I see that my old pal George Mitchell and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana are in the Middle East to help “bring peace.” You can expect to see the BBC give the efforts of this pair of jokers a sympathetic hearing – they have always been kind to Senator Mitchell following his work in Northern Ireland. Now that Obama has recycled this Clintonian bagman him into this role I am certain that the BBC will use the Northern Ireland peace process as the preferred template for creating stability in this region. On News 24 last night I heard someone insist that Israel would “have to” talk to Hamas, just like the British government “had to” talk to the IRA. It’s a completely misleading analogy but the BBC are wedded to it and you can be sure that Israel will be cast as the intransigent villains if they do not set down and enter dialogue with the genocidal Islamic savages in Hamas. The BBC coverage of the brutal murder of an Israeli soldier by Hamas should have re-assured everyone that BBC faux protestations about its’ much vaunted “impartiality”on this issue are as shallow as they are insubstantial. Once again the narrative is that “both sides” have broken their cease-fires and so Hamas get a pass for their act of murderous aggression.
SEND IN THE CLOWNS…
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At present Nearly Oxfordian is taking his nap, but when he wakes up and comes back to read the recent posts, he is going to be REALLY MAD!
Chuffer 9:00
Something tells me that Bowen is totally ignorant of military matters as well as everything else.
Where do the BBC find these morons ?
IMPORTANT: DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOUR NAME
IS NEARLY OXFORDIAN – FOR HIS EYES ONLY
Atlas Shrugged wants to meet up with you. He has valuable information about what’s REALLY happening in the WORLD. It would be a really GOOD idea if you were to spend a few days together so he can tell you to THINK ABOUT IT, and you can tell him he’s an IGNORANT TOSSER, IDIOT, VILE FOOL, and all your usual stuff.
Suggested meeting place is map reference HP606196
Degee,
thats a very interesting couple paragraphs right there.
Of course perhaps the real cure is for Hamas to stop trying to murder Jews…then everyone would get the chance to live in peace.
Then again, Hamas basis its power on conflict and without conflict it has no reason to exist.
Mailman
>All the same, there has got to be a political solution, and for that to happen you must TALK.
Well, killing the enemy has often been a rather effective way of winnning wars.
I believe that chap Churchill used this method rather successfully in World War Two.
I assume the Israelis are using the same approach.
For some reason, a dead Hammas fighter is not able to launch rockets. No one has yet been able to work out why.
deegee | 29.01.09 – 8:49 am |
When I first read that I though Bowen meant the ‘straight shot’ through the building was from the Israeli tanks deployed in the hill beyond, and that was what he saw from behind the building.
But then I thought, it was the ‘high explosive anti-tank round’ aimed at the the Israeli tanks deployed on the hill beyond, that was the straight shot through the building. Can tanks fire anti tank rounds? Hamas hasn’t got tanks, so even if they could, would they? I know that’s what you are saying, but is it what Bowen meant, or was the he upping the ante by ingoring the anti haha.
Confused.com
Jack Hughes | 29.01.09 – 8:41 am
I was also going to comment about Tim Franks, the item on Today R4 this morning. His report was entirely for what purpose? Gratuitous wallowing in Palestinian hardship; not all that hard a ship in that case. Not being able to get gas and that. “Who do you blame?” Tim asks the filling-station owner, the target of angry customers because he aint got no gas. “I don’t know who to blame in this chaos” the poor man replied, nobly not blaming the Israelis.
“Whose fault is all this chaos?” Tim Franks nobly didn’t ask. “Why don’t you blame Hamas for exploding the bombs that provoked it?” he forgot to add.
I’m getting into self indulgence which is what I’m complaining about now. Interminable reports that consist of nothing but selected descriptions of Palestinian hardship are somehow still perfectly acceptable within the spectrum of BBC impartiality, even though the Gaza appeal was deemed to be too ‘partial’ for the very same reason.
Wallowing in self indulgent propaganda-porn is the thin end of a wedge that in its most extreme form ends up like the Memri video of Amin Al-Ansari on Al-Rahma TV (Egypt.) Anyone who hasn’t seen it on Harry’s Place already should take a look, if they’re of a strong disposition. You have to scroll down to “Holocaust memorial Day on Al-Rahma TV” to see a tablecloth-draped cleric experiencing a thrill from film clips of holocaust victims and corpses, while telling the viewers what Jews are like. He knows, you know.
You can also watch it on Memri but you need to register.
UN launches $613m appeal for Gaza
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7857874.stm
2 Points:
* I never knew the UN was anti-Semitic
* I thought the UN was funded by it’s member states. Not the public. So why has it got its hand out for $613 million?
* What the feck is $613 million dollars going to do anyway? Rebuild Gaza? Er, no, I don’t think so. Fund a ‘UN Presence’ in the area, to ‘Peace Keep’? Probably, if ‘peace keeping’ means living it up like an ex-pat and shagging the local women.
* Is the UN really that hard up for $613m?
Ok, that’s 4 points.
I think it’s disgusting that there is any kind of ‘appeal’ at all for Gaza. Like they are the victims. They, the people of Gaza elected (in what were hailed as free and fair elections) a terrorist government as a deliberate poke in the eye to America and Israel. The Hamas government, being a bunch of thugs took this as the people’s ‘green light’ to bombard Israel daily with hundreds of shells.
Have a look here: http://www.israelforum.com/board/showthread.php?s=37b931ee1f2fd6adcb7ce061fffc28f0&t=14128
Yet the Gazan’s are the victims? (Ok, I admit the link above might not be the most impartial source, but then again, no one, apart from the Israeli’s, gives a shit about how many shells are dropped on Israel so these are the only places where you are going to find out anything about what’s really going on.
Can anyone point me to a story where the UN has appealed for money for the Israeli’s that have had their homes bombed and family members killed? No, you can’t, because there hasn’t been one. Any anyway, Israel looks after their own. Unlike the Arab states, which, frankly, seem to look at Gaza like the ginger haired step-child at the family wedding: Acknowledge their presence, make the right noises, but basically wish they would bugger off.
My translation of the above headline is this:
UN Appeal For Cash After Evil Zionist Bastards Bomb Poor Defenceless Innocent Children In Their Sleep
Shame on the UN. It is their job to prevent war. The fact that there are wars means the UN isn’t doing it’s job. QED. It is not the job of the UN to hold press conferences asking for money. There are plenty of other organisations that can do that, like the Red Cross.
What totally astounds me, is the ignorance of the general public in all this. The anti-israel bias is simply breath-taking, yet nobody, nobody, gives a shit.
Stop the world, I want to get off.
[Full disclosure: I am English, with no Gazan or Israeli ties. My wife is a Muslim from Kazakhstan. And she agrees with me.]
And then these infantile nutters who spend their time launching personal attacks on me, have the impertinence to whine about ‘lowering the tone of the blog’. Perfect Hamas recruits, every one.
“But the ‘he hit me back’ bit was’t anything to do with me, N Ox; it was an Anonymous some time earlier”
Anonymous was probably you. You are just the sort of coward to hide behind such a handle.
In any case, it was you who started the personal abuse when I mentioned apostrophes first time round. All your whining and deflecting can’t change that fact.
“You must be getting confused, poor fellow. Try putting the Clearasil on your spots instead of drinking it.”
Whines a 12-year old to someone several times his age.
Can tanks fire anti tank rounds?
Well, yes, sure they can.
But I agree that Abu Bowen is miles away from being qualified to comment on these matters. Or anything else.
as Nearly Oxfordian is shouting his head off on Natalie’s blog at present
More delusional nonsense. I haven’t even heard of Natalie’s blog.
Have you considered spending a whole 12 hours without lying, one of these days?
Oh blimey, he’s back.
And as ruffty-tuffty as ever. Gosh, I bet he’s really scary and butch in the flesh.
And doing lots of sequential postings.
Can’t see why.
I did warn you that he would be in a bad mood when he wakes up.
I am getting out now, before he gets to the TOP SECRET posts, which should be any minute now….
You’ve interrupted my flow of postings, SNTO – how can I ever seem as intellectually magnificent as N Ox if you do that? Rotter.
Hmmm, silence.. I guess he is reading his instructions from his BBC minder. Either he will obey them and scale down his abuse a bit, or he will go ballistic.
Actually, the proportion of words like ‘crap’ and ‘lunatic’ in his postings has actually declined. I think he is obeying his instructions.
I think the ‘infantile nutters’ comment could have been before he found his top secret instructions
While we’re waiting for N Ox’s next withering response, here’s a little clip for you of an all-round expert in action. Remind you of anyone?
For some reason, a dead Hammas fighter is not able to launch rockets. No one has yet been able to work out why.
Aaargh | 29.01.09 – 10:44 am |
Because he turns into a civilian?
———-
Sue | 29.01.09 – 12:18 pm |
I heard Tim Franks’ interview on Today this morning. Actually, I thought the Palestinian went further. Asked who was to blame, he said “In the current political situation, it’s impossible to say”, or words to that effect. To me, that meant “I can’t say Hamas, they’d shoot me”.
Sorry to interrupt Chuffer & NO’s little spat. The floor is yours again.
Sorry to interrupt Chuffer & NO’s little spat. The floor is yours again.
Roland Deschain | 29.01.09 – 1:01 pm |
————————————-
Didn’t we all promise David V to join hands and ‘Kumbaya’ like good boys and girls?
Roland Deschain | 29.01.09 – 1:01 pm
Yes, I heard it to. I thought the fact that the interview with the old man stayed in belied the dozy idea that the BBC is pro-Hamas.
Millie Tant
I don’t think N.O. has a spat with only Chuffer. The list of people he hurls abuse at is much larger.
“Didn’t we all promise David V to join hands and ‘Kumbaya’ like good boys and girls?”
You’re right: we did. And we were doing just that, until someone came along, kicked his way through the line, telling us we weren’t doing it right, and only he was clever enough to do it right.
Millie Tant
I know this is a blog for serious debate, and so when someone like N.O. steps so out of line with his level of abuse that he just puts people off joining in the debate, it really is time to tell him, even if it does interrupt the genuine debate for a while. If you look at recent blogs over the past few days you will see it is not just one or two people – there are a large number of people who have been posting for a long time who are fed up with his style.
Shall we all now join in a rendition of “We Shall Overcome”?
“I thought the fact that the interview with the old man stayed in belied the dozy idea that the BBC is pro-Hamas.”
mikewineliberal
Why?
Do you mean you think that if the BBC was really pro Hamas they’d have been shameless enough to cut it out? What an idea!
Or do you mean that his failure to blame Israel OR Hamas was significant? You have to spell it out so I can fully comprehend your reasoning.
Either way, it illustrates the way we perceive what we hear, and that our minds are pre programmed to hear what we want. In my case I admit I am generally inclined to go along with all interpretations that favour a democracy with the highest cultural and scientific achievements to its name, one that is brimming with honest, self-examining and sensitive people, and in your case, like the BBC, you are inclined to listen to, take the word of, and sympathise with, people who advocate terrorism, medieval thinking and, proudly, rampant antisemitism.
“We shall over co-o-ome,……”
mikewine 1:15
The interview might have been left in as an editorial oversight or to give some semblance of impartiality.
But, really, why is it a “dozy idea” that the BBC is pro-Hamas ?
If they were doing their job properly they would have reported all the Hamas atrocities over the years against Palestinians, let alone Israelis. Why don’t they ?
Oh, of course, Israel prevents them from entering the Gaza strip. How convenient.
Same considerations don’t seem to apply to the BBC undercover reporting from Zimbabwe.
Come on , Mike, I think even you know what game the BBC are playing !!
“Some day-hay-ay…”
I guess he is reading his instructions from his BBC minder
Have you retarded tossers ever thought to seek psychiatric help? You need it very badly.
I know this is a blog for serious debate, and so when someone like N.O. steps so out of line with his level of abuse that he just puts people off joining in the debate, it really is time to tell him
Oh, no, please don’t – I am sooooo scared of you!
I suppose prats like you are just too ignorant to go back and check the history. If you did, you would see that it’s Abu Chuffer, the Hamas wannabe, who often starts the chain of abuse for no sane reason at all except his compulsion to look important.
Nearly Oxfordian,
its not a question of anyone being scared of anyone else, stop insulting posters and calling them names, its easy when you try.
You can put your views across without resorting to name calling and it is you who starts it, just try putting your views across and letting others put theirs.
Grant,
I have been wondering why the intrepid BBC reporters can easily sneak into Zimbabwe anytime they want and yet somehow they were unable to cross into Gaza.
The IDF have said time after time that they will allow journalists to cross as long as they understand that they are on their own when they do, the BBC hacks could get in via Egypt too if they wished to!
Its so easy to point the finger at Israel, blame Israel for everything, its almost as if blaming Israel is the default position.
“Mixed with the rubble and shrapnel on the floor is a shell collection, a pink hairbrush, belts, handbags, a fragment of cardboard printed with a Barbie and lots of school books, caked with dried blood”
Jeremy Bowen
OMG it’s Drop the Dead Donkey!!
“Actually, the proportion of words like ‘crap’ and ‘lunatic’ in his postings has actually declined…”
Only briefly. I see where back to those old favourites “retarded tossers” and “ignorant prats”, and the new hilarious ‘Abu Chuffer’.
I see this one is still going.
I hate to single out any individual but can I just say that I think Nearly Oxfordian makes many decent comments here and all this bear-baiting does no good. I know there are ad hominens but it’s always best to try and not engage as they just sink the quality of the blog.
I’m getting frustrated than too many cat fights are breaking out, disfiguring otherwise good threads. I know that on the language front a real effort is being made and I appreciate that so can we please take a similar tack in not beating up each other when there is the better target of the BBC.
I welcome you ALL – and I just hope you can try and be a wee bit more accommodating of each other foibles – it’s a big world and none of us is that perfect, me included. Let’s get the BBC as the target for our comment, not each other.
it is you who starts it
Oh, really? Is it a memory thing or a reading comprehension thing? You have conveniently forgotten the time when I posted a mild comment about DV’s spelling. Quick as a shot, Chuffer waded in with highly offensive posts about me. And he has been stalking me ever since.
In a different way, your indiscriminating insults about all NHS staff are just as bad. But hey, that’s OK: it’s you doing it, so it must be just dandy.
Thanks, DV.
Its so easy to point the finger at Israel, blame Israel for everything, its almost as if blaming Israel is the default position
Not really sure why you are qualifying that statement. I would have thought it was evident by now that in Al Beeb-land, blaming Israel IS the default position. It’s a nice figleaf for antisemitism. It might even fool the hard of thinking. Surely it fools nobody here (well, it seems to fool Richard or whatever his name is).
Cassandra 3:51
Quite right.
The BBC supported Mugabe for decades, until their, and his, position became untenable, so now they are in “nothing to do with me guv” mode and trying to cover their tracks.
It hasn’t reached that stage with Hamas yet, but I guess, when it does,
the BBC behaviour will be similar.
Loved your phrase “intrepid BBC reporters “. Unlike people like you and me, they have no sense of irony !
David, I think you are being too generous to our ubiquitous friend. You know he’s the first to start slinging rude names around at the first sign of disagreement with his views, I know he is, many other posters here know it, and I suspect that N Ox himself knows it.
However, you’re the boss, and I will bow to your comments. I’ll drop the ‘bear-baiting’ (bore-baiting, surely), and do my best to ignore him when he starts abusing anyone who dares to take a contrary position.
It’s 17.08, 29/1/2009. Take note everyone:
Nearly Oxfordian; pax nobiscum.
David Vance 4:57
Well said, again !
Some of the posts are dragging this website back to the playground.
Sue 2:07
Spot on, great !
Chuffer – you have it right, DV is being way too generous.
NO has made no meaningful contribution in terms of identifying or linking to any case of bias at any point. He is an empty vessel who insults the regulars at every opportunity and discredits the board.
He is deliciously easy to windup though…
Just to avoid the predictable ‘coward’ ad hominen and blather above is me, but there was a clue in any case.
Millie Tant | 29.01.09 – 1:47 pm |
Shall we all now join in a rendition of “We Shall Overcome”?
Personally, I prefer “We Shall All Scroll Past”.
Sarah Jane | Homepage | 29.01.09 – 5:29 pm |
Just to avoid the predictable ‘coward’ ad hominen and blather above is me, but there was a clue in any case.
Was it “The Tiger Who Came to Tea” or “Calamity Jane”?