I know I have covered this issue before but I see once again that the LEAD story on the BBC Northern Ireland news portal features a picture of the Republic of Ireland Prime Minister (with attendant Irish tricolour, natch) and concerns the failure of the southern Irish Government to cut a deal with the Unions. Now, I fully accept this is an important story but it has damn all to do with Northern Ireland. I believe this is all part of certain people in the BBC’s local office wilfully reporting on an all-Ireland basis when it comes to affairs Northern Irish. The term I have for this is hibernianisation and I suggest it belies a political agenda.
BLURRING THE BORDER
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BBC Northern Ireland’s website news is little more than a Irish Republican propaganda page. Today we get a headline ” Iconic image: Priest’s Bloody Sunday ‘white flag’ placed in museum”, Follow the link to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/north…est/ 7865470.stm
and you discover that the museum is a IRA propaganga operation called the Museum of Free Derry, which somehow neglects to mention all the innocents murdered by the IRA scum that crawled out of that unfortunate corner of the world.
A couple of days back the headline was “UNIONISTS ‘DISHONEST’ ON REPORT”, there was no mention that the man doing the complaiing was a mouthpiece for the GAA, an Irish cultural and sporting organisation that often acts as an apologist for IRA terrorism.
David,
first would like to thank you for this site and all the work that goes on here. Very important. I have stopped having anything to do with the BBC personally (well almost r4) because its impossible to escape its contamination – even listening for a few minutes. Possibly the single most malevolent entity that most of people come in contact with on a regular basis. Its positively toxic.
I must confess though, I am interested in your views of Irish history and its formation. I believe that you are from Northern Ireland? and I have learned much from NI folk to detoxify myself from Irish Republicanism and Irish socialism etc. although I am English, (Irish mother, socialist family) but the process goes on.
The reason why I ask is because I still come back to the 1918 all Ireland General election. Wasnt this a democratic vote that has subsequently been denied the people of Ireland as a whole?
Whats your views.
Not belies – but betrays – a political agenda
Hi Ian,
Thanks for that question. I’m reluctant to answer directly insofar as this blog is about BBC bias, not my political views! I am from NI and I am very happy to discuss this – perhaps you may care to drop by my other blog, A Tangled Web, where I would be most pleased to discuss such issues. I write on Irish affairs regularly over there!
“I’m reluctant to answer directly insofar as this blog is about BBC bias, not my political views!”
And this has stopped you before how, exactly?
Past your bedtime, Scott.
Are you saying that you’ve never pursued your own agenda on this website? That you’ve been 100% unbiased in your own pronouncements?
Or just that you like throwing patronising, childish comments around when somebody points out your own fallacies?
I will answer Ian Archer, a lot of the sinn feinners were elected unopposed as happened quite often in those time espescially as very few people wanted to oppose murderous thugs! So in the end the actual vote for SF was less than 50%, also of course taking into account that people vote for parties for other reasons other than what they stand for you do not then have a mandate for a united Ireland. As for self determination it depends on what level you take it to as I sure you would appreciate that the ulster counties would mostly not have been voting SF. Precious myth over?
Scott
As you appear to have nothing to offer on this site so far, either bring forward evidence of BBC bias pro or anti, or consider another site.
Scott writes: “Or just that you like throwing patronising, childish comments around when somebody points out your own fallacies?”
Did you, by any chance, mean ‘failings’?
It’s best to stick safely within the limits of your vocabulary when trying to flame people.
Otherwise, you look (even more than usual) like a fool.
David Vance,
You are surely not suggesting, for one moment, that the BBC support a “United” Ireland and that “Hibernisation” of their news output is designed to prepare the unthinking masses for the “inevitable” ?
Perish the thought !
Should read “Hibernianisation”. This cold weather is getting to me !
Grant: 9 55a.m.
“Hibernisation” is correct, though. The other word is a DV coinage!
Scott,
Its about BBC bias.
You might say some twist things to claim its about that sometimes, but they still manage to keep it on that subject.
I do not always agree with David (though mostly he talks much sense) and sometimes I think its a twist away from BBC bias in some of the things he brings up, but it is still just about on topic even then.
Just talking or ranting about politics without that in mind is not the place in this forum.
He rightly suggests somewhere that is.
If you wish to contribute, even if I disagree with you, on that basis it is fine.
Regrettably your puerile efforts fall far short of that requirement.
You embarrass yourself.
I would say I look forward to your contributions on BBC bias, I guess that is a long wait though judging by your contributions so far, which only seem to resemble trolling.
And as this site says that will not do and you can expect to be moderated or even banned if you cannot stick to that simple rule.
A great pity as who knows you might actually have something worthwhile to contribute, I guess we will never know.
David,
thanks for the response. I will follow your comment up at some point although my online access is somewhat sporadic at the moment.
pmjk
What precious myth would that be then?
I dont deny that your comment regarding voting for armed murders has a point but you state that the final vote for SF was less than 50% (a drop of some 22%). So what I am to garner from this. That you were in fact one of the returning officers?
Other then that is your source?
I asked a perfectly civil question regarding a piece of not unconsequential Irish history and your willingness to attempt to foster in me some kind of resentment, belies, I would imagine, your somewhat partisan views?
I have learned especially regarding Irish history that its best to try to understand points of argument, especially political ones, from as objective a source as possible. Your patronising attempt at condescension suggests to me that unfortunately you may not be one of them.
Millie 1:30
Or should it be “Hiberniasation” ?
Well, my dictionary doesn’t give it. It does have hibernisation, hibernise and hibernicise, Hibernianism or Hibernicism and even Hibernically.
I reckon that’s quite enough to be going on with!
Both ancient Greek and Latin were full of ways (endings) to turn verbs into nouns, nouns into adjectives, adjectives into nouns, nouns into verbs. And of course the Romans stole words from the Greeks. English has stolen from both including these ways of creating words (something which helps to make English such a flexible language). Thus -ise is originally a greek verb ending that you can add to a word to create an new verb. I think -atio(n) is from latin to create a noun from a verb. -i(a) -> -ian(a)I think would be the standard way of forming an adjective (which can then be turned into a verb and then into a noun ending up with soumething meaning something different to what you started with)
i.e. from these you can use different ones, or groups of them, to suit one’s purpose (I am pretty sure even the Romans used unnecessay ones sometimes, according to their natural use of the language). I think probably hibernise assumes an adjective form from which the noun is formed and uses that as the origin of the verb as opposed to creating a new adjective out of the noun (or simply follows the form of other similar words). Whether this is etymologically accurate I am not sure (there is a latin adgective hibernus that wikipedia says has influenced the Latin name (which is from Greek in turn from gaelic. This adjective means wintry, stormy which might not seem too inappropriate to Roman or perhaps in the current weather). The shorter OED has neither Hibernise or Hibernianise. It attests Bede as using Hibernus as an adjective meaning Irish (which would give strength to Hibernise as an adjective based on it). However it has Hibernian (I thik as a noun from an ajective) and from it Hibernianism(“Irish character or nationality; an Irish cahracteristic or trait or idiom”). It also however has Hibernicism (an idiom or expression characteristic of Irish speech) from whence Hibernicize (“to make Irish in form or character”) Presumably the noun from that would be Hibernicisation so perhaps both of Hibernisation or Hibernianisation are wrong or perhaps none of them are.
I think I got too involved in thinking about that.
Francis 8:11
I rather took the hint from Millie’s post at 6:06 and decided to drop the subject !
Francis | 04.02.09 – 8:09 pm |
I don’t think the English ever stole anything from anyone! Surely all those words were given to us, a bit like Ireland, by the Pope? 😛
[Dives into bunker helmie]
Grant, after writing that I rather wished I had; very interesting but life is probably too short.
cattle prod, maybe “stealing” puts it in a unfair light – i just meant acquired – i don’t suppose the Romans or the ancient Greeks mind in any case.
What does helmie mean? I have not come across that word before.
Francis | 04.02.09 – 8:09 pm |
Kipling used “hibernian”, so I think “hibernianisation” is far.
Francis | 05.02.09 – 12:28 am |
What does helmie mean? I have not come across that word before
A helmie is a sort of smiley i.e 🙂 , usually an animated one …