The IMF is not optimistic: it’s cut its 2009 growth forecast for the global economy to 2.2% from the previous estimate of 3%, as this report from the Beeb just about manages to mention at the end. And, more relevantly, in this piece yesterday about the rate cut. But can you guess what nugget of information readers of the Beeb’s reports miss out on?
- The Independent: Britain, in particular, is heading for trouble, the IMF said, predicting that the UK would suffer a more serious recession than any other developed country in the world during 2009.
- The Times: Britain is now forecast to bear the brunt of the global slump, with its GDP plunging by 1.3 per cent in what would be the worst year for the UK since the economy shrank by 1.4 per cent in 1991.
- The Telegraph: Britain’s economy will suffer and will see the steepest decline in G7 club of leading powers, shrinking 1.3pc as the crunch in the City of London leads to more job losses.
Regular readers won’t be surprised, though, because unfortunately this is becoming a bit of a habit at the Beeb.
The fact that BBC attacks Government policy only in a ‘tokenistic’ way – i.e. just enough to give the impression of balance – hides the fact that,overall, it clearly has an agenda to keep the Labour Government in power. The endless highlighting of George Osborne’s encounter with a Russian oligarch on a yacht was an example of protecting the Government, by deflection. The Osborne incident amounted to nothing, yet hours were spent on it.
Without a proper balance of political coverage and analysis on a state-funded broadcasting body we have, in effect, reduced our democracy. Without coverage and public debate, alternative political policies will simply ‘wither on the vine’and the Government’s line will prevail and sink into the public’s pysche as the ultimate truth!
Maybe the BBC are just trying to avoid talking the economy into meltdown? No, one only has to imagine what they would make of these predictions and figures if the Conservatives were in power… I don’t imagine it would be anything other than the main headline story for at least 24 hours.
Hugh: thanks for sticking so well to the task of documenting BBC bias. It’s such a refreshing change from the usual McCain will definitely win, The Palin bounce should last till November, Obama is Hitler, can’t wait to see how the BBC covers Labour’s humiliation in Glenrothes etc etc. It all looks a bit foolish now. If we stick to documenting BBC bias, we can’t go wrong.
How Facebook toppled the BBC
Net users now visit the social network more than bbc.co.uk. Matt Warman explains why
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/11/08/dlface108.xml
Did anyone else catch Chris Grayling make a very valid point about this on the Daily Politics and the nasty, ignorant pig McNulty’s comment in telling him to grow up.
The BBC gets its money from the government. You can’t expect it to be too harsh about economic bad times. That might start muttering about the level of the licence fee in the corridors of power.
The BBC is government financed and has its top staff appointed only on government approval. Why anyone would use it as a source of news or comment about the government is beyond me, but I suppose the whole point of taking the BBC into government opwnership in 1926 was to provide the government with the stewardship of the biggest and most easily accessible news source about its affairs
Brown appears powerless:
The effect of Brown’s visit to Saudi Arabia last weekend to ‘urge’ oil production increase:
BBC report, 2 days after Brown’s return to UK:
“The price of Brent crude has risen from its earlier 20-month low after reports suggested Saudi Arabia had already cut production to support world prices.”
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7707764.stm
And Brown ‘urges’ oil companies’ supplying Britain’s filling stations to cut pump prices, while his Labour government’s excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel amounts to about 66% of the pump price; and Labour will not cut such taxes in line with the competition from EU countries. And, of course, the UK interest rate cut has the effect of increasing UK fuel prices further in dollar prices, the currency in which UK suppliers have to pay.
You meant the economy isn’t in good shape? Boy, this is news to me, I’d never have known except for Biased BBC. Keep up the good work boys.
One suggestion though, can we leave off all the boring financial stuff and get back to picking on Muslims, blacks, poor people and AIDs victims? Afterall that’s what you’re best at.
The success of webshite ‘Facebook’ only proves one thing:-
How desperately vain, self-obsessed and superficial our modern world is.
They at least have that much in common with the BBC.
“Brown ‘urges’ oil companies’ supplying Britain’s filling stations to cut pump prices”
He’s been doing a lot of this recently and I’m still not sure whether it proves him to be stupid or a liar, because he ought (as PM) to know that the only way the oil companies can cut prices at the pumps is by cross subsidising from their other activities, which is illegal under EU competition laws.
If he knows that and is saying it anyway to get a popular soundbite, he is liar.
If he doesn’t know the laws of the country of which he is Prime Minister, he is stupid.
I’m not sure whether we are better off with a fool or a liar in No 10.
Another strong argument from Joel.
Who’s Joel?
The BBC are old hands at burying any news which might embarrass their pals in NuLabour.
They were preparing for the worst in Glenrothes by consigning reports on the progress of the by-election to the Scotland local pages on their website.
Since NuLab’s unexpected victory, the result, and the one-eyed jock’s claim that the vote is a vindication of his economic prowess, has been elevated to the top of the front-page.
I expect that if Salmond’s Scottish Nazi Party had won, we would still be waiting for the BBC to report it.
I noticed that as well. TRy to find anything about the fat one eyed twats by-election on the BBC anywhere was almost impossible.
Since wining it, the BBC have had it the top story all day everywhere.
Now the beeboids are wanking themsleves silly over the though the fat one eyed twat might for for an early election (oh they can smell that TV tax being renewed right now – taste it beeboids).
I say go for it McFatso, your going ot get a right kicking in England.
So, the Bank of England cut the base rate, LIBOR then follows, then the lenders cut theirs – which is the way it usually happens andm now that the interbank market is starting to move again, it’s happening again. Jolly good.
As an aside, the government had huffed and puffed from within minutes of the BoE decision about expecting to see the cut passed on.
So, what does the BBC give us?
“Lenders heed calls for rate cuts
The main mortgage lenders have started to respond to the government’s demand that they should cut their mortgage lending rates.”
All hail Gordon.
(Blogged.)
The same nugget was erased from the PMQ summary last Thursday on Today, which opined that Brown batted cameron away. Typical underhand bowling from the beb.
What with the Beeb pushing for govt interference in the finance sector by way of force (see Nick Robinson), the idea of stealing from private pension funds from Argentina’s President is sure to catch hold of thieving socialists across the world, and no doubt will be morally supported by the BBC. The WSJ report on the story.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122460155879054331.html?mod=djemalertNEWS
Obama is already seeking to plunder the private 401 retirement accounts of US citizens.
GB has form here as we all know with his attack on dividends paid to pension funds, so are our pension fund soon to be nationalised in exchange for a paltry 3% return?
What better source of funding for govts than the cash & investments in private funds?
With govt having to fund public sector pensions and with national debt at 129% of GDP (see taxpayers alliance website), the govt will soon be seeking ways to redistribute more wealth from those who have taken the responsibility for building their own retirement pot.
This would be outright theft, and something that should result in an open revolution against the govt should it come to pass, though the forward thinking should be planning to protect themselves from this potential immoral theft.
Gold bars in Switzerland look ever more attractive!
Yep The BBS is really bigging up the Liebour election win. Don’t remember them bigging up the Liebour losses of late?
“Glenrothes (Scottish Gaelic: Gleann Rathais) is a former new town situated in the heart of Fife, in east central Scotland. It was established in 1948 under the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1946. The town was primarily built to accommodate the families of coal miners who were to work at a new super coal mine; the Rothes Colliery, which opened in 1957. The colliery closed abruptly five years later due to un-stemmable flooding and geological problems.”
Of course Brown the fifer won in Fife,the poor buggers have been on the dole since 1957,living on a Labour sink estate with their money coming from England.
The SNP couldn’t give them any more.
You meant the economy isn’t in good shape? Boy, this is news to me, I’d never have known except for Biased BBC. Keep up the good work boys.
One suggestion though, can we leave off all the boring financial stuff and get back to picking on Muslims, blacks, poor people and AIDs victims? Afterall that’s what you’re best at.
Bumbandit; if that is what you are , I suggest you read the comments on this blog more carefully and stop making stupid statements.
If you really think it is acceptable for a state funded media organisation to be as obviously biased as the BBC, then fine– make a sensible reasoned comment to support your argument. I don’t accept racism either.
This is the BBC’s most sinister type of bias. Ommission of very important facts, is deliberately keeping their viewers in the dark, to suit the BBC’s political agenda. It is a deliberate misrepresentation and designed to minimise damage to Labour.