Anyone catch Andrew Marr this morning and if so, is it contagious? More seriously, I heard him interview Conservative wee Georgie Osborne and then NuLabour leader in waiting Alan Johnson aka Postman Pat. I felt there was a visceral difference in the tone and attitude adopted by Marr during these interviews. With Osborne it was aggressive and challenging, but with Johnson it was conciliatory and agreeing. It’s as if the Conservatives are in government and Labour are in opposition given the way Marr went after Osborne. However, in a year’s time, that will be the case and THEN the BBC attacks will really kick is. Anyone who thinks that BBC will give Cameron and his pals an easy ride once they hold the license-fee purse strings need to think again. We will have a sustained attack on every move made by the new government and Marr and his ilk are only warming up.
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The thing that made the biggest impression on me was not Marr's attitude, which could have been worse, but rather Johnson's belief that Government 'investment' is paying off and every aspect of our lives is getting better. Even ASBOs are a success, according to Johnson.
Obviously the public has got it badly wrong.
It is not difficult to believe that the character of impartiality was deliberately taken out of BBC Charter by ZaNULab, and repleced as an agreement with a toady BBC Trust. The only lesson to learn, is NEVER TRUST, Labour and the BBC.
I was actually more angry with the way that Marr was feeding Postman Prat with just the right questions to allow Prat to seamlessly reply with, what appeared to be, pre-determined statements. It was almost as though Marrwas deliberately creating opportunities for Postman Prat to spin out his mindless crap.
Less of a 'question and answer session', more of a 'I'll open the door for you to walk straight though' session.
Blatant BBC bias, dontcha just lurrv it!
Anonymous writes: "The only lesson to learn, is NEVER TRUST, Labour and the BBC."
The former goes without saying but the latter is a tragedy. It's reached the point now that when I read or hear a news story on the BBC I immediately check it against several other sources.
I no longer trust anything the BBC says.
A prompt for BBC's Marr,
re-Johnson and Mass Immigration:
"Thanks for nothing Alan Johnson!"
(Jul 19 2009 by Paul Cole, 'Sunday Mercury.net'.)
[Opening extract]:
"OUR Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, has just revealed what he plans to do about mass immigration.
"Nothing.
"He says he is not concerned about the population rocketing to 70 million and about the impact that will have on jobs, housing, education and health services.
"And he is positively happy about the dramatic cultural changes on what used to be known as the British way of life.
"Mr Johnson has decided to ignore to ignore the fact that Britain is already the most overcrowded country in Europe and that with one in 10 state-subsidised homes is already taken by an immigrant family.
"There is a waiting list standing at over a million, and we need to build a new house every five minutes for the next 20 years just to cope with the new arrivals.
"He has chosen to turn a blind eye to the fact that seven out of every 10 new jobs created since New Labour came to power have gone to foreigners while millions of British workers have been idle.
"He ignores the fact that one in every four births in this country is to a foreign mother and that in over 1,000 schools the majority of the children speak English as a second language."
Marr interrupted Osborne 17 times (and tried to interrupt him many more), but only interrupted Johnson 7 times (and 2 of those were really asking for clarification of medical advice about swine flu).
For an exhaustive (and exhausting) examination of this morning's biased Marr interviews please click on this fine website:
http://beebbiascraig.blogspot.com/2009/07/students-of-media-studies-should-be.html
(I know. I should be ashamed of myself.)
Osborne not Osbourne FCS!
Excellent article and absolutely correct. Let's hope the Tories scrap the Beeb if they get in.
70,000,000?! – maybe the plan is to put pressure on house prices and or generate income for pensioners — never mind the extra burdens on society, just check your local reservoir – wheres the extra water needed going to come from?
I remember, naively in 1997, thinking that once Labour got in the Today programme and its likes, would interview them the same way as they had the Conservatives – and being shocked when that didn't happen. It was my Damascene moment when I realised the bias of the BBC
Johnson after a feeble performance in the commons 'I am only a hack politician…' needed a platform to look good on as the plinth was fully booked Marr obliged.
Impartial in bbc land is treating the various factions of the labour party the same.
We will see if this holds once the fight to replace Brown becomes more open.
The BBC will get behind any Labour politician as the alternative might be the return of the evil Tories. The bias in the run up to the next election will take even my breath away; you ain't seen nothing yet.
WV – goatab – A goat with abs, that's me…
I like Craig's Interruption Index- it absolutely nails the issue. So much I made a point of trying to count interruptions while watching a week of French television news. This is a state run TV service paid for by identical means to the BBC. Not one – the interviewer politely asks a question. The person politely answers it and the interviwer waits until they are finished before asking the next question. Four or five questions, and over with the interview. Everyone understands the rules, the interviewee knows he can't speak forever so keeps to the point. The questions can be challenging but its down to the person interviewed to put up their case. The answer has been given, it doesn't matter whether the interviewer agrees or not. Its down to the viewer to agree or not.
Its so different, its only when you see the BBC in action you understand the breath-taking arrogance of BBCs prima donna interviewers. I don't get to hear the answers so I can make up my own mind about them, I get a tendetious friggin' argument from a Socialist zealot. STFU BBC and let people speak. WE will decide if we believe what they say. I don't want to know Andrew Marr's opinion of anything.
Like the government they adore, the once admirable BBC has become a squalid, corrupt, deceitful, greedy and vindictive organisation.
The Nasty Corporation – for a truly Nasty Party.
Miscegenation-promoting, wife-cheating, illegitimate-sprog-siring, press-freedom-curtailing Marr and Johnson want the same thing: the end of a majority-white Britain.
My wake up call to the BBC biased 'programming' began just before I came on line four years ago, while I was pondering upon the outrageous absurdity of 'political correctness' when I was surprise-gifted this machine.
Thus began my fervent 50 yr 'catch up' education The TV gathered dust in the corner, and when the aerial fell off the roof some months later it was shoved into the spare room, along with the TV.
I can only look back with incredulity that I even ever believed any of it; and I really enjoyed telling the licensing Board that when they phoned to ask why my Direct Debit had stopped.
Will2001,
Just for your benefit.
I am not paid for this, I do it because it interests me. I do it whilst writing for two other blogs. I do it in those few spare moments I get. I swiftly wrote this earlier today before having to rush out to a funeral, from which I have just returned. I am SO sorry that I missed that all important "u" in Osbourne but am glad you had the time to comment on that dimension to the post. I will have a word with my sub-editor. Meanwhile….
On another thread the topic was Sarah Kennedy mentioning Enoch Powell in a good light. It just made me think of the times I saw Powell on QT, usually with Tony Benn. I wonder how Marr would have fared against Enoch Powell (or any of the past true parlimentarians) Marr just does not have the interlect to talk to any seriously educated person.
Osborne is a Bilderberger,and as such should be hung from the nearest lamppost
I hate all politicians,but one world government lackeys especially irritate me
Gary,
I feel your pain! Disliking politicians is a sign of balance in my view.
Curiously, this business of the BBC's treating the Tories as if they were the govt is actually no new thing.
For quite a while after New Labour's historic victory in 1997 the Tories – now in opposition, remember – were attacked and barracked by the Humphries and Naughties of this world quite as sharply as if they had still had either responsibility or power.
I guess at the time they were just taking the opportunity to kick the Tories while they were down, whereas now it's just sheer force of habit.
One other point about Powell – he resigned from the Cabinet (1962?) because he thought the Tory Govt was spending money like a drunken sailor.
………..
In the mid-1970s the Central Policy Review Staff within the Cabinet Office led a review of long-term populations forecasts. I recall that there were endless machinations to play down the effect – even then – of immigration. The statistics were being cooked- anything to oppose Powell's central message that immigration was already having a serious social impact.
Yes, his words were occasionally OTT – but he was an excellent Commons debater. Plus, anyone who could go from being a Professor of Greek in his 20s to becoming a Brigadier in WW2 had more depth than most politicians.
He must be spinning in his grave.
Anon at 12.00 was me.
I was directly involved in the population-forecasting exercise. It was prompted by a worry that the UK population could approach 60 million, and the social infrastructure could not cope with that.
Sir Richard Dannatt was originally scheduled to appear on Marr's programme today but didn't get anywhere near it – do we think perhaps Downing St. have slapped a gagging order on him?
Barking Spider
And shouldn't the whole topic of equipping our armed forces properly have been major element of Marr's programme this week ?
Powell was spinning before he went into the grave.
I heard him say,in response to a question that,"He wished he had died in the War".
As it transpired we may as well not have fought WWII.
Marr is a lifelong socialist, all his friends & co workers are marxists/socialists/leftists, his wife is a socialist and all her as are all her friends, they all exist in a hermetically sealed bubble isolated from reality like some fruity sect.
Marr hates capitalism as he hates the Tories, he is fully commited to newlabour and fully expects a K for his services.
To expect a fanatic like red Andy to be fair to his ideological and mortal enemies is a little mistaken I think?
The supposed peoples hero and whistle blower Mr Dannat, hmmmm I wonder where he is?
He has been responsible for some of the most staggering blunders the armed forces has ever been involved in, future lynx for example was a cause he championed for ideological and other reasons has cost the forces dearly, at his insistence billions was wasted on a crappy outdated chopper that will take years to roll up(if ever) best guess 2020 untill all units are equipped and running at full whack.
The 'peoples hero' knows full well that he has some serious questions to answer, Marr only asks the questions that newlabour wants asking, Dannat wont be saying a word unless his boss Brown deems in necessary.
Best guess is that word went out to Dannat from No10 shut yer gob and piss off and Dannat being a lackey of the first water says yes boss and is now legging it to his ultra well paid 'timmy ten jobs' existence on the boards of companies involved in such scams as the pinzgauer vector/husky and other tommy killers(of course he may wait a year or so for appearances sake), they will be 'thanking' Dannatt for years as they make do with no medium helicopters for the next ten years or so.
Speaking of disgusting toadies peddling a partisan narrative,
The toady show in association with fivelive gives that evil snake Damian McPoison prime airtime to tell everyone how sorry he is/not his fault/everyone was doing it/only following orders/best intentions, ad nauseum!
All that was missing was the violin music playing in the background.
So we can expect McBride to be getting another job at the No10 poison factory soon then?
I would love to be a fly on the wall at those BBC editorial meetings, room filled with greasy party ideologues and the head commissar says, just had a phonecall from the boss(Brown/Mandelson) we have been ordered to rehabilitate McBride so get to work! Lets have fawning interviews and pre arranged questions.
The newlabour rehabilitation tactic is well used and well worn, the BBC are a prime tool for this type of work, from Hain to Mandelsnake they all got their second/third shot courtesy of the comrades at the BBC!
BBC continuing their hatchet job on Osborne in this morning's Toady. They got the soundbite they wanted from Saint Cable – who rather illogically seems to support the substance of the proposals but came up with some perjorative language about a Tory "obsession" with restructuring which would cause a "turf war", which the BBC gleefully clipped for the 8am news bulletin. The BBC don't mention that Osborne wants to restore the Bank of England's old regulatory powers that Brown dismantled. It was of course the mighty Leader who was guilty of an "obsession" with restructuring when he created the useless FSA. But that piece of meddling has only ever received reverential praise from the BBC.
Further to Oscar Millar's post, I have just listened until the the end of the "Today" programme. Not a single Tory on the whole thing, in spite of the Tory announcement being on every news bulletin! Add to that a fawning interview with "Lord" Mandelson (check out the nauseatingly greasy question about his intentions concerning giving up his peerage, combined with the chortles from the said Lord) and the fact that the first guest on the Marr show immediately afterwards was James Purnell you have the usual BBC situation – aTory free zone or a resolutely anti-Tory stance. Makes me want to spit at my radio!
Don't miss out on James Purnell speaking on "start the week" with Marr today. What a treat, Marr and all his Pseudo Socialist chums talking about a new Utopia of Socialism
All from the lofty heights of playwright ex politician journalistic hack etc..
They are trying their best to get the Socialist body to live, but I fear it's heart has ceased to beat –forever.
Today gave air time to a Moon Landing Denier and Our Ed listened to him (fairly) respectfully. Of course, since it was white Americans who got to the Moon the BBC sees its role as to tarnish – however fleetingly – the sense of heroic achievement by the US. OTOH I have yet to hear an AGW sceptic get any airtime on Today or any other front-line BBC broadcast. As I've noted on this blog before, in the last couple of years the BBC has given more major airtime to holocaust denier David Irving than to any AGW sceptical scientist.