Egypt is proving to be a worked example of this: though it is highly likely things will spiral out of control, post Mubarak – as in all the colour revolutons – the dire warnings of the US right that this will lead to Islamism are a “meme” that has not taken off.
Paul Mason said that…and this:
Dictatorships rely not just on the suppression of news but on the suppression of narratives and truth. More or less everything you need to know to make sense of the world is available as freely downloadable content on the internet: and it’s not pre-digested for you by your teachers, parents, priests, imams.
I might add one more ‘pre-digester’… the BBC.
Another Open Thread……
Spot the missing President in this little bit of scolding from Mark Mardell about the damage done by St. Edward’s revelations that the US is spying on our Euro friends.
It’s the big bad US, not having learned “lessons from the recent past”, whatever that means. Not the President who knows all about it because He gets briefed on it, but “the US”. No blame cast His way, right, Mark? No, of course not, because the BBC’s US President editor defended Him on this in his previous post about how St. Edward also told the Chinese we were spying on them:
Mr Obama has dutifully explained that what goes on is little more than identifying traffic: the example he used was tracking who Bin Laden rang on his mobile phone and then finding who they contacted
The Chinese don’t care about us spying on them so much as they’re now pissed off at the hypocrisy, according to Mardell. This is no doubt true, but what geopolitical effects will this have in future? Mardell isn’t interested in discussing that. Most likely, he sees no long-term damage because, as his upcoming documentary will reveal, the US and China are so closely connected economically that nothing can stop China from saving us.
Also, this is more proof that the BBC was lying earlier when they tried to tell you that St. Edward’s leaks were only about what the NSA was doing domestically. He’s been revealing covert activity to other countries, both friends and not-so-friends. This is espionage and treason, not the heroic act of an “idealistic nerd” Mardell was eulogizing a couple weeks ago.
Herbal stimulant khat to be banned is the bBBC’s headline about the drug to which millions of east Africans are addicted. But of course, because they’re Muslims, the bBBC won’t call a spade a spade, and ‘addictive narcotic drug’ becomes ‘herbal stimulant’.
It’s not religion this time, I think. It’s just cos they is black. Don’t want to associate systemic, cultural drug use with a protected group, you know. Those racist EDL types might use this as a weapon against immigration.
“Somali immigrants’ favourite drug khat banned in Britain”
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=59866
-Must be as bad as Geller and Spencer to be banned by May.
BBC Breakfast editor Alison Ford dies of cancer
So no doubt there’ll be another job advertisement in the Guardian: only celebrity-obsessed Labour Party members need apply.
why is this news? employee of over staffed organisation snuffs it. so what? what next, BBC cleaner gets new kitten, uses litter tray for first time
skynews – eqyptian military coup under way
BBCnews24 – Morsi democratically elected. best thing since sliced bread. president willing to make compromises. muslim brotherhood great. allahu akbar
‘Hampstead’ Harrabin is at it again, bigging-up a new doom-laden report from his common purpose chums over at the World Meteorological Association (yes, the WMO is a UN joint – funded, of course, by your taxes).
Climate extremes are ‘unprecedented’ screams the headline.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23154073
Are ‘climate extremes’ the same as ‘extreme weather events’ or is that possibly ‘global weirding’..? These days, it gets to so hard to spot the difference (if there is any).
Nice to know Roger is at least consistent in his impartiality.
It’s when the ‘climate extremes’ are giving us consistently arctic-like conditions akin to another ice age and politicians are still barking on about man-made climate change that we will well and truly feel we’re the helpless bit-part players in a never-ending Monty Python sketch, co-scripted by Franz Kafka.
EGYPT.
“Morsi under house arrest, Obama hardest hit”
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/07/morsi-under-house-arrest-obama-hardest-hit.html
Beeboids of Cairo Bureau in mourning? Also in mourning, Mardell?
Ex-police chief Sir Norman Bettison has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over fears officers tried to discredit the family of Stephen Lawrence.
He’s already been slated over Hillsborough, so expect this to be the main news on bBBC’s NorthWest Tonight. If only they can link him to gay marches, the EDL, Glastonbury and Islamophobia, then the bBBC will be in heaven.
If you can be bothered, please could you watch this edition of BBC Newsnight and decide whether you think it contains an undercurrent of bias for the Yes independence campaign. Personally, I have had enough of the smug, childish, insular and self-absorbed BBC/SNP independence camp respond like a child chastised every time they are presented with information that undermines independence.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b036pv60/Newsnight_Scotland_02_07_2013/
Don`t need to watch it sir…they just are!
Witness the cringeing slurpy puff for the “boarding schools” last night on the show.
And there was me thinking that the BBC hated these elitist exclusive outposts of privilege…but never enough not to actually send their own kids there, once the Filipino wetnurses are dried out.
You see there`s Eton(boo!)…and there`s Labours ideas to send the “vulnerable/disadvantaged/marginalised young persons” to the same boarding schools so the BBC?Guardian can play kibbutzes, and create Ceausescus Museums for tomorrows cBeebies stoolie…or even clone a few Nicky Campbells.
I`m guessing they didn`t run this one by Fiona Millar/Melissa Benn and the other lefty harmanees, who swear blind that BogStandard Comp is THE only place for such troubled youngsters more often than not.
Ask Dianne Abbott…oops!
Has Morsi been arrested? Does the BBC know? Bowen is in Egypt with the Brotherhood, Is he safe?
http://theulstermanreport.com/2013/07/03/breaking-egypts-muslim-brotherhood-morsi-placed-under-house-arrest/
For Beeboid Muslim Brotherhood supporters, everywhere:-
“Egyptian army tells Morsi he is no longer president”
(with musical video clip).
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/07/egyptian-army-tells-morsi-he-is-no-longer-president.html
BBC: Christa Ackroyd leaves BBC Look North in Yorkshire role
Details not mentioned in the BBC account, via the Yorkshire Post:
It is understood concerns about Ms Ackroyd’s tax arrangements are behind the BBC’s decision…
Ms Ackroyd has received around £50,000 of licence feepayers’ money after she continued to be paid despite being withdrawn from anchoring the BBC’s flagship regional news programme.
Until today, the corporation insisted the presenter, who is paid more than £150,000 a year, had been taken off air for unspecified “editorial reasons”, but speculation suggested there had been a dispute surrounding her freelance status and payment of tax. Presenters who have been filling in for Ms Ackroyd since she went off air on February 28 are paid in the region of £40,000 a year.
And inside gossip suggests breach of contract:
‘Details not mentioned in the BBC account’
All very Private Eye euphemistically ‘n all… but as the nation’s least trustworthy £4Bpa money pit can’t, as such, manage ‘news’ without it being redacted to the point of futility or plain lies… just what the heck part of ‘BBC accounts’ are the public being expected to pay for?
Maybe Ackroyd is the last holdout against dropping the infamous BBC tax avoidance scheme?
Every time I watch a BBC program nowadays its main reports seem to orbit around Muslim countries ‘struggle’ for democracy or suicide bombings. Isn’t there anything else happening? Personally, I’m sick of hearing about Arab Springs and protests. Or perhaps I’m just sick and tired of the ways in which the BBC prefers to frame these reports.
Interesting… but hardly surprising:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2354713/BBCs-deep-liberal-bias-prevented-reflecting-public-views-immigration-says-corporation-news-director.html
Hmmmm BBC audience services so busy that they cannot take calls during the Labour party political broadcast called Marcus Brigstock. Not funny in any way just a left wing rant for 30 minutes.
There was an item on the news concerning BBC liberal bias and that they had failed to reflect the worries of people concerning immigration etc etc. The head of news Helen Boaden assured everyone that when she took over the news there was left wing bias but she had put everything right before she left.
Well I think we can all relax and stop posting here now the BBC is fixed, Funny how they always seem to find historical evidence that they have been biased but that today they’re not biased at all. Wait another few years and they’ll be admitting what they have been denying today !
And we’re talking about an up-to-date Report on BBC political bias now, written by an ex-broadcasting insider, Prebble!
Beeboids are STILL in DENIAL about their own deep, on-going, political bias.
And nothing will be done about it.
Best quote about the BBC bias – ‘fundamental niceness’
If you were wondering? No it’s not safe yet.
http://youtu.be/QV8x0fnkcjU
i heard the BBC were worried about their female reporters being raped so they decided to bring them all home and send stephanie flanders out instead
BBC reporter Ben Brown is having a laugh at our expense…..
From Cairo Ben Brown says ‘….and the new Egyptian President… will he feel secire in his – or her – position ?’
HER?
Really BBC do grow up!
You can safely put your Licence Fee plus the mortgage on the next Egyptian President being a bloke.
‘BBC Arabic Service Cairo Office’ gets a message straight from the horse’s mouth ie President Dr Mohammed Morsi
‘I am still the President’
Gosh but the BBC do play a dangerous game on our Licence Fee
I go on holiday and hope to be away from the bbc but was tempted to see if that great ‘British’ tennis player won his latest match on the news page on the web site.
My eye wandered to a blank sidebar on the right hand side which is described as the ‘wailing wall’ for a black terrorist who will not cease to be.
Actually it was a ‘get well message wall’! WTF! they must be short of news at the moment. What about the improbably
named Mandla Mandela doing a bit of grave tampering for a start!
On the Mandela ‘not quite dead yet’ wall, the bBBC manages to feature a section in which the biggest photo is not of Madiba, but the blessed Saint Barack.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-23153579
BBC in mourning this morning about the fall of a the dictator in Egypt…. everywhere else celebrations … strange
At around 07 45 Charlie interviewed by phone a resident of Alexandria.
He tried hard to get the guy to say he was afraid the army could oust the next elected president.
However, this man kept returning to the same theme, which is that they have total faith and support for the
army.
What’s that? Support the military against the MB? Poor Charlie’s face was showing disappointment. Military versus The MB? Oh dear.
Great viewing doesn’t often show up on al beeba.
Sky the same.
Their bald SAS wannabe ME ‘expert’ was wailing how all this could lead to instability. From what I have been seeing, for awhile, stability was already a dead duck.
Not sure how the military intervention will play out, as the version of ‘democracy’ there seems a lot different structurally to what we’d recognise or feel comfy with.
Certainly media meme being pushed is that this is democracy by revoting until the desired result is regained.
Oddly, they seemed less concerned when the EU did and still does the same thing.
Maybe it depends on which results they like, and which not?
“No one will give payoffs back:
Former BBC bosses refuse to hand money back… and the corporation will not ask for it either”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2355294/Former-BBC-bosses-refuse-hand-money–corporation-ask-either.html
An important part of the BBC’s unwritten Leftist remit is to provide and disseminate Leftist arguments so as to sway national debate.
Just think of any aspect you thought you liked about what it was you thought was the British way of life – the BBC will trash it!
Take even a silly quirky inconsequential notion – the BBC will still find the time and resource to undermine it.
What to do think divides us Brits from the rest of the world?
Go on think of something ordinary – I’m not asking you to come up with some racial divide that might provide a basis for apartheid – just some small difference or nuance evident in national characteristics; some tiny aspect of daily life.
How about ‘we British are good at queuing’ ?
Sure enough the BBC have it covered….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23087024
Queuing: Is it really the British way?
By Denise Winterman BBC News Magazine
‘But Wimbledon is an exception when it comes to standing in a long line, say social historians. Despite the UK’s formidable global reputation, queuing in a calm, good-natured manner has not always come naturally.’
I think the deployment of the Leftist ideas contained in this kind of report might work in this way:
A bigoted unreconstructed British pleb might say something along the line of : ‘We British are good queuers – not like them foreigners!’
To which evil racist remark the BBC imbued Lefty progressive would be able to marshal the arguments and slogans the BBC has provided them….
“Queuing started to become associated with extreme hardship as the poor had to queue to access handouts and charity”
“Propaganda at the time was all about doing your duty and taking your turn. It was a way the government tried to control a situation in uncertain times.”
‘The queue became loaded with meaning, drawing on notions of decency, fair play and democracy and the myth of the British as patient queuers was forged’
“It’s a story we still like to tell about ourselves”
And now we come to the crux of the BBC argument….
‘It’s the bus queue that is often cited as an example of the demise of civilised queuing. In some places it’s every man, woman and child for themselves when the bus draws up. But cultural historians say there is little evidence that people behaved any better in years gone by.’
“What we do know is people have been complaining about the disintegration of queue discipline for almost as long as they have been lauding the queue as the essence of British decency”
‘Other queue myths have also been picked apart over the years. The notion that other nations can’t queue like the British is outdated’
Take that you bigots!
“When people tackle breaches of queue discipline it’s not really the notion of fair play that is driving them, it is protecting their own interests”
Now behave you racists!
The ousting of Morsi in Egypt is to my mind a victory for democracy, that is, the will of the people. It has stunned the BBC and the rest of the Left establishment. They clearly did not want it to happen and are portraying it as a military coup, as if the Army came out of no-where and took power. This is not of course the case. The BBC promoted the idea that the MB was a moderate and friendly group of victims; the BBC like victims, but only their chosen ones.
The Muslim Brotherhood stole the election through threats and intimidation and the people knew it but accepted the voting figures to give Brotherhood the benefit of the doubt. They quickly realised they were right and were being betrayed and cheated and through massive public displays have made their feelings known.
Morsi, as I said previously was not going to give up his grip on power, he is not a democrat. He had the power and he was going not to be removed; he would carry on with his plans to turn Egypt into an extreme Islamic State no matter what. The people knew it, the BBC didn’t want to know it, and didn’t report it.
The BBC is trying to excuse him, as he is seen by them as one of their allies in the Left/Islam groupings.
It remains to be seen in the next few days how events work out; they will need to decide how they will manipulate the news agenda and portray the affair.
They must be in turmoil again over yet another thing that has not gone their way, and in spite of all their efforts. They hate people, just like the Left everywhere, as they never do as they are told.
The recent report about their not listening to the people, and failing the impartiality test is evident here again.
‘The BBC promoted the idea that the MB was a moderate and friendly group of victims’
The BBC ‘promoting ideas’ vs. simply reporting is kinda what’s got them even further in the hole than they have dug already.
Which may explain why they are now getting outed as a £4Bpa anchor in most people’s lives.
http://bbcwatch.org/2013/07/03/the-bbc-and-the-brotherhood/
‘there were analysts who, from the outset, viewed the Muslim Brotherhood’s rise to power in Egypt in a less romantic light than the one which prevailed in BBC reporting.’
The ‘romance’ with the BBC is an expensive one if we are forced to pay for inaccuracy and ‘analysis’ governed mostly by ideology… more usually called ‘propaganda’.
As to the ‘Arab Spring’ so beloved of opinion formers in government and media, but few outside, if you wind up a spring too far, the results can be predictable.
This seems like a good time to remind everyone of DB’s classic picture from the Open Thread of 2/2/11 setting out the BBC position on the Muslim Brotherhood and climate sceptics.
Well I know it is in the news headlines but are events in Egypt really a suitable subject for Nicky Campbell’s 5 live phone in?
How many British Licence Payers are actually that fussed about who rules Egypt?
The BBC seems to suffer a kind of ADHD becoming completely obssessed ‘across all platforms’ with its current pet issues – be it: phone hacking scandal; Hillsborough; Glasto;, Olympics; Islam.
Another small example of the British Left’s thoughless and dangerous flirtation with Islam…
Laura Del Rey
@isawfireworks
5’10 like Cindy Crawford. Angry feminist
Laura Del Rey @isawfireworks 1h
Nicky Campbell: “is it a failure of Islamism?” looooooooool plz stop him
In other words Nicky Campbell said something dangerous to the Islam/Left narrative and not liked by the Left so he should be brought back into line by the Twitter crowd.
Perhaps he should realise that Twitter is a Lefty bullpit and opt out?
But as a loyal Beeboid Campbell thinks Twitter is THE go to source of informed debate
Laura Del Rey @isawfireworks 1h
There is an Egyptian guy on the radio and his accent is giving me feelings. :3
“Laura Del Rey @isawfireworks 1h
There is an Egyptian guy on the radio and his accent is giving me feelings. :3 ”
Sounds like the Not the Nine O’Clock News sketch where Pamela Stephenson sings about the Ayatollah :
“There’s a man – in Iran – that I can’t resist….”
Egypt, Islam, BBC-NUJ, and EDL.
The ‘liberal-left,’ (inc Obama and BBC-NUJ), would rather have the ‘stability’ of a government dedicated to Sharia law, (as was Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood government), than the ‘uncertainty’ of the alternative.
By extension, such a ‘liberal-left’ attitude would rather support the imposition of Sharia law everywhere, and instead oppose critics of that, such as EDL.
For BBC-NUJ:- 60 page report-
“Siding with the Oppressor: The Pro-Islamist Left”
Click to access SidingWithOpressor_Web.pdf
panto s phone in 5live
he s droning on “not this islam that islam” ad nauseum re – “is it a disaster for democracy ” in Egypt? …
(he s got a row of political islamists on the line
no doubt, like the rep from the MB, fresh from her monologue on Paxman last night).
HELLO! … by that, does he mean MB democracy? … one vote thats it, pharaoh Morsi democracy?,
perhaps he didn t see the dancing and fireworks in the against camp …
… along side the eye popping, vein popping fury of the islamists outside the mosques … and over 100 revenge rapes to boot.
deja vu, almost back to Mubarak days, before the Brotherhoods 30 yr plan, came to fruition isn t it.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the BBC reported in-depth packagers on stories like this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2355152/Professor-J-Meirion-Thomas-A-200-wont-stop-foreigners-abusing-NHS-But-I-know-.html
Instead of the constant barrage of sycophantic reports on Arab uprisings. Anyone would think we are living in a Muslim country these days.
Normal business has been resumed on the BBC UK news website anyway with its main headline being “News Corp defends Murdoch over tapes”.
The story, despite being older has even jumped up the running order to reach the top.
How long will it remain so prominent? Days or weeks?
Isn`t this entrapment?…hacking?…something nasty anyway?
Only wish somebody would tape the BBCs bigwigs as they snort at Balen, their pay packets and tax fiddles, their sniffing around MacAlpines laundry basket while washing Saviles undies in Stuart Halls toilet bowl?
Come on Rupert!…make `em pay! A nation expects!
More BBC crapola flushed down the memory hole….
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/tramlines/bbc-interviewer-garry-richardson-mocked-twitter-awkward-interview-220057065.html
‘BBC invariably puts such post-match interviews on their website in their entirety, and gives them a prominent slot on their sport homepage this morning.’
‘Richardson’s interview has had a very different treatment, however: the offending final section has been mercilessly trimmed, and the video itself hidden on the third page of a scrolling video carousel far down the tennis page.’
‘The Scot’s interview with the BBC was the talk of Twitter, and even spread across the pond, where USA Today reflected on ‘rambling questions that seemed to insult Murray’s performance’.
See ‘the full awfulness’ here….
Give Gary his brilliant comedy spot back!
The greatest tennis player we could have had, had he not plumped for comedy and the incisive interview!
Keeping the seat of sporting Olympus moist until Alan Partridge returns!
Gary-the BBC?…c`est moi!
Sour grapes from Al Bowen. Not the BBC’s choice of leader.
“Jeremy Bowen BBC Middle East editor tweets: Will Adly Mansour, new president of #Egypt, be more than a fig leaf for military? Generals in coups usually install people they can control”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23175220
Overfilling kettles wastes £68m a year, says report
“….there is an environmental and energy cost attached to water which many people do not consider”
And….
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-18342309
Water meter call by civil engineers to tackle shortages
‘…there was little incentive for people to use the resource carefully because supply was cheap and unlimited.’
Fair points from the BBC there. They seem at last to be getting their heads around some basis economics.
Now, BBC, do tell us about the rise in demand for these some-called Food Banks again….
It was funny seeing the MB ‘spokeswoman’ on newnight yesterday. She was useless. Paxman gave her a free run, though…
bit girly the MB aren`t they?
Fancy sending out an unchaperoned poppet out to defend them,,,,surely a mans job from one of the Mullah-lites down at Regents Park!
Hardly what Mo would have wanted is it?…and that headscarf was so 1979, my dears!
Were they all dyeing their beards then?..or hanging round childrens homes?…
Do you know I’ve not had anything to complain about from the BBc for the past few days. Yes I’ve been traveling around so I haven’t seen anything.
However today I have the stunning revelation that I can save money if I use less hot water…Errr..yea thanks for that..What would I do without the BBc?
Oh no: another dose of whingeing Scousers coming up! Another good reason to avoid the bBBC’s NorthWest ‘news’.
Mark Mardell took a break from filming his earth-shattering documentary on Sino-US relations to opine on how Morsi’s downfall places The Obamessiah in a difficult position. Naturally, he took the opportunity to sneer at and denigrate the majority of US citizens. Mardell’s primary concern, as always, is how it affects the President.
Obama’s Egyptian balancing act
The fact is the Obama administration won’t be tremendously disappointed by what has happened. But it will be worried that this could lead to a chaotic, undemocratic and violent future.
It has grown increasingly frustrated by Mr Morsi and has said that he had not listened or responded to the voices of the people.
But President Obama can hardly back what looks to many like a military coup.
Whatever you call it, a freely elected politician has been removed from power for ignoring people’s demands. If it was a general rule, none of them would be safe, including Mr Obama.
Mardell has a point, of course, but his hand-wringing is a bit overdone. Egypt’s situation is vastly different from the usual military coups in the region. But never mind that, he’s talking in black and white terms. Because this makes the President look bad, though, he’s angry and lashes out.
Mid-term blues don’t invite the interest of the Pentagon. It is perhaps the perennial problem of American foreign policy – in theory, red-blooded enthusiasm for democracy; in practice, fearful of Commies or Islamists elected by the pesky voters, and tempted by the lure of generals who take a more pro-Western line.
Sneering, scolding, ridiculing. Typical of the BBC’s US President editor. Oh those pesky voters, eh? Mardell is giving the impression that he thinks electing Isalmists isn’t such a big deal. Perhaps he never got Jeremy Bowen’s updated memo that the MB weren’t actually moderate?
In any case, here’s a viewpoint from one of those pesky voters which differs so greatly from the BBC version of events that at first I thought it was one of those alt-history novels. The writer is one of the youth leaders of the original protests to oust Mubarak. It’s definitely worth reading in full, but here’s what I think is a key bit.
Five days after the trip to Egypt made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and three days after the first meeting between opposition leaders and Morsi, the president issued a declaration which enabled him to claim sweeping powers (legislative and judicial power in addition to the executive authority). Morsi strengthened the constitution drafting assembly and the Shura Council with MB members to avoid a High Court decree that dismissed them all due to errors in the enabling legislation.
In other words, Morsi turned his administration into an illegal regime, into something other than what the voters elected him to do, apparently with the complicit support of The Obamessiah. That’s one reason why there’s so much anti-Obama/Patterson/Clinton anger in Cairo right now (some hilarious and wonderful posters on display there), something the BBC is playing down. Another big reason for that anger is that Amb. Paterson was meeting with Morsi, giving the appearance that the US was still supporting him, almost up to the end.
Mardell supports what he sees as the President’s wise decision to stay out of it. After all, we’ve been told over and over again that US meddling in “Muslim lands” is Why They Hate Us, and Candidate Obamessiah made that a theme of His campaign. Indeed, it was the main theme of that now infamous Cairo speech.
The problem is, it’s not true. His Administration was quietly supporting Morsi until the end. Ambassador Anne Patterson was asking Coptic leaders to tell their flock not to participate in anti-Morsi protests, and was meeting regularly with the Egyptian Army, trying to assure everyone that there would be no military coup. So the public posturing that the President isn’t taking sides is a lie. Behind the scenes, His minions were working actively to maintain stability. He took sides. No wonder so many Egyptians hate Him now. Or maybe they’re racist?
Mardell does understand that the President must give the appearance that He’s not taking sides. Yet he somehow doesn’t know what’s really going on.
But this is given a particular twist under this administration because Mr Obama does not want to give the impression that the US chooses who should rule in the Arab world.
Indeed he was elected in part to challenge both that image and the reality behind it.
His statement repeatedly says that it is up to the Egyptian people what happens, and that the US backs core principles, not people or parties.
Indeed it opens by saying that.
I hate to break it to you, Mark, but He’s already given that impression. The horses left that stable about a month ago. Maybe that news didn’t filter down to you in China. But if you’re going to make pertinent opinion articles, at least be better informed. Even if the President didn’t really support Morsi’s every action, He’s certainly given that impression to the Egyptian people. And after all, we’re supposed to respect what they think and want for their country, right, BBC? Their opinion is more important than Mardell’s or Bowen’s.
Having said all this, after Mardell admits that the President now faces the conundrum of US aid to Egypt, which becomes illegal if we call it a coup (surely He’s not going to dither over that as well), he says something which I confess baffles me.
Mr Obama might prefer that he doesn’t have a dog in this fight. But he does, and he’s telling it not to bite, without exactly bringing it to heel.
What does that even mean? Which one is His dog? I hope He doesn’t end up eating it. Whatever happens, though, the most important thing to remember is that It’s Not His Fault, and it shouldn’t reflect badly on His foreign policy competence.
6pm BBC1 News re the resignation of Tom Watson – he did it ‘for the sake of party unity’ without any real reason given until the end of the item…where you had to be careful not to blink. ‘Ed Milliband said that the Party would no longer allow members’ subscriptions to be paid for by the Unions.’ If the BBC was your only source of news you would have no idea what this was about – thanks to Guido I knew more than the BBC were going to tell.
Isn’t Tom Watson the BBC’s darling because of Leverson? Or is it just coincidence that he gets such an easy ride over his resignation?
A Labour party scandal? How did the BBC manage to miss this snippet of information……(from the Scotsman which actually tells me what the issue is)
“Labour sources claimed that Mr Watson was told to resign by Mr Miliband who is under pressure to exert his authority on the party after it emerged that the Unite union is targeting 41 safe seats including the Falkirk selection.
It had been suggested that Watson’s office manager was Unite’s preferred candidate for Falkirk.”
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/tom-watson-resigns-over-falkirk-selection-row-1-2989320
Where is the massive BBC ‘political analysis’ machine – that costs 3.5bn PA to maintain when we need it? I think it is probably still busy working on “ASHCROFT!!!!!” stories. I guess the BBC might have reported something if, hypothetically, Ashcroft had tried to covertly impose 40 or so of “his” candidates on safe Tory seats.
This is a HUGE and damaging story about the unscrupulous nature of the Labour Party internal politics and will consequently get no “analysis” and fall off the BBC news agenda in 3 1/2 hours (max)
Perhaps the BBC could look up the terms “Rotten Borough” and “Tammany Hall” and tell me what they think?
Yes funny how low key the BBC play all this….much preferring the Murdoch ‘attacks police’ story…or non story.
Karie Murphy, Rachel Sylvester in the Times on Tuesday said, might actually be Len McCluskey’s girlfriend…though denied….and Watson used to share flat with McCluskey.
As Sylvester says….a web of intrigue that leaves the impression that the politics of ideas have been replaced by the idea of a political fix.
“…….though denied…”
TBH, I can’t imagine anyone publicly admitting to being Len McCluskey’s special plaything.
In a change of schedule due to the phasing of the moon in the holy month of Ramadan, in place of tonight’s episode of Mark Steeles “Vote Labour now because Thatcher was an evil bitch”: Sir David Attenborough travels in one squadron of BBC helicopters to the barren tundra town of Falkirk deep in the arctic wastes north of Islington to explore the remarkable phenomena of Scottish tumbleweed.
The programme fills the prime viewing slot between “Marcus Brigstock spouts liquid shit – again” and the “For fuc* sake turn it off, it’s Jeremy Hardy” show.
Thrill to the HD, second by second, coverage of a few tumbleweed bushes spotted in Scotland. Sir David Attenborough narrates masterfully as he explains that the ‘greatest scientific minds of this or any other generation’ (TM Greenpeace) believe that these scraggy bits of weed blowing about in the freezing damp Caledonian wastes are a precursor to more tumbleweed on our screens as the unique circumstances found in Falkirk are explored more fully by the elite BBC team of 297 experienced weed specialists fresh from extensive weed research at ‘Glasto’. They will cover the predicted 97 C increase in temperature over the next two weeks and the consequent rising of sea levels which will wash more a tumbleweed bushes from Arizona (or somewhere) to the central belt of Scotland.
In this first episode, Sir David reads a script prepared by a committee of pressure groups concluding that this horror is caused by capitalism, greed and above all by selfish climate criminals who insist on wasting electricity, some having up to 3 cups of tea per week, or bathing more than is permitted for the non accredited population (a).
“This is the first of many cutting edge new documentaries; we can expect pretty much continuous coverage of bushes or even bits of paper blowing up and down past the queues for food banks on bitterly depressed ‘triple dip’ streets to the sound of distant plaintive bagpipes up until the 2015 general election” said an un-named BBC spokes person. The spokes person concluded: “just in case you thought that we would explain why Tom Watson has ‘resigned’, think again fascist/racist/climate criminal, we don’ t we have no intention telling the aboriginal proles of Britain about any orchestrated campaign of left wing entryism and gerrymandering by unions: be realistic, that isn’t ever going to be on the narrative arc is it now is it?”
(a) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23175220
For BBC-NUJ:
“Unite’s plot for 40 Labour seats.
Union in secret bid to control selections.”
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4996296/Unites-plot-for-40-Labour-seats.html
Interesting story?
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/twenty-tv-licence-dodgers-greater-4865899
im surprised mancs can afford a tv set let alone the licence fee
Am proud of my hometown.
I well recall a police helicopter flying over Harpurhey in 1990, when the police were informed that somebody had actually paid their poll tax!
20 refusniks/day from Manchester!
Any other city top that?…maybe a prize from Biased BBC for the winning town or city that has more Licence loafees than Manchester.
I reckon Stuart Hall and Jimmy Savile should get honorary acknowledgement for THEIR part in starting the ball rolling!
The report on R4 right now is about the aftermath of Lee Rigby’s murder in Woolwich and the surprising lack of a backlash amongst other things. I just wish they would draw a comparison on how we react to extreme provocation like this and how the Muslim community would have reacted if it had been one of theirs brutally murdered in the street. You can imagine so I don’t need to paint a picture. What annoys me is the lack of credit we get for our restraint, instead the BBC is always trying to paint the white working class of this country in a negative light. Conversely the BBC fall over themselves to paint a wishy washy positive picture of the Muslim community even though we all see what certain elements of that community behave like.
Typical BBC offering really, telling us what a wonderful multicultural heaven we live in with absolutely no down sides.
The have addressed Islamic extremists at the end of the program but nothing like with the gusto and venom they hold for the EDL and its sympathisers, in my opinion.
Indeed, the BBC and the rest of the Left-wing coffee house types reacted with more furore over the Mosque attacks (which look increasingly Muslim attacks aimed at stirring up hatred) than the Lee Rigby attacks. When Muslims kill and cause terror (a daily occurrence in the world) we are all expected to understand their psychology and their victimhood, but when Christians or those from the west fight back, we get endless packages on the evil Far-right. Pathetic! I just don’t understand how we British have let the Left get such a strangle-hold on our country. It will end in blood and tears.
The BBC position is quite unbelievable, and I have it in writing.
They believe that the fault for the murder of Lee Rigby lies wholly & exclusively with the nasty white people! After all Adebolajo told them all his reason – British foreign policy. British soldiers in Muslim lands are killing Muslims, and that’s the fault of the British government, not Adebolajo & not Muslims or Islam.
I have forwarded the relevant Qur’anic verses with a commentary to the acting director of news and am awaiting a response, but I find it quite startling just how the left can twist reality into something they want/need it to be.
On this July 4th – US Independence Day – I hope the Egyptians have better luck with their revolution this time around. It’s their right, and they’re only human.
July 4th. In a way it makes me sad because if we English weren’t so arrogant back in the time following the Seven Years’ War, and treated the colonies with the respect and freedom they deserved we might have had a different relationship with our cousins, the Americans. Oh well, might as well have another glass of wine and ponder over the regrets of colonial politics.
Sorry, that should be ‘British’.
The British Empire was the most powerful and successful the world’s ever seen. We gave birth to America, and I feel no regrets; the Revolution pitted brother against brother and father against son. It was, in reality, a civil war and more about economics, land speculation and human greed than romantic notions of patriotism and emotional ties. The BBC (and the rest of the self-loathing liberals) hate the fact that the British created the basis for modern world: democracy and the industrial revolution.