Anyone else catch Miliband on with Humphyrs this morning? To be fair to Humphrys, he did challenge Miliband but then again Miliband is so abysmal that even the BBC struggle to make him look good. The interesting bit for me is when Humphrys starts talking about the late Robin Cook who “brilliant” and “everybody” recognised as leader material? (Around 17mins) Really? Isn’t this an instance of John Humphrys admitting that at that time, he was a fan of a senior Labour politician? Is this what passes for studied impartiality?
BRILLIANCE?
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Yes, I did. I thought John Humphrys was very ‘leading’ in terms of the way the audience was meant to read the interview. I reguarly listen to Radio 4 in the morning and am moreover disappointed with this style of journalism. In essence it feels that they are telling people how to think. I thought Ed Miliband did a fair job in his response. I always thought that the BBC was meant to be impartial.
The BBC is MEANT to be impartial, but it is fairly obvious to the world and his brother, that that’s the LAST thing it actually is, blatantly so.
I remember Robin Cook who, having shat on his wife on live TV, was called “one of the best Foreign Secretarys the UK has ever had” by Tony Blair…this was about 3 months into New labour if I recall.
Would that be the same Robin Cook who almost made history as the first foreign secretary ever to be booted out of Israel for inciting racial hatred between Arabs and Jews? He got out just in time, and went on to the Indian subcontinent where he almost triggered a nuclear war between India and Pakistan. Truly the Mr Bean of foreign secretaries.
I remember all that. He was a disaster, certainly not leader material and as far from brilliant as a modern bulb.
I also remember him skewering himself when being asked on the Lothian Question – he so painted himself in a corner that he claimed he would not vote on a devolution (a la Dalyell) bill. He was completely rattled and way out of his depth even under gentle probing. Needless to say he changed his mind only weeks later and said in another interview that of course he would vote for devolution.
Incompetent, dishonest, weak and hypocritical. Plus he was caught with his trousers down which the BBC and its Labour Party allies had demanded resignations when Conservatives were doing the same (Mellor, Parkinson etc.) but that with him it was a personal matter. Definitely BBC double-standards.
I often wondered if claims of his “brilliance” was a Conservative ploy to make him leader because he was so appalling.
ROFLMAO, Robin Cook, wasn’t he bumped off by Blair with a poisoned umbrella or something, for opposing the Iraq War.
Of course John Humphrys liked Robin Cook. He was an off-the-wall leftie fruitcake. But a sharp talker. Birds of a feather….
The BBC likes its toadies alive and kicking…and its rebels dead, but with a shrine, where they can go to pose.
When Robin Cook joins the likes of Strummer, Lennon, Marley and Amy up on the Mantelpiece of the Heroic Revolution….you`re running out of heroes!
Safe to say that Humphrys and Dimblebys won`t make anybodys list of anything other than paperboys of the Politburo…as long as the flag is pink, then they`ll salute!
Is Comical Ali still available?…much funnier and more honest that Tariq anyway!
I also heard the interview and reflected that JH was hard on Miliband. But remember, the Beeb’s loyalty is to Labour not to the man, and they have clearly decided that Miliband is not helping, so they want to help him on his way.
‘ they have clearly decided that Miliband is not helping, so they want to help him on his way.’
Can only speak for SKY, but the state of governance in the UK today was laid bare this morning by the sole obsession of the politico-media bubble that curses us: will LOTO ‘land a blow’ on PM?
With the BBC in his corner, and reporting the fight through their own skewed prism, this already sorry spectacle of national leadership is either demeaned by our pathetic media estate, or then rigged by an agenda-obsessed aspect of it.
Getting the national direction mandated by the ‘analysis’ of some teenage peroxide sink whose ratings depend on gossip, or bald sources sayer whose career depends on showing the bosses he’s a team player, is a travesty of democratic process.
They are all at it, to be sure. Only one do I get forced to fund.
The BBC deciding the next Labour leader, to invest £$Bpa’s worth of PR getting them eleceted to serve their niche social engineering ambitions and interests, is not something I want done on my dime.
The BBC shouldn’t be invovled. And shouldnt’ have an opinion. Full stop.
Whether its Miliband or someone else.
Re the quality of couchbound cuties on daytime telly.
Saw a piece about some musician and his new CD from last September on YouTube.
The two Beeboids knew nothing about him or the references to poetry etc in the music at all.
Someone commented underneath the clip,that these Beeboids obviously only sounded “intelligent” as long as a politico was included on the settee by way of comparison.
Whereas, when anyone vaguely intelligent, creative or from outside the Beeb/Westminster world is parachuted in-they really revert to Alan Partridge without his meds.
If we just accept that these couchbound cuties are paid to be thick and make MPs seem worth the candle, then we`ll know not to expect anything from them.
Daytime TV was brought in by Thatchers lot to make people go out and get a job…
Hmmm? Robin Cook? Didn’t he call the English ‘mongrels’ in a speech and then campaigned to get the Tory MP who complained about this racist slur sacked for repeating it?
IIRC The BBC kept quiet about Cook and claimed the Tory was the one who had said it.
I noted how the interview above has lead to this : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2085452/Ed-Miliband-Nobody-loves-eat-Quorn.html?ITO=1490 – Miliband scorned/pitied in parliament
Humphries getting tough on Miliband has shown Liebour that Auntie Beeb doesn’t think he is up to it so they have stopped supporting him in parliament – who would have believed it??