Happened to catch B-BBC favourite Justin Webb being interviewed on the “Correspondents Look Ahead” programme on Radio 4 just after lunch-time today. I was intrigued to hear Justin point out that he reckoned the US has now gone through the worst of the financial recession and he believes things will look up later in 2009. When asked to pick his politician to look out for, he spoke admiringly of Tom Daschle. Remember him?
JUSTIN’S WISDOM
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The BBC really think the economy will pick up this year. They are only saying this as they think it will help stop people turning against Obama and the fat one eyed one.
It won’t of course. Thousands of people are losing their jobs every month and of course as we know the biggest blame for this world mess goes to…. GORDON BROWN of course who took regulation of the City away from the Bank of England and gave it to a group of morons.
This then allowed to City to throw money around and do the dirty work for the US bankers in breaking up these sub prime loans (that were forced on banks by the likes of Obama in the first place) and selling them off as bundles of debt.
Well done McFatty and Obama.
Where do you take it that the BBC think the economy will improve? Most of what I see on BBC 24 is negative talk over the economy. More doom and gloom. It strikes me that you’re scraping the barrel a bit here…
Alex,
Several of their correspondents forecast a GE based on how well Prudence is handling things. I refer you to the programme.
Tiny Tommy Daschle — the man bent on importing the glories of the NHS into America.
That would be FROM OUR GROAN CORRESPONDENT — Justina Webb
Theres a huge difference between a programme about how well (supposedly) Brown is handling the economy to the allegation on this post which is that the BBC is intentionally misleading us that the economy will improve to somehow help Brown and Obama. Its like an X-Files conspiracy to read the posts on here sometimes
Alex Reynolds
Of course the BBC is misleading us – thats the whole object of bias -to lead us into thinking and acting in a certain way.
Left wing and right on -hence – Brown/bama good
Cameron/mcain – bad
It’s not the economy stoopid
:-))
just listened to it;
ive never heard so much bollocks from a bunch of wankers who havnt got a clue about whats goimg on in the real world.
I understand bias Cameron, but I don’t see it when I watch the BBC. When is Cameron ever portrayed as the baddie? Most of the time he’s portrayed pretty fairly. Brown seems to be portrayed according to public opinion. When everyone hated him before the summer, the BBC couldn’t get enough of stories about his demise. Now that he is supposedly popular again they treat him in a slightly better light. But its not out and out pro-Brown bias.
Alex Reynolds: Why is it that the BBC refuses to refer to the UK as being in ‘recession’ but just uses the term ‘downturn’ yet the USA is always referred to as being in ‘recession’?
The real point is that the BBC refuses to acknowledge that the recession is the personal work of Gordon McFatty one eye.
This fat shit took all the credit for a booming economy over the last 10 years, when in fact it was based on huge debts, endless public spending and a Government borrowing money like there’s no tomorrow, yet now, fatty one eye tries to blame the USA for the recession.
AS I pointed out earlier Brown’s de-regulation of the City has created the recession. The BBC refuses to point ANY blame at him personally.
Watch the BBC news, they always use the word recession. before we were in a recession they said downturn for the logical reason that WE WEREN’T YET IN A RECESSION!!
Martin, do you possibly think that you yourself are biased against Brown and co? If you’re a Tory voter then I imagine you are. I mean, if you don’t see things objectively then theres no way that you claim Brown caused the whole thing. You can’t acccuse someone else (the BBC ) of bias when youre so biased yourself.
Alex Reynolds: Cameron is never given a fair voice on the BBC. In fact the only Tory that gets anything like the same treatment as a Nu Liebour politician is Ken Clark and that’s because he’s a big fan of the EU.
Do you not remember how differently George Osborne and Peter Mandelson were treated by the BBC over the Russian yacht incident?
Remember how Caroline Spelman got treated by the BBC for some silly story about her nanny yet Liebour sleaze was ignored time after time.
Alex Reynolds: What tripe. I’m entitled to be biased. The BBC is not. Can’t you get that through your clearly very thick skull.
Yes I detest Gordon Brown and Nu Liebour. If you ever bothered to read this blog you will find I’m no fan of Cameron. I think he’s a wet tosspot. But he’s better than Brown and unlike Gordon Brown he was at least elected by the Tory party as their leader.
But Martin thats my whole point. See if you can this through your very thick skull – the fact that you a tory supporter (though not a fan of Dave C) means that you look at things in a biased way. You see what you want to see. You look for BBC stories that support your way of thinking and ignore all the stories which dont fit into that little idea youve created whereby BBC is a mouthpiece for Labour. And a bit of advice, dont ever ever spell it Nu Labour, its the way that the BNP types spell it, and it just makes me associate you with many of them.
alex….
“”But Martin thats my whole point. See if you can this through your very thick skull – the fact that you a tory supporter (though not a fan of Dave C) means that you look at things in a biased way. You see what you want to see. You look for BBC stories that support your way of thinking and ignore all the stories which dont fit into that little idea youve created whereby BBC is a mouthpiece for Labour. And a bit of advice, dont ever ever spell it Nu Labour, its the way that the BNP types spell it, and it just makes me associate you with many of them.””
Thats flaming isnt it mate?
Come on “u” 2 – lets not get arsey
🙂
Whats flaming it?
I don’t follow you at all.
Difference is that Martin may (or may not) be a Tory supporter entirely off his bat. His own decision. His own money if he is a party member.
We the public doen’t have to pay for it under threat of legal action and neither does his personal bias provide some skewed and spurious image of the UK abroad, unlike the bottom feeders employed by the BBC, entirely at the public’s expense…
Alex Reynolds: Firstly we are in a fucking recession. If we are NOT yet in a recession why does the BBC keep saying the USA is in a recession?
You really don’t get it thicko do you?
Alex Reynolds: Actually I use the term ‘Nu Liebour’ not Nu Labour.
martin/thicko
I said when we werent in a recession they went on about a downturn, now that we’re in a recession they call it that. remeber, all the doomsyers said we would were in a recession for months before we ever were – which in itself shows a certain bias. occasionally they use downturn yes, but again, this is isn’t pro-labour bias, its just lazy and shoddy journalism. incompetant, not conspiratorial.
Alex Reynolds: No you thick rent boy using cunt. The BBC have been talking about the USA being in a recession for weeks. But the BBC refuses to use the term here. Why can’t you get that through your thick fucking rent boy using head?
Martin youre a very nasty man, angry too. I suggest you stop living in this world you chose to inhabit where everything is going wrong, and where you see only the bad things. The BBC do use the word recession, grow up, stop spreading lies about the BBC. There are enough faults with them that can be pointed out without liars like you making up new ones.
Or better yet, if you are so sick of the BBC, and from else I see, the country as a whole, the fuck off overseas and make yourself (and others) miserable over there. Fuck off to America with all the far right christian weirdos, theyd love you. Or go to Zimbabwe, that nice chap Mugabe runs a much better media service than the BBC, plus theres problems in Harare unlike the daily battlefield that Britain has become apparently. THis country is being ruined yes, but only by wankers like you.
Alex Reynolds | 03.01.09 – 7:27 pm “Fuck off to America with all the far right christian weirdos..wankers like you”
Alex, I don’t wish to be unkind but that statement shows you really are an immature young man who has swallowed the whole left/liberal bollox hook line and sinker.The problem with Socialism is that its like AIDS. One kills off your immune system, the other kills off your critical faculties.
I repeat – if you’re looking for an argument, go throw shoes at No 10.
That was quite a nasty read! And AndrewSouthLondon, to be fair Alex was just giving back a bit of what he got. If you had taken the two to task then fair does.
Guys – less foul language all round please, It does not help the site and I don’t appreciate it.
Alex Reynolds, Don’t bother to try to engage Martin in any sort of discussion. He is an absolute nutcase, like many of the other contributors on this site.
Gravel | 03.01.09 – 11:24 pm |
Shouldn’t your nickname be Drivel? Why don’t you go back to the Guardian blog?
P.S.: Go, Israel!
Gravel,
I think you’e hit rock bottom of that is the best you can offer.
Disillusioned German,
Yip – let’s hope they succeed.Prepare for an all out counter response – from the BBC tomorrow.
David: Do yourself a favour and watch Fox News Channel’s coverage of the war. They’re focussing pretty much all of their air-time on it and it’s pretty neutral (with a slight hint of being pro-Israel)!
Alex Reynolds:-
Martin:-
Handbags at dawn, eh girls? Get you! Mwah!!
Actually Martin, Alex does has a point about you being biased about Fatty Brown because of your own misguided allegiance to the Tory party. Why you would have any faith in a watered down version of the Labour Party is beyond me, because that’s all the Tory tosspots are.
However Alex, can I point out that I utterly despise all political parties with equal measure(Although I reserve extra measure for those in current power, due to the greater effect they have upon my daily life).
So where does my contempt for BBC bias fit into your generalization, being that I am affiliated to NO political party?
Alex,
I’d agree with Ratass’ point.
My problem with the BBC is the lack of objectivity, whether that is by omission or weighting audiences and interviewees to one side and also how the situation has gradually changed from being mainly related to their news and current affairs output into their regular programming where certain, predictable, biases show up time and again within shows such as Doctor Who, a children’s programme featuring overtly gay characters, a black Nancy in Oliver Twist and the ridiculous plotlines of Bonekickers and Spooks.
You don’t need particular political affiliations to see this pattern emerge, although, for the record, I happen to think the Tories and the Labour Party play to the middle ground and there’s very little to separate them for me.
David,
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to take a few nutty comments and use them to tar a blog. This blog is full of such comments.
It is sad that all your hard work is being ruined by people who think discourse is calling those who disagree ‘rent boy using cunt[s]’.
On R4’s Feedback, 7 November 2008, Justin Webb tried argued unconvincingly that the BBC’s coverage of the presidential election had not been pro-Obama. Presenter Roger Bolton concluded the interview by asking Webb about future coverage…
Roger Bolton: Is there a danger also that because there’ll be so many interesting things to write about Obama that he’ll have a honeymoon, a rather longer honeymoon as a president than most do have?
Justin Webb: Yes, I think that’s true and I think there’ll be some people who don’t want to do him down, if I can put it like that, because of what he represents and in doing him down you appear then to be doing down a whole generation of particularly black people but also generally of the kinds of American who supported him so passionately and, if you like, of disrespecting them, and that would be a mistake – I think it is very important that his administration is treated with scepticism, the same scepticism we would use about any other incoming administration.
Two months on, let’s take a look at Justin’s sceptical response to the prospect of an extended Obama honeymoon.
From the Correspondents Look Ahead online article. Very first question:
What will be the biggest story in 2009?
Justin Webb: The honeymoon will last: I think the biggest story here will be the Obama administration’s transformation of American life. Americans, buffeted by events at home and abroad, are willing to let the new team have a go at trying their solutions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7785262.stm
From the Correspondents Look Ahead programme:
Justin Webb: His economic policies, assisted by some other factors, will be successful. In this year the recession in America will end, America’s economy will begin to grow again with huge implications • positive implications • for the rest of us… As well as making America cool I think Barack Obama will make sophistication cool… There is a new kind of intellectualism which he will lead which I personally find hugely refreshing.
Justin Webb, the sceptical sophisticated intellectual.
Another thing about the Correspondents Look Ahead programme – I knew what to expect from Webb, Doucet, and Mason, but I was struck by just how big a Guardian-reading sopping wet leftie James Robbins is.
Here’s an article to make Justin Webb lose his sophisticated intellectual cool:
http://www.davidwarrenonline.com/index.php?id=955