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.
General BBC-related comment thread
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Archduke – even leaving aside the issue of America as a whole, anyone who could pretend the BBC wasn’t hopelessly biased against the McCain/Palin camp heeds her or his head examining.
I’ll address topics worth debating that show proper evidence, not moans based on perceived bias.
Richard Lancaster | 15.11.08 – 10:27 pm |
Sounds like literary flatulence to me. I refer Lancaster to this above.
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/patrickcrozier/8375086310362776962/#431633
Clear connivance between Labour and the BBC to smear an ex-serviceman’s charity, and people wonder why I despise the BBC socialists, and I certainly won’t ‘debate’ with a BBC buffoon such as Lancaster.
The BBC and Osborne. Sheer blatent misinformation masquerading as news.
My son runs a successful top end manufacturing business,.No debt. money in the bank. Good relationship with his suppliers. he has been warned of raw material increases -all from eurozone countries- of 20-25% end December/Jan. He is buying now and trying to fix contract prices at todays rate. Inflation superhighway here we come. What planet do these idiots who comment on the real world live on? Zog I suppose.
Print money inflation and currency collapse follows. Osborne is trying to tell it straight. That is why the BBC has to destroy him. It is never to be trusted. It is the citizens enemy.
dave s – unbeknown to many, the moment the High St chains have sold-off their current stock, to boost Christmas figures, the average consumer item in the UK will increase in price by at least 25 per cent, due to the collapse of the Pound and factory gate increases from the Far East.
This is yet another thing the BBC doesn’t want us to know. They would far rather millions were borrowed and hosed into school ‘n hospitals to the benefit of their fellow travellers in the ‘Big State’ project.
They are not just fools – they are dangerous fools.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086136/Baby-P-council-chief-hailed-champion-letter-support-61-headteachers.html
from the “we are common purpose, and we’ll back each other up” book.
heartless scum.
GCooper | 15.11.08 – 10:49 pm
had a few Friday drinks in London with an Obama supporting friend – dual nationality (british/american) , and even he was surprised at the pro-obama stance of the BBC.
he liked it, obviously, – but was un-nerved by it at the same time. the Dems are seriously worried about obama being put on a too high a pedestal.
GCooper
Agreed.I would put the figure closer to 40%. Toys in particular are going to go off the scale although importers will absorb some of it temporarily. I have heard a rumour from a source often reliable that in Opec 2009 meeting oil will be priced in Euros not USD. Also shipping costs on everything moved worldwide to be in euros also- maybe a rumour but if true then the inflation superhighway is a reality.
What planet do these idiots who comment on the real world live on?
dave s | 15.11.08 – 11:05 pm |
Clearly Lancasters ‘real world’
Someone here pointed this out earlier on the BBC website.
Teachers backing Baby P director
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7730817.stm
The vast majority of teachers along with the vast majority of social workers are socialists. They are the sort to write in to the gruniard (their preferred reading) to tell everybody what a ‘national treasure’ the BBC is. So it comes as no surprise that the BBC would run this non-story about the teachers ‘supporting’ Shoesmith.
Meanwhile back in the real world the Telegraph are highlighting this.
Lawyer promoted after Baby P questions
The top lawyer at Haringey council is facing questions over his role in the Baby P tragedy after it emerged that just nine days before the toddler’s death, his department advised that the child should not be taken into care.
At the time, Mr Suddaby was deputy head of legal services, acting up in the top role following the departure of his predecessor. Following Baby P’s death he was promoted to the top job in March this year, on an annual salary of £120,000.
He is the latest figure at the beleaguered council to be accused of serious failings. It can also be revealed that concerns that social workers were failing to protect children in Haringey, north London, were raised a year before Baby P was tortured and killed.
Mr Suddaby, a barrister who previously worked as a trade union official……
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/lawandorder/3464202/Lawyer-promoted-after-Baby-P-questions.html
Do your job BBC and start reporting real news.
TPO | 15.11.08 – 9:42 pm
That Waite bloke is the brother of Terry Waite, the Beirut hostage.
It’s bloody good having Lisa Snowden on telly – yowzers – very easy on the eye.
Clear connivance between Labour and the BBC to smear an ex-serviceman’s charity, and people wonder why I despise the BBC socialists, and I certainly won’t ‘debate’ with a BBC buffoon such as Lancaster.
TPO | 15.11.08 – 10:59 pm | #
How exactly is this “clear” given that even Julian Lewis MP concedes he has no idea? If the chief fundraiser felt he had been treated unfairly, why didn’t he lodge any official complaint?
Just so the world never forgets.
http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/
Sandy Toksvig doesnt miss a chance to slag off Ruth Kelly any chance she gets on the news quiz so much for sisterly solidarity. Do they ever have any comedians on to the right of Stalin? They only time they attack labour is for their percieved right wing policies.
Another BBC tactic I have noticed is to have a discussion of sorts between two points of view then followed by a further comment from the left (another person)with no reply. This is mainly on the radio with two topics recently viz Proposition 8 (the pro heterosexual marriage proposition in California (or as the Beeb would put it anti-gay) and an article about church schools) I have noticed an ongoing attack on church schools by the BBC has anyone else?
From Peter Hitchens at The Mail:
Stalin was evil: News to no one but the BBC
“Amid the necessary rage over the Ross-Brand affair at the BBC, it is often said that the Corporation still produces a lot of high-quality material alongside the Leftist propaganda and the low-brow dross.
I’m not so sure of this. Radio 4 has some good news and current-affairs programmes, but much of its airtime is stuffed with dire alleged comedy, the appalling, shameless and unchecked Leftist propaganda of ‘The News Quiz’ and an unchanging array of chat shows presented by ancient liberals.
As for the TV stations, I now rarely bother switching them on. The prospect of trimming my toenails or flossing my teeth, or reading the labels of empty beer bottles, just seems more alluring.
But the other day I was persuaded to sample a supposedly illuminating BBC2 documentary called World War Two – Behind Closed Doors. This, I was assured, would be full of exciting new facts, grippingly presented.
What did I get? A portentous commentary, an actor pretending to be Joe Stalin and various other silly reconstructions (one very lengthy one involved a woman roaming irrelevantly round a house in Lvov, in her underwear).
Mixed in with this was the BBC’s shocked discovery that Stalin and Hitler signed a pact of alliance in 1939 and – amazing! – jointly invaded Poland before co-operating against Britain.
Well spotted, BBC. Some of us have known this for decades. Presumably the Corporation was so stuffed with communist fellow-travellers that it couldn’t be mentioned till now. Behind closed doors indeed.
I was so dispirited by this low-grade tripe that I switched over to BBC1 to catch up with the once-excellent thriller series Spooks. But this has become a wooden parody of itself.
What’s more, it has succumbed to the BBC’s love affair with the Tories. As London (yet again) faced a terrorist threat, MI5 agents were ordered to check the whereabouts not only of the Cabinet but also of the Shadow Cabinet. They’d never have done that before David Cameron took over.”
Rarely post, often read and generally post either examples of (my) perceived bias within the BBC.
But on the subject of ‘Baby P’, the BBC are acting within the law of the land by removing the article naming the mother and in a general sense, bloggers posting the names on the net are actually giving the government a very good reason for regulating blogs (as per Ms Blears).
I work in regional press and believe me there are very good reasons for allowing the law of the land to run its course.
On this one the BBC are correct – I have no doubt of the guilt of these three wasters, but by posting these names people are pandering to the lowest common denominator, in our legal system you are innocent until proven guilty and there was a bit of a kerfuffle recently when the UK government tried to fall more in line with Europe – just as the concept of free speech ‘I disagree with what you say but will defend to the death your right to say it’, the rule of law must be allowed to stand or we lose our protections within it.
Every year there are dozens of cases where a child dies and the parents are accused of abuse or neglect, in the majority of these it turns out to be simply a tragic death. If these parents were to be named on the internet their already distressed lives would be made a lot worse.
So step back, and take a more considered approach, it’s OK to be disgusted or angered at stories like this, but that is no real excuse for vigilantism.
All posters who pointed out the shameful BBC story that local teachers support the head of social services were totally correct. This is what a site like this should be concerned with, not, for now, the names of the people directly involved. Their names will be published properly post – conviction, which is only as it should be.
If the chief fundraiser felt he had been treated unfairly, why didn’t he lodge any official complaint?
Richard Lancaster | 16.11.08 – 12:12 am | #
What a stupid jerk you are.
Richard Lancaster:
“If the chief fundraiser felt he had been treated unfairly, why didn’t he lodge any official complaint?”
You really live in la-la land don’t you Richard? I suppose you’ve been skipping the hundred or so postings people have made on Biased BBC about the Monty Python complaints process of the BBC.
Go back to sleep mate. Or your desk job at Al Beeb. Same thing.
Oh, and its clear to all that the BBC conived with labour, except you of course.
Now no more discourse with you.
Shug Niggurath – every time I read your name I think it says ‘Shit Nugget’.
Could you change it please, because I get such a shock when I see your postings, I almost fall off my chair.
How about a nice name like that doesn’t sound so rude.
‘Barry Chubb’ that would be nice.
Richard Lancaster, your name’s a bit iffy too.
It could be my spectacles but every time I read it I think it says “Chocolate Starfish Worrier.”
I’m not sure what a “Chocolate Starfish Worrier” is, but it must be rude because I get a hot flush up my shingles every time I see it.
How about changing it to something nice. Like my Grandmother’s name. ‘Fanny Batter’.
Dick the Prick. There’s something about your name that gives me the collywobbles too. I can’t think what it is though.
The worst reporting I have ever seen. This morning BBC report:
‘Osborne faces pressure over pound’
It makes it sound as if Osborne is responsible for the pounds fall. Absolute crap, it has already fallen before yesterday. And what about Darling saying a short time age
‘UK is in its worst financial crisis for over half a century’
I suppose that’s good for the pound.
Papers and Tories should really attack BBC on the Osborn story, it is a prime opportunity that they must take
BBC’s Guide to Reporting the News:
#1, Don’t report stories that make Labour look bad:
Labour activist in ‘Soviet spy’ row
A former Labour activist spied for the Czech government when it was controlled by the Soviet Union, it has been claimed.
Before moving to the Czech capital Ms Roberts was involved with the Labour Action for Peace (LAP) group, which was widely held to have links with the Soviets at the time.
Robin Cook, who decades later went on to serve as Foreign Secretary in Tony Blair’s first administration, was involved with the group during the same period. LAP is still in existence, and chaired by Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn.
The files held by the Czech secret service reportedly state that Ms Roberts’ role was to “contribute towards the downfall of capitalism”.
#2, Instead, focus on attacking Labour’s enemies:
MEPs attack jungle-bound Kilroy
Osborne faces pressure over pound
#3, Remember the BBC slogan:
The BBC: Going easy on Labour. It’s what we do.
Interesting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/11/16/do1610.xml
Struggling to find anything on this subject on the BBC. Found these.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2008/10/30/october_snow_feature.shtml
To the reporter’s credit there is this line: So is it climate change?
No single weather event can be attributed to climate change.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news/29102008news.shtml
Covers the snowstorms in Tibet without mentioning AGW.
Now, I am not a rabid climate change denier, and I do not believe the BBC should wheel out a CC denier for EVERY climate change story (and yes, I do believe the evidence that the vast majority of the world’s scientists agree on), HOWEVER, that’s not the point. The Telegraph story is a newsworthy event.
If MMCC is real the fact that one of the key bodies is messing up in such a fundamental way is a definite news story.
I think the BBC has a duty to reflect the findings of the majority of the world’s scientists (ie, they SHOULD say climate change is real and happening) but when something like this happens they should investigate in full. Perhaps editorial standards rather than bias?
Just watching the Andrew Marr show…
Always lovely to share in the interchanges of the host and carefully selected guests of a ‘news’ review.
But it might be nice if they were well-versed enough in the news to know what they are talking about, or at least having the host correct any inaccuracies so the viewer is not misinformed.
Much as I am sure many in the BBC, and its friends, would like to maintain the Sarah Palin bashing, it would have reflected better on all the smart set sniding away, and been less ironic, if they had actually known that the smear on Mrs Palin’s country/continent ‘confusion’ was in fact a hoax that the MSM fell for hook, line and sinker by simply wishing it were true and not bothering to worry about ensuring it was.
In fact I believe some on the BBC have defended propagating this fabrication on the interesting basis that ‘it’s something she might have said’.
Then on to one Jarvis Crocker, introduced with equal lack of irony as an ‘artist’ who has been conveyed to Antarctica, as have many other ‘artists’, to see the effects of unnecessary travel. Next time you head off on a jolly to Majorca tell all concerned ‘it’s to study/raise awareness of climate change in the clubs’ and you’ll have film crew with you before you can sway ‘You’ve ‘bin harraBINNED’
An relief for those wanting an alternative to BBC propagandising Brown’s ‘economics’:
Channel 4 begins a new history TV series,(6 weekly parts), TOMORROW at 8 pm by the excellent Prof. Niall Ferguson: ‘The Ascent of Money’. (He has a new book out with the same title.)
[Some pre-publicity]:-
“In a new and timely landmark series, historian Professor Niall Ferguson tackles the story of money and the rise of global finance. Ferguson argues that behind every great historical phenomenon – empires and republics, wars and revolutions – there lies a financial secret.
“Providing much needed context and understanding to the current global economic crisis, Ferguson shows how the history of finance has never been smooth and that the ascent of money has repeatedly been punctuated by gut-wrenching crises and crashes. Each episode of the series deals with a big bang in the history of money and demonstrates how it has changed the course of history.
“In this first episode, Ferguson tackles the origins of banking and argues that the evolution of credit and debt was as important as any technological innovation in the rise of civilisation, from ancient Babylon to present-day ‘sub-prime’ America. Revealing the financial secrets behind the rise of the Medici family in Renaissance Florence, Ferguson explains why credit networks have been indispensable to progress, and what goes wrong when trust in money-lenders breaks down.
“In the remaining episodes, Ferguson goes on to examine the rise of the other pillars of the world’s financial system.”
http://library.digiguide.com/lib/uk-tv-highlight/The+Ascent+of+Money-5507/Documentary/
George R completely agree – Niall Ferguson is cool.
Iain Dale says that George Osborne is a streetfighter – I don’t know about that but if I were he i’d have leaned over and bitch slapped Andrew Marr.
Archduke, any more on the ‘common’ thread of Common Purpose which is probably running through the horrendous murder and cover-up of the toddler, Peter? It would appear that those who are its ‘graduates’ never resign and the example par excellence is Cressida Dick.
Common Purpose is a treasonous group which is attempting to destroy our civil society and is doing rather well at the moment: but cockroaches don’t like exposure.
Dick the Prick | 16.11.08 – 10:10 am
yeah.. Ferguson is a seriously cool dude.
loved his world war docu , where he convincingly tied the various strands of the past 50 odd years to argue that the “cold war” was actually a very hot one, and should be referred to as world war three.
i do like scholars like that – contrarian, interesting, and challenging.
Allan@Aberdeen | 16.11.08 – 10:38 am
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086200/Revealed-How-close-male-relative-Baby-P-linked-big-paedophile-network.html
Close male relative of Peter is linked to a big paedophile network…
islington child abuse scandal. yup – that one. with Margaret Hodge…
and if you dare to cross Common Purpose, you’re career and life will be ruined…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086196/Baby-P-council-falsely-accused-abusing-child-reveals-whistleblower-feared-shed-lose-daughter.html
“The whistleblower who warned about Haringey Council’s failing social services department six months before Baby P died has told how the council victimised her, even going to the extraordinary lengths of falsely accusing her of child abuse and beginning an investigation into her nine-year-old daughter’s welfare.”
nasty f**kers , arent they?
“Mixed in with this was the BBC’s shocked discovery that Stalin and Hitler signed a pact of alliance in 1939 and – amazing! – jointly invaded Poland before co-operating against Britain.”
Even today, Russians still date the
Second World war as 1941-45 and not 1939-45 – to airbrush out the Nazi-Soviet Pact.
mark thompson – foi request on common purpose training rejected by the bbc
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mark_thompson_director_general_o#incoming-4013
Mark | 16.11.08 – 10:44 am |
aye.. the “great patriotic war” is what the Russkis call it.
and it gets worse..
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5162711.ece
“A sister of Baby P, the 17-month-old boy killed while under the protection of Haringey social services, was allegedly seriously abused despite also being on the council’s “at risk” register. “
there’s a strong whiff of common purpose in these allegations from the whistleblower…
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport2/football/top-stories/2008/11/15/baby-p-whistleblower-breaks-her-silence-to-speak-to-the-sunday-mirror-115875-20897787/
“Nevres, 44, exposes how staff were taken on “team-building” jaunts to Barcelona and Dublin and blew £1,600 on tea parties at the Ritz. Back in their office, urgent files were piled high and ignored.”
if it walks like CP, quacks like CP…
old holborn has been digging…
http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/2008/11/tracey-connelly-and-steven-and-jason.html
read the comments.
and here’s the Russian take on the story…
http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/106704-0/
sometimes you need the Russkis to give an angle that our media wouldnt dare say…
CP and Haringey
old holborn has been doing some research
http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/2008/11/common-purpose-and-harringey.html
The alacrity with which the BBC have jumped to make an issue about some ‘convention’ that supposedly prevents shadow chancellors talking about a sterling crisis is extremely suspicious.
Ken Clarke, a former Tory chancellor, has been a minister since 1979. He says he has never heard of any such convention.
If there ever was one, the convention must last have been heard of over thirty years ago when George Osborne was a child.
Clearly this is a synthetic issue dreamed up either by the BBC itself, or by Labour spin doctors.
During the recent US elections, several commenters here at B-BBC pointed out how uncannily the BBC’s coverage tracked the ‘talking-points’ issued by the Obama campaign to Democrat spokesmen.
Could it be that NuLab have copied the US system and now issue Talking Point Memos to their friends in the media, which inturn provide the basis for BBC editorial priorities?
If so, this is a very serious scandal indeed.
At 12.30am on 8/11/08, the BBC Have Your Say website displayed the following message –
“Added: Friday, 7 November, 2008, 15:49 GMT 15:49 UK
Only 52.34% people eligible to vote actually turned out.
The SNP could not even be bothered to organise a “get out and vote”
campaign. Alec Salmond should be whipped to death in public and then
chopped up and fed to fish.
It is a tragedy for Britain that Brown thinks he is successful. Scotch
people are no better than pigs
Sarah Plankin, Chaville ”
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?forumID=5612&edition=1&ttl=2
0081108002540
The message stood for another few hours, during which I complained 3 times (along with, to my knowledge, 5 other people). I subsequently complained direct to the BBC but have received no reply.
Before any message is displayed on the HYS site, it is read and approved by BBC editors. The BBC have thus endorsed the murder of a politician and the racist slandering of Scottish people.
Why do the BBC have no problem abusing Scots, Welsh or even Geordie people but can you imagine them allowing a comment describing an ethnic minority as “pigs” to stand?
i see that the bbc is up to its usual pravda like shilling for the new liebore…
no mention whatsoever of the Baby P case on Daily Politics
fancy that. eh?
What a shock. NOT! So crime is going up not down. I wonder how long before that twat Easton in on giving us the usual lies and bollocks?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1086172/Serious-violent-crime-going-NOT-Home-Office-chief-admits.html
Not reported by BBC? –
” Muhammed May Not Have Existed ”
[Extract]:
“MÜNSTER, Germany — Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a Muslim convert and Germany’s first professor of Islamic theology, fasts during the Muslim holy month, doesn’t like to shake hands with Muslim women and has spent years studying Islamic scripture. Islam, he says, guides his life.
“So it came as something of a surprise when Prof. Kalisch announced the fruit of his theological research. His conclusion: The Prophet Muhammad probably never existed.”
http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/18018
Sad tale on 12 o’clock news about 3 people killed and 1 critically ill after a car crashed.
It was apparently being pursued by a police car having gone through a red light.
The police were apparently a long way behind.
One wonders why the story had the inevitable suffix “the independent police complaints authority have been informed”
BBC shies from fight with licence rebels
Public figures refusing to pay TV the fee are being let off to avoid making them heroes
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5162494.ece?
the common purpose stuff is nuts archduke. pure tinfoil. I am though a senior wizard in its ranks, so would say that
Common Purpose attempting to brainwash the youth- who’d have thunk it? See archduke | 16.11.08 – 11:36 am
And while this shower of treasonous marxist sh*t works its way through our institutions and reduces them to blithering incompetence, do any of our political parties actually bother to oppose them? Well, there is one, and it’s not UKIP.
BBC report (of 4 days ago):
“Acid attack on Afghan schoolgirls”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7724505.stm
‘Dhimmi Watch’ update:
“Girl sprayed in face with acid: I will go to my school if they [Taliban] kill me”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/023522.php
Guido on Nick Robinson and BBC bias on Brown saying he’s the saviour of the universe.
http://www.order-order.com/
guido’s never forgiven
the bbc after they let michael white man-shame him on newsnight.