The day started with a surprise...the BBC giving plenty of coverage to the suggestion by what started off as the ‘independent think tank’ Reform that prisons are being run better by private companies than the public sector.
Presumably the ‘Reform’ policy institute caught the BBC napping….because it was only later in the day that ‘Reform’ suddenly became a ‘centre right think tank’…meaning everyone can relax….you can ignore this research…the Public Sector is Great.
‘because it was only later in the day that ‘Reform’ suddenly became a ‘centre right think tank’
I hope you have ‘proof’ of that… to the minute, to satisfy the demands of the time and motion girls from the Leni Riefenstahl School of Appropriate Truthiness.
Taken from Reform’s Annual Report:
“We believe that by liberalising the public sector, breaking
monopoly and extending choice, high quality
services can be made available for everyone.
Reform would remove public services from the
escalator of ever-rising costs. It would enable policy
makers to aim for a lower level of taxation and
public spending which would better suit the UK’s
current and future economic challenges.”
Based on Reform’s own words “Centre-right think tank” seems a justifiable description.
Interestingly this quote from the Independent features prominently on the inside cover of the same Annual Report: “Center-right free marketers with influence across the political divide.”
It would appear that the BBC’s description aptly describes how Reform wish to be viewed – hardly an example of biased reporting.
No problem whatsoever with the BBC reporting ‘Reform’ as a ‘centre-right’ think tank, but only if the BBC points out every time that a think tank is ‘left-leaning’, ‘centre-left’ or ‘hard’-left’, as appropriate. Otherwise, it is definitely bias.
But I guess most of us now have come to the conclusion that the omission of the word ‘left’ in any description of a think-tank (including many of these which are labelled ‘independent’) simply indicates that it must, by definition, be a ‘leftist’ think-tank, since the word ‘right’ has not been linked to it.
From the book ‘How to interpret BBC-speak in several easy lessons’, by ‘An independent Think-tank’
Yep, much like any ‘man’ reported to be involved in criminal behavior is unlikely to be named ‘Brian’ or ‘Steve’.
Fair enough describing the political leanings of a think tank, but why does the BBC generally only do it for the right of centre organisations? Simple, it is an attempt to publicly rubbish their views. The BBC approach to leftwing organisations is very different.
The IPPR is rarely described as leftwing, nor does the BBC make it clear that it has very close links to the Labour Party, some would say it is a part of the Labour Party.
The most blatant example has been the recent coverage of the so-called “Resolution Foundation” repeatedly described as “independent”, despite its leftwing leaning, and the left-wingers and ex-labour officials in its senior ranks. By no means can be described as independent in the sense of “neutral”. It is a leftwing campaign group, but the BBC has even described it in glowing terms “Resolution Foundation, a think tank dedicated to improving the lives of those on middle and low incomes.”
The BBC only attaches labels in an attempt to discredit organisations. And it only does it with right-wing organisations. The not so subtle message is, ‘so-and-so says, but they would say that wouldn’t they, so, dear viewers, you can safely ignore them’.
The BBC would make Doctor Gobbels proud.
On the 6:00 am News this morning it was plain “right-wing” – see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qmbs9 at 02:52.
The later modification to “centre-right” was clearly a concession. I look forward to hearing IPPR, Demos etc being referred to as “centre-left”, let alone left-wing.
Evan was interviewing the POA chappie whose line as ever with the bruvvers was ‘we want to maintain our entrenched and unreasonable privilege and demand it in a northern, scottish, or welsh accent’.
Evan: What do you not like about privatised prisons?
Twat: I just don’t think people should be making profits out of the prison service.
Evan. But what do you not like about privatised prisons?
Twat: I just don’t think people should be making profits out of the prison service.
Reminds me of a heated debate probably on order-order about the merits of privatised medicine. The pro – who knew far more than the leftie made a very cogent case. The leftie didn’t and couldn’t, resorting to the usual bluster and finishing with the usual howl,
‘I just don’t think anyone should be making profits out of hospitals’.
F me. Do these people not buy a bread roll in the mornings because they don’t think the baker should be making profits out of flour-based morning goods.
Twats – the lot of them.
Yep, credit where due, Davies made the union rep look silly, well, he made himself look silly.
OT but the same blindness is displayed re the NHS. No matter how many patients it kills, no matter how much better alternative [mainly European] health services are, the left STILL defend it like a tiger defends its recently killed prey. Any suggestion of touching it is met with a vicious response.
It’s like a religion to them and they show fitting irrational behaviour when challenged.
Maybe Martin Luther has a patients Charter to nail to some Johnny Quangos head there somewhere in the NHS.
Woodentops…should stick maybe?
And the “true religion” of the nation may get its Enlightenment…BBC/NHS/…who`s to say?
The verb here is to Prescott. To Prescotemple is to screw your secretary afterwards, as Royalty lies down the corridor in a coffin.
What taste…how recherche,,,how Labour.
John being John.
Anjem being Anjem, etc etc.
Well researched and spotted Alan.
Note the absence of trolls.
Dez and pals loitering around somewhere, but not here.
That`ll mean you`re entirely right in this.
It`s what the BBC does…and always will do.
Need their lattes and a cuddle from Barnaby before the groupthink evolves to take them through the door.
Idiot wind…and not enough to turn a hamster wheel even after blowing hard all through the day!
“Well researched.”
Hardly…. the organisation themselves is quite happy to be described as “Center-right free marketers with influence across the political divide.” Where is the bias in the BBC then describing them in the same way?
A modicum of research by Alan would have resulted in him not making the original post.
Because the attribution is asymetrical, ie BBC bias pretending Left Wing Think Tanks (an oxymoron) are independent when they are Labour shoutie-boys.
If Albie had read the rest of the thread he wouldn’t have posted this last entry. Or is that simple task beyond his capabilities?
Not beyond my capabilities at all. I did read the entire thread and it became clear that as Alan’s (whoever he may be) original assertion was so obviously wrong subsequent posters changed the argument – nothing new for the B-BBC.
Maybe an invitation to comment should be issued for threads like this, keeping a score of null replies. But as we know these would amount to 99.9%, there doesn’t really seem any point.
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