Hi all! Just to let you know that I have decided to liveblog Question Time tomorrow night. You will be aware I stopped this when my esteemed colleague on the QT liveblog Geoff was taken seriously unwell and I was very concerned for his very survival. His condition continues to show small improvements although he is still hospitalised and the road to recovery will be long and arduous.
However I reckon that Geoff would not want me to stop – so it is for him that I am returning to the fray on this. Plus, it livens up a very dull programme when we get to comment on it! And what a gem tomorrow night brings. It’s the “Student Grant” edition and features the return of Universal Shami! Yes, doe-eyed Ms Chakrabrti is back! She is joined by Andy Burham, the human guinea pig Sarah Teather and Jeremy Hunt. So, this is just a heads-up for you and hope you can make an effort to come along.As a point, if there is someone out there who would like to help me moderate the event – drop me a mail via the contact on A Tangled Web.
BBC's political loyalty to 'Gitmo Shami', and to her National Lottery funded 'Liberty' outfit, is unswerving.
It'll be a nice balanced show as usual I'm sure.
Who will be wearing the most mascara? Shami, or Andy Burnham?
Craig: Burnham by a Country mile. What a queen he is.
A legal friend who met Ms Chakrabarti recently described her as having some of the worst halitosis he had ever suffered. Worth watching QT to see whether she's done anything about the problem!
There is some science on this – people who spend their lives with their mouths open as much as Chakrabarti have high levels of halitosis forming bacteria.
Dear David and all here, (sorry this is off topic to the main thread line):
Looks like the truth is out at last from the (lying) horses mouth.
Another trusted "reliable" source of the BBC admits they lied:
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S Lanka medics recant on deaths
By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo
The doctors, who are still in detention said they were threatened by rebels
Five doctors who worked in Sri Lanka's combat zone in the last weeks of the war have been brought before the media.
They said that in media interviews during the fighting they had exaggerated figures for civilian casualties.
They said that they did this because of pressure on them from the Tamil Tiger rebels, or LTTE, who controlled the area where they were working.
These five doctors have been in government detention since mid-May.
Now, in peace-time, it is not clear under how much government pressure they are speaking.
But they appeared before the media, looking calm and well-groomed, wearing immaculate shirts and ties, though one had his arm in a sling – the result, he said, of a shell injury.
Threats
What they are now saying is what the Sri Lankan government has said all along.
The doctors said the rebels would threaten them and give them exaggerated lists of civilian casualties to report to any journalists who called them.
''Everyday the LTTE (Tamil Tiger) people came to the hospital, they gave at least this amount got injured, this amount dead, this area shells fell, they gave a list, this we had to tell," one of the doctors, Dr T. Varatharajah, said.
He said it was not in fact true that a hospital was shelled in an incident in early February.
The Red Cross and the United Nations, who had staff on the ground, both said that the incident did happen.
The doctors said they believed up to 750 civilians were killed from January onwards – the UN estimates several thousand.
The medics said civilians who died were either killed in cross-fire, or were shot by the Tamil Tigers while trying to escape.
The government says its weapons did not kill a single civilian.
Although the doctors say they were speaking under Tamil Tiger pressure during the fighting, last week a senior presidential aide said they could not be allowed to "go scot-free".
More than 25 years of fighting in Sri Lanka ended with the government declaring total victory in May.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8141007.stm
The Red Cross and the United Nations, who had staff on the ground, both said that the incident did happen.
Ayio, ayio!! I thought all NGOs were kicked out, BBC and other cry babies whined about it like they saw it happen with their own eyes. Now the ICRC and UN were there all along! Well I guess anything goes when disseminating high quality horse shit.
The doctors said they believed up to 750 civilians were killed from January onwards – the UN estimates several thousand.
UN estimates were based on the Doctors statements!
Just to note: these doctors were trained by the Government of Sri Lanka at Sri Lankan Universities (most likely Jaffna University which is dedicated to Tamils) in a country where University/tertiary education is free –funded by the Tax Payer. They, along with their staff are paid by the Government of Sri Lanka, right up to the final hour, as are their hospitals. All supplies come free from the Tax payer, along with the food supplies, education facilities etc etc -BBC will not mention that of course, god forbid the demonic image of the Sri Lanka and primarily the Sinhala people be questioned.
BBC and others wanted a "blood bath", they never STFU predicting it. Blood bath didn't happen. So they used dubious sources to say it did, now sources say they lied (no surprise). Best of all BBC is upset that thousands (millions?) didn't die. Shouldn't they be jumping up and down that hmz 300,000 lives were saved?? (Yes they are in IDP camps and not allowed to leave that is the only real flaw but with damn good reason.
The camps are like 5 star hotels when you compare what they are really like with that of the bullshit spread by certain whiney humanitarian NGOs (same humanitarians who built the LTTEs submarines, imported in their Zlin planes and built underground bunkers) and lackeys like the BBC -i know because i've been to the camps to donate computers for the schools in the camps (i work for an ICT here).
Gitmo Shami, she must be lonely, her friends are away on business trips at the moment.
ICT company*
Is Jeremy Hunt rhyming slang?
Janaka
Thanks for the very detailed update on Sru Lanka
i went to a party with Shami Chakrabarti, but she farted, so i departed and she ended up on question time