Monthly Archives: June 2012

ANTI BRITISH RACISM – THE ONLY SORT OF RACISM THAT IS PERMITTED?

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A reader brings my attention to this;

So called comedy on Radio 4 at 6.30 tonight Simon day show
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jhjs3Character, working class Cockney, claims to have got his kids into a good school in london, with high Ofstead rating, thanks to the immigrants apparently, ‘the white kids are all idiots’ he says! Imagine if a ‘comedian’ said that about any other ethnic group? Really pees me off, the constant denigration of ethnic British people, especially working class, all lapped up by the middle class audience too who don’t even see how racist and filled with class hatred they are.

Yes, the BBC is always keen to have a bit of laff at the cor blimey stupid white kids. Then lecture us all on the evils of racism. Their inverted snobbery is visceral, apparent and disgraceful.

THE WINSOR BOY…

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Well, it’s pretty clear that the BBC is unhappy that Tom Winsor is the preferred new Chief Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales. On Today this morning they provided two slots for critics to have a pop at Mr Winsor, one at 7.09 and another @ 8.16am.  Lining up behind the Police Federation, the BBC will undoubtedly provide a pulpit for all those like Paul McKeever who put their self interest before the public interest. As more and more Public Sector Unions – and let’s be honest that is what the Police Federation is – line up to wage war against the Coalition, they can rely on the State Broadcaster to feather the flames of discontent.

CARRY ON REGARDLESS

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Biased BBC contributor Alan asks..” David Owen says we should leave the EU if it finally decides to integrate politically and financially…..but did the high fliers of the BBC’s top political programme notice?

The Today programme quizzed David Owen but failed to draw out the essential facts about his real views on European integration….although he did in fact say quietly about staying in the EU…‘personally I wouldn’t do that’……but Naughty completely ignored that rather important revelation……or didn’t realise its significance…which isn’t good for an exalted and revered political reporter.

David Owen has always been pro European but anti-federal Europe…..wanting a single market without a single government. His recent thinking on a referendum seems muddled and confusing to me…neither one nor the other….the questions he offers up for a referendum are vague and open to interpretation and later evasion and reinterpretation….

1. Do you want the UK to be part of the single market in a wider European Community? Yes/No
2. Do you want the UK to remain in the European Union, keeping open the option of joining the more integrated eurozone? Yes/No

Surely you could join the EU at anytime regardless of your current status within or without Europe….as he says non-EU member Turkey could join….so there is no need to remain in the EU solely to ‘keep a foot in the door’ for future integration….as it would always be open anyway.

The New Statesman certainly seems to think he is proposing closer ties to Europe.

Owen is very keen for Turkey to join the EU….however he reveals this……
‘The Agreement on the European Economic Area, which entered into force on 1 January 1994, covers a single market, referred to as the ‘Internal Market’, and when a country becomes a member of the European Union, it also applies to become party to the EEA Agreement, thus leading to an enlargement of the EEA. The EEA Agreement provides for the inclusion of EU legislation covering the ‘four freedoms’ – the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital.’

Note the ‘freedom of movement for persons’…….in other words if Turkey joins the EU her borders will be open and the clash of civilisations will really begin.

So would Turkey be merely a member of a ‘common market’ or a full EU member with these four freedoms?

But David Owen has also revealed something else…on 5Live on which Sheila Fogarty (starting at 13 mins 40 secs) winkled out of him an admission that we should leave the EU (at 18 mins) if it were to become a single financial and political block under one government as is now proposed.
Fogarty, the only genuinely impartial senior presenter on the radio, gets to the heart of his thinking which the ‘Today’ programme, the BBC’s prime political current affairs programme failed to do:

SF: ‘Do you view this moment as a kind of Geronimo moment in terms of the UK’s relationship with Europe?
DO: ‘Yes…if the button is pressed for a fully integrated Europe we must only be part of a single market….in a referendum we can ask if the public want to stay in the EU but once it moves towards this integrated model I would be prepared to say something I’ve never said before…that we should never join that.’
SF: ‘You’re saying more than we shouldn’t join, you’re saying we should leave it.’
DO: ‘Yes, alright….I see it as a new structure that we didn’t sign up to and much more integrated.’

Leave the EU? Perhaps Naughtie did hear him say it but his subconscious kicked in and steam rollered over the thought with the old mantra…’Keep calm and carry on…regardless’.

So there it is, either Naughtie is not a very good interviewer, missing the most significant part of Owen’s case, or he is so pro European that he can’t bring himself to contemplate even saying the words ‘leave the EU’.

My money’s on ….well both actually.

DISHONEST DOUBT

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A Biased BBC reader brings my attention to the latest BBC led Jihad against Christianity..

“If you should want to look into another example of anti-Christian bias at the BBC then look no further than the current 1:45pm slot on Radio 4. Honest Doubt, by former Bishop and agnostic/atheist Richard Holloway. If there’s a criticism of the Church or Christianity that can be made on a subject it will be.. and unchallenged too. If there’s a praise than can be made of something positive about the Church or Christianity on a given subject, don’t hold your breath to hear it.. if there’s two sides to an argument, onlyl expect to hear one. It’s shoddy and one sided and it’s on for weeks!”

“RIGHT WING” UKRAINIAN EXTREMISTS?

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I wanted to draw your attention to this excellent post by Neil Winton on his blog Winton’s World on the topic of the BBC conjuring up of “right wing” extremists in the Ukraine.

“Finally, a minor triumph over the BBC to report. Right-wing extremists in Ukraine are now routinely described as “extremists”.

After watching the news earlier in the week, in which the BBC reported on its own “documentary” about racist football crowds in Ukraine,  the revolting yoboes in the crowd, who were proffering some kind of sub-Nazi salute, then beating up innocents with brown skins, were described as “right-wing extremists”. I called to complain, asking just what was it about this behaviour that could be labelled as politically inspired, not to say right wing and extreme?

It usually takes the BBC complaints desk about 10 days to compose a bromide explaining incompetent or inaccurate behaviour by their operatives. This time I noticed that the very next day, these ugly, loud and violent demonstrators were simply described as “extremists”.

Excellent. Strike One, after about 500 misses!  “

THAT RIVER PAGEANT SLAVE LABOUR – UPDATED

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The BBC had quite a rattle at the alleged “exploitation” of the unemployed by the wicked employer CPUK at the River Pageant yesterday. This Guardian/Labour/BBC assault now looks a little shoddy when we read…

“The company has also received messages from other volunteers. One said they were ‘treated with the utmost respect and highly praised for the work we had done’, while others said they were looking forward to working with CPUK again at the Olympics. The 80 or so volunteers were taken on through the Government’s apprentice and work programme schemes, which aim to help the long-term jobless back into work.

Of these, 50 under the age of 25 were paid the Government’s standard rate for apprentices of £2.60 per hour and the other 30 either accepted the same rate or refused payment because it would adversely affect their benefits.

The complaints were reported at length by The Guardian, which quoted two unnamed jobseekers claiming they were forced to camp overnight under London Bridge before they started work on the river pageant.

They were then picked up by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, becoming the subject of its main interview slot at 8.10am, and again by The World At One at lunchtime.”

As was also brought to my attention, did the two anonymous complainants receive payment in any form for their story from the Guardian and if so, will they ensure this income is reported to the Department that pays their Benefit?

Question Time LiveBlog 7th June 2012

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Tonight Question Time comes from Inverness.

Everyone is welcome to come along but I want to make it clear I want best behaviour, no ad hominems. Or else.

On the panel we have the most convoluted, adjusted and argued-over panel for many a year.

On the panel, Deputy First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon MSP, former leader of the Liberal Democrats Charles Kennedy MP, Labour’s leader in Scotland Johann Lamont MSP, Conservative former Secretary of State for Scotland Lord Forsyth, Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips and the actor Alan Cumming.

Or not. Possibly.

In fact, TheEye will defer to a post on the ever-entertaining Subrosa blog which details the shambles. It’s worth reposting in full here although TheEye would encourage you to also head over there and show your appreciation on my friend’s excellent site.

This week there has been quite a stooshie about tonight’s Question Time which is due to be broadcast from Inverness.

The SNP MSP Kenny Gibson made a formal complaint about the imbalance of the panel, with two supporters of independence and three guests from the No campaign. Originally Johann Lamont and Michael Forsyth were to be joined by Melanie Phillips, the Daily Mail columnist.

The BBC’s reason for including Ms Phillips was because the programme discussed UK issues.

This is the first Question Time since the launch of the Yes campaign and the announcement that Alistair Darling will head the No campaign. Flying a London-based journalist to Inverness to represent the UK is lamentable although predictable.

Couldn’t they have engaged the services of that prominent journalist frae Dundee if they were desperate to provide a UK view? I believe Mr Cochrane resides in or around London.

But Kenny Gibson’s complaint has not gone unnoticed by those of influence at the BBC. Ms Phillips is to be replaced by Charles Kennedy who will join Nicola Sturgeon, Alan Cumming, Michael Forsyth and Johann Lamont. This will be Ms Lamont’s first appearance on QT and it will be interesting to see how she performs.

The panel balance is now reasonably fair but it would have been even fairer if someone from the ‘undecided’ camp had been included. Lesley Riddoch is one who would fit the bill but there are plenty others who may welcome the opportunity to challenge both sides.

Update: Nicola Sturgeon has withdrawn and will be replaced by Alex Neil and Melanie Phillips will appear. Thanks to Grogipher for keeping an eye on Twitter.

Sooooooo basically nobody has a clue who is turning up. It is, as Subrosa observes in her Comments section, changing by the hour.

There is no This Week this week. It’s replaced by something called Proof which is billed as “A young woman is concerned about having inherited her deceased father’s insanity.”

That’s what you get from watching the BBC, love. Turn over and save yourself. Make us a cuppa whilst you’re in the kitchen, eh?

Oh, and CoverItLive has changed format and might play up tonight – apologies if it does but it is not our fault.

A note on Moderation: We have been extremely relaxed here (rightly) with a policy of free speech and rolling banter. It’s going over the top a bit recently and people need to calm down. We *are* going to start restricting un-modded status and not just letting every comment through. Some are becoming potentially actionable. Fun at the time, maybe, and especially after a good few beers – but your site admins are legally liable under some circumstances and that’s not a good thing for us.

Don’t do it. Ta.
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HORRIBLE HISTORIES

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May I commend this excellent post by Daphne Anson on the BBC’s “Horrible Histories”? Do give it a read…

 “Manipulative and mind-bending, the BBC nowadays rarely makes a series on British history that is without a political agenda informing the narrative.  One series, a gripping and enjoyable one about the glories of Bronze Age Britain, depicted the Roman Invasion as a disaster for the already highly civilised and skilled native population, which for all I know was a fair enough thesis.

But at the end came the propaganda, overtly voiced: since the British had known the sorrows of military occupation it ill-behoved their descendants to militarily occupy Iraq!

Most of the time, however, the agenda is vigorously to push the line that Britain, or at least the English part of it, has always been a multicultural society.

One of the most egregious instances of manipulated history is on the BBC’s website for children, in one of the items connected with the Queen’s Jubilee…”

IRON LADY FOUND!

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Bless the BBC, They have finally found an “Iron Lady” that they like. No, not Thatcher, they hate her. But rather, Angela Merkel.  The BBC’s Stephen Evans was eulogising her on Today @ 8.38 and the consensus is that her quest to control the EU is a good thing. Following that, as a nod in the direction of..cough… Euroscepticism, they trooped on ..David Owen. Yes, him. His big theme was… getting Turkey to join the EU. Unbelievable. This  is Arkham Asylum on the license fee.