I just had the misfortune to listen to the BBC’S PM news programme whilst cleaning my car. What an absolute disgrace! Did anyone else hear it? Not sure where to start. We were treated to a BBC reporter stating that although Hamas rockets now looked like they could target many more parts of Israel than has previously been the case (Cue applause?) we had to remember that “only four” Israelis had died so far. Only four. Meanwhile, as he briskly moved on, HUNDREDS of Palestinians have been killed. Once again the preferred BBC tactic of lumping Hamas terrorists and any innocent by-standers in one easy media bite-sized number being used for maximum impact. Then, just in case your sympathies with the Jihadists in Gazan had not been fully engaged, cue Red Ken! Yes, Livingstone was wheeled on to demonstrate his unrelenting and stomach-churning hatred of Israel, mouthing every pro-Palestinian cliche you could imagine. At no point was any other point of view allowed. Why? Can’t PM find anyone who thinks Israel may have a case worth making? The BBC – giving you all the news Hamas want you to hear.
BTW, On a totally different theme, I also caught the ubiquitous Vince Cable being interviewed on the economy. His big plan for 2009 is to go after those in the financial institutions who “misled” ordinary people into making poor investment decisions. Nothing changes.
An additional outrage has been perpetrated on the front page of the BBC News online.
Under the headline “campaigners condemn Gaza Raids.” they then run a lengthy segment of a press conference with lengthy contributions from Galloway, Livingstone, Alexei Sayle and Annie Lennox.
Each one was given several minutes to repeat the same message.
No dissenting voice. Not even the pretence of objectivity.
OT (not sure where general comments are meant to go at the moment)
Dunno if this has been mentioned, but there’s plenty of material here: Correspondents look ahead to 2009.
Justin Webb sets his stall out for the coming year by hoping that Obama’s “honeymoon will last”. Lyse Doucet still wants to get touchy feely with the Taleban, and she and James Robbins are worried that governments might not do enough to combat climate change. Paul Mason is looking forward to class struggle in China and seeing the film version of Atlas Shrugged “for kitsch value” (now there’s a cue for a rant from a certain commenter).
America’s Fifth Column
“The United States obviously has a substantial number of citizens and residents who support America’s Islamist enemies. Many of them are to be found on the leftover left, which has embraced a weird alliance with radical Islam”.
MORE..
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/01/022452.php
Vince Cable is used in the same way that the BBC have used Lib Dems for the last 11 years, purely as an excuse to put an “opposition” spokesman on who isn’t a Tory and is rather sympathetic to NuLav.
David Vance: Vince Cable is a superstar on Radio 5. He’s NEVER off it.
Cable is so full of shit as well. He’s not got anything right yet, changes his view every 5 minutes and has the charisma of Peter Mandelson.
Has Israel learned its lesson?
Yesterday, the Israeli cabinet rejected a French proposal for a 48-hour truce. Perhaps, at long last, the lesson has been learned: With an enemy like Hamas, which boasts that it “loves death” and “drinks blood,” truces and deals are illusory. If Israel seeks lasting peace, it must first win a lasting victory.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/01/01/has_israel_learned_its_lesson/
I was grumbling all through the Bowen report, I would shout but it’s pointless and my wife would tell me to shut up.
Ask why Egypt doesn’t open up it’s borders to let in humanitarian aid Jeremy I grumbled, why do you just blame Israel? Discuss the reasons why Jeremy, try explaining that Egypt doesn’t recognize Hammas because it regards it with deep suspicion as do some other Middle Eastern countries.
I noticed the slip of the tongue that 80% of Palestinians depend on humanitarian aid from the West, bit of a giveaway that, if they had to work in the fields to support themselves they might have less time for stone throwing and filling the streets with protests. Another giveaway, was the mention that the Hammas leader killed with his four wives, was given notice of the intended attack on his house by the Israelis but chose to stay and make his wives and children martyrs.
Over the years we see Palestinians apparently fleeing from a building that moments later is blown up either by rocket or air strike. In fact it is all staged, they know because the Israelis have told them, that the building is a target and the people seen running for their lives have been placed there and run for the benefit of the BBC cameras on a given command. What a bunch of dupes the BBC reporters are
Radio 5 LOVE Vince Cable. I swear to God that on new years eve that half wit Simon Mayo referred to him as “King Vince”.
The Israelis should have ordered all the women to leave Gaza and all the children below the age of 16.
Then just none it and flattened the fucking dump.
No excuses then. Let the Muslim males be martyrs.
glj: I wouldn’t be surprised. I complained (one of many about Radio 5) asking why they had that slaphead halfwit on every 5 minutes and got the “the BBC is balanced in it’s output shite…” reply
Mayo probably did say that, although it would be difficult as Mayo normally has his tongue up Cable’s arse.
Drawing moral equivalence between terrorists and innocent civilians is standard fare for beeboids:
“The math doesn’t work,” said Dobbie, “200 dead in one day, vs. 20 dead in seven years?”
http://www.theaugeanstables.com/2008/12/31/revealing-silence-at-the-egyptian-border-why-does-hamas-victimize-its-own/#more-1539
FOUR TV LICENSING EMPLOYEES BLASTED BY ROCKET WHILE IN CAR;
But as it`s only four, not worth reporting about.
Hold on, they`re one of ours.
TERRORISTS MURDER INNOCENT WORKERS.
Full report and analysis. Leave your condolences on Have Your Say.
I was still half asleep, I admit, but I’m sure I heard Carolyn Whatshername – Quinne(?) – on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ this morning interviewing an Israeli politician.
She said, “of course BOTH sides broke the cease-fire”.
I thought, “hang on a moment”.
But the Israeli was on the ball. He said, “excuse me. We did NOT break the cease-fire”.
I then heard her say, “all right”, and quickly change the subject.
I was relieved that this man did not let her get away with it. But I did think, here we go again.
BBBC.
BBC website: “Annie Lennox, Alexei Sayle, Ken Livingstone, Bianca Jagger and George Galloway spoke at a press conference organised by the British Muslim Initiative.”
Will someone please explain to me why I am supposed to give a damn about the opionions of a clapped-out pop singer, a Marxist ‘comedian’ who hasn’t raised a smile in 20 years, a superannuated 1960s groupie, two Marxist demagogues and a religion that that is absolutely inimical to the culture of my homeland?
GCooper: I wanted to know why no one was throwing their footwear at them 🙂
Original Robin: 4 beeboid scumbags torn to shreds by unfed dog. That’s OK the beeboids were put down by the RSPCA. The dog is undergoing blood tests in case it has Aids.
BlairSupporter | Homepage | 02.01.09 – 9:43 pm
I heard Peter Allen use the same ploy on Radio 5 live – it seems a new trick by the BBC – give their opinion and then use the words “lets put that to one side for now”.
The BBCs total committment to the Palestinian cause is merely a subset of its pro-Muslim bias. I can never forget the way BBC demonised the Serbs, while not mentioning the brutality of the imported and local mujahidden on Serbs in that war, and the 400 year cruel subjugation of Serbian people by the Ottoman Turks.
Speaking as someone who can’t sing or successfully tell a joke, what does it matter if Lennox and Sayle are overrated has-beens or national cultural treasures? They are at best misinformed or dupes. At worst the have reached bottom and keep digging.
Does anyone know who edited the video that the BBC distributes? Who juxtaposed the speakers with scenes of destruction? Did the British Muslim Initiative provide the file and the BBC fail to acknowledge or was it a home grown piece of editorialising masquerading as news?
Every film student knows of the Kuleshov Effect where new meaning is created by montage. The editing manipulates the viewer and that should be forbidden in straight news.
I do agree with George Galloway in this case. We will be very lucky if Gaza doesn’t explode in our face. I expect he means it in a different way than I do.
I don’t suppose we could have Alexei ‘not in our name’ Sayle read the Hamas Charter on the BBC? I want to hear him reading the bits where Muslims are incited to kill the Jews.
deegee writes: “Speaking as someone who can’t sing or successfully tell a joke, what does it matter if Lennox and Sayle are overrated has-beens or national cultural treasures?”
Why it matters is because the BBC are conniving with these imbeciles to suggest their ‘celebrity’ status somehow endows their political opinions with credibility – cf ‘Bono’.
The BBC’s ultimate “kiss of death” attribution: “Bush says Hamas to blame for Gaza”. It’s code for something isn’t it?
Alexi Sayle on BBC Breakfast 0910ish: “Israel is like a psychopathic child.” No real challenge, just “Annie Lennox says, that Hamas needs to understand violence isn’t the answer”, to which Mr Sayle said, “Yes, but Israel’s response is a disgrace.”
Nice. And of course I’m paraphrasing.
I admit I really don’t see as much GENERAL bias as most on this site, but this episode certainly upsets me. No one seems willing to differentiate between dead terrorists and dead innocent Palestinians. THAT’S my main gripe with this coverage.
The disgusting BBC doesn’t understand that without Israeli warnings much more Israelis would be death.
There is a tendency for Lefties to sabre rattle at easy targets. Greenpeace attacks and vandalises power stations in the UK, knowing full well the real problem ones are in China, people demonstrate against Israel when the real enemy is fundamentalist Islam and attack America when it occupies Afghanistan.
They are all gutless windbags with a very small grasp on reality and logic, and only come over with any authority because the BBC interviewers are just as stupid and unwordly.
Tell that creep Alexei David Sayle exactly what you think of his support for the vile Jew hating Islamo-Nazi group Hamas, via his “Talent Agency”
Cassie Mayer Ltd
5 Old Garden House
The Lanterns Bridge Lane
London
SW11 3AD
UK
Phone: +44 (0)20 7350 0880
Fax: +44 (0)20 7350 0890
info@cassiemayerltd.co.uk
I just left a message on their answer machine letting them know exactly what I think of Jew hating, terrorist supporting fat boy.
Barry said – No dissenting voice. Not even the pretence of objectivity.
In light of the fact that the British government clearly support (or at least accept) this bombing campaign, these celebrities ARE the dissenting voice to the established cry which is ‘Hamas are all terrorists’. Don’t buy into the simple story that Israel=Good, Palestinians=Bad. I don’t think either are particularly good at the moment, by the fact it, Israel is a democratic state and should know better than to think that these bombings will improve things in the region. These kids who see todays bombs will become tomorrows terrorists in Jerusalem and Haifa. Theres no long term vision, thats what the celebrities should be trying to point out.
I hope the message you left didn’t mention anything about shagging his grand-daughter Ratass?
On the Middle East page of the BBC’s website,there is a headline:-
Trusting what we see?
At last, I thought, the BBC will tell about the fauxtography of the Palestinian media.
What did I find?
It’s the ISRAELIS who have bombed a military target (on youtube to show how accurate they are when targetting terrorist) – Palestinians loading up Grad missiles onto a truck.
No,no, says the man. They were oxygen cylinders, not missiles. We are innocent.
Well, maybe so, maybe not.
But I don’t remember ANY comments about ‘Trusting what we see’ reported on the BBC at ANY time,ever, regarding the Palestinian reports.
So you see. It’s the Jews who lie, the Arabs who always can be trusted.
Edna | 03.01.09 – 5:41 pm,
Absolutely correct. And the fact that the Israeli reports are generally the reliable ones makes that particular example of BBC bias all the more incredible.
I was pretty disgusted by the ‘propaganda war’ article as you mention.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7809371.stm
I don’t believe everything I see. More importantly I don’t believe everything I see, read and hear on the BBC and thus dropped an email to Paul.Reynolds-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk to make it clear why.
IMO the worst propaganda of all is that for which we are obliged by law to pay for….
Yeah, I also e-mailed him and invited him to join us here – he commented here a few years back for a while. He used to be regarded here as pretty fair. But that article is biased to the hilt.
The BBC uncritically reports segments of the UK political ‘left'( in Labour Party, Respect, SWP as well as certain Islamic groups), which support Hamas, and thereby support an Islamic jihad organisation.
An alternative view:
“Israel had no choice but to be tough on Hamas – and Iran” (Benny Morris)
[Extract]:
“I believe Israel is right to go ahead: to deliver ground incursions, in various sectors, to bleed Hamas and ultimately to destroy its will and ability to rocket Israel by occupying the border area permanently.”
‘Sunday Times’.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5439608.ece
Bryan: for once I have to disagree with you. Reynolds was never considered fair by me, just because he posted a few comments here some years ago. As I remember, he was caught bang to rights blaming the New Orleans lack of rescue-preparation on George Bush, and had no choice but to confess to his incompetence when confronted with the evidence to the contrary (on the other hand, I s’pose fessing up was ‘pretty fair’… maybe you’re right after all!)
Robert,
Thanks for your kind words. Maybe some of these BBC hacks have split personalities with the anti-Israeli one usually dominant.
But I take your point. I joined the blog around the time Reynolds stopped commenting here and I’m basing my observations mostly on others’ opinions of him.
Alex, do you know anything about Israel? About the ME? About military matters?
No, I thought not. All you are doing is ranting about the bad Joos. Just fuck off.