Is it just me but does anyone else feel the BBC has been leading the race to ensure that the Grand National is increasingly sanitised and the fences made easy? Might this sudden interest in Animal Welfare be at all linked to the fact that Channel 4 now have the rights to show this race and the BBC is now bereft of this event? What do you think?
AND THEY ARE OFF….
Bookmark the permalink.
Of course the BBC has no history of reacting in new and alternative ways to any event depending on how the direct benefits to their coffers, reputation or world view may change with circumstances.
They surely would not be so petty as to move seamlessly to the role of spoilers just because they are no longer in the saddle, as it were, would they?
Given Lord Patten’s ‘back off, or else it will be a pity if we focus even more negatively on your party than we do all ready’, the BBC seems more and more like a less than benign syndicate operating a protection racket based around ensuring the licence fee is secured and enhanced. You play ball; they support you, do the odd favour… ensure any opponents have nasty accidents.
You fail to pay… and you’ll be waking up to the Grand National winner’s head next to you.
Not exactly healthy for democratic process.
headline of a slightly different sort from africa – `necrofest postponed`
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22052593
The Grand National is a great British institution so we should expect the BBC to do everything it can to undermine it.
Unless, a new bright golden brown boy appears, and rises to the top of the steeplechase jokey rankings…then they will be back in for the national like a shot.
Bit like when Lewis Hamilton appeared on the scene, just after dear old Auntie decided not to go into a bidding war for F1.
Anyone notice how every F1 story on the beeb is about Lewis Hamilton?…yet Jensen Button, who has won just as many F1 titles is a mere footnote?
As the linked stats show, LH is well head of JB. However, what they don’t explain is why the bbc ignores Mark Webber and Red Bull.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/drivers-world-championship/standings
I’m not talking just this season Dave, I am talking in general, it is always Lewis first, no matter what….”Lewis Hamilton gained an amazing fifth place grid start in the Australian GP with a fantastic qualifier…”….cut to footage of Hamilton taking a few corners, shaking his fist out of the car as he crosses the line, hugging the crew…cut back to Beeboid talking head….”oh, by the way for anyone interested, Button got pole”…..now, athletics, Mo Farrah was not involved in any race today, but we thought we would show you him eating an ice lolly….that sort of thing, it is so blatant, and always has been.
Agreed ,and the way the BBC ignored
his ‘fairy tale’ championship win in 2009 is disgraceful.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say they ignored his F1 title, but he was not held in the same great esteem as Hamilton, for doing the same thing as he did the previous year, only in a much shitter car.
Wouldnt you?Honda pulls the plug
,the team manager buys it out,finds the sponsership,finds the engine,button takes 50% pay cut to make all work and then goes on to win first 6 races,all in one season.Its like the plot of a hollywood film
but you would never know that from BBC coverage.Any ideas why that might be?
Of course I agree, what Button did, and his team for that matter was absolutely amazing, as you rightly point out, but the beeb did not ignore it…
As I said, they just never held Buttons awesome achievement in the same glorious esteem as the golden brown boy.
We are in complete agreement. 🙂
Yep, and you might have thought the team manager was German too, for all the credit he received!!
Why particularly Webber and Red Bull? He is an Australian driver in an Austrian car.
Because he lives in Winslow and drives a car from Milton Keynes. (I guess?)
I have constantly complained to the Bbc Bastards about this , it happens time & time again , even when JB wins ,it is ALWAYS , a footnote to whatever Hamilton does , even if he crashes out ! Ditto Tiger Woods !
The BBC went out of their way to attack Crufts, which is a national institution. They made a welfare issue out of some bad practices by breeders of pedigree dogs and pulled the plug. But there are more than enough animal welfare Quangos to deal with the bad breeding issues and are doing so. Meanwhile, Crufts is now the best forum for education regarding sensible dog ownership available. All to the good, the BBC’s presentation of this annual event degenerated into an opportunity for celebrities to display their ignorance .
Something people don’t say often enough round here. It’s really just you.
Not at all. I said that very same thing someone on a different thread earlier today.
That wasn’t you using a different made up name was it?
And it has nothing to do with Channel 4 covering the race live?
A load of left wing arseholes protested outside channel 4s officer and read out the names of 23 horses which have died in the race. Funny but these same clowns don’t ever protest outside Labour party offices reading the names of dead soldiers & civilians who have died as a result of the wars BLiar got us involved in.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/06/grand-national-protest-channel-4
Horse racing is an evil sport of the ruling classes oppressors of the workers.
That is why us proles really enjoy it. We like to think or our betters enjoying themselves. Touching our forelocks is all we country peasants really know. Squire always knows best.
Exactly us members of the lower orders love seeing our betters enjoy themselves.
“Dennis, there’s some lovely filth down ere…..”
thoughtful,
“Funny but these same clowns don’t ever protest outside Labour party offices reading the names of dead soldiers & civilians…”
Yeah, and like David Preiser you never hear them protesting about killing cats in microwaves. Callous cat haters; that’s what they and David are.
Therefore anything he or they say on any other subject is completely invalid. Case closed.
‘…..case closed’.
You wish. Or as a fully paid-up member (anon) of Hacked Off is wishing.
There is more to squeal about dead horses on school dinner plates than live ones running round in circles.
Hard to ‘accuse’ the coalition with anything bad about the national.
The BBC will find a way I’ve no doubt
The BBC did report the death of a racehorse on Thursday as BREAKING NEWS on their mobile website.
The BBC over-worrying over horse-deaths certainly seemed to coincide with them losing TV racing rights to Channel 4.
Any horse-deaths are now trumpeted by the BBC as if they were a Tory caught shouting ‘Plebs!’
I previously noted that in a BBC radio documentary they appeared to cover up the nature of the protest which disrupted the 1993 Grand National. It was an animal rights protest and I suggest that the BBC wanted to avoid blackening the name of these campaigners with the British public who love this particular race.
I am no expert but the fences now seem to be made of green cotton wool.
The excitement will gradually dissipate over the next few years.
Thank you BBC.
I had a thought the other day: When eventually everyone in the country is wearing a high-vis jacket then the emergency services will have to develope a double-high-vis jacket for themselves.
David Vance,
“Is it just me…?”
Yes.
Next question…
Tut tut Dez – I’ve had to tell you before, this is just not good enough. Try harder dear boy, Try harder or it’s off to Salford for you!
Oh no.
I note the Grand National ‘post mortem’ on BBC Radio 5 Live (or Salford Local Radio the station which has an unwritten remit to bring left-wing politics to the world of sport) and hear the race discussed in terms of how well it matched up the RSPA’s demands (who elected them to rule over us?).
This is where we are with the BBC now. They may not like our present Government but they sure love our unelected liberal elite fake charity institutions.
Meanwhile over to Rugby where ‘TV footage showed Stade scrum-half Jerome Fillol appearing to spit in the face of opposite number Peter Stringer ahead of a first- half scrum’
I believe it was Ian Payne of 5 Live who continued to talk about this ‘alleged spitting’ story.
A guest journo from the Mirror (again I think that was who it was) points out that having seen the TV footage he can’t imagine what could have happened if it wasn’t saliva that came from the mouth of the Frenchman.
The lame Beeboid’s lame reply…. ‘I was trying to be diplomatic’
When did these people become such grovelling slaves to Political Correctness?
Call a spade, a spade for heavens sake!
well i backed the winner £2.50 each way and paddy power gave me just over £200 back.
Sad news that the young jockey has been airlifted to hospital today after a bad fall.
test
Test 2
Problems with cookies. I can’t change my picture either.