Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.
General BBC-related comment thread!
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And given that the BBC’s political treatment of Israel is not dissimilar to that of its chums (and ex-Beeboids) at Al-Jazeera, Israel should review the position of the BBC too:
BBC report:
“Israel restrictions on Al-Jazeera”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7867167.stm
“No, but Norris wasn’t Mayor of London for 8 years.”
No,but they don’t dig up Dick Whittington and prop him up in the studio.Livingstone is yesterdays man,move on.
George
I absolutely agree. I was speaking to a Jewish friend of mine and told him he should tell the Israeli government to ban the BBC and kick out all of the bureau’s 874645 Beeboids.
A non-BBC version of Israel and Al Jazeera:
‘Haaretz’-
“Government to impose sanctions on Al Jazeera’s Israel operations”
[Extract]:
“Israeli officials have recently criticized Qatar’s warming relations with Hamas and Iran. Foreign Ministry director-general Aharon Abramowitz told attendees at the Herzliya Conference on Monday that Qatar is moving toward a ‘radical axis.’
“An emergency summit convened in the Qatari capital of Doha during the Gaza operation included Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshal, Palestinian Islamic Jihad head Ramadan Shallah and Ahmed Jibril, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s General Command.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1061115.html
Neil Reddin | Homepage | 03.02.09 – 11:39 am
Describing the funding for American “football” teams, which is distributed equally(ish) to each team, we were helpfully presented with a bullet point screen headed … “Sporting Socialism”.
Good catch. Somebody else (archduke?) mentioned this on another open thread, but didn’t link to anything. Via your blog, I just read Mihir Bose’s post on the subject, and I have to say it’s totally idiotic.
The only way the NFL’s parity rules can be interpreted as socialist is if one has no understanding of market principles. Dopey Leftoid Beeboids, for example. The reason they have the parity laws is not out of some wet notion of fairness. Bose is superficially correct that the rules keep any one team from getting so rich that it overshadows the others, and that team owners understand that everyone needs to do reasonably well for the league to prosper. But it’s not a socialist attitude. If it were truly socialist, there would be more parity in player salaries, and family dynasties wouldn’t own teams, and the owners wouldn’t collude to pocket so much money. The NFL rules don’t exist because any socialist principles, but because if only one or two teams are at the top year in and year out, fans of the other teams get bored and don’t buy tickets or merchandise. Then they start spending their money on other sports.
It’s pretty silly to compare an independent competitive business like a restaurant to a sports team, which in its essence is part of a collective. Of course a league needs enough reasonably successful teams to survive. If Bose had any clue, he’d compare sports to restaurant chains. In reality, the NFL is more like a restaurant chain competing with other chains. Each NFL team is one Pret a Manger location, and a certain amount of the locations have to do well for the chain to survive. Each store competes internally for plaudits and bonuses, yet no one location is going to become immensely richer than any other. But it has nothing to do with socialism. The NFL needs to keep this arrangement going so it can compete with the other sports. Not so wet socialist Beeboids can respect their notion of fairness.
Quite simple, really, and perfectly Capitalist. Anybody who tries to shove this NFL football-shaped peg through the square hole of Socialism is clueless. And biased.
Some of you may find this entertaining 🙂
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/196157.php
Mailman
This week marks the seventh anniversary of the murder of former Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
Daniel Pearl and the Normalization of Evil
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123362422088941893.html
Actually…Id go so far as to say that the billionairs that own the NFL run it purely for the benefit of the sport…because a strong sport will equate in to strong returns on their investments.
Contrast that with poofball, where the billionairs run it for their own personal gain…and we can see starkly laid out the very differences between not only two sports, but two societies (US and UK).
Socialism….HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Mailman
Anonymous 14.07
Thank you for correcting me.
Can you add anything on the tax avoidance benefits of the set up viz a viz “ordinary” companies?
Do you think the Guardian’s view is a fine example of the pot calling the kettle black?
Do you wonder why they chose an ex senior BBC person to be chair of the Trust? Surely not because the BBC could be considered to be the broadcast version of the Guardian.
Do you consider that the BBC expends its employment advertising expenditure disproportionately with one newspaper group?
6) People that seem to think they’re somehow superior to locals because they used to live in London (I currently live in London and have nothing against the place/people). They think locals are ‘backward’, ‘simple’ and ‘uncivilised’. Of course, the reality is that people in the countryside tend to be much more friendly, community conscious, law abiding, decent and willing to help their fellow man.
/rant
Grimer | 03.02.09 – 12:38 pm | #
———————————–
What the hell have your comments got to do with BBC bias?, the only bias I could find in your comments were your own.
Proud Kuffar | 03.02.09 – 2:56 pm |
Here’s a BBC report you’ll never see:
The BBC is considering the future of Justin Webb as a contributor after he was reported for making religiously discriminatory comments on air, and on his BBC News blog, “Justin Webb’s America”.
BBC Northern Ireland’s website news is little more than a Sinn Fein / IRA propaganda page. Today we get a headline ” Iconic image: Priest’s Bloody Sunday ‘white flag’ placed in museum”
However follow the link to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/foyle_and_west/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.
What the hell have your comments got to do with BBC bias?, the only bias I could find in your comments were your own.
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:09 pm | #
____________
As this is the ‘general comments thread’ and another contributor had commented on an ignorant opinion printed on the BBC website, I thought I would also throw in my two pence worth.
You may also want to note the use of ‘/rant’. If you knew anything about HTML coding or internet forum terminology, you would realise that I was not only aware that my comments were ‘off topic’, but also flagging that fact for other readers.
One final point, I never claimed my views were impartial, neither did I charge you for receiving them – unlike the BBC that taxes you £130 per annum for their severely biased output.
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:09 pm |
You seem to be popping up all over this thread hiding behind anonimity.
Why’s that?
I suppose you must be that discredited little twit silly young Alex Reynolds.
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~reynolda/
The BBC as useless as ever.
BBC sends personal details of 1,500 pensioners to wrong addresses
Don Foster, Liberal Democrat Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary, said: “Very sadly the BBC joins a long list of organisation including many government department that are unable to keep information about us safe. The BBC must urgently review its procedures. This is particularly disturbing for older people who could easily become prey to swindlers.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/4437985/BBC-sends-personal-details-of-1500-pensioners-to-wrong-addresses.html
And didn’t the BBC just revel in highlighting other organisations failures.
Grimer | 03.02.09 – 4:37 pm |
It’s silly young alex reynolds, self appointed and pompous monitor of this blog.
TPO:
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:09 pm |
Well here is another commentary link that you will never hear the like on that Lord Haw Haw BBC news service:
Obama’s Outreach To Muslims Won’t Achieve Goal
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/02/obama-muslims-terrorism-opinions-contributors_0202_david_satter.htm.
TPO:
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:09 pm |
You seem to be popping up all over this thread hiding behind anonimity.
Why’s that?
I suppose you must be that discredited little twit silly young Alex Reynolds.
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~reynolda/
TPO | 03.02.09 – 4:38 pm | #
==============================
I have posted once, so sorry to burst your bubble, anyway my comment was directed to grimer, who had the decency to respond to my comments, I do not have to agree with grimer on everything, however, I believe that grimer is big enough to defend himself without your stupid allegations.
To assist you?, I have posted this response with my name, perhaps you would like to stop hiding behind your own fake alias?, or are you really Atlas Shrugged?.
Joseph.
“Sports socialism”
Here’s Bose’s printed article.
http://www.journalisted.com/mihir-bose
I suppose “socialism” is a bit hacky, but it’s a decent article, from one of more thoughtful sports journalists. He used to write for the Mail I think.
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:47 pm | Your link doesn’t seem to work.
Joseph | 03.02.09 – 4:48 pm | If you really are. Atlas Shrugged, hardly.
You must be a newcomer here or you will know that I’ve commented here on and off since 2004 under TPO which is the abbreviation for Thoroughly Pissed Off with the BBC.
Now I could call myself Bill or Pete or for that matter Joseph. Which is the fake alias. The fact that you resoprted to ‘stupid allegation’ confirms what I already knew alex.
TPO,
Why is Alex Reynolds ‘disgraced’? Have I missed something? Any links?
mikewineliberal: Bose is a tosspot. He knows bugger all about sport and got the job at the BBC because of his skin colour and name.
The NFL simply keeps the sport in line to prevent one franchise (not very ‘Socialist’ that is it?) getting all the money.
It has bugger all to do with Socialism as you can ‘buy’ a franchise and quite often in the NFL teams move (like the Houston Oilers moving to Tennessee)
Anonymous | 03.02.09 – 4:47 pm | Your link doesn’t seem to work.
sorry, try it this time
Obama’s Outreach To Muslims Won’t Achieve Goal
There are better ways to battle totalitarianism.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/02/obama-muslims-terrorism-opinions-contributors_0202_david_satter.html
Now I could call myself Bill or Pete or for that matter Joseph. Which is the fake alias. The fact that you resoprted to ‘stupid allegation’ confirms what I already knew alex.
TPO | 03.02.09 – 4:59 pm | #
————————————–
Your response is pathetic, my name is Joseph, indeed, DV could confirm this by checking out my email address, which dickhead clearly shows my full name, so bugger off twat.
Bose is one of those journalists who are excellent in print, but are a disaster in front of a camera. Peston is in the same category.
Easy Joseph, why the insults?
Joseph | 03.02.09 – 5:14 pm |
Yawn.
Apologies if any of the following have been mentioned.
Great piece by Douglas Murray:
But what this farce of bad TV and worse history did remind me of was that if, say, the Hindu community had only been fortunate enough to produce four young men willing to blow the hell out of Londoners and provided a clerical and political class willing to make excuses for them, then the BBC might credit Hindus with inventing the modern world.
Former BBC UNRWA spokesman, and confidante of Jeremy Bowen, Chris Gunness has been playing Pallywood director:
On Monday, the Kerem Shalom crossing was opened for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza, including some 50 trucks with supplies provided by UNRWA. The night before, UNRWA had asked the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration to permit the transfer of paper and plastic bags to Gaza, and had been told the request was under consideration.
Despite not having received approval, UNRWA, COGAT officials said, drove several trucks carrying the supplies from Jerusalem to the crossing and coordinated their arrival with several media outlets, which filmed the trucks being turned away…
UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said the organization’s schools in Gaza, which opened last week, only had 60 percent of the needed textbooks and that the paper was needed to fill the gap.
http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2009/02/our-unrwa-friends-in-news.html
Yes, and I bet Hamas is a little short of printing material for its propaganda too.
This piece by Aleem Maqbool further confirms my suspicions about the fallout from the DEC affair – BBC journalists are using the embattled position of the management as an excuse to be even more brazen in their anti-Israeli bias. This article gives a deliberate impression that Israel targets mosques and hospitals for no reason. There is no consideration given to the possibility that Hamas uses such buildings from which to launch attacks (in fact I wouldn’t be surprised if the hero of Maqbool’s report was doing a little bit more than just praying when he was he injured). Was Hamas using the mosque or the hospital for cover? If Maqbool asked these questions • and surely any half-decent journalist would – he keeps the answers to himself, either out of fear of reprisal (a fear unreported by the BBC) or for propaganda purposes. Either way, it’s a poor excuse for journalism.
Grimer
I thought it was a good rant, anyway.
Looking forward to the next one.
………………..
World Service last night carried a prog by Justin Webb reviewing the Bush presidency. Bias steaming through. (Not yet available on the World Service web page – but I expect it soon will be)
For instance – yes, Katrina damaged Bush – but Webb decided to have a voice clip of Mayor Ray Nagin bemoaning the lack of help. Nary a mention that Nagin was largely repsonsible for the Katrina mess, plus the vacillating Louisiana Governor. In Webb’s book, it was all down to Bush.
Another example – yes, Iraq was a mess for a long time. But Webb made no mention of the surge and its success, and of the elections, and of the much more positive outlook in Iraq. (That is – if Obama does not screw it up. Word on the street is that there is already some sharp disagreement with David Petraeus on the timing of withdrawal of troops.)
And of course the economic/financial crisis did not warrant any mention of the root cause, which AFIK Webb has never ever covered – the political interference for decades by the Dems in the housing market, and the Dem blocking of tighter scrutiny of fannie mae and Freddie Mac.
Webb’s piece overall was not vitrolic about Bush, but it brimmed with evasions and half-truths. Plus the usual sense that the sun shines out of Obama’s backside.
“Former BBC UNRWA spokesman, and confidante of Jeremy Bowen” should read “Former BBC employee, current UNRWA spokesman and confidant of Jeremy Bowen…”
Here’s another one for the “Pro-Obama at all costs” file.
The BBC website (gosh, we rely too heavily on the website, don’t we?) has been doing an “Obama diary: The first 100 days”, with various Beeboids breathlessly tracking the first 100 days of the new Messianic Era.
Plenty of noise here, but not a single mention of any of the serious problems President Obamessiah has been having with nominees for his cabinet. Quite a few of them have been fingered for tax evasion. Of course, with the Senate being essentially a Democrat rubber stamp, that didn’t stop the approval of Tim Geithner for Treasury Secretary. Then it was Health and Human Services nominee Tom Daschle, also a tax evader. Now the latest is the woman The Obamessiah tapped for another of his magical new positions, “chief performance officer” has had to withdraw her name due to tax evasion.
Never a word on any of this from the BBC, and certainly not in the “First 100 Days” feature. Nor is there any mention of the tax evasion of my own congressman, Charles Rangel, who is chair of the House Ways and Means committe, which means he’s head of the group who writes the effin’ tax codes. In fact, Rangel has a few scandals hanging around his neck these days, yet The Obamessiah hasn’t called for him to step down.
Lots of Dems in key positions with tax evasion issues (which brought down another Obamessiah choice, Caroline Kennedy), yet total silence from the President. Not very changey, is it?
Yet not a single mention in the BBC’s Obamessiah-worship diary. Your license fee hard at work.
Did anyone notice the success of the Iraqi election? Probably not, since the MSM (and especially the vile, grasping propagandist BBC) barely bothered to cover the event.
I find this extraordinary. Given the heat of the Iraq debate and the BBC-inspired hostility – and given the considerable sacrifice by coalition and especialy American troops – this oversight can only have been deliberater.
Iraq is on its way to democracy. Who says it was a failure? Only those sick leftists and islamist pricks who WANTED it to fail.
Well done Iraq… and all those brave people who made it happen.
JohnA
I think this review of GWB has been mentioned here before. I do agree with your points, but your mentioning again shows how many times now it must have been repeated.
As Mr Blair and many other politicians know if you repeat something often enough in most people’s minds it must be true!
E.g. which party are the “do nothing” party on the present economic mess. A soundbite the BBC are not short in repeating whenever our glorious leader manages to fit it in, even when the broadcast is not live.
Easy Joseph, why the insults?
Grimer | 03.02.09 – 5:18 pm |
You may have noticed ‘Joseph’s’ near apoplexy when I mentioned that silly young alex was a pompous and discredited self appointed ‘monitor’ of this blog.
Having also lived in the country I enjoyed your ‘rant’ as well.
Is it my imagination or is haloscan playing up again. Martin’s comments seem to have disappeared from the anti-Thatcher thread.
Chuffer | 03.02.09 – 5:14 pm |
Bose wasn’t excellent in print this time. He was seeing Socialism where there wasn’t any, and trying to twist reality to suit his world view.
TPO | 03.02.09 – 5:40 pm |
HaloScan will possibly be a bit messed up for another two weeks. The parent company is moving house, server-wise.
Yet not a single mention in the BBC’s Obamessiah-worship diary. Your license fee hard at work.
David Preiser (USA) | 03.02.09 – 5:30 pm
Further to that point:
The Obama Democrats by Numbers
And it takes an Indian newspaper to point this out:
Would you believe, Obama had to issue 17 waivers on his own rule in less than two weeks for allowing lobbyist enter his Administration and control Governance of America!
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/20471.asp
Broken link above:
http://directorblue.blogspot.com/2009/01/obama-democrats-by-numbers.html
David Preiser
Yes, the BBC continues to glamorise Obama.
No mention of the fact that his approval rating has now dropped below the level Dubya had after 60 days.
No mention anywhere of Tom Daschle, a tax evader AND a lobbyist, whose nomination is now being seriously challenged (I predict he will drop out within a week, even the New York Times are now set against his appointment).
No mention that there is a clear pattern of tax evasion among some of the Dem figures in the news – Daschle, Rangel, Al Franken) “Do as we say, not as we do”. No mention that the instances of tax evasion by nominated people was KNOWN by the Obama vetters.
No mention that there is widespread public (not just political) disquiet about the economic rescue package. I gather that only 10% of Americans be;lieve it will do any good in 2009, and most believe it requires serious amendment.
And of course – no mention that there is tons of criticism of Obama’s kowtowing to the Muslim world. Or rather – his naivete in making major statements that can only be perceived as submission, which is exactly what the RoP believes we should follow.
Don’t know if anyone ever uses Twitter here, but Richard Bacon (he of the Coke sniffing fame and now Radio 5 lite presenter) was Twittering the other day about Noel’s HQ on Sky TV.
Or should I say Bacon was getting wound up calling it Noel’s ‘Right Wing’ HQ.
Of course Bacon is a right on typical wet limp wristed beeboid, so isn’t it funny he can’t see the irony of complaining on a programme ‘he’ feels was right wing on a network you’re not forced to pay for, unlike HIS radio show which is full of utter useless left wing losers (Mark Steele was on last night for example), not to mention his own left wing rants all paid for out of a compulsory tax of course.
Dr Michael Jones
To be fair to Al Guardian, they carry a piece today by the estimable William Shawcross commending the Iraq elections :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/03/comment-iraq-elections
This is no doubt a Guardian piece the BBC will not pick up.
Gerald Brown | 03.02.09 – 4:05 pm
Can you add anything on the tax avoidance benefits of the set up viz a viz “ordinary” companies?
Apart from the inheritance tax get-out, I don’t think there are any other tax avoidance benefits to a non charitable trust.
Do you think the Guardian’s view is a fine example of the pot calling the kettle black?
The Guardian’s view of what?
Do you wonder why they chose an ex senior BBC person to be chair of the Trust? Surely not because the BBC could be considered to be the broadcast version of the Guardian.
No. Forgan was Guardian first, C4 for a bit and BBC only briefly.
Do you consider that the BBC expends its employment advertising expenditure disproportionately with one newspaper group?
Yes, but disproportionate may be rational, as Mr Olmert might say.
At 5.50pm above I predicted that Daschle will withdraw from the nomination.
AP now reports that he HAS withdrawn.
So – a story that the BBC was never covering (it does not fit the BBC Obama-worship) has culminated in a mess for Obama – which the BBC will no doubt fail to report.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9648CVG0&show_article=1
……………
Obama and his team seem to have made a fair old cock-up over many of the nominations for office. Governor Richardson withdrew almost immediately after he was nominated, Daschle has now withdrawn a few days after nomination, there is a serious cloud over the Homeland Security nominee, AND the Treasury Secretary nominee. Plus the lesser figure of Killefer, the “chief performance officer” – another withdrawal over tax evasion.
Has any other President faced so many immediate setbacks over his proposed appointments ?
Change we can believe in ?
And Clinton plus her hubby are a ticking timebomb over their financial affairs. The Repubs would have attacked her over this – except they wanted a moderating influence on Obama’s naive foreign policy outlook, and some of his anti-semitic advisors/confidantes.
AKA
You may be downplaying the fact that the most important job Liz Forgan ever had was at the BBC – setting the entire format for Radio 5. And she only left because she had a bust-up with John Birt.
Is it allowed for the BBC to describe the Madagascar government as a regime?, I really am perplexed as to why the BBC has used such an emotive word to describe what is in fact a Government. any explanations on why the BBC have chosen this word would be appreciated!.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7867512.stm
JohnA: The BBC haven’t bothered to report ANY of the scandal around Obama.
I guess you can’t see much with your nose up Obama’s backside.
Get over it
10 ways we could learn to cope better with snow
The consensus seems a little unsteady. 😉
martin
I don’t know about just the nose. Justin Webb’s feet were the only thing still showing during the election.
This afternoon I listened to “Law in Action”. It was concerned with penal policy in the USA. The liberal bias was quite blatant. Everyone interviewed was in favour of a very soft line on criminals. A junkie, a pimp and some guilty of aggravated burglary, presumably he viciously attacked a homeowner, were interviewed. Guess what class of people were entirely absent? That’s right :- victims. Of course, as in this country, those who attack imprisoning criminals are not those subject to their depredations.
A writer at the Guardian suggests that the BBC has been portraying British workers as xenophobic – all part of a pattern with the White Season of last year:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/03/race-bbc
That is – BBC metro types looking down their noses at us plebs.