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General BBC-related comment thread!
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Looks like Kirsten Gillibrand has been chosen to take Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat. Katty Kay will be pleased. (I admit she’s a far better choice than Caroline Kennedy.)
I know most of the discussion is about news here, but I wanted to mention Rossy. He’s back tonight. I know he’s been suspended, but it’s actually gonna drive up his viewing figures. Anyone else think that the BBC love all the publicity about his controversy? Its gonna ensure high ratings tonight, and they need that to justify the outrageous sum he gets paid.
I won’t be bloody watching him though.
I agree, David. I was a good mixture of topical talk and light banter. I thought everyone behaved well and I really enjoyed the chat.
Let me repeat one question I asked last night (but didn’t get a reply to, I believe):
Did anyone notice that none of the Al Beeb lovers / liberals turned up for that chat? It’s not that I missed them but it still made me wonder.
The BBC has not been able to totally ignore Brown’s bust. But the financial reporters have to me seemed to be detached never fully involved.
Most mornings I like most people I have to get up early and trudge my way to work what ever the weather for what is not a huge amount of money.
But on the rare lovely morning when I get a day off. I can lie in bed (well on the settee at least) wrapped up warm listening to the neighbours head out into the rain and wind. Knowing I can lie there all day or untill my bladder gives out.
And I do confess that rather than feel sorry for them I feel a bit smug.
That feeling is how I imagine BBC business reporters feel. While the rest of us have deminishing pensions and savings and increasing job scurity they have a high 6 figure salary generous expenses and total job security as long as they do not do something stupid like question the orthodoxy; that it is all The Americans fault (but not St Obama’s)Gordon saved the world and everything he does is ‘because it is the right thing to do’ and not for party political advantage And the Tories are the ‘do nothing party’ All funded from the taxpayer the one source of funding that will never run dry (we hope) the taxpayer.
The BBC are repeating a story about a Palestinian doctor whose three daughters were killed during the conflict, we hear him making an emotional appeal for help, this was answered and the survivors were evacuated to Israel for treatment.
The BBC state as fact that two IDF shells hit the house when in fact the circumstances are still not known, the doctor was a critic of hamas and we know that hamas regularly kills its critics, the IDF are investigating but no evidence has yet emerged, the BBC however with no evidence blames the IDF with no reservations!
Does the BBC have proof? With all the unfounded allegations the BBC have been spraying like some demented muck spreader I wonder how many will be retracted when proven wrong?
The fact is nobody knows what happened to the doctors house yet but because its a great stick with which to beat Israel, the BBC cannot wait for irritating details like the facts, they want propaganda and they want it now!
That should have been increasing job uncertainty.
DB
Does that increase the chance that we will get the Kennedy as ambassador well she cannot be any worse than her grandfather (I do dislike using the term ‘grand’ in respect to any of the Kennedys)
Rod Liddle on BBC Bias
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/features/3276176/the-bbc-cant-help-loving-obama-just-as-it-cant-help-encouraging-recession.thtml
Hi David,
Would it make your life easier if regular users were to post in a comment thread before the programme? Could you then pre-approve their IP addresses/user names?
I’ve no idea how it works, so that is just a suggestion.
Did anyone else hear the report by Aleem Maqbool on Gaza on the Today programme this morning, and the following interview between Ed Stourton (I think) and an Israeli spokesman? It was on at around 8.45 this morning and the interview was the most hostile I have ever heard, even from the Beeb.
In the report, Maqbool investigated (not very fully) claims that the IDF had used white phosphorous directly against civilians. The report finished with him saying ‘if this is the case, then Israel is guilty of a war crime’.
Every one of Stourton’s questions, and every intonation of his voice, left the listener in no doubt that he, Stourton, was absolutely convinced that the IDF was guilty of war crimes and that the interviewee (who acquitted himself pretty well, all things considered) was lying to cover it up. He even berated the spokesman for not automatically accepting Maqbool’s findings and insisting on an independent enquiry carried out by qualified persons with military experience.
This really was horribly depressing.
Grimer,
The system allows me to approve up to only 10 people for instant posting. I am unsure if by having another moderator this will double to 20. Hope everyone understands that I would happily approve you all but it is the actual system that limits.
Can we now expect ‘Downturn’ to vanish from the BBC? I suspect not.
Why do I have to pay for the BBC just because I want to watch football on Sky TV?
Oh yes. I remember now. It’s because I don’t want a fine and a criminal record.
Rachel M,
I posted on it in an earlier thread, Macbool is now a qualified war crimes investigator? trial by media is the BBC way, guilt by accusation and no conclusive proof is required.
There is a deliberate BBC smear campaign going on now, open hostility toward Israel by the BBC kangaroo court, the BBC has made its collective mind up long ago and their creed is trust hamas without question and never question the role of hamas or expose its crimes!
You will never hear or see hamas being questioned about their crimes, you will never hear a Fatah spokesman as he tells the truth about hamas.
Hamas are the heroes and Israel are the villians, this is BBC policy now, they employ hamas sympathisers and their staff helped to advise hamas TV(on unpaid sabatical of course) ex BBC equipment is used at the hamas TV station and the BBC are fully aware of the evil filth that hamas puts out daily and yet they are silent. The BBC knows about UN aid stolen and sold by hamas yet they are silent, the BBC knows about the blackmail that hamas indulges in to ‘allow’ aid to reach civilians yet they are silent.
The BBC are covering for and helping a terrorist organisation and by its silence I can only conclude they are active allies!
Might the BBC/NuLabour/Hamas axis be the real axis of evil?
Anyone see Rod Liddle’s article in the Spectator about BBC Bias? Apologies if it’s already been mentioned.Don’t know if it’s made it online yet…
Re: anon at 6.02
I think its a 3 way complex: BBC/NuLabour/The rest of the politically correct establishment.
They love nothing more than suicide bombers and trying to re-make Britain in the image of blacks and muslims.
If anyone wants a good laugh, check out the latest from BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders:
The writing on the wall
So it’s official. The UK is in recession, and it’s no mere technicality. It seems like old news. But from the standpoint of even a few months ago, it’s a bolt from the blue.
And that’s not even the funny part. This is:
At the time, I remember my illustrious predecessor Evan Davis and myself at the press conference launching the report both asking the Governor, Mervyn King, whether he really thought the chances were that slim. But I can’t say that either of us thought it was the most likely outcome.
The astonishing thing is – nobody did.
And it gets better:
Of course, economists weren’t the only ones to miss the writing on the wall. Everyone did – bank chiefs, regulators, governments, and certainly voters. But there are particular reasons why economists were caught out.
A big one is that most economists are nervous of sticking their necks out. As John Maynard Keynes once said: in the City, it’s better to be conventionally wrong than unconventionally right.
Or maybe that the BBC was pushing a certain Narrative? Nah, couldn’t be.
Of course, you have your mavericks – or maybe just professional pessimists.
Yes, I can think of a few them right here on this blog. We’ve all been saying this since last summer.
But most are not employed by large banks or City firms.
Not the most comforting defense, Stephanie.
@rachel M
I was listening to stourton and had to stop the car. is trying too hard to keep his job ?
less of an interview and more of a nuremberg style mini prosecution.
ed ” lets just get it in on the record ” stourton
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7846000/7846351.stm
let’s get bbc bias on the record
oh and i loved the bit where stourton describes aleem maqbool as a distinguished jornalist i.e. we are the bbc and everythign we say is true.
the israeli spokesman keeps his cool and quotes corriere della serra’d reports exonerating israel.
stourton splutters and clearly thinks this is not a good source as only the bbc can tell the truth.
donkey jockey to distinguished journalist in three weeks!
Jeremy Hillman – editor of the BBC business and economics unit – writes on his blog;
“There’s no doubt that a proportion of audiences for TV and radio, and here online, feel that the BBC is just too gloomy in its reporting of the economy. Some of you feel that the coverage is just relentlessly downbeat”.
Errr, the main criticisms I hear of BBC recession coverage is their almost total refusal to question government ministers about their responsibility for where we are now – combined with an eagerness to blame the Tories at every opportunity, and the BBC’s fawning uncritical coverage of every government announcement that has reduced them to little more than a government mouthpiece.
It would be interesting to see some of these e-mails the BBC claims to have received, and how closely they resemble some of the “cut and paste” postings that appear with depressing regularity on blogs such as Guido Fawkes, and are regularly deleted because they are so obviously the work of the Labour Party spin machine.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/
bodo – that’s balls, frankly.stephanie flanders spent the first ten minutes of the 10o clock news on wednesday reporting pure gloom on the economy. the idea that the bbc is soft soaping the government on the recession is easily rebutted.
BBC tries to put a little political distance between itself and Al Jazeera, as Labour goes for Muslim vote?:
“Douglas Alexander pressures BBC to air Gaza appeal”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5575966.ece
mikewineliberal:
the BBC are in complete denial. the news is all about gordon saving the world and poor innocent muslims being killed.
DB | 23.01.09 – 4:29 pm |
Yes, Katty Kay has no problem speaking her mind when it comes to telling people what the “correct thoughts” are.
And she’s Matt Frei’s wing man on BBC World Propaganda America. She even takes over as anchor on Fridays when he doesn’t come to work. To be fair, though, she doesn’t really sneer or make editorial comments during the regular news segments the way Frei Boy does. She only does it in interviews.
I had to laugh at the bit where Rod Liddle calls Peston ‘camp’. I rest my case about beeboids 🙂
“the idea that the bbc is soft soaping the government on the recession is easily rebutted.”
MikeWine:
I’ll just about agree that the BBC is reporting the current facts of the recession in a fairly straight manner. What they are not going is any sort of even the most basic analysis that might portray the current Labour government as in any way responsible. They will however repeatedly accuse Tory spokesman for being responsible in some way, e.g. the decline of manufacturing, the failure of bank regulation.
Added to this is the BBC’s drip drip message of “first recession since John Major was in power”, “worst growth statistics since 1981 under the Thatcher government”. The message seems to be, no matter how bad things are under Labour, the Tories are even worse.
Strange, but I don’t remember during the recession of 1992 the BBC referring to events 28 years earlier and telling us just how bad things were in 1964.
Grimer:
Hi David,
Would it make your life easier if regular users were to post in a comment thread before the programme? Could you then pre-approve their IP addresses/user names?
I’ve no idea how it works, so that is just a suggestion.
Grimer | 23.01.09 – 4:53 pm | #
What a democratic approach, only regular users?, have you turned into Derek ‘Dolly’ Draper?, pre-approving is the same as pre-moderation, not something this site has aspired to in the past.
I was reading the shocking story emerging from Belgium when I stumbled across the BBC via this link:
http://www.maplandia.com/belgium/news/infants-stabbed-at-belgian-creche-2009-january-23.html
Why the hell am I linked to the BBC and not a local provider ( I am in Liege)?, also the article from the BBC is incorrect, the attacker was not a mental patient he was a local 20 year old man.
The man rode away on his bike, and according to eyewitnesses he is Muslim, again this fact was missing from the BBC article.
Sorry the 8:21 post is me, I was rather angry with Google for directing me to the BBC?????.
Obama fakery starts on day 1
Classical musicians played along to recording at Obama’s inauguration
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1126945/Classical-musicians-played-recording-Obamas-inauguration.html
Any news regarding any possible consequences facing any Beeboids over the Frankenspeech scandal? I’m surprised it hasn’t been more widely reported.
Just like bumbling swearing in words…
Fake music pieces…
And now missile strikes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7847423.stm
Aint no George W to blame it on anymore.
These are going to be interesting times – Mad muslims will still want to wipe us all out worldwide – No more bad George W to blame it on anymore…
As with this latest cross border missile strike, the Beeb are going to have to start changing their tune nad they don’t like it!
Tim | 23.01.09 – 8:47 pm | #
YEP!. Welcome President George W Obama.
…….and the BBC apologists take on Obama fakery
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriella Montero and clarinettist Anthony McGill did play along – but without being amplified.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/obama_inauguration/7846472.stm
Looks like we’re back to the days of ‘I smoked marijuana once but I didn’t inhale”
……The BBC, they think you’re as stupid as they are!
I know, so much made about the evil Chinese faking shit during Olympic ceremonies…
But our man Obama, it was OK – it was really cold (oh shit that doesn’t fit with our Global warming agenda, does it) Oh well well should still blame George W, he left the fridge door open in the White House to deliberatly cause that cooling on Obama’s special day!
Mark Steyn on Day Three of the Obama administration, and he’s not impressed
I love the way everybody was saying initially, oh, this is going to be a brilliant, brilliant speech. And then the fact that it was just sort of prosaic and journeyman-like, apparently just illustrates Obama’s even greater brilliance, because that’s his way of tamping down expectations. So the stroke of genius was to deliver this mediocre speech, because only a really brilliant man would have seen that America couldn’t afford to have a truly brilliant speech, because it would have raised even more expectations of all the glorious things that King Barack is going to usher in. So at that level, my head is just spinning at that point, and I think, you said it’s Day Three of the Obama administration?
HH: Yes, yes.
MS: It feels like kind of a year and a half into the second term already. I didn’t think that was such a great first day, to be honest.
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/talkradio/transcripts/Transcript.aspx?ContentGuid=3a18561f-3fab-4952-8802-69d3d8308990
“YEP!. Welcome President George W Obama.”
We all knew his inaugration would be his greatest moment. Now the dream has wore off, reality is back, the New-Age hasn’t dawned, where now for those deeply irrational people who voted for Obama?
Now that there is no hope, expect a spate of mass suicide as Obamabots protest against the unfairness of the universe.
BBC’s economics editor Stephanie Flanders:
The UK is in recession, and it’s no mere technicality. It seems like old news. But from the standpoint of even a few months ago, it’s a bolt from the blue.
Priceless!!!!
What a bunch of thick twats.
The BBC doesn’t make the connection:
BBC report:
“Islam film Dutch MP to be charged”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7842344.stm
‘Jihadwatch’ does make the connection :
‘Jihadist hate preacher welcomed in Netherlands as it prosecutes Wilders for “hate speech”‘
[Extract]:
‘Some “hate speech,” apparently, is just fine in the Netherlands. They say that he will be prosecuted if he says something “hateful” in the Netherlands, but his positions are already abundantly clear — if Dutch officials wanted to be consistent, they wouldn’t let him in. “Radical Muslim preacher welcome in Rotterdam,” by Rob Kievit for Radio Netherlands,’
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024548.php
Also, ‘Jihadewatch’:
‘Wilders: “The problems with Islam will only increase”‘
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024547.php
if our government was doing its job properly (fighting terrorism by dealing with the muslims) then we wouldnt even need jihadwatch to tell us these things.
brown and cronies out now!
Teenage gangster jailed for wielding guns on BBC show
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127032/Teenage-gangster-jailed-wielding-guns-BBC-show.html
The BBC are quite sure that you are stupid.
from The Spectator
n a Liverpool case last week, the court heard that a teenager had been paid £50 to brandish guns on a BBC Panorama programme. He was not paid directly, but had been procured by a middle-man, referred to as ‘Male C’. After the 17-year-old had waved his guns about for the cameras — to illustrate Merseyside gang culture — Male C said ‘Nice one’ and gave him the money.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/the-week/3275876/part_2/the-spectators-notes.thtml
Why there wont be any Obama Jokes
To Write a Joke After Obama is Barbaric
http://www.reason.com/blog/show/131161.html
Libaterian,
To be fair, the string group thing is a non-story. Yes they should not have passed it off as a live performance BUT you can see why they played the recording.
There will be far more important things to criticise the light worker on coming up shortly. Lets not blow our load just yet 🙂
Mailman
The ten O’clock news tonight has just done about ten minutes running around the world to prove that the recession is NOTHING TO DO WITH GORDION AT ALL!!!!!
Nonsense. I went home to Florida recently, where nothing is sacred in Crackerville, USA. Obama jokes were the favorite. I won’t repeat them here as they will probably make their way across the pond without my help.
The BBC’s pro-multiculturalist bias penetrates everywhere. On “Open Book” on Radio 4 this week there was an interview with an Italian novelist about his recent book glorifying the invasion of Italy by African immigrants and using a white Italian character to attack anyone in Italy wanting to preserve their culture. Dr. Goebbels would really have approved the universal propaganda techniques of the BBC.
Talking of Ross:
‘The Sun’:
“BBC girl’s rude blunder” (video clip)
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2165856.ece?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
Libertarian | 23.01.09 – 4:45 pm |
I like this —
“Partisan they undoubtedly were. Please, argue among yourselves as to whether the bias was right or wrong. ”
Is this statement tongue in cheek – or can Rod Liddle (who was a beeboid) not bring himself to say the obvious?