This morning on the Today programme (51 mins)we had the pleasure of Labour’s Margaret Hodge …..not to be questioned as to the tax dealings of her brother’s company Stemcor, or her use of family trusts, but to be given free rein to slander and malign the Coalition’s attempts to deal with tax avoidance.
She was allowed to claim that the Coalition had no policies, no staff or investment to tackle the problem and that it was all essentially being done on the back of an envelope….there should be more resources..’just think John for every one pound invested we get 10 back!’
John Humphrys said nothing and let her get away with that without interruption or comment.
Humphrys then brought on Danny Alexander and interrupted constantly. Humphrys demanded to know why Alexander was running such a shambolic and ineffective operation….why didn’t he know about certain tax dodges?
‘Somebody should have known…why didn’t you know??
Alexander revealed the truth that of course the government and HMRC were looking intensively at such schemes and were successfully putting a stop to many of them…they have invested £1 bn and will be taking in £9 bn extra tax revenue because of the measures implemented.
John Humphrys stamps on Alexander when he says that this is far better than under Labour.
It seems OK for Hodge to lie through her teeth without challenge but mention Labour and you get slapped down pretty sharpish.
Humphrys realises he is onto a loser and falls back on a rather pathetic attempt to make the Coalition look bad….asking ‘you, the Coalition, keep saying you are doing things…why haven’t you done them?’
What a hopeless interview….Humphrys must know exactly what measures the government has taken to tackle tax avoidance…..and if not why not?
‘Today‘ is supposed to be our premier news programme.
You’d get more news, and more accurate news, from a crystal ball.
I noticed Andy Burnham getting a very easy ride on this morning’s Today. Questions to help him get his point over that he had passed on the information on Stafford – shame Brian Jarman wasn’t given the same opportunity to speak by Humphries.
It makes you wonder if all this bBC “talent” is subject to any sort of management quality control of their output. Or are they just “oracles” They spout wisdom, no one dare challenge, totally unaccountable, everything they say must be “right”, because no one is in charge.
Helen Boaden was cruising. “Head of News” my @rse. The Humphries, Dimblebeys, Paxmans, Warks were all “unmanaged” because the woman in charge was covering her own @rse sanitising any criticism so she could get away with doing nothing.
I guess that is why they are really really frightened of a Murdoch or the Private Sector. Its Game Over for the unaccountable Gods of Opinion.
Watch these radio programmes on the webcams. What do you think the computer screens and headphones are for? The editors are feeding lines to the “talent” who loyally parrot them in return for their £250k to £600k per annum. The Today team. Under BBC Mission Control
Alan,
“…given free rein to slander and malign the Coalition’s attempts to deal with tax avoidance.”
A typically pompous and laughably ridiculous remark. Please repeat anything Hodge said that was in any way slanderous?
Can’t?
What a surprise.
“She was allowed to claim that the Coalition had no policies, no staff or investment to tackle the problem and that it was all essentially being done on the back of an envelope…”
But she didn’t actually say any of that though did she Alan? Only that HMRC should have; “…more money invested, not less”.
“Alexander revealed the truth….”
“…they have invested £1 bn”
You quite clearly haven’t got a single clue what you’re talking about.
The current government cut HMRC spending by two billion pounds in the 2010/11 budget, only to then say (as Alexander claimed) that they had “re-invested” one billion pounds.
Or, in other words, HMRC spending has been cut by £1 bn.
If you’re going to accuse someone of lying “through her teeth”, perhaps you should check your facts first.
Dez, if your intention was to parody the inane sort of interviewing that the BBC does of anyone even vaguely right of centre then you’re spot on. If it was anything else I’d quit whilst you’re well behind.
Dez
If you’re going to comment on an interview at least listen to it!
Hodge quite clearly did say there was no investment or staff or policy to tackle tax avoidance.
You invent an argument and then prove yourself right.
How does that work Dez?
Hodge claimed there was no investment to deal with Tax avoidance….Alexander said £1 bn was specifically put back into the budget to deal with that particular problem.
£2 bn was originally cut in 2010…but a deal with the HMRC meant they were to target tax avoidance and get £1 bn to do so specifically…in other words exactly what was claimed.
No one mentioned the HMRC budget as a whole….it is completely irrelevant to the post which points out Hodge’s lie…that there is no money or policy to tackle Tax avoidance.
Understand Dez?
You didn’t mention this Dez…. ‘A record £468.9bn was collected in 2010/11, and revenue from enforcement and compliance activities went up from £7.4bn to £13.9bn, despite losing staff.’
or that under Labour Staff numbers at HMRC fell from 97,073 in April 2005 to 66,992 in November 2010.
But then again nor did Humphrys mention that to Hodge….which is where we came in.
alan,
“If you’re going to comment on an interview at least listen to it!”
Perhaps you should listen to your own advice.
“Hodge quite clearly did say there was no investment or staff or policy to tackle tax avoidance.”
Quote any part of the interview where she said that.
What Hodge actually said;
“There should be proper resources in the treasury. Just think about this way John, for every pound we spend on the treasury doing this work we get ten pounds in it; one of those areas where there should be more money invested not less”
“Hodge claimed there was no investment to deal with Tax avoidance”
Quote any part of the interview where she said that.
“…Hodge’s lie…that there is no money or policy to tackle Tax avoidance.”
Quote any part of the interview where she said; “that there is no money or policy to tackle Tax avoidance”.
“No one mentioned the HMRC budget as a whole….it is completely irrelevant…”
It’s completely irrelevant that the HMRC budget was cut by £2bn pounds whilst Alexander claims to have invested; “over £1bn more…”?
Perhaps you can now quote anything Hodge said that was in any way slanderous?
I’m still waiting.
Dez,
What language should I write this in?…. you clearly have trouble with English….I’m certain Margaret Hodge was speaking it quite clearly….but you seem to have a lot of trouble understanding a word she said.
You’ve cherry picked half a quote to prove me wrong….but the quote you picked supports what I said, so thanks for that……and I note you don’t quote the rest…..as it also backs me up.
And…the title of this blog Dez is?:
‘Biased BBC’…..the issue is Humphrys reaction to Hodge’s comments and his different reaction to Alexander….get the idea?
Probably not.
Alan,
I’m still waiting for you to quote anything that Hodge said that was a lie, or in any way slanderous.
Still waiting…
Ah, Dez, Dez, Dez. If only you could be this clinical with your defence of 28gate.
We’ve been waiting months and months and months for that.
Your MO is all too obvious, hoddles.
Dez says: Please repeat anything Hodge said that was in any way slanderous?
Can’t?
What a surprise.
What I find pompous and laughably ridiculous are people that ask a question then answer themselves in the same comment.
Hodge is like most of the BBC/Labour gang, simply a self-righteous socialist.
Defended by brainwashed self-righteous socialists it seems.
They have no rear view mirrors to see the mess they leave behind them.
Thousands of children unable to read or write,
Thousands of patients left to die in dirty uncaring hospitals.
Thousands of working class turned into the benefit class.
Thousands of businesses forced abroad by union stupidity.
Thousands of uncontrolled immigrants allowed in to destroy our British way of life.
Thousands of millions paid to a corrupt European Quango.
And now surprise, surprise;
Thousands has to be repaid to service personnel & Brits with cash in Cypriot banks.
No, nothing to see here Dez, just self-righteous socialism doing what it does best.
What is it with the bBC’s promotion of Ed Balls as the only man in the UK who knows how to get the country back on its feet.
Balls: Osborne ‘would fail GCSE Economics’
Err bbC, Balls and his political ilk ruined the country in the first place. Here is a jpeg of a picture used by the bbC on its “what to expect at the next budget.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/66435000/jpg/_66435770_deficit.jpg
Notice anything and yet the bBC has this to say :
The government proudly states that, from 2009-10 to 2011-12, it has succeeded in cutting borrowing by nearly 25%. But while overall it has come down in the last couple of years, borrowing is still considerably higher than before the start of the recession in 2008.
The bBC is on a mission to brainwash the public that only Labour can get the Uk working again. Err bBC, you kind of leave out why the UK is in such a f-ing mess.
The bBC, the traitors within our midst
As soon as I hear one syllable uttered from this silly, middle class woman’s mouth I immediately turn the channel.
Probably the only good point about the press muzzling bill currently being discussed in Parliament is that even good ol’ Al JaBeeBa are going to be subject to penalties for telling lies. It just might result in our ‘respected, unbiased public service broadcaster’ starting to tell the truth – just for once.
I thought he BBC remained safely outside the scope of this new regulatory body. This is for newspapers, magazines, and bloggers. The BBC remains untouchable.
Then I’m very sorry to read that.
Some crap repeated about “Shipbuilding” the Costello song that brought up the complexities of the Falklands War of 1982.
Fine song-but what authority does Alan Johnson have in discussing the songs genesis or delivery by Wyatt or Costello?
Ditto some piece of crap about womens suffrage that`s on at the moment….just wonder why the hell we`re getting Tristram Hunts views on it all.
That bloke is always getting a free pass to the BBCs studios to hold forth….
Is anybody keeping tabs on just how often we get Johnson, Hunt, Prescott etc…as opposed to those who didn`t get the previous thirteen years to screw us all over first time around?