so that Mandelson can be quizzed at the Commons dispatch box. He is writing to the Commons leader Harriet Harman. “We have to take this forward and find a mechanism to enable him to be directly questioned by all members of the House of Commons,” he said.

    “A good idea in theory. But I doubt that Harman will warm to it in practice. After all, it would allow opposition MPs to question Mandelson about the latest newspaper allegations about his relationship with his super-rich friends like the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. Don’t hold your breath.”

    http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/10/today-in-pol-15.html#more

    ALSO:

    “Peter Mandelson is telling half the oligarch story; ID cards will be the next Labour deception” (Philip Johnston):

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/10/27/do2701.xml

       1 likes

  32. George R says:

    Just three examples taken from today, of how the BBC portrays American foreign and security policies:

    1.) American forces as torturers:

    The BBC’s ‘The Torturer’s Tale’ is a programme (Radio 4 tonight, 8 pm)dominated by those whom the BBC producers here must regard as the worst torturers in the world: the United States (and Congo); Islamic countries not required for this programme tonight;

    2.)BBC’s ‘Spooks’ has a sequence about ‘waterboarding’ which is associated with US security:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/3266097/Spooks-actor-subjected-to-real-waterboarding-for-TV-show.html

    Apparently, although this BBC programme shows ‘waterboarding’, it presumably did not think it was appropriate to show Islamic jihad beheadings of Western people, or even mention them;

    3.)Radio 5, the BBC’s chatty, pro-Labour, pro-Obama service, interrupted its programme this afternoon, (plugging ‘Spooks’ and the horrors of ‘ waterboarding’) to bring a politically biased report by Brigitte Kendall,of the accusation the London Embassy of the Syrian Embassy against the United States of terrorism.

    Ms. Kendall was most concerned in her comment that the Syrian accusations against the US should not have any pro-McCain effect. She was less concerned with even mentioning Syria’s record on terrorism in Lebanon, and in supporting jihadists in Iraq.

       1 likes

  33. MrLouKnee says:

    this was a link on Guidos site, i dont know if its been posted here, but at least the MSN is catching up with the Blogisphere with regards to Al Beebs broadcasting bollox

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411977/Yes-biased-religion-politics-admit-BBC-executives.html

       1 likes

  34. Cassandra says:

    George R,

    The BBC could have invited ex Cuban torturers now in exile, they travelled the world passing on torture methods as did the North Koreans, the KGB did the same and could have contributed to the programme!
    The BBC chose to ignore the very worst torturers from these countries, Burma,China,north Korea,Angola,Zimbabwe,Cuba,USSR, Argentina and went with the Americans instead!
    Cuban exiles could have provided some chilling insights into what real torture consists of, but then again Cuba is a BBC paradise isnt it?

       1 likes

  35. pounce says:

    The BBC female abuse and asking the wrong questions.
    The bBC gives this impression that it cares for the victims of child sex abuse .
    And to that end they air this story of Nameria of how she and her sister were sexual abused by her father. The bBC paints this picture she was failed by the white society (Police, teachers, social services) Then when she went to the local Iman he told her to shut up for Allah.
    However it isn’t that line which disgusts me from this bBC article. Listen into the audio file which is imbedded in that article and go to 4.20 (near the end) to listen to how sensitive the bBC is a victim of sexual abuse. A line of questioning which if used by the Police on any rape victim would have the civil liberty action groups shouting out ‘Rightwing bigots’
    And for those who can’t be asked to listen in here is the transcript;
    (Abuse victim)
    I think it’s about time that the Muslim community recognises actually there is so much abuse going on within the Muslim community.
    (bBC reporter)
    If as a result of any of this your father’s name came to be known and say he was arrested after all
    these years how would you feel about that?
    (Abuse victim)
    It’s very important, inside our field that there has been some justice done.
    (bBC reporter)
    Even thou you are still living inside his house?
    (Abuse victim)
    Even thou I am still living within his house.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7693198.stm
    The Islamic way (and I know from first hand) isn’t to blame the guilty but rather to blame the victim. Asking a victim of sexual abuse how dare she get her paedophilic father nicked for abusing her while living under his roof, is exactly the same treatment my sister and I received from the Muslim community when we were abused. (But in our case it was physical beatings and not sexual). Gosh talk about defending the indefensible.
    The BBC female abuse and asking the wrong questions.

       1 likes

  36. Adam says:

    On R4 I heard a new term, “green place poverty”

    People in urban areas suffer from it apparently.

    I spy a new quango and more guardian jobs.

       1 likes

  37. ada wong. says:

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/david_hughes/blog/2008/10/27/russell_brand_and_jonathan_ross_should_be_sued_for_breach_of_privacy

    from the above david hughes telegraph blog.

    Its shocking double standards over the reporting of Lord Mandelson’s and George Osborne’s respective relationships with Oleg Deripaska was a serious lapse of judgement, almost as bad as that of Messrs Mandelson and Osborne.

    It has sent planefuls of reporters to cover the US Presidential election – even though the Corporation already has an army of North America correspondents in situ. No belt tightening for Auntie.

    On Sunday, it once again gave a platform to Alastair Campbell – the man who tried to destroy it in the Hutton Inquiry – to pump out party political propaganda. We have a kind of corporate Stockholm Syndrome here, where the victim becomes infatuated with the tormentor.

    And today we have that great ornament of British public life, John Prescott, getting swathes of airtime to parade his tedious class obsessions.

       1 likes

  38. archduke says:

    http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31710_McCarthy-_The_L.A._Times_Suppresses_Obamas_Khalidi_Bash_Tape

    “LA Times Suppresses Obama’s Khalidi Bash Tape”

    quote:

    “Why is the Los Angeles Times sitting on a videotape of the 2003 farewell bash in Chicago at which Barack Obama lavished praise on the guest of honor, Rashid Khalidi — former mouthpiece for master terrorist Yasser Arafat?”

       1 likes

  39. archduke says:

    And the Obama Jugend are being urged to influence their parents:

    http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/31709_Obama_Campaign_Urges_Kids_to_Have_The_Talk

    which includes such gems as :

    “Don’t worry about knowing everything about policy positions before you have this conversation;”

    there is an embedded video in the above link. Charles of LGF notes:

    “near the end of the video, one of these kids actually threatens his grandparents that he won’t help them with text messaging or Tivo unless they vote for Obama.”

       1 likes

  40. TPO says:

    “…The BBC apologised to senior Tory John Redwood last night for screening a 14-year-old film clip of him struggling to sing the Welsh national anthem…”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-475556/BBC-apologises-ridiculing-Redwood.html

    Martin | 27.10.08 – 12:43 pm |

    Thanks for that Martin, being here in Canada I didn’t get to see it.
    Can you tell me, when the Beeb allowed two shags airtime this morning did they preface it with the film of him assaulting a member of public?

       1 likes

  41. Martin says:

    TPO: Nope. Not a word from the BBC about that.

       1 likes

  42. David says:

    TPO, I’m afraid not. I saw the Welsh Windbag on the BBC a couple of weeks ago as well, and they didn’t show him falling in the sea like a wanker. Surely they should do, in the interests of fairness.

    Redwood himself has actually written on how the BBC refer to Vince Cable as some sort of independant economic expert – as a result of his time in the private sector – but never mention that Redwood has even greater experience.

       1 likes

  43. archduke says:

    excellent documentary on right now – on , yes you guessed it , channel 4.

    dispatches – on the credit crunch – but presented by a Hedge Fund manager.

    makes you wonder why we’re paying the telly tax, when C4 can come up with goods like this so often…

       1 likes

  44. nelson says:

    For all the lengths that the BBC goes to avoid using the ‘T’ word, they seem to have no problem headlining it today. Why?

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7693583.stm

    Because it’s being used to describe the good ol’ USA!!

       1 likes

  45. Anonymous says:

    And on ‘More 4 News’ they’ve done a lengthy investigation about Eastern European gangs committing large-scale benefit fraud in the UK, and highlighted just how easy it is. Another example of the sort of documentary/investigation that it is impossible to imagine being shown on BBC. It would embarrass their labour masters and also detract from the “immigration is wonderful” message that they repeatedly ram down the public’s throat.

       1 likes

  46. anon says:

    regarding the Russell Brand and Wossy debacle, is there not some legislation that forbids exactly what these two alleged comedians did? At the very least the two of them should be going cap in hand to the jobcentre tomorrow morning. Hateful, the pair of them. Why the fuck does Ofcom not have the ability to take action over the BBC? If they did then the whole shower of shite would probably be less blatant with their twattishness

       1 likes

  47. archduke says:

    completely offtopic… google has launched “streetview” for spain.

    http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.418781,-3.699764&spn=0.001715,0.006813&t=k&z=18&layer=c&cbll=40.417922,-3.699245&panoid=CUyEznU4uaEHRdjonYuMyw&cbp=1,213.39356764921007,,0,-8.699340145381333

    yeah , i know that the spanish economy is tanking, but its a bit of light relief from all the credit crunch doom and gloom… go take a virtual walk in madrid, barcelona, seville or valencia…

       1 likes

  48. archduke says:

    the new series of spooks is on now.

    your starters for ten.

    who will the “terrorists” turn out to be?

    1. disgruntled christians
    2. head chopping buddhists
    3. murderous ukrainians
    4. devious israelis
    5. running dog capitalist americans

    other suggestion more than welcome. but dont mention the M or I words…

       1 likes

  49. Battersea says:

    ‘archduke:
    the new series of spooks is on now.

    your starters for ten.

    who will the “terrorists” turn out to be?

    1. disgruntled christians
    2. head chopping buddhists
    3. murderous ukrainians
    4. devious israelis
    5. running dog capitalist americans’

    Regardless of the above it is always the Jooooooos according to Spooks and Al-Beeb. The are behind EVERYTHING…

       0 likes