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
Bookmark the permalink.
Will: I noticed that as well. As if we the public are so stupid to think that 9000 fast food jobs is a sign of the good things to come.
Only in beeboid land.
just like the BBC yesterday was trying to convince us that the latest opinion polls are bad news for the Tories!!!!
Richard Bacon just pointed out that the Daily Mail is the second biggest paper in the UK for circulation. Big sniggers for all his leftist guests. They didn’t like that.
Shame the Grauniad is only read by 3 people.
Just seen this over at Blue Eyes Blog. A good catch I feel.
Who are the obvious people to call in to comment on the BBC1 10:00 pm News concerning the collision betwen the nuclear subs in the Atlantic?
Oh yes – CND. No agenda there then – just interested bystanders with no axe to grind.
Umbongo
I am not a member of CND. This is because CND is full of brainwashed socialist idiots. Not people of peace, but people who love the enemies of personal property rights, freedom and liberty. Which is as we both know, I hope, is establishment institutions such as the BBC and its beloved Marxist communism, and corporate socialism ( fascism ).
HOWEVER
Have you ever bothered to ask yourself why we have nuclear weapons anywhere near the scale that we do,given the now obvious fact that we have no real enemies to fire them on?
The Soviet Union and China have been in our establishments pockets since their respective revolutions. You may not be aware of this fact, but it is a fact, all the same.
If Iran ever did actually gain the ability to create a nuclear weapon. I think it is safe to say we are currently in a state of overkill times several thousand.
Have you ever considered that the real reason why we spend countless billions of tax payers money on pointless highly destructive nuclear weaponry.
Is ONLY because some one, who has one hell of an incredible amount of international wealth and power, very much wishes to keep it that way????????
Why does the BBC think a has been like Lenny Henry is worth the amount of airtime he’s had today?
Oh and the BBC dismissed Cameron’s plan to give more local powers out of hand.
Funny that when McSnot has an idea it’s seen as a work of genius.
The bBCm Not the Nine O/Clock News and nothing of the story.
Close to 3,000 American soldiers who recently arrived in Afghanistan to secure two violent provinces near Kabul have begun operations in the field and already are seeing combat, the unit’s spokesman said Monday.
The new troops are the first wave of a surge of reinforcements expected this year. The process began to take shape under President George Bush but has been given impetus by President Barack Obama’s call for an increased focus on Afghanistan.
U.S. commanders have been contemplating sending up to 30,000 more soldiers to bolster the 33,000 already here, but the new administration is expected to initially approve only a portion of that amount. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday the president would decide soon.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jdOhj7VfLXKtlLPOITrC9ULWkwVQD96CS4DG0
The government is considering plans that would lead to thousands more British Muslims being branded as extremists, the Guardian has learned. The proposals are in a counterterrorism strategy which ministers and security officials are drawing up that is due to be unveiled next month.
Some say the plans would see views held by most Muslims in Britain being classed by the government as extreme.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/17/counterterrorism-strategy-muslims
A university student who became a suicide bomber in Somalia is believed to be the first of a new wave of British-based Islamic terrorism.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1146290/Revealed-British-Muslim-student-killed-20-suicide-bomb-attack-Somalia.html?ITO=1490
Muzzammil Hassan, founder and CEO of Buffalo, NY-based Bridges TV which launched in 2004 with a mission to show Muslims in a more positive light, was charged after reporting the death of his wife, Aasiya Hassan, 37, on Thursday night.
After Hassan, 44, told police his wife was at the Bridges TV offices, in the village of Orchard Park, they found her body there, beheaded, The Buffalo News reported.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4643814/Muslim-TV-channel-founder-charged-with-beheading-wife.html
The bBCm Not the Nine O/Clock News and nothing of the story.
In addition to the story about the New York “moderate” Muslim who beheaded his wife, we also have the following charming little anecdote involving such a fellow in New York, this time an Afghan diplomat.
Afghan diplomat Mohammed Fagirad charged in all-day wife beating
“An Afghan diplomat was charged Friday with beating his wife “like a dog” for more than 15 hours in their Queens home, prosecutors said.
Mohammed Fagirad, 30, a vice consul at the Afghanistan Consulate, brutalized his wife inside their Flushing home from about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday until nearly midnight, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
During the attack, Fagirad bit, slapped, choked and beat the 22-year-old woman with a belt, pushed her down a flight of stairs and sat on her chest, prosecutors said.
At one point, prosecutors said, Fagirad threw his wife up against a wall, held her there by the neck and then let her drop to the floor, where he beat her with a belt.
Fagirad told police his “wife was a dog and he was going to treat her like a dog,” prosecutors said. “
Of course the actions of an Afghan diplomat in New York aren’t going to fall under the radar of the BBC news, are they? I mean it’s not exactly Michael Phelps puffing on a bong material is it.
By the way, any chance of giving the Haloscan comment system the old heave-ho? It really has been acting like a complete tosser of late on all the blogs that I know use it.
This is really taking the mick.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/16/tony-blair-prize
What’s up next, a Nobel peace prize?
There is no justice. None whatsoever.
Jason,
All under review when we upgrade the site.
Did the Radio 4 Today presenter this morning whilst talking about the Baltic index really say that maybe they should have a daily update on it and then add but we should only report it if it is good news? Sums up the Today programme and indeed the BBC at the moment doesn’t it?
Daniel1979 11:30
That’s a good link, thanks, although at first I thought it was about the cricket !
Umbongo 12:05
Someone else on this site made the point that , if it is a Russian nuclear sub which has an accident, and theirs have been much worse than mere scratches, the BBC mysteriously does not ask CND to comment.
Or maybe they do , in which case they should come up with the tired old “we asked CND to comment, but they refused”.
Either way, yet another classic example of blatant BBC bias !
Weirdvis 6:48
Is this the same Tony Blair who started the Iraq war ? Or are they referring to another Tony Blair ?
pounce
I like the look of that Guardian story – classifying as extremist all those who are essentially “colonists”, wanting to subvert UK society and values.
I especially like the idea of cutting them off from any public funds. Does that include free housing – if not, why not ?
I notice that the Guardian looks to the usual suspects in the Muslim community for criticism of the proposals. How about asking waht the indigenous population thinks ? Don’t we deserve a say ?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/feb/17/counterterrorism-strategy-muslims
Yet another bit of BBC spin this morning concerning the rate of inflation.
The Consumer Price Index has been the Bank of England target for a few years now and has been quoted as the rate of inflation by the BBC since it’s introduction.
The CPI has, historically, provided 2 advantages to the government: –
It has been lower than RPI for many, many years
It is more easily ‘adjusted’ – if you know what I mean!
However, low and behold, this morning on Radio 5, there I am, brushing my teeth and a rate of inflation is quoted that rang no bells with me whatsoever. I then realsied Retail Price Index (RPI) is being quoted and not CPI.
I couldn’t think of a reason why. Can you?
GAMBIA:
The BBC, courtesy of its myopic reporter in Ghana, provides detailed charges which the Gambian state is bringing against a British Christian couple, the Fultons.
It is only in the last sentence of the BBC ‘report’ that we get a clue as to the sort of state and regime Gambia is:
“Whilst the Gambia is a popular destination for British tourists, it has an appalling human rights record and criticism of the authorities is not tolerated, says our West Africa correspondent, Will Ross, in Ghana.”
BBC report:
‘New charges for Gambia missionary’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7893881.stm
And, specifically, Mr. Ross of the BBC, what sort of regime runs Gambia? Is it a Christian regime perhaps? No? What’s that you say: IT’S AN ISLAMIC REGIME. Right.
And what sort of things does this Islamic regime of Gambia get up to? Have you heard of Imam Fatty, Mr. Ross? This Imam Fatty:
‘Dhimmiwatch'(2007):
“Gambian imam: Prophet Muhammed spoke well of FGM”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/016790.php
And then there’s the Gambian President’s promise on homosexuality:
‘Dhimmiwatch’:
“Gambian Prez vows to behead every homosexual in the country”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/021117.php
Whereas most Beedoids apparently have a positive view of Che Guevara opposing repressive regimes, apparently such views do not extend to opposing Islamic repression.
George R 11:39
Woops ! I shall have to declare an interest in that my wife is Gambian, I have lived there and will be going there for a holiday in a few weeks time.
I can’t defend the excesses of the regime there, except to say there are much much worse in Africa.
There are also two sides to the Fulton story and much has not been reported in the Western MSM.
Having said that, the sentence was far too harsh. They should simply be deported.
Gambia has a great history of religious tolerance and this is one area where I would applaud President Jammeh. David Fulton’s crazy activities, many of which would be illegal in the UK, disturbed a lot of muslims and christians there.
Anyway, this is not really the forum to go on at length about this. I guess I just feel some loyalty to that poor little country !
Grant
Gambia is not a country I would go to on holiday, given its Islamic ethos referred to above.
The encroachment of Islam continues in Africa, as in Nigeria.
The BBC, in its post-Guevara phase, does not criticise the Gambian Islamic regime in the case of the British Christians, the Fultons.
George R 12:20
I agree with you about the BBC, but then they are totally ignorant of the Gambia and will support any state which they consider Islamist.
You actually could go there for a holiday and hardly notice it is a , mainly muslim, country. It is not Saudi Arabia ! ( I mean the Gambia, not the BBC ).
As for the Fultons, I don’t know how much you know of their personal history in the UK or the Gambia but, as I say, there is a lot more to this story than is being reported, but, probably this website is not the best place to go into detail.
One of my Gambian, Christian friends, is a lawyer on their defence team, so maybe I’ll find out more next time I am there !
( PS. I am an atheist, so can rise above all this. )
Actually I agree with you mostly about Brown, especially Jonathan and to a lesser degree Martin.
What I am trying to add here is that you can rightly have a go at him on a whole series of things and there are a great many open goals that the BBC seem to keep missing with him, but given that it is not necessary or useful to have a go about things he has done which are actually correct, essential or useful, particularly when there was no benefit of hindsight.
I always find useful what the so called much better options such as call me dave actually said at the time he would do differently and the proposals he made and those he supported.
Sadly Donkey A Lot Worse Than Blair! Brown, Trainers Call Me Dave and Clegg Who seem near to the candidates I would like to see as prime minister as one of the Chuckle Brothers.
“Yet another bit of BBC spin this morning concerning the rate of inflation.
The Consumer Price Index has been the Bank of England target for a few years now and has been quoted as the rate of inflation by the BBC since it’s introduction.
The CPI has, historically, provided 2 advantages to the government: –
It has been lower than RPI for many, many years
It is more easily ‘adjusted’ – if you know what I mean!
However, low and behold, this morning on Radio 5, there I am, brushing my teeth and a rate of inflation is quoted that rang no bells with me whatsoever. I then realsied Retail Price Index (RPI) is being quoted and not CPI.
I couldn’t think of a reason why. Can you?
Twizzle | 17.02.09 – 11:00 am”
Im sure some beeboid will dig up plenty of articles where they refer to both the RPI and the CPI, including the latter as the ‘governments preferred measure’.
And lots of other media are referring to the RPI as its 0.1% and they are fascinated by the prospect of deflation, it is very near.
And the RPI is directly related to the level of the poll tax also known as the licence fee.
This seems a bit thin to have a go at the BBC for given the other much more convincing stuff out there.
re inflation (Twizzle | 17.02.09 – 11:00 am)
R4 1pm News calls for rejoicing (“it’s not as bad as reared”) that inflation remains 1% over current Target (on the Theshold for BoE letter writing) & is 0.1% below the previous target (RPIX). The BBC appear determined to see prolonged deflation coming along, rather than just the unwinding of last year’s oil price hikes, mitigated by the £’s collapse.
At last, the BBC posts this:
“US Muslim TV boss ‘beheaded wife'”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7894721.stm
So that the BBC can catch up, here’s what some other site said much earlier:
‘Jihadwatch’ (14 Feb, following account of 13 Feb):
“Friends of moderate Muslim leader who beheaded his wife: he’s a terrific guy, he must have just, er, lost his head”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/024838.php
The BBC are so transparent, the news that “Consumer price inflation (CPI) fell in January to an annual rate of 3%, down from 3.1% in December” gives the BBC the chance to scaremonger thus:
The BBC then finishes this report thus:
So what do we learn? Deflation “in the longer term … can cause serious economic problems” but there are no downsides to quantitative easing! Hmm I wonder why the BBC might be pushing this idea?
On the Toady programme Andrew Motion was interviewed by Ed Stourton. The topic was the students of today having little knowledge of the classics and the Bible.
Stourton launched into a question about the value of such knowledge in this “post-Christian, multi-cultural world”.
So we know where he’s coming from, then.
gfen | 17.02.09 – 2:56 pm
Stourton launched into a question about …. So we know where he’s coming from, then.
No, we don’t. It’s his job to ask questions. And we shouldn’t presume that his questions reflect his own opinions.
Anyway, it’s pretty well known that Stourton’s a Catholic.
gfen 2:56
Stourton comes from where he was sacked for not being PC enough for the BBC, was given a reprieve, and has learnt his lesson. Some people will do anything for money.
The BBC just can’t stop themselves, can they.
Just on the BBC website to see what they have to say about Tessa Jowell’s old man being banged up in Italy for ‘corruption’.
Low and behold, it is not one of the three main stories but it does manage to scrape into the three subsidiary headlines – under the banner ‘UK lawyer guilty in bribery case’.
Well, I don’t really think this has made headlines becasue he’s a lawyer. I think it may be news because he happens to be Tessa Jowell’s old man.
When Blair appears in The Hague on trial for war crimes I guess they’ll have the banner ‘UK lawyer found guilty of war crimes’.
Just who do they think they are kidding.
Apologies if anyone else has covered this, but is there any sight of the BBC reporting that the Conservatives have opened up a 20% lead over Brown’s scum.
There is bound to an innocent explanation… surely
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7895123.stm
Possibly a bit late to comment but the seriously unfunny and mini-talented Lenny Henry was all over BBC News programmes last night for being chosen to take the lead role in Othello (the play will tour next year so why the fuss now? [*]). From the clips it appears that Lenny can’t act (which we already knew from his ads for Premier Hotels) and, as for interpretation, Henry cannot get past Othello’s blackness to the meat of the play. This is hardly surprising since his only apparent qualification for this role is his colour. In multi-culti guilt mode the BBC slotted in a clip of a blacked-up Olivier (superb in the film of 40 years ago) with dismissive comment implying how racist we all were then!
What is it with the BBC? With, presumably a wealth of talent out there, the BBC cannot tear itself away from supporting the usual “popular” comedians like Henry plus the “politicals” – Jo Brand, Brigstocke, Steele, Hardie etc – all “right-on” and still abusing Thatcher (after all she’s only been out of power for, what, 20 years) and only intermittently amusing. Well the sight of Brand – disgusting though it is – has an amusing side although it’s bit like laughing at a beggar’s sores.
[*] Of course one reason Henry is being bigged up (although how the BBC rates his “acting” debut as a news items is a mystery) is that the BBC is building up to the biggest cringe-fest of the year – Comic Relief – with Henry and all the other celebrities in mock-humble mode.
TPO: Radio 5 mentioned it in passing. Even John Pinhead had to admit that there was now a trend for the Tories to increase their lead.
This of course goes against what the BBC were saying on Sunday when it was “The Tories are not doing well as they should” and “we could be in for a surprise at the next election”
Oh we are in for a surprise. Just how many beeboids will be jumping in front of a train when their free meal ticket is stopped by the Tories.
Twizzle: They did mention it on Radio 5 but were VERY quick to point out Jowell knew nothing about it and that he was her estranged husband.
Can’t help but think if she were a Tory the BBC wouldn’t be so quick to distance her from him.
he was her estranged husband
…. er, not when he committed the offence, he wasn’t.
“UK lawyer guilty in bribery case”
The choice of words used in the title tells you everything you need to know about BBC impartiality.
Finding this story tucked away in the ‘Other Top Stories’ section just reinforces the evidence of bias.
BBC: “A New Labour ‘golden couple'”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4761948.stm
[ Say no more.]
Very impressive of the BBC to run the Jowell/Wright corruption story with no mention of her name in the headline (to catch the eye of a casual reader).
Now, I wonder why they did that?
Umbongo…totally agree. Lenny Henry was unpleasantly racist in his remarks, and crassly missed what Othello is actually about. And the BBC’s relentless promotion of “Comic Relief” (the reason for the Lenny Henry piece) is entirely because they love its political agenda – to promote the tranzies who support ruinous aid and climate change policies.
Martin and Tom.
Exactly ! Jowell probably didn’t know Mills was a bent lawyer or did know, but didn’t care, and ran for it the minute the whatsit hit the fan.
Or, he lied to her and when she found out she ,rightly, ditched him. Who knows ?
But, agreed if she was a Tory, the BBC would be making it headline news for weeks.
BBC bias, that is what they do.
Jowell claimed not to know how much her mortgage was and how it was paid.
Is she now claiming not to know what her husband was up to.
If both instances are right then what on earth was this f*ckwit doing in government.
bbc Londonistan is headlining with a new initiative on gang violence and we are being given chapter on verse on how wonderful it is police will be spending their time getting gang members to talk to each other instead of patrolling the street.
1. I think they claimed only about 1000 london teenagers are in gangs, which is complete nonsense.
2. Why is it with the BBC that gang members are viewed with sympathy as some sort of victim of society who need extra help. Compare and contrast with the treatment of the BNP, who havent actually committed a crime.
3. Mediation to stop revenge attacks etc. used to be called a justice system.
Not that gang members need an excuse.
My prediction, gang violence will continue to get worse.
Adam
you are correct, the cretins at the BBC just lurve lowlifes.
US Muslim TV boss ‘beheaded wife’
Perhaps because it comes from the Americas and not the UK or Middle East pages this story actually mentions the Muslim connection in both the headline and the first paragraph.
Still we should compare it with the Buffalo News coverage of the same story: Possibility of ‘honor killing’ mulled in Orchard Park slaying where the Islamic connection is speculated on as the cause of the murder and not just a coincidence.
deegee
It seems that guy lost his head ?
The BBC’s Obama diary continues to move from strength to strength.
The usual parade of lawmakers will be absent, replaced by leaders of the kind of green energy companies that will get a boost from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The new president is trying to repackage this measure after weeks in which it has been seen simply as a political football, kicked between one chamber of Congress and the next.
He wants to remind people what this bill is actually for, and take the attention away from the politically bruising process that created it.
This reads like Richard Lister is of the opinion that the “stimulus bill” is a good thing. He’s even reminding you of just who will really be helped.
That’s the BBC opinion, but not much of anything professional. So who will really be helped?
Is $200 million to rehabilitate the National Mall a crucial way to stimulate the U.S. economy? How about $276 million to fix the computer systems at the State Department? And what about $650 million to repair dilapidated Forest Service facilities?
….
“In the past, in the appropriations bills we could see a list of the projects. They were right there printed in the bill,” said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group. “Now it’s going to be a lot more difficult to see where the money is spent. You will have to contact each agency and each program manager to find out where the money is going.”
The same people complaining now about the lack of transparency of the bank bailout will remain silent on this. What else is being stimulated?
Some of the biggest winners in the package are federal agencies, which would see a huge infusion of money. The Social Security Administration would get $400 million to replace its 30-year old computer system. The Agricultural Research Service would receive $209 million for deferred maintenance at its facilities. The General Services Administration would get $600 million to replace its older fleet of vehicles with new alternative-fuel cars and trucks.
None of this will stimulate the economy, or keep the Dow or the dollar from dropping. All of that is lost on Lister. Instead, he thinks “economic stimulus” means fattening PC-approved wallets. But that’s good enough for the BBC because it fits the narrative.
If anyone has been having trouble getting to sleep lately, just count the number of Beeboids feverishly posting on the useless Obamessiah diary. Shouldn’t this be restricted to Ariel or something? Why is this worth the public’s time and money?
Adam 6:46
I watched a documentary on ITV this evening about gun crime in London. The police reckon there are at least 200 gangs. The documentary made it clear that most gangs are black and most gun crime is “black on black”.
On average police draw firearms 6 times a day and recover 3 guns a day.
One firearm officer said “it’s not worth talking to them, it makes no difference”
But, the point is the documentary I watched would never have been made by the BBC.
Grant: You will probably find the BBC doing a Newnight special on how rough the plods were on the yobs.
martin | 17.02.09 – 11:27 pm | #
Plus they probably would have paid one of the little savages to parade around with a gun, before doing a little piece to camera about how they have “nothing else to do” and how the state has “forgotten about them.”
Because of course, the little scumbags were really making progress back when loony left councils were taking them on Kenyan safari holidays.