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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http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/1922.htm
Check this guy out (BBC Arabic TV)
shock news !
iraqis don’t treat iraqi prisoners very well
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7748795.stm
elsewhere on the bbc news website,
defecatory habits of bears: the complete truth
catholicism and the head of the church of Rome : the inside story
Terrorist justification alert!!!!
“The BBC’s Andrew North, in Baghdad, says that suicide attacks carried out by women have become more common. They are often the relatives of insurgents who have been killed by US or Iraqi forces.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7745212.stm
The old “they only did it in retaliation” excuse at work again.
Keep an eye out for our chum Andrew North’s reporting. It’s grinding negativity is in the best BBC tradition. Examples:
“The debate here is not over statistics or how bad things are. It is what to do about it before it is too late. The answers seem to be running out”. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5403840.stm (3rd Oct 2006)
“As we drove away from the Green Zone and back to our office in the city, there was a body lying in the road.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6192815.stm (19th Dec 2006)
“With three more attacks on bridges leading into Baghdad in the past three days there is little chance the situation will improve”. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6745065.stm (12th June 2007)
“In Baghdad’s south Dora district, officials claim to have discovered significant corruption among its local leaders.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7734978.stm (Current)
Labour’s smoke and mirrors budget – to convince us all that everything is going to ‘okee-dokee’ again – does have one hilarious outcome…
All the champagne socialists who work at the BBC on their over-inflated incomes are going to be taxed as hard as they deserved.
Laugh? I nearly paid my licence fee.
The BBC, having heard the rumblings, have ditched the big brother TV Licensing adverts, but the Licensing body is still sassy, an advert on my e-mail site says ” We love your excuses, we use them as evidence”.
Dontcha just love’em?
will:-
” We love your excuses, we use them as evidence”.
Great. From now on my excuse for non payment will be:
“I’m not giving money to a bunch of sponging Marxists.”
Let ’em use that as evidence.
Apparantly the excuse “I dont have a television” isn`t used by them.
a begrudging report of the arrest of 10 taliban for the acid attack on kandahar schoolgirls.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7747762.stm
hang on , the taliban told al beeb that it had nothing to do with this ?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7728345.stm
Oh, dear. Heads must be ready to explode at the BBC these days, as Miliband appears to have sold out their beloved Tibet to China in exchange for cash to the IMF.
As Western powers struggle with the huge scale of the measures needed to revive their economies, they have turned increasingly to China. Last month, for example, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, asked China to give money to the International Monetary Fund, in return for which Beijing would expect an increase in its voting share.
Of course, that’s not how the BBC told it on Nov. 15, the only report I can find of this at all:
China welcomes UK Tibet decision
There’s video of a Mr. Zhu, the vice-minister of the harmoniously-named United Front Work Department, and this article has quotes.
Mr Zhu said his government appreciated the British statement.
“I think this is a recognition of an already existing objective fact,” he said. “It has also brought the UK in line with the universal position in today’s world.”
So basically, up to now the BBC has been an opponent of the consensus.
BBC World Affairs editor John Simpson says Mr Zhu diplomatically sidestepped the question whether the British decision might be linked with Mr Brown’s efforts to bring China into a new world economic order; though that is certainly what many observers think
Is that all, BBC? Just more Brown heroics trying to reshape the world into a beautiful place? It couldn’t possibly be about something like this, could it?
The evolving relationship is illustrated by the sharp increase in bilateral trade between the UK and China, which has more than doubled in the past five years. British exports of goods and services to China surged more than 40 per cent in the first half of 2008, while imports increased 10 per cent. The UK is investing in 6,000 projects in China worth more than £8bn, and is by far the biggest recipient of Chinese foreign direct investment in Europe • capturing 11 per cent of the total.
(This is from the Financial Times, a few days before Miliband’s statement on Oct. 29.)
Nah, couldn’t be. I’m sure it’s just Mr. Brown trying to bring China to a better partnership with the rest of the world, or something.
It must be tough to be a BBC editor or other News boss these days. They love Tibet, but they can’t say that they really want independence from China, only “meaningful autonomy”. They love Mr. Brown and Labour, but they can’t possibly say that he sold them out for something as crass and crude and money – it must have been a much loftier goal. He only wanted support for his plans for the world’s economy. Yeah.
We all know the BBC loves China’s cash, too, from when they were wringing their hands and crying crocodile tears over whether to report the truth to the public or cover for China so they could make a ton of money off Chinese subscriptions to BBC World offerings. Although, the shine came off that shortly before the Olympics. In any case, Tibet love trumps any of that, and one can hear the contempt dripping from John Simpson’s voice.
Nothing left to do but sweep it under the rug, and fib later if asked.
On the Radio Four News at one o’ clock today a businessman was asked his opinion about the Government’s financial measures yesterday, a chap who owns a couple of jeweller’s shops in Edinburgh. I’ve nothing against the bloke, but why him? Is he Chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce, secretary of his constituency Labour party or what? Shouldn’t we be given some explanation of his place in life’s rich tapestry?
The last in the series of BBC Radio 4’s ‘File on Four’ has just provided an excellent investigation of the nature the UK housing crisis, with reporter Michael Robinson.
Three points struck me about the analysis:
1.) the housing crisis in the UK is much deeper and wider in its effects than most reports suggest;
2.) that this crisis is UK-made (not US-made);
3.) that Brown’s urging that the banks do not repossess homes is not being effective in practice.
The programme is available in audio here and runs for about 40 minutes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7746187.stm
Oh and the pint sized wankstain from Radio 5 (Niki Campbell) claimed this morning that all the city big wigs thought McFatso’s plan (pissing billions away) was a great thing to do.
Funny as all the economists I’ve seen interviewed reckon it’s a pile of shit.
technically speaking the plan was and is “a pile of shit” Labour secrectly desperately wants to reassert itself as a left wing party of nationalisation, as do I as it will mean an unelectable Labour party for another 20 years. Could I ask the next labour Chancellor to stop fucking up our economy?
Why is the seriousness of the left directly proportional to the silliness of their appearance?
I can’t listen to Andrew Marr for laughing. I just want to rush up behind him and flick those whacking great wing nuts hanging off the side of his head.
Why is the BBC bothered about what goes in in Iraqi jails? They didn’t give a shit when Saddam was lowering people into grinding machines feet first or electrocuting their testicles (mind yo uthat would probably turn a lot of beeboids on)
How about visiting a Saudi jail beeboids? I bet they offer 5 star luxury 🙂
And anyway, that’s the Muslim way (one of the few things Islam has given the world, tough prisons)
Re sacking of Jon Gaunt:
In a letter sent to talkSport radio on behalf of Gaunt, Liberty Director Shami Chakrabarti said:
As someone who has been on the receiving end of Jon Gaunt s blunt polemic in print and on the radio, I believe that the airwaves of a great democracy would be the poorer for his absence. I urge you to reinstate Mr Gaunt s programme without delay and have offered him support in the unlikely and unfortunate event that recourse to the Human Rights Act proves necessary.
Gaunt, also a columnist for the Sun newspaper, has a reputation of being a controversial figure on radio and last year received 48 individual Ofcom complaints. His controversial interview with the Redbridge Council representative took place on 7 November, followed by an investigation on 17 November by UTV Radio (talkSport s parent company). Gaunt received a notification letter terminating his employment on 19 November.
Notes to Editors
1. Jon Gaunt called Liberty Director Shami Chakrabarti the most dangerous woman in Britain, in his column in the Sun newspaper on June 19 2007. He frequently disparaged the human rights group on The Jon Gaunt Show.
2. Last month, BBC Radio Two radio presenter Russell Brand resigned and BBC TV presenter Jonathan Ross was suspended after a controversial broadcast of Brand and Ross abusing the elderly actor Andrew Sachs and disparaging his granddaughter Georgina Baillie was aired on 18 October.
3. Full text of letter from Liberty Director Shami Chakrabarti to talkSport Radio dated 24 November 2008:
I am writing on behalf of Liberty (the National Council for Civil Liberties) in relation to the termination of Jon Gaunt s broadcasting contract with talkSPORT and your parent company.
We understand that the grounds given for summary termination are Mr Gaunt s on-air references to the health Nazis he felt responsible for banning smokers from fostering children in Redbridge. This strikes us as the most bizarre and disproportionate approach to someone who was no doubt contracted to excite political debate amongst a whole host of listeners who might not normally engage with news and current affairs programmes.
For present purposes, we make no comment on the substance of the childcare policy in question. However we must remind you that any court must read Mr Gaunt s contract in the light of his right to free expression under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act. Whilst this is far from an absolute right (particularly in the context of broadcasting), to be meaningful it must extend to contentious as well as consensual speech and we find it hard to envisage how your actions could possibly constitute a proportionate and lawful response to the present facts.
Whilst we appreciate that recent weeks have been a delicate time for all broadcasters, we see Mr Gaunt s case as materially different from the now notorious example of privacy intrusion and broadcast bullying that the BBC has done its best to grapple with. Further, whilst Mr Gaunt s style may not be to everyone s taste, it is our view that no reasonable listener could have construed his comments in context as accusing the subjects of involvement in or association with Nazism.
Message to any sociology lecturers looking at this blog:
Look at Brtiain. Are you happy now?
I wonder what Bono, Bob Geldof and all the ‘Feed the World’ lefty dictators of the 80’s would think of this:-
“In the maternity ward, where about 80 babies are born every night and about 20 caesarean operations carried out by one surgeon in one operating theatre, newborn babies and their mothers lie on the filthy floor surrounded by blood.
Staff at Mulago Hospital tell our reporter that they struggle to get even the most basic supplies, such as gloves and the analgesic Paracetamol.
But a trip to the car park at Uganda’s Ministry of Health shows that money is being spent – just on other things. The ministry has bought 1,800 4×4 vehicles for its staff, but only four ambulances for Mulago Hospital. ”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7738297.stm
Thank god Africa is no longer fashionable among the left.
Any comments on this item, from Design Week, 20th November:
“BBC is on the hunt for an interior design consultancy to create a ‘radical’ workplace for its news, radio and TV teams, as part of the redevelopment of Broadcasting House in central London.
The first phase of the development started in 2006, and the second phase, which will begin next year, will create state-of-the-art TV and radio studios, production desks and multimedia facilities, as well as workspace set over 45 000m2 for the BBC’s news, radio, music and World Service teams.
There is an anticipated requirement for more than 3000 workstations and ‘work settings’, according to a public tender notice.
Under the terms of the contract, worth up to £500 000, the chosen designer will develop ‘open, flexible and creative workspaces’ for BBC staff, according to a spokeswoman for BBC Workplace. The design should ‘encourage a creative,
flexible and agile workforce’, and will ‘win the confidence of stakeholders for radical change’, she says.
All work on the project, which will commence after next April and complete in 2010, will be done in
conjunction with BBC Work-place to ensure consistency with the BBC’s Salford development, Project North.
The number of consultancies expected to pitch has been specified as between five and eight. ‘While we want to ensure that they have the right level of resources, we’re looking for innovation and a fresh approach to help us reach our objectives,’ says the spokeswoman.
The aim of the development is to contribute to a major new landmark building in central London, to provide state-of-the-art facilities for BBC Radio, and to integrate the national and international news teams into one centre. Another objective is to enhance public access for
the BBC’s audiences and visitors, including a public piazza, radio theatre, new BBC shop and cafe, and a new exhibition/interactive area.
Of the new facilities, there will be six new studios for TV news, one of which is expected to be one of the largest live newsrooms in the world.”
Kill the Beeb: On the Sky News paper review tonight, the vile (she really is) Yasmin Alai brown was spouting on about Zimbabwe and how South Afrcia was doing nothing to sort Mugabe out.
What planet is she on? South Africa was supporting Mugabe for years. Where is her beloved UN then? As usual the world sits by and does nothing, unless the US or UK sort it out. Then left wing twats like her just attack us.
Personally I don’t give a fuck how many people in Africa starve or die of disease. Fuck them all, let God sort them out. Not our problem.
After all, if Africa waits for help from the leftits in the world, hell will freeze over first.
A PENZANCE pensioner who revealed his racial views in a tenants’ questionnaire has been threatened with eviction and warned his “forcefully stated opinions will not be tolerated”.
Tony Stafford was berated by Penwith Housing Association for writing “offensive comments with no notion of who may be reading them”.
“They came to my flat and told me I had broken the tenancy agreement.
“I was astounded,” said the Fountain Court tenant.
The contention stemmed from the 65-year-old’s response to a section eight in the questionnaire, which asked: “Please tell us the five most important issues to you”.
My Stafford revealed his biggest grind as: “My country was surreptitiously invaded 50 years ago by ethnics of all races and has now changed for the worse.”
The BBC was second on his hit list for “forcing minority ethnic newsreaders’ faces down our throats in our own front rooms”.
Following the incident, Mr Stafford told The Cornishman PHA’s handling of the situation was totally unacceptable.
“They can’t give me a questionnaire asking my personal views, and then come back and say “no, sorry, we can’t accept those, you’ve broken your tenancy agreement by being too blunt.”
“When a UK citizen finds that they feel they cannot say what they think, particularly about racial issues, then political correctness has gone over the edge and completely destroyed reason,” he said.
PHA said it reserved the right “as a responsible organisation” to challenge racist or other remarks that could be offensive in nature.
The housing association has sent Mr Stafford a copy of its Respect and Anti Social Behaviour Policy which describes racial incidents as “a severe form of anti-social behaviour”.
It states: “We will interpret behaviour as anti-social if it causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household, or is conduct capable of causing nuisance or annoyance.”
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/homepagenews/Tenant-told-racial-views-tolerated/article-486654-detail/article.html
David Preiser
Miliband’s cave-in to the Chinese on Tibet is appalling. As you say – there has been no public debate here, no warning of what Miliband and Brown have now done.
The BBC is always an opponent of colonialism – even if it is long dead. The history of Tibet and China is cloudy – but the actions of the Chinese RIGHT NOW within Tibet is colonialism at its worst. How many scores of thousands of Tibetans have fled to Nepal and India ? How many tens of thousands have been fleeing this year ? Where is the BBC in-depth coverage of what has been happening in Tibet – desecration of monasteries, massive importation of Chinese into Tibet to dominate the local population, all the appurtenances of a police state ?
I happened to have been at the Chinese London visa office today. Full of propoganda about Tibet – sure sign to me of a guilty conscience. It remains impossible to travel freely in Tibet – indeed a sure-fire way of getting a visa refusal is to state that one intends to visit Tibet solo.
Plus – the limited visa fee is £30, that’s OK – but then they add £35 for “handling”, which is paid to a private company, smells like a total scam.
Tibet is one of the world’s long-standing scandals. Fat lot the BBC cares.
Martin:
“Personally I don’t give a fuck how many people in Africa starve or die of disease. Fuck them all, let God sort them out. Not our problem.”
Watch out! Whitewineliberal patrols these parts in his pantomime dame outfit, his mouth open in a permanent silent alarm looking to be outraged by comments such as these.
What Africa needs is a daisy cutter full of condoms dropped onto it. Not a pair of clapped out rock stars bullying the public into paying a guilt tax for a country that doesn’t understand a simple rule of survival:-
“Too many mouths, not enough food.”
At least she didnt blame britain and its heartless tories.
I was wondering why the beeb is interested in Iraqi jails too. Hardly an exclusive is it.
No more car bombs?
Woolies on brink despite BBC offer
Talks to save beleaguered retailer Woolworths were on the verge of breaking down last night as the group struggled to persuade a syndicate of its lenders to back a restructuring plan • despite a last minute £110m bid for Woolworth’s stake in DVD publisher 2entertain from BBC Worldwide, its partner in the joint venture.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/epic/wlw/3522422/Woolies-on-brink-despite-BBC-offer.html
The BBC is running a story about a typical faked up opinion survey grandly entitled ‘world mandate’ on climate action.
Sounds impressive doesnt it? A poll that confirms the BBCs own set political narrative just in time for a summit on ‘climate change’ in Poland, thats very convenient for the AGW/MMCC believers isnt it?
The survey carried out in 11 nations just happens to find ‘consensus on the need for action on climate change’ well well, why am I not surprised!
It was run by a vested interest group led by Stern(he of the discredited and faked up scare mongering stern review) with questions rigged to find a pre determined answer.
So a tiny rigged poll of only 11 unamed nations consisting of only 1000 people per nation finds a ‘world consensus’? No wonder more and more people are seeing through these lying,cheating,dishonest,dissembling propagandists!
11000 respondents to a rigged poll and less than half of those responding to a rigged question actually agreed with it and suddenly the BBC have a world consensus of 6,000,000,000 people?
The BBC have become so desperate to spread their AGW/MMCC propaganda that they dont even care if their stories are blatant nonsense and lies, their cherished global warming narrative is crumbling and yet they cling to the lies as if their lives depended on it!
This BBC bullsh*t was brought to you by none other than comrade black, he can be contacted at:
richard.black-internet@bbc.co.uk
Black is one of the BBCs most prolific ignorant lying scumbags and I very much hope he gets whats coming to him.
An interesting add on to my last post.
Were there were other countries polled but those that didnt give the pre determined answer to the rigged questions were left out of the final result? It occurs to me that these unamed 11 nations is a very narrow and limited base, I wonder why only 11 nations were included?
The consensus fakers must have ‘lost’ the results of those denialist nations that didnt give the correct respose to the rigged questionnaire or accidentally threw them away?
effin al beeb and its global warming bollox does my head in as well, just had to pay 400 quid to tax my car because of effin climate change….what a load of fuckin bollox
Martin, i agree with your comments on the vile Yasmin Alai brown, her voice is more irritating than scratching a black board
Cassandra
It wouldn’t surprise me at all to find that the poll was was rigged, but what evidence do you have other than gut instinct?
MAndelson alert.
He was on gmtv this morning threatening the credit card companies the oft if they didn’t pass on interest rate cuts to customers.
This is certainly a mandelson operation, getting on the telly to create a good news story to hide a bad one. The interview ended naturally, with Kaye garraway asking when he was going to appear on gmtv.
You see that’s a double hit for mandelson, good story as ‘business’ secretary and a cuddly image massage via strictly come dancing.
I cannot be so cynical to suggest mandelson chose garraway for the interview because she was on ‘strictly, can I?
I’m sure he’ll be on the BBC sofa within the next hour.
Help!
Sorry typo
Garraway soft balled him one after ‘all the polical stuff’. ‘so when are you going to be on strictly come dancing then?’
We in pedants’ corner would like to point out that Andrew Marr doesn’t have ‘wing nuts hanging off the side of his head’. His head is the nut, and the bits sticking out/ears are the wings. The whole package is the wingnut.
It’s worth noting the relish with which the BBC has gobbled-up ZaNuLabour’s ‘18.5%? What 18.5%?’ spin.
Clearly, the Stop the Tories campaign is still in full-swing, despite the resounding public raspberry blown at McBean’s feeble ‘rescue package’.
£400 car tax?
Muhahaha that’s sick – 4×4 gas guzzler for around town or for on the farm to lug sheep around?
Go on – be honest!
None car owning fascist here with 4 kids who all use buses to go to school. And shopping. Etc. Saves a fortune!
£400! That made me laugh out loud.
cameron | 26.11.08 – 8:36 am
That would be the Kate Garraway that’s married to Dolly Draper, the same Dolly Draper who used to work for P. Mandelson.
Small world, innit.
Anon
Thanks for that! I never knew the nepotism! I’ve learned so Much since finding this blog.
The andy mart stuff from January was hilarious as well. How do Martians manage it ?
Just switched on the lunchtime news.
So… if I lob up to the counter in Woolies and flash my TV licence (don’t go there), does this mean I’ll get a stakeholder discount?
I am sure there are many uniquely Lord knows what ways this can all be explained away, but it is still the BBC brand I heard used, and that, mostly, is still co-funded by me.
So… since when did ‘we’ get into buying highstreet shops? I know the precedent has already been set, but… huh? I guess just as we get Lonely Planet promoted at every turn… on a non-commercial channel… we will soon have that facile dog and sheep duo presenting Newsnight. Mind you, they could really do no worse.
I know the banks are being a bit tardy in stumping up seed money to shore up various failing enterprises, but is this really within Aunty’s remit?
This BBC website page is headlined ‘The Full Story’ PM’s Questions.’
Is it my imagination, or have the BBC re-edited PMQs, changing the order of David Cameron’s questions and ending the sequence on a punchy Gordon Brown answer so as to give the false impression that Brown emerged from PMQs the victor?
If the BBC really have tampered with the record in this way, it is outrageous.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7749617.stm
Oh… and what happened to Cameron’s line –
This Prime Minister has given us the debt levels of Italy and the accounting practices of Enron.
That was said at around 12.14 in real life…. but is entirely missing from the BBC’s bowdlerised record of the proceedings!
I think Matt Frei wants to be the White House’s new puppy. His latest article, a puff piece for Obama and his Clinton-era appointees, is so biased, so brazen in its partisanship that I was half expecting the final sentence to read “I love them all and want to be their bitch.”
Frei has just upped the sycophancy stakes for all those in the running to be the first foreign journalist to interview the next president, and quite frankly I don’t think he’s left his opposition much room, short of offering to pay Obama a few million dollars in cash for the privilege of sucking his cock.
I’m over here in Norway, shielded from Brown’s cumulative stupidity by a huge sovereign wealth fund, and I see reports that the UK’s economy is collapsing under the weight of debt and unproductive public sector. Is this so and is the BBC reporting it? How about the absence of Alistair Darling: is he going to resign because he has now become aware of the calamity that the ‘towering intellect’ has handed him?
On Brown, nobody can be that incompetent: he sabotaged our economy deliberately and under Blair’s aegis – the bastards!
Can the bias be any more blatant?
read the Vat slip blog by robinson
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/
Further to the what 18.5% debate – Robinson absolutely shameless. Specifically states that he and Pestis were BRIEFED by the treasury before the emergency statement (what ever happened to the convention about the sanctity of budget statements)and this didn’t iclude 18.5% so it is all Tory spin.
Who the f*ck briefed them?
Did thet stop to think that it just might be politially motivated spin that they were fed.
The cannot claim to be stupid so they must be willingly culpable.
How can anybody expect a fair hearing with the monopoly state funded broadcaster firmly in the pocked of Lord Mandy of come-dancing?
Furious and pissed off
Ross really has to go!
.
Martin | 25.11.08 – 11:11 pm |
Why is the BBC bothered about what goes in in Iraqi jails? They didn’t give a shit when Saddam was lowering people into grinding machines feet first or electrocuting their testicles (mind you that would probably turn a lot of beeboids on)
How about visiting a Saudi jail beeboids? I bet they offer 5 star luxury
I’m shocked, shocked to learn that Iraqi jails are so brutal. Why, if it wasn’t for that evil warmonger Boooooosh, illegally occupying and destroying their country (they were a free and prosperous people until then, with safer streets than Disneyland) they never would have sunk this low. I’m sure that prior to this illegal, catastrophic war (which was really about grabbing oil), the Iraqi prisons were much closer to the Finnish model.
JohnA | 26.11.08 – 12:38 am |
Tibet is one of the world’s long-standing scandals. Fat lot the BBC cares.
Oh, they certainly care. That’s why Humphrys felt like he could try to challenge Mr. Zhu about it, even if he ended up giving the mandarin a straight line rather than a tough question. But notice that, not only did they misrepresent the Brown/China connection, but the BBC poses tough questions to the Chinese official, and not anyone from No. 10.
As I said, poor Beeboids: their hands are tied for the moment, and can’t really complain about it to the public.
BBC actively engages in political advocacy. Please, impose more regulations on me, I feel that I am not governed sufficiently!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7747853.stm
pay-as-you-throw schemes could be an acceptable answer to Britain’s 15 million tonne mountain of household waste according to a survey for BBC News.
From January English councils will be able to bid for pilot schemes to incentivise people for recycling more and deter them from throwing stuff away.
Incentivise? Criminalise is a better word
No 1 (D)HYS comment
“I already pay to have my rubbish disposed of.
It’s called Council Tax.”
This is a fairly simple message that the BBC doesn’t want to promote. Government must give us something back for the hundreds of billions it steals from the public. Emptying the bins once a week* isn’t much to ask for is it?
*How frequently do the Spanish, French, Germans or Dutch empty their citizens bins?
It’s all too much | 26.11.08 – 4:35 pm |
Where I live the garbage is collected by front companies for The Mafia. No joke. But I bet it’s done more efficiently and cheaply than by your Councils.
David,
I suspect that there is quite a strong incentive to comply with the bin regs in your part of the World!
DB | 26.11.08 – 2:27 pm |
I just read the piece… good job I haven’t eaten yet.
Frei is right when writing “Because, and here is the funny thing, stupidity and incompetence tend to go hand in hand.” though… he’s one of the best examples of this statement.
Could we please reserve Gitmo for Al Beeb “journos”??? Please! 🙂
David
Where I live I pay £1700 ctax. Our councils are bringing in ‘communal bins’ where we walk round with our rubbish and dump it in the communal bin-the kind council then collect it!!
It’s great here, wouldn’t live anywhere else LOL
BBC flight safety advisory….
‘Bing-bong’.
In the unlikely event of your career hitting a bit of a glitch: don’t panic, reach under you seat and call in all those favours your position as a market rate talent at the head of a vast, money-drenched media monopoly can stash away for a rainy day. A soft landing is guaranteed.
New job for boss forced to resign from Radio 2
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/new-job-for-boss-forced-to-resign-from-radio-2-1035169.html
Microsoft. Google. Universal. See, they can all count on where they worked (and, I am sure, what they did there) to pick up where they left off. Hope their new employers find as bang up a job gets done to repay their faith.
But I wonder…. in light of this trend, maybe some talents might even accept less than market rate to be presented with such opportunities for advancement in future?
Call it a suggestion for a negotiating stance from a minor stakeholder.
Or… just blow the whole wad in the first few seconds and head off to Groucho’s to celebrate the deal.
Whichever suits best.
David Vance and Hugh and Ed,
I believe “It’s all too much” has found something worthy of it’s own thread:
It’s all too much | 26.11.08 – 3:53 pm |
Can the bias be any more blatant?
read the Vat slip blog by robinson
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2008/11/further_vat_rise_was_considered.html
Further to the what 18.5% debate – Robinson absolutely shameless. Specifically states that he and Pestis were BRIEFED by the treasury before the emergency statement (what ever happened to the convention about the sanctity of budget statements)and this didn’t iclude 18.5% so it is all Tory spin.
I think you may be on to something with Nick Robinson’s slip up. He may have just revealed how big a phony Robert Peston is.
Last Friday, Peston was “predicting” that Darling (it’s never Mr. Brown any more, right?) would try to increase revenues by raising the VAT.
Which is why, to repeat, there will have to be deferred tax rises and deferred public spending reductions inked into the public accounts and announced by the chancellor.
All of that is inevitable.
So which taxes will rise?
Well my prediction is VAT.
For the sake of transparency I should say that I don’t know that there will be a VAT rise.
Very, very slippery. He doesn’t “know” for sure, but now we know that he definitely knew they were planning it. He can play the Oracle of Delphi and get away with it.
Except Robinson just admitted that both he and Peston have been fed info from No.10. Now, in normal circumstances, I would say that this is what’s supposed to happen: journalists doing their jobs properly will get on the phone to the politicians, ask normal questions, and get the information they need to write professional reports.
We’ve been saying here for weeks and weeks – before Guido even, I think – that Peston is getting inside information and playing like he’s some kind of mind reader and soothsayer. Look likes we were right. Peston’s a charlatan, and the BBC is complicit.
PS: Re, the garbage collecting and the Mob.
Actually, the poor bastards who run restaurants and bars in the city and in the Bronx who have to deal with a certain liquor distributor have it much, much worse.