Had to laugh at BBC1 Morning News today. There was an item on how wonderful Alistair “Spend Spend Spend!” Darling’s pre-meltdown mini-budget was, with a spokesman from accountants Ernest & Young. It all started well but then – gasp horror – the E&Y man pointed out the shocking state of UK public finances prior to the current financial troubles. This was met with a rapid “moving along quickly” response from the BBC presenter – since the Beeb narrative does not allow for a recognition that Prudence never actually existed and that Public finances were recklessly managed over the past 11 years. There is also a general BBC acceptance that taxing “the rich” till the pips squeak is a socially responsible act from the tax thieves in power. I also noted that the BBC is constantly stating that the Government is “being honest” with us all. What rubbish – the Government has been lying through its teeth and the farcical notion that we are now entering an era of truthfulness shows just how detached the BBC is.
DON’T MENTION THE PUBLIC FINANCES
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That ‘interview’ with Oxborne was one of the most amateur and ignorant episodes in Humphries’ fading career. Why bother asking a question to interrupt after 3 words? Truly pathetic.
Also just after Humphries said that ‘we’ could probably only afford holidays to Benidorm as if ‘we’ are all fleecing the tax payer by being media whores. He’s even made Mastermind unwatchable with his mid round conversation with the contestants. In the name of God, go!
..and go now!
Darling’s allowed to witter on whatever subject he chooses – jeez, the FSA now. Not like they should have questioned him before about that and he’s picking up on the Biochem story touted earlier. Who needs a shrill alarm clock? Pop Today on and get instantly furious.
To be fair Humphries did give Darling a hard time later on in the programme, quite surprising really but he didn’t pull his punches and Darling quite clearly didn’t like it, especially when Humphries pointed out that most people thought that the huge ‘investment’ in the NHS had been poorly managed and much of it wasted.
I really despair of the broadcast media journalists. Are they ignorant, lazy, deliberately biased, or a combination of all three? With all the telly tax we pay the BBC they could afford at least one economist with some in-depth knowledge. Many of them yesterday declared the markets up in reaction to Darling, including Paxman on Newsnight. It had nothing to do with Darling. The markets were reacting to each other, Dow, CAC up.
Also, they keep repeating like parrots that US is in as bad or worse mess than UK. The US borrowing is internal (bonds etc.) The UK borrowing is foreign. Also, the population of US is 250m, population of UK 61M. Therefore if each country has a debt of say one trillion…
Naw, the only one who knew anything (good old Declan) has gone to Sky news.
He knows where his bread is buttered 🙂
Mailman
The ‘Economist’ concludes this article:
‘A shot in the arm’:-
“Hanging over Mr Darling’s fiscal statement was the prospect of a general election, which must be held by June 2010. The task of fiscal consolidation will fall to a new government. Almost certainly that government, whether it is Labour or Tory. will find that more harsh fiscal medicine is needed to restore Britain’s public finances to sound health.”
http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12670326&source=features_box_main
I admit I didn’t hear the latter part of the darling interview but I’ll take Arthur Dent’s view that Humphrys was harder on Darling than in the bit I heard. What upsets me is not Humphrys giving Osborne a hard time (and why not as long as the Chancellor is given a harder time – as if!) is the way Osborne allowed Humphrys to set the agenda for the interview. We didn’t hear a lot about the responsibility for this mess (the BBC follows Brown down the “blame the US entirely” route) nor that the package effectively guarantees that diversity outreach workers in Haringey will keep their jobs while the wealth creators in the private sector have been set up for a bashing.
Contrary to his impressive performance in the Commons, all we heard on Today was Osborne bleating that somehow the government must compel the banks to lend and Humphrys (rightly) pinned Osborne to the wall on that one. The BBC will get away with what it can get away with. If Osborne today and Cameron last Sunday with Marr roll over and let the BBC commentariat trample all over them then us out here grumbling about BBC bias is not going to do much good.
BTW
As Guido points out, the BBC (in the shapes of Hugn Pym and Peston) interpreted the rise in stock markets yesterday as being a direct result of the world’s approval of the budget and thereby confirming Brown as the collossus of world finance. Of course, it was nothing of the kind. It was relief that the US is bailing out Citibank. Admittedly this got a mention on BBC News at Ten yesterday but the clear implication was that, although quite interesting, it was US domestic news and not really germane to the main news of the day.
The ineptitude of the BBC in reporting financial/economic issues is not that startling, when you realise they come from a socialist culture in which everything is paid by the taxpayer. Phillip Green’s exchange with Humphreys provided the perfect illustration of this. Green asked Humphreys how the BBC would respond to the crisis if it was a a commercial conern… and Humphreys stammered like a frightened moron. What??!! Us?!! Trade????!!!!! Certainy not!!!!!
Yes, so much easier to fleece the licence paying public and serve it dross and lies….
How I loathe the BBC.
Phillip Green’s exchange with Humphreys
Sorrell boss of the WPP ad agency had a mild dig on similar lines on this mornings show. As times get harder perhaps more & more from the private sector will baulk at the BBC’s featherbedding.
Long time reader, first time comment:
I cannot believe the BBC lunchtime news report about the PBR when mentioning the 45% and NIC increase stating: “It depends on individuals but generally only those earning more than £100,000 will really loose out” as a voice over the coining of new 1p coins. The words are clearly Labour spin and a lie and the symbolism of the pennies is priceless!
Keep up the good work on this blog!
As Silverstar mentioned above. A BBC reporter on the 1 O’clock news did claim: “generally only those earning more than £100,000 will really loose out” because of yesterday’s announcements.
A remarkable claim give that GVN Ministers (on the Daily Politics and elsewhere)have talked about £40,000 as the cut of point. A figure which in itself requires some creative accounting i.e. by excluding this financial year (and the abolition of 10p tax band )from the calaculation. A more realistic figure would be £19,000.
So is the BBC now out-spinning even the GVN? Disgraceful!
the worry of is that the actual budget document has always got a load of nasties hidden in it, so if this is the tip of the iceberg what lies beneath?
Notice that in the last much-revised version of the article about “reckless” Darling, the quote from Osborne on the public’sharp intake of breath over the last 10 years of government borrowing has been removed (see Newsniffer), but the heading ‘Intake of breath’ has been left in, a complete orphan…
In fairness, Humphries did give Darling quite a bashing this morning. He could have nailed him rather more on specific points, but it certainly wasn’t the usual toadying.
Perhaps Phillip Green’s comments the other day had an effect?
Typical Brown-job: any opportunity for redistributive social-ist engineering. Screw the wealth creators, pass money out to Labour voters, and claim you are doing it for the good of the country. And the Fourth Estate says, umm, not a lot.
Nothing mentioned about saving £20 billion just by not sending it to the EU, or charging Foreign lorries for the use of our roads which would net the £300 000 000 annually that is the equivalent of the new extra taxes on British motorists.
The BBC makes the EU invisible.
Anyone hear pint sized jock Niki Campbell on 5 lite this morning? His digs at George Osborne were pathetic (about him losing his job etc.)
Then we got the vile Vicki Pollard (sorry Derbyshire) spouting Labour crap about how wonderful Darling is.
“Well the Government has to do something..” she screached.
I know, lets piss 100 billion pounds down the pan.
If the Government really wanted to get the economy going, why not invest that money in a massive space programme? They reckon it would cost us 20 billion to get men to Mars. That looks a good deal.
That would create thousands of proper jobs, fire up the Universities etc…
Oh hang on, that wouldn’t provide jobs for camp Guardian readers would it?
As George Osborne kept pointing out to THICKO Derbysire 2.5% off prices makes no difference (even if passed on) as shops are offering huge discounts already.
Anyone catch that vile fat bag Baroness Billingham on the Sky paper review last night? She was on with Andrew Pierce and Labour suppoter Anna Botting
Andrew Pierce hardly got a word in edgeways as this vile fat bag of wind spouted on about how brilliant the fat one eyed twat is.
“Oh the VAT will benefit the poorest families the most…” belched MS fatty.
Except of course VAT isn’t payable on food or childrens clothes and is only 5% on fuel.
So unless the poor are going to go out and buy a new 48″ plasma TV or a new car, fatty Billingham was talking shite.
For those that have never seen a picture of this fat bag, here is one. Not for those of a sensitive disposition.
http://biographies.parliament.uk/photos/26986.jpg
Umbongo: I commented on this last night. ITN news at 10PM made it clear the rise in the stock market in the UK WAS ONLY down ot the bailing out of Citicorp in the USA.
The twats at the BBC then tried ot spin it that it was down to fatty one eye.
On ITV this morning their bloke in the city again made it clear the stock market rise was down ot the US bail out.
Oh and the BBC then claimed the fall today was down to profit taking.
Seems the BBC want to give fatty one eyes all the credit and none of the blame. AGAIN!
And the £60 pensioner “bonus” is to be paid in January. Looks like a General Election in April/May.
Tax Payers empty your pockets the Public Finances needs £300,000 to payoff race claim
Tarique Ghaffur, Britain’s most senior Asian police officer, has received a £300,000 payout for dropping his race claim against Sir Ian Blair.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3519233/Tarique-Ghaffur-receives-300000-pay-off-over-race-claim-against-Scotland-Yard.html
.
Britain a Country with Pathetic Politicians
Martin 5:12
I wish I hadn’t clicked on your link to Baroness Billingham. The photo has quite put me off my deep-fried Mars bar.
Please give we “jocks” a break. We are not all like Gay Gordon or Nicky Campbell !
Grant: I’ll forgive you so long as you take fatty one eye back!!!
just had that pathetic ex postie Alan Johnson whining about the last 2 recessions and having a go at the Tories —nice to see these wankers feeling the heat –rot in hell Labour
The turds on 5 Live have just done it again ‘well the stock markets rallied after hearing the statement from the chancellor’ Unbelievable.
I’d like to see the rally when he gets run over repeatedly by bin wagon holding Gorgon’s hand. Good God.
Hold the front page – a lad has passed his driving test. In other news it’s Enid’s birthday – happy birthday Enid!
Martin 5:50
I wouldn’t even wish Gordon Brown on the Taliban, let alone the English !
He has to be our worst export ever. I would apologise, but it wasn’t my fault !
Gordon Brown’s handling of the UK’s economy and public finances has gone beyond any doctrine. The next government should remove Crown Immunity on a retrospective basis and prosecute Brown and Blair. What they have done, and what Brown is continuing to do, is nothing less than criminal conduct.
Here I am working very hard blaming America and borowing money and all you ungrateful bastards can do is nitpick my financial genius.
My marxist and trotskist past places me in the ideal position to lecture the house on the economy. It was always my intention to nationalise the banks and adopt the Euro.
Martin:
http://biographies.parliament.uk…hotos/ 26986.jpg
That picture of Billingham looks exactly like the photo of John Candy’s wife in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
Kill the Beeb: They say being on TV adds 10 pounds to a persons weight. In her case it’s a 100 pounds.
She is one big heffer.
Watching CBS they said Obama the magician made the markets rise