Monthly Archives: February 2012

A GREEK TRAGEDY

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MSM coverage of events in Athens last night was lamentably slow, with Sky and the BBC sharing honours in putting BAFTA trivia ahead of a major European capital in flames. Then again, when a broadcaster like the BBC is in receipt of ££millions from the EU, perhaps the images of Athens ablaze is unhelpful? Of course in the end they HAD to show the scale and depth of public unrest but not without the repetition of this soundbite from Lucas Papademos ““Vandalism, violence and destruction have no place in a democratic country and won’t be tolerated”. I am surprised that the BBC were unable to find anyone who could point out that unelected technocrats imposing Germanic austerity against the will of the Greek people is not really “democracy” in the first place.

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WHITEWASH

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Back in November, the BBC begrudgingly admitted that some of its greenie/current affairs programmes broadcast on BBC World News and made by an outfit called FBC Media (UK) Ltd had been illegally sponsored by influence groups including the Malaysian and Egyptian governments to the tune of at least £18m. This was no small beer, and I sensed it was the tip of an iceberg because also drawn into the net of accepting inappropriate sponsorship was the Television Trust for the Environment, an organisation made up of green nutters who boast about having the largest library of such material in the world and who supply dozens of programmes to the BBC.

As I reported in November, trustee Richard Ayre was duly appointed to investigate. This was a bit like putting a fox in charge of a hen house because not only is he an ex-BBC journalist of 30 years, but also he is a member and past chairman of the militant rights group Article 19, which believes fervently in warmist claptrap. In other words, he’s about as impartial on green issues as his boss, Chris Patten, is about the EU.

Mr Ayre has now published his report. This is what he says:

“A small number of programmes broadcast on BBC World News between February 2009 and July 2011 broke BBC rules aimed at protecting our editorial integrity. These rules ensure that programmes are free, and are seen to be free, from commercial or other outside pressures. Three current affairs programmes were sponsored, which is nota allowed. Three other programmes were partly sponsored by external organisations with a direct interest in the subject matter and this too broke our rules. In one other programme, the financial relationship between the sponsor and the production company was acceptable but was not made clear enough to viewers. In the case of eight other programmes, all of which featured Malaysia, we found that the production company which made the programmes appeared to have a financial relationship with the Malaysian Government. This meant there was a potential conflict of interest, though the BBC was not aware of it when the programmes were broadcast. Nne of the programmes breached the BBC guidelines on impartiality and none of the BBC’s news bulletins was affected.”

So what Mr Ayre has done is nail the production company for all the blame, and to say that’s it. Move along, there, nothing to see, it was only a little localised problem and we have dealt with it, even though it wasn’t us to blame, it was careless, nasty outsiders. Tell me if I am wrong, but this – like most such BBC inquries – stinks of one word: whitewash.

But meanwhile, as I noted in November, TVE has mysteriously vanished from the web without a trace, and the corporation continue to churn out greenie nonsense on a monumental scale, as well as being directly involved in propaganda. I note, for example, that the BBC is working hand in glove with EDF Energy – one of the power giants specialising in spreading hypothermia – in brainwashing kids about climate change and greenie moonshine. And who are among the principal paid advisors of EDF? Why the BBC chairman and his deputy of course.

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REAPING THE WHIRLWIND

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Putting the BBC in charge of a project to arbitrate the accuracy of weather forecasting organisations in the UK is a bit like Josef Mengele running research into the science of eugenics. They (from the Trustees down) long since made their collective mind up that man-made global warming is definitely happening, and that the warmist fanatics at the Meteorological Office are therefore to be believed in their fantasist modelling. Nevetheless, Roger Harrabin persuaded his bosses to shell out a bucket-load of our cash on such a project, no doubt spurred on by the corporate missionary zeal to prove wrong the hated “denialists” who dare to question warmist weather orthodoxy. Last month, as the linked report shows, Mr Harrabin announced that his pet scheme was on the verge of going ahead, and he listed an impressive array of weather organisations and forecasters who were poised to take part.

But, as the Mail reports today, they aren’t. If the report is accurate, all of the forecasters on Mr Harrabin’s list who might reasonably called sceptical about warmist zeal – including the impressive but deeply sceptical Jo Bastardi and Piers Corbyn – are instead turning their fire on the BBC for their pre-determined political views on the topic. Independent forecaster David King is quoted as saying the BBC organisation is “factional”.

Irrespective of what actually happens, it does not take a genius to work out that the project will struggle to persuade anyone that it is objective or valid. The BBC has been outrageously partisan on the subject of the weather so systematically and for so long that the corporation’s credibility in this arena is entirely shot. Andrew Montford’s masterful analysis of the warmist hijacking of the Royal Society emhpasises yet again the key role in the spreading of warmist propaganda played by Roger Harrabin – as does Autonomous Mind here. As you sow, so shall you reap.

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IN THE BLUE BUT OFF THE SCREEN!

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A B-BBC reader asks;

“During the milder than normal November/December of 2011, I saw a weather report on the BBC which used a graphic comparing temperatures to the average for the time of year.

From memory, the graphic and the temperature line used nice warmish colours and was on an upward trajectory. This indicated the temperature was above average for the time of year, and that it would be rising for the rest of the week in question. 

I’ve been waiting to see a similar graphic with blue colours on a downward trajectory. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I wonder if any of your other eagle-eyed readers have spotted one?”

Over to you…

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FILE UNDER HIDDEN…

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Biased BBC’s Alan reports;


2The truth of theallegations against Jimmy Saville are not proven in any way and that is not thepoint of this…..here the BBC felt that the mere accusation was enough to’tarnish’ the BBC’s reputation and so they filed the report away never to beseen.
 BBC ‘buried Savile sex abuse claims to save its reputation’
The BBC shelved a Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir JimmySavile sexually abused a teenage girl in his dressing room at TelevisionCentre, it has emerged.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9073142/BBC-buried-Savile-sex-abuse-claims-to-save-its-reputation.html
It makes you wonder why they have similarly ‘buried’ the Balen Report and spent£300,000 in legal costs ensuring the public do not get to see its contents. What does it tell us about the BBC’s coverage of Israel and the Jews? Can’t begood news can it?It was Mark Thompson who told us that ‘we provide a bridge to the world, abridge to freedom, it is very important that the story of Gaza is told aroundthe world.’ So we know whose side he is on anyway.

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The BBC Will Not Be Discussing This Republican

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Here’s one for you. Spend a moment or two studying the “Issues” page of the Mia Love for Congress website. Ms. Love is a Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives from Utah.

Issues – Mia Love

Notice the issues listed, and her positions on them. Note especially the ethnicity of all the people in the accompanying photos. Also notice how close her positions on certain issues tie in with those of the Tea Party movement. Now, try to guess Mia Love’s background.

Once you have a good guess, check out the main page. How well did you do?

Does anyone think the BBC US President editor will be discussing Mia Love’s candidacy any time soon? He’s all about politics, you know, a well-traveled, experienced political junkie, finger on the pulse of the country. The BBC expects you to trust his take on US politics and the feelings of the people. If Mardell doesn’t find a moment to bang out a short blog post about her in the next few months from the hotel bar while on the road following a Republican joke candidate for President, he’s useless and biased.

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SNOOZEQUIZ

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Once upon a time, I enjoyed the News Quiz! Barry Took was a decent cove as Chairman and the likes of Alan Coren provided acid wit and intelligence. Fast forward to this edition broadcast today with Sandi Toksvig in the chair and charmers like Jeremy Hardy and Phil Jupitus on the panel. I was really quite surprised to hear Toksvig tell Her Majesty “to get over herself” as concerns the Diamond Jubilee. How pleasant. Lots of anti-Monarchy jokes followed. Harry Redknapp was also speared by the panel despite his recent legal acquittal. I wonder if his lawyers were listening? It seems that the possibility of England having an English man as manager is upsetting to this BBC crew. I gave up listening about half ways through but couldn’t help but reflect on how this once entertaining programme is a hollow sham of what it once was.

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Evil White Man And His Fire Water

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The BBC never ceases to push a Nanny State agenda and often stumbles across some ingenious angles to use:

An American-Indian tribe in South Dakota has sued some of the world’s biggest beer firms over severe alcohol-related issues in the community. The Oglala Sioux Tribe are asking for $500m (£316m) for healthcare, social services and child rehabilitation.

Okay, so is anyone thirsty around here?

The lawsuit also names the nearby town of Whiteclay, Nebraska, which has four beer shops that sold nearly five million beer cans in 2010 despite having only about a dozen residents.

Alcohol is outlawed on the reservation and the nearest town which allows alcohol is 20 miles (32 metric thingy) away

So why has this sorry excuse of a story made it onto the BBC site?

Nebraska State Senator LeRoy Louden has said that after struggling with the problem for years, the state has introduced legislation that would impose restrictions – on the types of alcohol that can be sold and business hours.

Ah, there we go. Legislation is normal in BBC-land. Personal responsibility isn’t. Alcohol is already banned and they are planning further restrictions? The BBC is playing the victim card as usual. Just look at all of the pro-price fixing ‘medical reports’ and lobby group press releases released without rebuttal by the BBC for similar policies in the UK.

The reservation has grappled with alcohol problems and poverty for generations……includes Shannon County, the third poorest county in the US

The BBC – never reporting the grow-a-pair-and-sort-yourself-out point of view. Well, they are Red Indians Native Americans after all…

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