This may shock you…not only has the BBC had something positive to say about a Coalition policy but it was the BBC nemesis of the Tory Party, Mark Easton, a man whose sole aim in life is to ensure no Tory policy goes undamned, who had some praise…notwithstanding he did find this ‘perverse’.
‘The Big Society’ gambit set out to much fanfare and trumpeting as the great white hope by Cameron seems to have kick started a youthful revolution where people are taking control of their own lives…or at least their youth clubs, setting out to organise, run and fund raise for them themselves.
It is quite startling to hear the dependably downbeat Easton…at least about any Tory policy, singing the praises of what seems a stirring of public spirit….people volunteering and creating active citizens.
Oddly the fly in the ointment was a man called Dominic Cotton who is the communications director for a youth charity, ‘UK Youth’….he is in fact a journalist employed to ‘spin’ I suppose you could say, for UK Youth.
Here though he seems perhaps to have got it wrong…as Youth UK seems to be exactly what Easton is praising…involving 40,000 volunteers and copious amounts of fundraising and subsequent good works.
I suspect toes are being trod on and the charity feels its own territory is threatened with rivals competing for money and volunteers rather than any strong argument against the philosophy or likely survival of these new groups.
The BBC didn’t question Cotton’s stand but perhaps it should have.
However that is really a side issue….where is the BBC bias in this story? Well none really other than it stands in stark contrast to its normal output which is unremittingly negative about just about every aspect of ‘Tory’ policy.
This morning the government’s new scheme, ‘Funding for Lending’ was raised on the BBC and immediately the new scheme was dragged down with doubts about how successful it would be with banks still being targeted as the villains of the piece…as being unwilling to lend.
I would like, just for once, the BBC to examine a business that claims to have been refused a loan and look at the business case being made to justify a bank’s trust to lend money….not something I have ever heard the BBC do, it continually highlights rejections but gives no context…after all the business might be a complete no hoper….any one seen a programme called ‘Dragon’s Den’? BBC should remember not every ‘bright idea’ is a business in the making….and remind themselves that firstly the banks are being told to build up their capital reserves and secondly that it was risky lending, and borrowing, that landed us in the mess we are in today.
If the BBC were to be more positive, not where undue, but where it is called for and merits, it would surely help to lift the country. Confidence is everything…it is the instigator of the ups and downs of the Stock Market, oil prices and consumer spending as well as business investment…if the future is grim no one wants to spend money that they might need to survive the doom predicted by a gloomy BBC.
The BBC’s relentless negativity, mocking and sneering about the ‘Big Society’ has I’m sure done more to make people think ‘I don’t want a part of that if it’s such a joke’ and stand back from the fray in many respects.
Having said that maybe the BBC has had a change of heart…recently there was someone on who said he organised a lot of volunteers to clean up a beach…and it was a huge success with more benefits than just a clean beach…unfortunately I can’t remember who and on what programme….essentially the ‘BS’ in action again.
I would have thought this was something that the BBC would in the normal course of events be all over….however of course it is ‘contaminated’ by the Tory brand for too many in the BBC.
It surely is something that would allow otherwise complete strangers who live near each other to come together, get to know each other and do something for their own community…and thereby, taking control away from a government body, into their own hands…something for them to build and own for themselves…and therefore be more likely to look after…and foster the old fashioned ‘community spirit’.
The BBC is involved in many projects from the Open University to schools and charities, not to mention paintballing for terrorists….and it wouldn’t run amiss to divert some of that energy, effort and resources towards the simple task of ‘introducing’ a community to itself and open their eyes to the possibilities that they can run some aspects of that community themselves and actually make it a real community rather than a group of individuals who don’t even know their neighbour’s name.
The BBC is in effect the ‘Big Society’, with community money being pooled rather than hours of voluntary work, in the interests of the country…to provide entertainment , information and education.
However it has been hijacked by a group with an ideology and mindset at odds with the very people who are the BBC ‘customers’ and all too often fails to bring them the service they deserve and expect…and pay for.
There is no such thing as “Society”, big, small, or any size. Just individuals, some with axes to grind. Our public broadcaster, not choice funded but tax funded, says blah blah blah…
I no longer watch any television, its all poisoned, ignore “television”. Television can not tell you anything worth knowing. It is all in the hands of the Marxist priesthood, rent seekers, career liars, common purpose,
Hi folks,
Sorry to be totally off topic folks but thought you’d be interested in this appalling brainwashing/Islamic toadyism on the BBC Bitesize GCSE Religious Studies website. Please Note: compare the following entries for Islam, Christianity and Judaism within the War and Peace section of the site which looks at the role of waging war in each of the religions… I have highlighted some salient quotes which go some way to conveying the BBC’s differing tone towards each – and guess which one comes out the more positive, peaceful and loving???? Judaism comes the worst, surprise, surprise…. I certainly hope this particular section of the curriculum doesn’t find its way into any Jewish households anytime soon!
1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/war/islamrev1.shtml
‘Islam is a religion of peace in which fighting and war are seen only as a last resorts’
(Try telling that to your normal Israeli, American or Londoner!)
2)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/war/christianityrev1.shtml
‘Most Christians believe that war and fighting are wrong except in the most severe cases and they base their views on Jesus’ teaching about love’
‘Most’ – who are the odd ones out then???
3) http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/war/judaismrev1.shtml
Jewish scripture and ‘Just Wars’
‘In the Jewish Scriptures there are examples of wars. Some of these were Holy Wars where the Jews were trying to maintain their religion when other people wanted to make them worship false gods. Others were perhaps ‘Just Wars’ but it could be argued that some of them were wrong and unjustified.’
‘Others were perhaps Just wars… ‘ – Wow, what wonderful scholarship!!!!
‘Islam is a religion of peace in which fighting and war are seen only as a last resorts’ … Oh God!
Does this ridiculous statement apply to the Taliban; Al Qaeda; the Muslims who are bombing churches in Nigeria; Hamas; the Muslim Brotherhood; 9/11 terrorists; 7/7 terrorists ad infinitum?
How can they teach such lies and nonsense? Pathetic!
It’s all our fault, you see. We’ve forced them into resorting to the only option remaining to them – to kill innocent people in the name of their religion, on behalf of their fellow muslims. We’re all to blame – society has made them this way, and that ‘society’ tag spreads the blame as widely as possible away from individual responsibility. Collective guilt, selectively applied, absolves those who belong to the favoured groups, and implicates everyone else.
As for these ‘education’ programmes – Get ’em young, ‘teach’ them the correct opinions – install a new generation of self-loathing guilt-pimps and shame merchants.
Saddam invading Iran, Saddam invading Kuwait, Muslims fighting amongst themselves in just about every Muslim country you can think of.
‘Islam is a religion of war where peace can only exisist when all non-believers have been overcome’. Discuss.
‘the Jews were trying to maintain their religion when other people wanted to make them worship false gods’
Including the stone idol of Al Illah, the Moon God, which sits inside that big black box in Mecca and is responsible for most of the death and destruction we see round the world today.
‘… but it could be argued that some of them were wrong and unjustified.’ – Eh? And all Jihad is right and justified?
‘In the Jewish Scriptures there are examples of wars… ‘ – As there are in the Koran … too many to cite, in fact.
The tone of deference towards Islam is plain to see! Must be hard to teach that the religion of peace is indeed nonviolent when it is well known that Muslim extremists have a habit in certain countries, of chucking hand grenades through church windows and blowing innocent people up on trains!
As usual Reed, you’ve hit the nail firmly on the head mate! You’re totally spot-on in that we are always made to feel guilty about our national identity, history and Christianity by the effeminate middle/upper class bedwetting, sandal-wearing, fair-trade coffee-sipping Lefties… but the tide’s a-turning; people have had enough of the oppressive PC brigade agenda of cultural Marxist brainwashing. Revolution time! Right, where’s that bottle of wine gone… 🙂
They`re all at sea, the BBC aren`t they?
Easton is only the latest to tie himself up in knots…their new confusion about the unfettered, unqualified good that is the Olympics is only the latest example.
Their trumpeted ComRes survey is both laughable and schizophrenic-people aren`t any more “excited” about the Games and don`t think it`ll have lasting benefit for their area…but it does represent value for money and will leave a legacy….no, me neither!
A classic dogs dinner of platitudes and confused questions-much like their riots survey-clearly written by the likes of Geoff Capes and Owen Jones in turn.
Is there no-one at the BBC who ever did maths or science beyond prep school then?
Unfortunately the BBBC is in thrall to it’s superannuated jeremiahs Humphrys Naughtie Paxman et al who simply be sacked because it is too expensive. There is no succession plan either. They have no astute journalists waiting to take on the baton of responsible analysis and debate. All they have are the young upstarts who cur their journo teeth on the flesh of Boaden’s backside as they fight to be noticed for their banality of comment while toeing the corporation line. I despair!
Your reference to the beach cleanup was Neil Fergusson in the last of the Reith Lectures broadcast this week
It shows that I have been on here too long; as I heard this piece I caught myself wondering how this site would pick holes in it. I think I am beginning to understand now; when the BBC runs a piece that is critical of government policy it is biased; if it isn’t critical then it is not-biased.
Curious that in an article that has absolutely nothing to do with Islam, at the time of commenting more than half the comments are about Islam.
Yes, Dame Nicky, but to be fair though, the commentator (Merlin) did apologize at the outset for posting off-topic and it is common on blogs that until such time an Open Thread is uploaded commentators may wish to post on other examples of BBC bias if they feel the need. Perfectly reasonable practice old bean 🙂
The thread is about the Big Society, Nick.
Islams aim is to destroy our society, eradicate our Judeo Christian heritage and replace it with a death cult founded through demonic inspiration.
And with our media urging it on and our politicians sitting idly by while it is happening I think that it’s important that it’s dangers are aired somewhere.
The fact you noticed that something was odd at the BBC makes the point!
This stood out because it was almost praisng the government…..and I imagine that jarred with your own expectations of ‘normal service’ at the BBC.
No doubt it will bve resumed shortly.
More than resumed on the 5 o’ clock news programme. In announcing that Miliband was the first Labour leader to address the Durham Miners Gala since the last ice age the newsreader adopted a tone more suitable to Blackpool winning the cup for the first time since the ‘Matthews final’ i.e. pleasant surprise. Then we had the anchorperson examining where Miliband was leading the Labour party, interviewing a couple of hacks – one from The Mirror and the other from……The Sun? – nope. The Telegraph? – nope. The Times? – nope. In fact, it was The Independent on Sunday. So another cosy leftie love-in ensued in which it was opined the real danger isn’t the unions it’s the bankers. A suggestion from earlier in the day from Baroness Warsi that Miliband was in hock to his union paymasters was literally guffawed out of court. No, apparently he is striking a balance and appealing to all strands of the party by being seen in the company of both the unions and Blair etc etc etc.
So if you were to ask a question of these two leftie hacks from a right wing point of view, might it be: ‘Suppose he became Prime Minister, how could Miliband slash spending in the public sector – pension reforms et al – when the unions he supports, the ones without whose money the Labour party could not survive, would violently oppose it?’
It was, literally, no questions asked.
Praising the government is wrong you bone-head! That’s the whole point of the fecking blog!!!!
It’s about bias. The BBC is supposed to be neutral and only report the facts. FFS !
Spot on.
Also I notice the BBC-bias defenders were nowhere to be seen earlier in the week in the Panorama and Victoria Drearyshire threads.
Putting aside actual belief the Sky Fairy or Mutant Star Goat for one moment, the problem seems to be that of “young men”. Young men should be just that – drinking beer, chasing girls, arguing about football, not worrying about “God”. Which of course is why many Muslim countries ban alcohol, women are made to dress like nuns, and there is no football.
God is the business of the elderly who fear they may soon meet him. If you look at who most of the Islamic troublemakers are, they are young men. Testosterone and Religion are a toxic imflammable mixture.
I would add the BBC to that toxic and inflammable mix!
Completely agree that a huge part of the problem is down to young men not getting enough sex.
But think that there will be 10m Chinese males who will grow up without any hope of getting married…
It’s when the Chinese start teaching their boys that they will get 72 virgins in heaven if they kill or are killed while fighting the kuffar – and also that any females that come into their power during the conduct of war are their own personal property to use as sex slaves (and rape of the enemy’s women will be regarded as business as usual) – then will be the time to really start worrying.
or…….It’s when the Chinese start teaching their boys that they will get 72 bicycles in heaven if they kill or are killed while fighting the kuffar…or maybe a Lexus
Yes, except those Chinese males will be expending their energy locally, against their local leaders and status quo, not trying to blow up anyone, anywhere, not on their side.
Mark Easton – he who produces less and less churnalism for his £175,000 a year. Nonetheless every time I see his supercilious face and hear his contrived, statist certainties I wish to throw up.