OPEN THREAD…


Seems a long time since Friday evening (!) and so I offer you a fresh platform to start the week. Any bias about do you think…..?

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132 Responses to OPEN THREAD…

  1. Bupendra Bhakta says:

    Monday’s ‘Thoughts From Planet Harrabin’ gave us this gem.

    ‘I’ve been consistently dissatisfied about the way strictures of news reporting deny space for the ambiguities and uncertainties that are so central to the climate debate’.

    Fronted with a picture of a polar bear on an icefloe.  In a perfect world that polar bear would have Roger Harrabin for company on the icefloe, just in case it got peckish.

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    • ap-w says:

      Due to pressures of time I have hardly been able to keep up with all the various excellent material here over the last few weeks, but funnily enough I was just abut to log on and ask whether anyone else heard this “unconventional” and “soul-searching” programme. Quite unbelievable.

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      • Bupendra Bhakta says:

        Yes, quite, it was so rubbish it wasn’t worth ‘fisking’.  I mean you’de be fisking every sentence.  The tone as well, Radio Bour ‘humorist’ type mocking of any ‘deniers.

        He had the bare-faced cheek to mock an ‘anti’ conference because they had an economist presenting.  (Psst Rog, ever heard of The Stern Report’?  Or is that – different.

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  2. Pounce says:

    The bBC, occupation of countries and say it isn’t so.

    Have you noticed how the bBC  informs the reader of foreign occupations
    So we have had:
    Afghasntan
    Iraq
    Kashmir
    and of course Gaza and the West bank

    But what happens when the occupying power is somebody who the bBC admires you know like how China occupies Tibet (60 years plus)
    Then there’s East Timor which was invaded by Indonesia after the occupying Portuguese left. Lets not leave out how Pakistan occupies a good portion of Kashmir which it stole, How Turkey occupies around a third of Cyprus or even a significant area of Syria much larger than the Golan heights. Then the occupation is blurred by the bBC which is how it reports on the Syrian occupation of Lebanon today in an article about how the current leaders of that country exonerates Syria of any involvement behind the murder of his father. (Just like he did Hezb-allah) I quote:
      “Syria dominated Lebanon for nearly 30 years and kept tens of thousands of troops on its soil.”
    You couldn’t make it up if you tried.

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  3. Bupendra Bhakta says:

    …meanwhile back on planet earth on the Toady programme, when interviewing General Dannatt about the fatal underfunding of our recent capaignsSarah Montague had written on her briefing notes two sentences.

    1. …which is why Gordon Brown says that as Chancellor he did everything that was asked of him.

    2. You know that you have been criticised as a Tory stooge.

    Her determination to shoehorn these steaming great porkies into the conversation was commendable.  In fact she deserves a medal.  I wonder if the Taleban do them.

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  4. Deborah says:

    And I notice the Coulson aged story was lead news again this morning.

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  5. Deborah says:

    Apologies -I should have scrolled down.  I suppose I should have been surprised if no-one else had noticed.

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  6. Olly boy says:

    Is it me or are the Beeb attacking the Government with all guns blazing at the moment? They started to ramp things up after Marky popped into Downing St. They seem to be using this as some sort of excuse just to show their labour luvvies that they are not in bed with the Cameron.

    Surely Jeremy needs to take this up immediately as at this rate the onslaught from the Beeb will eventually turn everyone against the Coalition.

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    • Backwoodsman says:

      Yup, the natives have got rather restless. There’s old marky mark, trying to convince us that the bbc were biased, but , Oh dear me, that was years ago, when the boys in the news room are running ( for the third time ?) a very tenuous story , with labours’ paw marks all over it.
      Even the relatively supine Cameroons are going to reach a point where they say enough is enough and get the whole bbc bias thing out into the open, one would hope.

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  7. fred bloggs says:

    The bBC news is still making the Coulson affair, the very first item, quoting the Independent and the Guardian.  However, being balanced(NOT) they do not mention why Sean Hoare kept quiet for 4 years, or the accusation coming from New York Times.  Or that the NYT is having a war with Murdock, the same people bBC are at odd with. 

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    • fred bloggs says:

      3:55 Thersa May has just stated in the house, that the NYT are refusing to submit any evidence they have.  Do they have any?

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        They claim they do, but it seems like it’s mostly notes from their interviews with Hoare and others.  The NY Times is being a bit spiteful, though.  Bill Keller says that Scotland Yard refused to give them info the paper asked for perviously, and now it seems that turnabout is fair play.  
         
        Keller says the stuff they published ought to be enough for UK police to realize that there’s something worth investigating.  
         
        It’s either not such a big deal or something that’s damaging to the Left if the NY Times is withholding anything that might hurt their, and the BBC’s arch enemy, Evil Uncle Rupert.

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    • Grant says:

      It is all so blatantly obvious what the BBC are up to, it is almost pathetic. Beeboids really are just a bunch of spotty kids who will never grow up.

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  8. Martin says:

    Well again I say this is the fault of the Tories, they deserve all they get for not sorting out the BBC. They should really put Eric Pickles in charge and start a sell off of the BBC, they could probably raise billions with all the land and buildings the BBC owns, that money could go tot he schools project beeboids are so fond of.

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    • Only Winding says:

      You’ve been consistently right on this all along Martin.  I am a card-carrying member of the Conservative Party and the frustration I feel at their lackadaisical approach to BBC bias is reaching boiling point.

      They have got to help themselves (and the Lib Dems).  We have got to the point where it has to be accepted that broadcast impartiality is impossible.  The BBC has an institutional left of centre bias and must now be broken up.

      The BBC is unfit for purpose and new deregulated current affairs regime would allow EVERYONE to choose who they want to provide their news.

      The idea that the BBC can provide fair and balance political coverage died a long time ago.

      The Conservatives need to step out of their shadow and increase viewer choice.

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  9. Graham Evans says:

    Police Assault on Pamela Somerville:
    Odd coverage on BBC news bulletins thro’ sunday. They began early by showing limited cctv fooatge, just enough to convince of the guilty verdict, but libelled her by saying she had refused a breathtest. Of course after the country had had the chance to read the real story in the sundays, they had changed their studio presenter’s remarks to say she was charged for that but the charge was withdrawn. However they hadnt taken the trouble to change the voice-over to the cctv footage, which still maintained she had refused a breath test. Is this just pisspoor journalism?

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    • fred bloggs says:

      Sorry to disagree with you, it is because she refused to take a breath test, caused her to be arrested.  As refusing a breath test is an arrestable offence.

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  10. David Preiser (USA) says:

    I’ve been consistently dissatisfied about the way the BBC official editorial decision that the “science was settled”, and the BBC’s policy of consorting with activist organizations about how to control reporting on “climate science” all added up to deny space for “opponents of the consensus” to discuss the ambiguities and uncertainties that are so central to the climate debate.

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  11. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Is it just me or have the Real or Whatever IRA attempts to murder people picked up since the Bloody Sunday Inquiry decided that all the IRA supporters who got killed were INNOCENT?  The BBC assured me that this was going to lead to a new era of peace and reconciliation.

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  12. George R says:

    FRANCE: BBC NUJ’s anti-Sarkozy, pro-gypsies political propaganda continues.

    After a typical BBC NUJ weekend of agit-prop in which leftist protests in favour of increasing the numbers of Roma in France were embraced, today BBC NUJ is silent on this:

    “Sarkozy promises law to strip citizenship from cop killers”

    [Extract from ‘France 24’ report]: 

    “… an opinion poll for the right-wing Le Figaro published shortly after his [Sarkozy’s] July speech found nearly three-quarters of voters supported his hard line proposals.” 

    http://www.france24.com/en/20100906-sarkozy-law-strip-citizenship-cop-killers-france-immigrants-roma-crime

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    • Scrappydoo says:

      Listened to the BBC world service,  coverage of this it was all from the poor viictimised gypsy point of view.  We were not told that the majority of French strongly support these measures.

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  13. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Here’s the main reason why the BBC is ramping up their coverage of the Tea Party movement and the US mid-term elections.  As you read, substitute “BBC” for “Obama Adminstration” or “White House”.


    Analysts: White House Panicking Over Elections


    With many polls indicating the Republicans may win back control of the House of Representatives (and possibly the Senate as well) in the upcoming mid-term elections, Jim VandeHei, the executive editor of Politico, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that the Obama administration is in a horrible position.

    “Does the White House understand this?” asked guest host Harry Smith. “Do you feel any sense of panic or concern” on the part of the administration?

    “They get it. There’s panic. There’s concern,” VandeHei said. “The reality for this administration stinks, politically and practically, when it comes to the economy. You’re not going to be able to change that 9.6-percent unemployment figure. You can’t get anything from Congress in the next couple of months.”

    Now for the key bit of information which you have not, and will not, hear from the BBC:


    CBS Congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes said the Democrats are distancing themselves from President Obama.

    “Not only are they running away from President Obama, they’re running away from being Democrats in some cases. In some races you actually see the Democratic candidates not really mentioning that they’re a Democrat in their campaign ads,” Cordes said.

    That’s right:  Democrats are distancing themselves from Him.  The BBC must hide anything that makes their beloved Obamessiah look bad.  And it’s happening all over the country.

    Georgia Democrats Avoid Obama During Atlanta Visit

    Texas Democrats continue to avoid Obama

    To Help Democrats in the Fall, Obama May Stay Away

    Some Democrat candidates distance themselves from Obama

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  14. Graham Evans says:

    Sorry to disagree fred but if they had evidence she had refused they would have pursued the charge.
    They didnt, they have no evidence.
    It didnt happen.

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  15. George R says:

    So predictable: BBC NUJ’s Mark Easton on the campaign trail to increase mass immigration into Britain.


    From ‘Biased-BBC’ earlier ‘Open Thread’ today:

    “BBC-NUJ’s Mark Easton is preparing his propaganda for more mass immigration to Britain at this very moment.”

    Extract from ‘Biased-BBC blog’ Today, 00:19 by George R on earlier ‘B-BBC’  ‘Open thread’.And, voila! -Hours later:http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2010/09/are_foreign_students_good_or_b.htmlMr Easton spends most of his article campaigning for more foreign students, and seems to dwell on Independent schools for his own political argument. He doesn’t seem to interested in difficulty of many well-qualified British students getting into higher education in Britain.He attempts to divert attention fom the bigger picture, avoiding real discussion of total number of immigrants, legal and illegal. The ‘logic’ of Easton’s position seems to be that immigrants, including all foreign  students, are so preferable to British people (including British students) that the total population of Britain should be replaced by them as soon as possible!Sir Anthony Green of ‘Migrationwatch’ had this letter in the ‘Sunday Times’:”Immigration Curbs Are Vital For Britain’s Future”http://www.migrationwatchuk.org/pressArticle/78

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  16. Dr A says:

    <!–StartFragment–>

    Why I hate the stinking BBC so much….

     

    I am not generally a person prone to anger, but there is something about the stinking, slimy, extorting BBC that brings out a uncharacteristic rage in me. My wife, who is rather worried by this excess, believes this is not healthy and recently suggested I give the matter serious thought.

     

    So I did… and came out raging even more. 

     

    But it wasn’t without use. I did eventually come up with about 25 Beeboid things that drive me to distraction. Today I will only bore you with one. Privilege.

     
    Apparently the proportion of privileged boys and girls who went to excellent private schools and Oxbridge is greater at the BBC than at any other comparable organisation (including the civil service and the Army). This of course comes as no surprise.
     
    It explains firstly their rather arcane prejudices (no Jews at the Country Club, and aren’t Americans crude, my dear!), as well as their tendentious political bigotries. Lefty pseudo-egalitarianism is simply another version of post Imperialist guilt, but its psychological underpinnings are more interesting. At its heart, in reality, lies the belief in their own superiority, and their own right to determine what is right and what is wrong for the world. In other words, post-imperialist guilt is simply neo-Imperialist hubris, and the distorted worldview that the BBC promotes has more to do with being buggered and bullied at Charterhouse and Balliol than anything else.


    What fucking arrogance!
     
    Gotta go, the wife’s coming.
     
    <!–EndFragment–>

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    • Pierre says:

      “Lefty pseudo-egalitarianism is simply another version of post Imperialist guilt, but its psychological underpinnings are more interesting. At its heart, in reality, lies the belief in their own superiority, and their own right to determine what is right and what is wrong for the world. In other words, post-imperialist guilt is simply neo-Imperialist hubris”

      Bingo, Dr A. Your diagnosis is bang on the money. This explains the chattering class libtard mindset to a tee. It doesn’t just affect the Eton/Oxbridge crowd, unfortunately. It’s beeboidism distilled.

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    • Martin says:

      Oh don’t mention the word buggered, male beeboids start lubing up when someone mentions that.

      Know your frustration though, the BBC are the biggest hypocrites going

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    • Grant says:

      Dr A,

      Excellent post, spot on !

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  17. David Preiser (USA) says:

    I’ve been waiting a couple days for the BBC to report this latest foolish gaffe by the President.  They haven’t, of course, because it makes Him look bad.  Check out this story and ask yourselves, “Would the BBC have reported this if it was Bush?”


    Oval Office rug gets history wrong

    The Obamessiah Administration got some private money to redecorage the Oval Office.  It’s pretty hideous, in my opinion, but is a clear ego-stamp by the President.  When the redecorating story first hit the news, I was wondering why Kim Ghattas or some other Beeboid wasn’t breathlessly reporting the makeover, possibly presenting it as yet another wonderful Change.  After all, she spared no time reporting on every other superficial nuance, such as Michelle Obama’s dresses and the Potemkin vegetable garden.

    But then this bit of the make-over came out, and I understood at once that the BBC would censor this news from you:

    President Obama’s new presidential rug seemed beyond reproach, with quotations  from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. woven along its curved edge.

    “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” According media reports, this quote keeping Obama company on his wheat-colored carpet is from King.

    Except it’s not a King quote. The words belong to a long-gone Bostonian champion of social progress. His roots in the republic ran so deep that his grandfather commanded the Minutemen at the Battle of Lexington.

    For the record, Theodore Parker is your man, President Obama.

    Oops.  It seems that Candidate Obamessiah used that quote during the election campaign, even calling it his “favorite” quotation.  Well, this means that the brilliant, Harvard-educated Obamessiah – whom the BBC told you countless times was smarter and more sophisticated than the gaffe-prone George Bush – has been wrong about the source of His own favorite quote His entire life.  Obviously He dictated to His staff what would go on the rug, and nobody bothered to look it up, or dare question His Word.

    This is an embarrassment, and a very public one.  Worst of all, it’s even being reported in the BBC’s editorial leader on US issue, the Washington Post.  So Mardell and Ghattas and all the rest of them know all about this.  But they won’t tell you, because it will make Him look bad.

    Here are some links to remind everyone that the Beeboids never missed an opportunity to show Bush in an unflattering light:

    http://search.bbc.co.uk/search?go=toolbar&q=bush+gaffe

    By contrast, the BBC has censored news of every faux pas the current President has made, from the 57 States gaffe to the gift to Gordon Brown of a bunch of lame DVDs which couldn’t even be played on UK-region players, to the recent Marie Antoinette-like royal holiday in Spain by the First Lady.  So you won’t hear about this latest error, either.

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    • Buggy says:

      I think Cap’n One-Term would have found MLK a very uncongenial presence. Not his sort at all.

      Personally, it seems to me that the only reason for Barry-O’s incessantly underlined admiration for Dr King is the colour of his skin.

      Kinda ironic.

      Didn’t somebody make a speech decrying that sort of thing ?

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  18. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Speaking of Michelle Obama’s little star-and-royalty-studded jaunt to Spain with 40 of her friends at the taxpayers’ expense, because the BBC censored the news when it happened, they can’t even tell you now about advisors warning her against it, and to tone it down now.

    First Lady Plans a Careful Return to the Campaign Trail

    Despite stinging criticism of her summer vacation to Spain with daughter Sasha  — aides warned her not to go, and the backlash was fiercer than they had imagined — Mrs. Obama is the most popular member of her husband’s administration.

    And this:

    And as Mrs. Obama discovered in Spain, she is not immune to criticism. Aides say privately that they warned her there would be a cost to the trip, but she overruled them, insisting it was a rare chance to spend time with Sasha and with a friend whose father had died. But the intensity of the uproar — including accusations that she was a “modern-day Marie Antoinette” — caught the White House and Mrs. Obama off guard.

    The BBC helpfully censored this news from you, just like the White House lapdogs they are.  And now it’s going to affect their future reporting about the First Lady.  They can’t report something which will force them to reveal information they didn’t want you to know before.

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  19. Martin says:

    Tom Bradby’s ITV report on the Coulson story was so much more informative and balanced than the crap pumped out by the BBC. Bradby correctly points out what an unreliable witness Hoare is and that the police are just going through the motions as no one has actually provided any new evidence.

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    • Only Winding says:

      And he quickly apologised to viewers for his inaccurate assertion that Coulson was sacked from NOTW.

      ITN = Fallible 
      BBC = Arrogant

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    • Grant says:

      No chance of Bradby ever getting a job at the BBC.

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  20. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Here’s yet more news the BBC doesn’t want you to know.  The BBC made sure to tell you this:


    Mid-East talks doomed, says Iranian leader Ahmadinejad


    Addressing an annual pro-Palestinian rally in Tehran to mark al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, President Ahmadinejad said the Palestinians should to continue to resist the Israeli occupation.

    “The fate of Palestine will be decided in Palestine and through resistance and not in Washington,” he said.

    Echoing criticism from Hamas, Mr Ahmadinejad said Mr Abbas had no authority to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians.

    But the BBC won’t tell you this:


    Abbas to Ahmadinejad:  Mind Your Own Business

    After Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to task for participating in peace talks with Israel, Abbas had a message for Iran: Butt out.

    The Palestinian president went even further in a statement released by his spokesman, essentially calling Ahmadinejad an illegitimate leader who oppresses his own people.

    “He who does not represent the Iranian people, who forged elections and who suppresses the Iranian people and stole the authority, is not entitled to talk about Palestine, or the President of Palestine,” Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Saturday.

    Hillary Clinton and Mahmoud Abbas both tell Iran:  Butt Out!


    In wrapping up her first Mideast trip as secretary of state, Clinton joined with the Palestinian Authority president in denouncing the call of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for all Muslims to join the “resistance” to Israel.

    “We are sending a message to the Iranians and others: Stop interfering in our affairs,” said Abbas, who is locked in a power struggle in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.

    On a brief stop in Ramallah, Clinton charged that the Iranians “are interfering only to deepen the rift between Palestinians.” The Iranians were seeking to “intimidate as far as they think their voice can reach,” Clinton said.

    Why is the BBC censoring this information?  Is it in the best interests of their biased agenda to keep things from you which might make you less approving of Hamas and less likely to blame Israel exclusively for any failure in peace talks?

    In the meantime, they’ve done two more reports demonizing Israel: one about settlements and another about a raid on innocent lambs in Gaza.  This time, though, the Body-Count Narrative is in Israel’s favor, so the BBC News Online sub-editor had to make a slight adjustment to make it appear that Israel was just making a vicious attack out of revenge.

    Don’t trust the BBC on Mid-East issues.

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    • Grant says:

      The BBC simply can’t accept that muslim brothers can have disagreements.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        They accept it, alright.  They just don’t want you to know about it because that would detract from the specific interpretation of the Middle East situation they’re trying to create for you.

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  21. Martin says:

    Newsnight AGAIN goes on the Coulson story. Shithead Paxman claims May was ‘stonewalling’. No you prick she was leaving it up to the Police, unlike you Liebour scum Teresa May doesn’t want to use the Police as the SS of the Government.

    Then we’re going ot get yet another story about ‘splits’ from Michael Prick

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    • Buggy says:

      Stonewalling” is the sort of thing that goes on in jolly old plaguespots like Iran. Strangely, that doesn’t seem to bother the Beeboid collective at all.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        Stonewalling?  I thought Teresa May was for once being coherent and making a solid defense of her position.  The only thing I would have suggested is that she make the point that it’s seriously unwise for the Government to be casually directing the police – without a bench warrant or investigation to back it up – to arrest somebody at their whim.  Funny how the name Damien Green springs to mind.  
         
        I thought Labour and the BBC were against the politicization of the police force? Oh, right  that’s only when Boris did something they didn’t like.

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  22. Martin says:

    Oh dear, the BBC won’t like this so don’t expect the BBC to mention it. A poll on who is the greatest Prime Minister of al ltime gave us a great result, unless you’re a drug taking rent boy raping beeboid.

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100052580/who-are-your-top-ten-prime-ministers/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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    • Buggy says:

      Any excuse to post this scene ! Lord only knows how it got past  al-Beeb’s taste-polizei.


      (from 8:10 onwards, then from the start of this…)

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  23. Martin says:

    BBC paper review kept coming back tot he Coulson story, camp male beeboid seemed upset that not all the papers are covering it, looks like the BBC’s influence isn’t what it used to be.

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    • Only Winding says:

      Chris “Big Nose” Eakin repeated this slanted review an hour later…helpfully pointing out the absence of the story from Murdoch’s papers.

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  24. Cassandra King says:

    I see the BBC are crowing about a Gillard “victory” as she recruits two of the three indys to the ALP/ecofascist banner, its victory victory victory and all great news and a done deal innit?

    Er well no not yet, only 20 seats have so far declared with 130 yet to declare and the count is 93% complete with several candidates leads of 2% or less.
    Should the BBC be declaring victory BEFORE the count has completed and BEFORE all seats have declared and runners up have conceded?
    Would the BBC be so quick to declare victory for their bitter ideological enemies the liberal conservative coalition BEFORE all the seats have declared? I dont think so!
    How long do you think the rickety labour axis will last when the ecofascists stamp their foot for economy destroying cap and trade and other ecofascist deranged fantasies like mining taxes? I wonder if the BBC has thought that maybe the indys are using the sword of Damocles threat of forcing an election to destroy any ALP government before it gets off the ground?
    The ALP have not won until 150 seats have been declared and the runners up have accepted defeat, dont forget that a lead of less than 1% for a candidate can be changed just by a recount.

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  25. Martin says:

    So I turn on Radio 5 this morning and I expect the BBC to be whining on about the usual stuff (Coulson or cuts or splits)
    But no, instead it’s drugs again or more precisely, Cocaine (next to the cost of a rent boy probably the biggest single cost of living expense for the average male beeboid)

    Dame Nikki Campbell was not happy that the quality of Cocaine is going down, it’s being ‘cut’ with all sorts of rubbish apparently.

    So natch Dame Nikki suggested that Cocaine be licensed (even better why not sell it in the BBC canteen?) so that the quality can be assured.

    Better still, don’t take Cocaine you twats.

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    • Roland Deschain says:

      They seem to have gone very quiet about Coulson all of a sudden.  The lull before the storm?

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  26. deegee says:

    How soon will it be before Ikhwanophobia enters the BBC lexicon?

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  27. Grant says:

    “Beyond Westminster ” on saturday R4 presented by left-wing journalist, Andrew Rawnsley, was full of Tories, Lord Heseltine, Lord Lawson, Gillian Shephard and others .  I was totally taken aback. Has the BBC changed sides. But then it all became apparent.
    The coalition is re-introducing the “Star Chamber” to decide budget allocations between departments. The last time this was used was when the nasty Tories were last in power. Needless to say the programme concentrated on the evil Thatcher years. The whole thrust was that this was a messy argumentative process of horse-trading which is very bad.
    Predictably, the universal Darling was interviewed but , amazingly, didn’t follow the script and said he was actually in favour of the Star Chamber. Rawnsley hurriedly moved on. Needless to say Darling was given the last word. Job done !
    Classic, blatant , BBC bias at its best !

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  28. Grant says:

    Bupendra,
    Congrats !  Where do I find the “post counter ”  anyone ?

       0 likes

  29. Martin says:

    BBC article on Cacaine

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11177126

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  30. George R says:

    “The BBC completely fails to understand the Tea Party movement ”

    (Janet Daley)

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/janetdaley/100052632/the-bbc-completely-fails-to-understand-the-tea-party-movement/

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  31. John Anderson says:

    That’s odd.  In all the blanket coverage of the Coulson business by the BBC,  I have heard no mention of the fact that the whole story pivots on New York Times allegations based on the testimony of a journalist who was sacked by the News of the World,  and who has not spoken out about Coulson these past 4 years.

    Of course these points are entirely irrelevant.  The BBC only ever reports responsibly and fully – it never engages in smear tactics.

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  32. Beeboidal says:

    Dr A’s earlier post reminds me of Bernard Donoughue’s remarks about a speech made by Jim Callaghan in 1976 at Ruskin College in the wake of the William Tyndale School affair :

    “Ruskin was based on my instinctive and basic belief that education was one of the most important issues in society. In any case, the government had to get the economy right but education was what really mattered. All this was being spoilt by middle-class ideologues,who themselves did not have a proper experience of state education. Their prejudices were at the expense of working-class children. There was clear evidence that working -class parents and children wanted education and what they wanted was not the same middle-class Labour people from Islington, the trendy lecturers from higher education who wanted education at the expense of working-class kids. Jim and I talked about this. Whenever I heard those people talk I got very angry…Their thinking was based on Guardian style ideologies and prejudices.”



    Bernard Donoughue, Head of Policy Unit at No. 10 under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan.

    Incidentally, unlike some of today’s cohort, Donoughue did send his own children to a school not far from the William Tyndale School. Although it was not the shambles that William Tyndale was, he was far from impressed by the standard of education his children were getting.

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    • John Anderson says:

      Yes, Jim Callaghan was the first PM to start suggesting that British (or rather English and Welsh) education had gone down the tubes.  When he took over from Wilson in 1976,  he set up informal meetings with each of his Cabinet – to discuss the “broad view” of their responsibility.  I was in the Cabinet Office at the time,  and worked on the briefimng for his meeting with Shirley Wiliams who was Education Secretary. 

      I remember feeding in that I had had a stronger grounding in the 3 Rs – we ALL had – at an orphanage in wooden huts just after the war than my young children were getting in “posh” primary schools in Wimbledon in the 1970s.  And that the people who really suffered from falling standards were the working class.   Callaghan seemed to take that view too.   That was when the “education debate about standards” – not just the grammar school/comprehensive argument, began. 

      Sadly,  things seem just as bad now.  The idea of setting standards has been totally subverted by the teachers and their unions.

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  33. George R says:

    Islam Not BBC  (INBBC) reports that the main threat to West’s troops in Afghanistan comes not from the Islamic jihad killers of the Taliban, but from a church in Florida!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11209738

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  34. Grant says:

    Daily Politics just now and I am trying to come to terms with the return of Anita Anand and the absence of the gorgeous, pouting Jo Coburn. On the other hand, I have to accept that I was developing an unhealthy obsession with Jo, so maybe all is for the best.
    And the main guest for the whole “show” , yes the universal Darling. Unbelievable.
    Quite a big feature on the useless HMRC’s latest cock-up. Michael Fallon appeared for that part and did point out that Darling had not apologised. But, generally, even Andrew Neil was pretty kid gloves with Darling.
    Then one of the great quotes of all time. Darling said about the government announcement of the HMRC cock-up  ” it leaked out on Friday night , never the best time to make an announcement”.  We all know lefties don’t do irony, but Brillo didn’t pick him up on that.
    Next a piece on the Labour leadership contest. Can’t tell you much as it was so boring, I didn’t pay much attention except that some poll puts the lovely Diane in third place. That’s my girl !
    One consolation, not a single mention of Andy Coulson !

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  35. George R says:

    Another BBC broadcasting area which shgould be CUT:

    The BBC, in World Service guise, which is paid for by British taxpayers, had just paid the Premier League (an undisclosed fee) for the rights to radio broadcasts in AFRICA.

    Let’s get this right: it is now normal for British people to pay tax, which goes to an arm of the BBC, so that African people in Africa can be entertained at our expense?!

    http://www.newstatesman.com/broadcast/2010/09/premier-league-bbc-rights

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  36. George R says:

    Surely the Obama worshippers at Islam Not BBC (INBBC) will get on to this?:

    Spencer: Pakistani Government Minister: Obama For Caliph!

    [Extract]:
    “The caliph in Sunni Islam is the symbol of the supranational unity of the Muslims, and is the successor of Muhammad as the military, political, and spiritual leader of the Islamic community. There hasn’t been a caliph for nearly 90 years, but now Pakistan’s Minister of State for Industries, Ayatullah Durrani, has a novel idea for just the right man for the job: Barack Obama! “

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  37. Martin says:

    You’d think that will millions of people about to get a nasty shock through the post that our political elite would be worrying about how people are going to cope paying back thousands of pounds. But no, shits like Keith Vaz and the posing queen (Bryant) are more interested in political points scoring.

    The BBC of course doesn’t want to hold the last Government to account for this mess. It happened on THEIR watch, caused in large part by yet another Gordon McMong screw up of merging departments and another crap computer system.

    Of course the people who should pay back the money owed is the Liebour party and the politicians involved.

    Me thinks part of the reason for the Coulson story on the BBC is to divert attention away from this scandal, but once these letters come through the door people won’t give a shit about what Coulson did or did not know, but how the hell they pay back thousands of pounds.

    I’m betting not many Somali asylum seekers will be paying back money.

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  38. Guest Who says:

    As the name suggests, this site is primarily concerned with bias, but I do also share its interest in competence and professionalism on the part of Aunty’s finest.

    For the last few days I have been at the wheel over lunch, and had occasion to listen to the Vine Ratings Whip-up… er… show.

    So far, so… ‘how about a market rate raise to match the commercial sector for dumbing down?’.

    But I have also noticed that, amongst the rabble-rousing, almost any pretence at responsible, accurate progamming has been sent up the Swanny.

    I’ve lost count of the number of Doreen’s from Dunstable who have pretty much claimed whatever they feel like as fact, on issues ranging from tax evasion to tree surgery, with our Jezza at best giggling and saying ‘they might not be able to say that’.

    No, they should not. And the BBC should not be giving these retards a platform. What we should have is valid information presented and objectively debated in a balanced manner by folk who know what they are on about, and are accountable.

    And if you do have to have a carefully selected segment of the public on, at least have the same folk to hand to put the listener straight on what’s actually true or not.

    Meanwhile, top of the news we have a ‘claim’ by an un-named Minsiter…

    Er, that is not news. It is heresay. 

    It’s one thing to have Newsnight’s Crick basing a sordid career on what some bloke told him some other bloke may have said, but not the main news.

    FACTS, BBC! Attributed, substantiated, verified…FACTS!

    NOT what you think serves the agenda or your career chances.

       0 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Mind you, by contrast, there is the vast machine that goes into reporting a ‘good’ story.

      Ed_Miliband   RT @EdMTeam: Ed Miliband’s 3 steps for Danny Alexander to protect public services and those on low and middle incomes http://bit.ly/bZePYZ

      OK, he’s RT’d his own plug. But then what’s needed is to get the Graun to run a blog on this, and then get the BBC to report that… and you have… tonight’s ‘news’ lead!

         0 likes

  39. Pounce says:

    The bBC continues with its message of the wonder of ……Islam.

    British Palestinian rapper conducts a ‘musical intifada

    Ms Mansour says she first started singing at the age of five or six, often accompanying her parents at pro-Palestinian rallies in London as a child.”We would sing protest songs,” she says. “I come from a musical family, a revolutionary musical family.”Ms Mansour was inspired by classical 20th Century Arabic singers such as Lebanese artist Fairouz and Egypt’s Mohammed Abdel Wahab. She moved towards hip-hop in her teens.But what distinguishes her from many other British rappers is that she chooses to rap in Arabic even though English is her first language.”Arabic is the language of poetry, a very classical language,” says Ms Mansour.“For me it’s all about originality. I am Arabic, my name is Arabic, and I believe I should rap in Arabic.”

    …………..”It’s not just prancing about on stage. It’s about showing support and showing that there are Palestinians in the diaspora who want to promote their identity and culture.”


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  40. Roland Deschain says:

    I didn’t think the BBC’s sudden silence about Coulson would last.  It’s back as the main story now.

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  41. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Oh, great, now the BBC has gone and found some useful US Jew to tell you I’m an intolerant racist. Apologies in advance for having this split into two comments.  But there are important issues to cover here.

    Michael Goldfarb is a far-Left journalist who has done reporting on Iraq and Kurdistan, and wrote a book trying to prove that Iraqis were better off under Sadaam, and we should have left him in power.  He seems to be much more proud of his heritage than any Jewish BBC employee, which isn’t all that hard to do.  But that’s the reason why the BBC asked him to write this piece, not why you should ignore him completely.


    Viewpoint: Religious freedom is not tolerance

    The reason you should ingore his viewpoint is that he demonstrates his ignorance and fascist tendencies near the end of the piece, which discredits him entirely.

    In the furor over Park 51, the more thinking members of the anti-mosque brigade have invoked French reasoning without using the word France, reminding the project’s prime mover, Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, that tolerated minorities have reciprocal responsibilities not to tread to heavily on the feelings of the majority.

    Where equality fits into their reasoning is not clear.

    What does “equality” have to do with it?  Nothing whatsoever, of course.  It’s a non sequitur, a distraction.  Now the reader is thinking that, “hey, these United Statesians are awful because equality is the most important thing”.  Which has nothing to do with the concept of “tolerance”.  Typical stifling of debate.

    Curiously Britain, which had no 18th Century revolution and which still bans a Catholic from taking the throne, has had in these times of tensions between Muslims and their fellow citizens, fewer problems.

    Despite the bombings of 7/7 and several subsequent near-miss plots, and although its Muslim population is primarily composed of immigrants from Pakistan, a country where radical Islam has a strong foothold, there seems to be, for want of a better word, tolerance.

    I’ll wait for you to stop laughing before I continue.  It took me about five minutes.


    In last May’s election, the British National Party, which melds Islamophobia with a general anti-immigrant stance, actually lost seats on local councils.

    He forgot to mention that the BNP now has 2 MEPs, and the differences in voting procedures which produce different results. But that would distract from the “Brits are more tolerant than the US” Narrative the BBC loves to push.

    Through its empire, British society had several centuries of extensive contact with Muslims. People in Britain may have prejudice against Muslims but they don’t have the same visceral intolerance that is often the first response when people encounter someone alien.

    I’ll wait for you to stop laughing again.  I guess this guy has never been outside his cozy little circle of cosmopolitan London friends.

    Now for the worst part:

    Prior to 9/11, my guess is that most Americans didn’t realise there were up to two million Muslims living in their country and they certainly didn’t know or think much about Islam at all… just as they don’t know or think much about the world outside the US.

    And there you have it:  yet another pronouncement from on high about how ignorant we are.  This is an absolutely bigoted statement.  Even though he admits it’s just his own personal guess, he bases his entire argument on it.  This is a classic example of the same kind of intolerance we’ve seen time and time again from the Liberal Elites in New York and the West/Left Coast. It’s the same bigotry we’ve seen from nearly every Beeboid reporting on the US.  That’s why the BBC asked Goldfarb to write this op-ed:  he fits exactly in with their world view.  Just like the recent video report about how Ground Zero is nothing special and anyone who thinks otherwise is a racist, the BBC had a predetermined Narrative they wanted to tell, and went out and found somebody with the correct thoughts to do it.

    (continued below)

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    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      (continued from above)

      Officially in Britain, there is an established church and an official inequality of religious freedom at the highest level, but tolerance seems to be thriving.

      Sure.  Jedis, Wiccans, Muslims – all tolerated to the nth degree.  Catholics or Anglicans not excited about homosexual bishops, not so much.  Jews?  Sure, but not if they support Israel.  Again, he’s spouting a Narrative, with no substance at all.

      In America, the idea of religious freedom remains paramount, yet intolerance seems to be on the rise. Far too many insist on saying the US is a “Christian” country without considering what that means for those of us who are Americans but not Christian.

      Here’s where he’s rewriting history.  This has been the cry of many people on the Left who want to shut down debate by claiming this is somehow oppressive.  This is a new complaint which did not exist 100 years ago or 200 years ago.   The problem is that both sides of the argument (not counting extremists) have a different definition of the term “Christian country”.

      Those on the far Left try to claim that this means something like putting Jesus in the law books and pushing Christianity in everyone’s faces.  Goldfarb even admits that he believes that the idea of a “Christian country” is oppressive to people like himself.  Of course, that’s not what most people actually mean – it’s just the negative spin that the BBC and people like Goldfarb want you to think about.  You’re not given the other viewpoint, only that the concept is oppressive by definition.

      In reality, most people who talk about a “Christian country” are talking about a set of values:  Decency, honesty, a Protestant work ethic, Do-Unto-Others kind of thing.  This is not about pushing Jesus in everyone’s face.  Granted, they usually want Christianity to be acknowledged as the main value system, but will nearly always refer to it as “Judeo-Christian”.  Goldfarb doesn’t want to think about that because it eliminates the basis for his claims of oppression.

      In any case, “Christian” is a very general term.  I don’t even know how many different churches and sects there are in the US.  And I’d bet half of them don’t even consider the others to be proper Christians anyway.  So it’s not specifically about religious worship at all.  Anyone who has read excerpts of Glenn Beck’s speech from last week might get some idea of what I mean.  It’s about a general value system, one which could pass for a trendy vicar speech if it wasn’t being broadcast on Fox News.

      Sorry, I nearly left out the actual fasicst bit:

      The answer I offer is that religious freedom needs to be guaranteed by law – as it is in the American Constitution – because religious tolerance is variable, something we cannot rely on our fellow citizens to practise as a matter of course.

      Note to useful Jew Michael Goldfarb:  The Constitution IS law.  What the hell does he think it is?  How can the BBC hire someone so ignorant to write about US issues?  Not only that, but there are already plenty of anti-discrimination laws on the books all over the country.  Ignorance on display right there.  Worse, one almost gets the feeling he wants to see people arrested on the spot for expressing “intolerance”.

      What this intellectual fasicst really wants is more laws which will enable people like him to pick and choose moments to oppress people who hold unapproved thoughts.  Note how Goldfarb wrings his hands over what he perceives to be a lack of tolerance, but presents no examples of any actions.  Nobody’s beating Muslims in the street.  Nobody’s burning down mosques left and right.  There are isolated incidents of people expressing silly anger, perhaps.  But this is an extremely tiny minority in a country of 300 million people.

      No, it’s all about how he doesn’t approve of some people’s thoughts, and wants laws with which to punish them.  This is classic fascism.

         0 likes

  42. David Preiser (USA) says:

    I’m getting tired of hearing about how shocked, shocked everyone is about how Connaught is going down the toilet.  There are a couple of important facts that even Robert Peston isn’t able to tell you about this “extra-oooooordinary stoooooory”.

    First, while Peston and a couple other Beeboids have uttered the words “social housing” in their reports, what they do not tell you is that Connaught was basically a government contractor.  Indeed, they got huge amounts of cash for building social housing, as well as from the MoD, including a 35-year deal.  Anybody heard “PFI” pass the lips of a Beeboid today?

    Then there’s the matter of exactly why so many of these cooooontracts were money losers for Connaught.  Again, Peston is mystified.

    Here’s a good reason for a start:

    Allenby/Connaught’s eco warriors

    It turns out that lots of these government contracts included rules about sustainabile energy and all the usual chimeras we hear about.  In fact, the 35-year deal with the MoD I linked to above is full of that jargon.  As many have shown here in the past, green energy is a money loser.  The more I look at what Connaught was doing (or being led into by the Labour Government), the less surprised I am that they’re in the toilet for more than £200 mil.

    Then there’s the other thing:  This is all down to PFI schemes from Chancellor Gordon Brown and the Labour Government.  In fact, one of Mr. Brown’s greatest economic errors was to shift PFIs off the books so they didn’t count against the official budget.  This allowed him to spend and spend while still claiming that he wasn’t spending so much on the official books.  It was a neat bit of accounting slight-of-hand, but it led to the actual public debt being much, much more than anyone really knew about at first.

    So basically, Connaught was living large on your taxes, and tied down to unmanageable environmental rules.  This combination was never sustainable.  Yet another example of how people who scream about “sustainability” never apply that concept where it counts.  And what the hell was the Labour Government doing handing out crap contracts like this in the first place?  BBC geniuses not interested, apparently.

    Gordon Brown’s fingerprints are all over this.  But don’t expect BBC business editor and Gordon Brown biographer, Robert Peston, to tell you.  Instead, they’ll distract you with worries about what will happen to those 10,000 jobs.  Just don’t blame Labour for it, right, BBC?

       0 likes

    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      Ed Hammond from the FT just added more fuel to what I’m talking about.  He blamed Connaught for mismanaging contracts and kicking losses further down the road.  Does that sound familiar?  Funny how he doesn’t mention any of the environmental handicaps.

      Again I ask:  why was Labour allowing these crap contracts to go out, giving them to a company which might have been the largest Defense contractor in the UK?  If all these construction deals fall apart, it’s due to poor Government stewardship for giving out crap contracts to a crap contractor.  
       
      The more the BBC shifts blame away from Mr. Brown, the more it looks suspect.

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  43. Martin says:

    Yet again the BBC fails to point out JUST WHO made a mess of our tax system. No doubt the Bum Bandit Corporation will be blaming the Tories soon when of course the one eyed mong and his vile stenchmen were totally responsible.

    Complicated benefits system and a shit computer system. I look forward to the BBC highlighting this soon… oh hang on the New York Times is running another Andy Coulson story.

    Liebour can’t stop trying to use the Police as an instrument of terror, but forget they are no longer in power. Keith Vaz should be in a prison cell getting his arse reamed by the local lag.

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  44. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Here’s good ol’ Justin Webb turning the Today Programme into a party politicial broadcast to support the US President.


    President Obama has largely achieved what he said he would, yet some observers regard him as a failure and he is facing the prospect of significant electoral losses in the forthcoming mid-term elections.

    He has?  Guantanamo is still open.  We’re only able to withdraw some troops from Iraq because of the surge that He opposed.  ObamaCare was written and pushed through by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  All He did was speechify and sign it.  And it’s not even really providing health care to those who can’t afford it – it’s something quite different in practice.  He has not improved foreign relations one bit, and has in fact alienated certain allies while actually strengthening our enemies.  He didn’t promise much else besides platitudes and some vague notion of “Change”, which could mean anything.

    The only real thing He’s accomplished that he said he would do is “take that wealth and spread it around.”  The Democrat activist says this is the biggest legislative achievement in the last 40 years, and people like me just don’t get it.  Sure it is, in terms of the vast amount of cash thrown into the air.  But not in any positive, transformative way.

    I guess that’s enough for the BBC.  It’s no surprise they have on a Democrat activist and someone who endorsed the Obamessiah for President.  One says that angry people are just going to vote against whoever is the incumbent, and the other says He’ll be just fine in spite of the evil Sarah Palin and Tea Partiers.  This was a discussion of various ways to be encouraged about the President.  Balanced or what?

    It’s long past the ridiculous and into the pathological.  The BBC has so much emotionally invested in the Obamessiah Presidency that they miss no opportunity to use your license fee to promote Him and His policies, and to attack His opponents, or anyone who might disagree with one of His policies.

    I’m surprised that there hasn’t been more backlash against the BBC for spending so much time and energy promoting the leader of a foreign country.

       0 likes

    • Martin says:

      Don’t forget David he’s added millions more to the unemployment lines, he’s massively increased the US national debt, he’s allowed North Korea to murder South Korean sailors, he’s allowed Iran to get even closer to building a nuke and he’s allowing chaos to reign down on the US/Mexican border.

      I guess Webb like Mardell has his nose so far up Barry’s arse all he sees is ring piece.

         0 likes

      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        He sure hasn’t done anything for the homosexuals, either.  Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is still going on, and He’s not helping promote homosexual marriage (During the debates, He said He was not in favor of it – silence from the BBC),  The BBC can’t even bring themselves to criticize Him for that any more.  And especially now as it’s election season and the Democrats are in trouble.

        It’s going to be a real crisis of faith at the BBC.  Gonna be a lot of Bible quotes in my comments in the next few weeks.

           0 likes

    • Grant says:

      I love the bit about “some observers”. Since when has a majority been “some”  ?

         0 likes

  45. George R says:

    Australia: Gillard, and Labour’s price for ‘democracy’ is £5.8 billion.

    Compare and contrast 1.) and 2.):

    1.)  ‘Telegraph’ report:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/7987042/Australias-first-woman-prime-minister-Julia-Gillard-clings-on-to-power.html

    2.) BBC NUJ report:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11209560

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  46. Mick says:

    Jailed for election vote rigging!
    This would have been a major story for the BBC at one time.
    I remember at the time a mate telling me he had seen the local community leader with a carrier bag going house to house collecting postal vote forms, but it seemed like the norm, but at least they EVENTUALLY got busted.
    Shame the Beeb couldn’t make a bigger story of it, BUT…wrong religion and ethnicity methinks.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-11204720

       0 likes

    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      I’ve had the News Channel on in the background for at least four hours now, and I haven’t heard a single word about this.  However, I have heard – several times – about somebody who put up a big tree in Plymouth his neighbors don’t like.  It’s not a slow news day, just a biased news day.

         0 likes

      • Mick says:

        “Election watchdogs have revealed how the now-notorious ‘Bradford Fraud’ of 2005 led to better checks and balances being introduced to prevent abuse of the postal voting system.”

        That snippet from my local paper, but it was so ‘notorious’ that the Beeb have practically ignored it.
        Still, registering 57 people to vote at an empty property was probably just an oversight by these muslim, conservative, pillars of the community!

           0 likes

  47. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Every time the BBC mentions the downfall of Connaught, they describe it as a contrsuction company involved in “social housing”.  They still haven’t said one word about how Connaught was even more involved in MoD contracts.  One fact fits the Narrative, the other doesn’t.  Not so much sympathy from the Left if a company was involved with nasty warmongers, eh, BBC?

       0 likes

  48. Martin says:

    No mention that the New York Times is refusing to co-operate with the Met Police either David.

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  49. Martin says:

    Yes you’d think the BBC would be making MORE of the convictions in Bradford as TORIES are involved, but of course they are Muslims and we can’t have that can we?

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