Monthly Archives: May 2012

EASTON: LACK OF PROTEST IS GOVERNMENT’S FAULT

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BBC Home editor Mark Easton believes Downing Street must be disappointed by the small scale of today’s strikes because, apparently, it shows that the government’s attempts to create an engaged citizenry is failing:

But if there is a surprise at the action today, it is that we haven’t seen more of it. And as I shall explain, I think for some in Downing Street, that is a bit of a worry.
When the budget cuts were announced back in 2010 there was an acceptance that austerity, once it started to bite, would be greeted by widespread public anger. Government unpopularity at this point in the cycle was a given and the big question was how the British population would make their fury felt…
My guess is that they imagined the pain of the cuts would wake people up to their democratic rights. While disagreeing with those who oppose their policies, of course, I suspect they thought this period in our politics might also represent an opportunity to rouse a populace that has come to regard itself as consumer rather than citizen.

Something tells me that if today’s strikes had been much bigger Easton would not have been claiming it as proof that the Big Society is working. Heads he wins, tails they lose. If he wants to see someone who is really disappointed in the level of protest, my “guess” is that he should look in the mirror.

BBC Censorship: Muslim Brotherhood and the Destruction of Israel Edition

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The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for President in Egypt has launched his campaign. A leading Egyptian cleric, Safwat Higazi, gave a keynote address. I give you the following highlights (translated by Memri):

Ceremony leader : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Crowds : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Ceremony leader : I am an Egyptian and proud of it.
Crowds : I am an Egyptian and proud of it.
Ceremony leader : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Crowds : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Ceremony leader : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Crowds : Mursi will liberate Gaza tomorrow.
Ceremony leader : Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowds : Allah Akbar.
Ceremony leader : Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Crowds : Allah Akbar.
Ceremony leader : Say: “Allah Akbar.”
Allah Akbar.
Safwat Higazi : Our capital shall not be Cairo, Mecca, or Medina. It shall be Jerusalem, Allah willing. Our cry shall be: “Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.” Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.
Crowds : Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.
Crowds : Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.
Safwat Higazi : Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.
Crowds : Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.
Ceremony leader : Banish the sleep from the eyes of all Jews.

This is completely as expected, of course. But not if you trust the BBC for your information on such matters. So far, the BBC is spending lots of time fretting about what Netanyahu will get up to next with the new changes in his government, but not a single word about this. Two weeks ago, Beeboid Yolande Knell reported this without question in her rather gentle profile of the candidate, Mohammed Mursi, portraying him as a not-so-bad Muslim Brotherhood candidate who hoped to “win over” ultra-conservative Muslims to his more even-keeled approach:

On the sensitive subject of Israel, Mr Mursi, says that he will keep the 1979 peace treaty but will not meet Israeli officials. He has promised to prioritise the Palestinian issue.

She wisely added this little disclaimer, though that’s no excuse for taking an obvious liar at his word about the peace treaty without comment.

He has said: “Egypt’s next president can’t be like his predecessor, he can’t be a follower who executes policies put to him from outside”.

Not a word about the MB’s desire to destroy Israel in Jon Leyne’s report from the other day about some local violence hurting their election chances, either.

Commentators believe the clashes have weakened Islamist groups, bolstered the popularity of the army, and strengthened the hand of the candidates from the secular side of Egyptian politics, including those with links to the former regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Yeah, maybe. But what do “commentators” believe about how well the “Kill the Jews” platform play with the Egyptian public? If Leyne continues to hang out with mostly liberal bloggers and happy youths, don’t expect the BBC to report that honestly.

It’s irrelevant whether or not one supports Israel or hates it or thinks this blog is full of “Israel Firsters” who wrongly cry that any legitimate criticism of Israel is really anti-Semitism. The BBC should quit sanitizing this stuff, and quit hiding the truth. Reporting that the MB candidate is dedicated to the destruction of Israel isn’t something to shy away from for fear of being accused of demonizing them due to influence by the Jewish Lobby.

SHAREHOLDER SPRING…

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Another recurrent BBC theme at the moment is the idea that the shareholders are revolting…..against the “big bosses” and their pay and bonus schemes. In fact they are prepared to go to the ends of the Earth to prove it, in this case, Australia.

The government is to set out in the Queen’s Speech how it plans to give shareholders more power to control executive pay. Vas Kolesnikoff, chief executive of the Australian Shareholders’ Association, explains how similar legislation was introduced last year in Australia.

Now, no one opposes the idea of shareholders exercising judgement, that is a good thing. But the BBC uses this issue to advance their socialist agenda that “big bosses” are working against the interests of their shareholders, that capitalism is deeply flawed. The item on Today also expressed the concern that large companies would move to recruit shareholders off the UK where more laissez-faire approaches prevail. Such wickedness. Oh, by the way, when do License payers get to vote on the salaries of senior BBC managers and “talent”? Can we vote down what they reward themselves please?

HAMMERING THE POINT HOME…

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Following in from yesterday’s post about those Pakistani Muslims convicted on grotesque sex crimes against young white girls, I tuned in to Today this morning to see how the BBC would develop this story. It was exactly as feared. They wheeled on the Deputy Children’s Commissioner Sue Berelowitz who explained that the grooming of young girls for sex is a crime going on in every community, not just the Asian community. (7.09am) She was permitted to parrot the official line that this organised grooming of young white girls happens in all faith groups and all ethnicities and it is totally wrong to think this is just an “Asian” or, heaven forbid, Muslim male problem, Phew – that’s alright then. I’m just wondering why the BBC as our State broadcaster seems to spend little time reporting on gangs of marauding Methodists of packs of rampant Presbyterians committing similar vile crimes. The BBC has a dog on this fight – it is out to PROVE that Muslim men do not have a problem here and do no constitute a threat to our society. They will do this despite the evidence that points otherwise.

THE MISSING WORDS..

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Defendants in Rochdale grooming trial

I know you have been discussing this on the Open Thread but I wanted to focus on the BBC coverage of the conviction of Nine Muslims in Rochdale for sexual crimes against young girls. For some reason, the BBC sees no reason to point out that they are all Pakistani Muslims, all part of that rich multicultural diaspora.  The Daily Telegraph makes reference to their Pakistani origins and Sky even finds the courage to use the M word!  In fairness to the BBC, the Police and Keith Vaz pile in to point out that this is NOT a race issue. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t? Is it a Islam issue? Seemingly not – or at least that’s not a question the BBC are remotely interested in pursuing.

IS IT COS I IS ENGLISH?

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Remarkable;

“Production staff in an English TV crew were dismayed when they lost the chance to work at the World Snooker Championships for the BBC.  But their disappoint turned to anger, when they realised their jobs were still available, but had been replaced under a quota scheme which favoured  employing staff from Scotland.  As a result, Scottish production crews were relocated to England and put up in a hotel – while the previous crews who had built up a specialist knowledge working on the programme were sidelined simply because they were English. “

A TANGLED WEBB…

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Biased BBC’s Alan reports  “Always a good morning to hear Justin Webb making a hash of things and getting the wrong end of the stick….that’ll be most mornings then.

He was chortling and enjoying the ‘Shareholder Spring’ and which he suggested was all about a movement against the greed of the Bosses who were being paid for failure….and refuting that old ‘myth’ that the companies couldn’t recruit the best staff if they didn’t pay the best money.

However Peston slapped him down and said no, don’t jump to conclusions, its about performance….or lack of….the bosses haven’t performed and so don’t deserve the high pay…..if they had performed they would get the pay….the big money was still on the table if you jumped through the right hoops. Of course I have some sympathy for Webb because he was only following the argument of his own Boss, Mark Thompson who claimed he was only paid so much because it was necessary to pay the market rate to get the best….presumably he is the best then.

‘Mr Thompson, who was paid £834,000 last year, insisted that in real terms his pay had decreased since he joined the corporation more than five years ago.
He added that the BBC has to offer competitive salaries to attract top talent if it wants to be the best broadcaster.

Mr Thompson said: “Suppose we want to get the head of HR from a private company, we couldn’t get them because [what we offer is] hundreds of thousands of pounds less than people can get in the private sector. We are so far behind the market.”  ‘

‘The BBC’s director general has claimed the corporation is finding it ‘extremely hard’ to fill senior roles because of the low wages it pays for management jobs.

Mark Thompson, said it was ‘not true to say there is a long queue of people’ hoping for high-level jobs at the corporation……‘It’s extremely hard now to fill senior jobs in the BBC and increasingly remuneration is a factor.’

He claimed bosses at the BBC are paid substantially less – said to be between 50 per cent and 80 per cent – than they would be elsewhere in the industry.’

I agree, personally I wouldn’t crawl out of bed, especially if it’s raining, and wander down to the job centre for less than a million a year, plus free tickets to ‘The Voice’.

NOTHING TO SEE, MOVE ALONG

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Did anyone else catch Stephanie “Two Eds” Flanders on the Today programme this morning discussing the economic policies of Francois Hollande? I was stunned to hear her claim that there is really very little, if any, substantive difference between what the foaming at the mouth Socialist Hollande has in mind and what Sarkzoy was doing. Total nonsense. It is Hollande’s radicalism that won the election (along with people being fed up with Sarkozy and who can blame them?) but to allege that he is a moderate is just plain biased analysis. It’s as if the BBC wants to instantly portray Hollande as a middle of the road centrist, nothing to see, move along. 75% tax rate? Only for the wealthy! Spend what you don’t have? That’s called “growth” or “investment” in these modern times! Maybe economics guru Flanders wants to look at what has happened the Euro since Monsieur Hollande won the poll.  Stephanomics? No – more like Balls economics, if you know what I mean.