Monthly Archives: June 2009

FROM WAZIRSTAN TO MANCHESTER….INCREDULITY REIGNS!

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My colleague Mike Cunningham over on ATW posted this, I thought I would share it…

having or showing unaffected simplicity of nature or absence of artificiality; unsophisticated; ingenuous.

having or showing a lack of experience, judgment, or information; credulous:She’s so naive she believes everything she reads. He has a very naive attitude toward politics

having or marked by a simple, unaffectedly direct style reflecting little or no formal training or technique:valuable naive 19th-century American portrait paintings.

We were told, courtesy of the Today Programme this morning, that one of the Twelve terror suspects (otherwise categorized as innocent ‘students’ who unfortunately hadn’t completed a day’s study at any legitimate college) who were arrested, (courtesy of the ‘Bob Quick Security Document held up to the camera’ mess) released, re-arrested and told they were to be deported had in fact volunteered to travel back to Pakistan as a protest!

We were also informed that besides the four policemen who accompanied this totally innocent ‘Student’ on the long flight to Islamabad was Mike Wooldridge, a BBC news reporter, and he managed to get an interview with this totally innocent student, and that is the reason for my placing at the top of this post the dictionary definitions for the term ‘Naivety’!

Woold………….”Have you ever been involved with any terrorist planning or activity?”

Pakistani deportee………”I don’t even know what I was charged with! Of course I am innocent, I am simply a student! I have never been involved with any terror groups or planning!”

Woold…………So why are you going back to Pakistan?

Pakistani deportee…………..”As a protest against my life being ruined! I am accused of planning terror attacks, but the police found absolutely no proof. I am labelled an Extremist, and my life in Britain is ended!”

Woold……”Thank you Mr. XXXXX XXXXXX, for confirming what we have always suspected, that all Pakistanis are totally innocent, that all alleged terror attacks in the name of Allah (peace etc……) are totally without foundation, and are actually a plot by the BNP to curry support for their Racist Policies, for which of course the thousands of British voters who voted for the BNP are not actually named as ‘Racists’ but accepted as being ‘Racists’ by both the BBC, as well as all mainstream Politicians and well-known commentators. Thank you for also confirming that everything a Pakistani detainee states is in fact the absolute truth, and is stated as being truthfull without any other tests or confirmatory actions or interviews!

It reminds me of an exchange I had with a Customs Officer on returning to Johannesburg by air.

Customs man………..”Uh, I believe you are in possession of Pornographic material!”

Me……………………….”I absolutely deny that! I don’t even possess a Pornograph!”

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BECAUSE THEY ARE WORTH IT?

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So what do you make of the news that dozens of top BBC stars have been told to expect savage pay cuts of up to 40 per cent?

Jonathan Ross, Jeremy Clarkson and Graham Norton are among those facing swingeing reductions in their huge salaries as the corporation tries desperately to save money. About 100 of the corporation’s most popular performers were summoned to a meeting where BBC director-general Mark Thompson warned them that, in the current economic climate, slashing fees is inevitable.

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Wogan – but as for Wossy and co, 40% is only a start. 100% would be better!

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QUESTION TIME LIVEBLOG…

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Doesn’t time fly past! Tonight sees Question Time on our screens and what a nightmare panel it is. Hain the pain is on from Wales, Comrade Derek Simpson is on, smarmy Chris Huhne is on, as is drippy Conservative Caroline Spelman and erratic economist Ruth Lea. So, no-one from the solid right on tonight. So we need to provide a little balance. Be there or be square!

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WHISTLE A HAPPY TUNE…

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It’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it. No sooner does Lord Mandelson re-installs his puppet PM McDoom in the bunker than a series of good economic news stories suddenly permeate the media, and the BBC in particular. Yesterday came the interesting news that “the recession is over.” The Today programme followed up on this this item this morning which whistled a happy tune on the recovery after “the downturn” and now comes the news that sterling has risen to a new high against the Euro. Mandy is working overtime. Anyone got an update on the unemployment figures?

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Campaign journalism

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When the BBC claim impartiality, it follows that they claim to be a timeless, apolitical entity reflective of truth. I couldn’t help thinking about that when I looked at the BBC website this morning and saw the lead stories on the World and UK webpages. On the former, France and Italy were being taken to task for falling off the Bono Africa charity bandwagon. On the latter, a young woman accused of child indecency was being paraded before the public eye.

It seems to me this is activist journalism and trial by media. I don’t know why a person simply accused of a crime is pictured, named, aged and specified in this way by our national broadcaster. I do not think it would have happened in the past. As for Bono’s media bonanza, the BBC loves to talk about aid but it is less keen to scrutinize trade, especially of agricultural produce. Protectionism is rife in Europe, and not absent in the US. “Naming and shaming” “guilty” aid reneging countries is in my view just a circus of smug sentiment. How about scrutinising the manifest inefficiencies and incapabilities of our bureaucratic EU in spreading and growing wealth?

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CO-ORDINATED SCAREMONGERING

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24 hours to save the NHS? Remember that Labour PR spin from the eve of the 1997 election? Looks like from the depths of his bunker, Gordon Brown is once more on the attack using the NHS as a weapon to gain political capital. This morning, the BBC ran the spin that the NHS is facing its biggest organisational and financial challenge ever and will not survive unless it changes and is cut down. (No explanation why it all meltsdown from 2011 — hello Alister Darling!!) This scaremonger was used to entice the gormless Conservative Andrew Lansley into pledging that his party would lavish even more cash on this much loved by the BBC Stalinist construct. Then later on,McDoom weighed in to complain about Tory cuts, using the BBC interview with Lansley. Why it’s almost as if it were co-ordinated! The BBC – doing the jobs that Labour won’t do.

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Everything in the garden is lovely.

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Apologies if someone has already posted or commented on this outpouring of Obamalove from Matt Frei. It’s a month old now but still astonishing.

Turning one corner of the White House lawn into a vegetable allotment was an inspired move. And like just about everything else the First Family has turned its attention to, it seemed to come naturally.

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The Obamas do not look awkward doing normal things.

Considering the combination of limelight and expectations weighing on the White House, this is quite an achievement.

George W Bush smirked too much, displaying the unbearable lightness of his being at inappropriate times. His father was accused of not knowing what a supermarket checkout scanner was.

I love that “was accused of”. Was it too much trouble for the BBC (aim: to be the world’s most trusted provider of international news) to check out this rumour on Snopes and establish whether the accusation was – what was that word again? – oh, yes, true?

As a candidate, Barack Obama showed that he can harness the power of the Internet and reach out to millions of eager foot-soldiers while keeping the decisions that matter confined to a tiny kitchen cabinet.

Apart from a few slip-ups, he has maintained that mixture of outer charm and inner discipline, of outreach and exclusivity

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But what I do remember is that they hit the right note and touched the right nerve at the right time.

On the economy, he was sober without being too pessimistic. On bankers’ bonuses, he shared our outrage without inciting the masses to put heads on stakes. On life in the White House, he combined humility, pride and fun at being the boss with bemusement at life in the armoured bubble.

He told Europe that America had been too arrogant and then chastised Europeans for being prone to a knee-jerk anti-Americanism.

On swine flu, he said there was reason to be concerned but no cause for alarm.

Fear the flu. But flu is not to be feared. When you understand this koan, said the Master, then you will have enlightenment.

He is both bold and measured. It is called nuance – and America and the world have been yearning for it.

America and the World: Yearning for Nuance Since November 3rd 2004.

The marriage of reassuring language and bold policy has been his true victory in the first 100 days.

And there I was thinking his true victory was something to do with General Motors.

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THROUGH THE EYES OF A FOOL

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Just listened to Tony Wright of the Labour Party on 5Live claiming that Gordon Brown’s position has been strengthened after last night results. Amazing to hear him get away with this. Still, I guess there won’t be too many empty bottles of champagne strewn across the corridors in Broadcasting House this morning. The party is over.

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