The BBC looks to be letting bad news go under the radar where Labour is concerned.
The Telegraph reports, it’s their top story just now, that Labour activists were told ‘Don’t mention the economy’ on the doorstep when out campaigning….saying ‘It’s not our strong point.’
The revelation, made at a party conference addressed by Ed Miliband, will heap fresh pressure on the party following claims activists were told not to talk about immigration when canvassing constituents during the election campaign.
Cecil Jenkins, a Labour Party member from Hampstead, asked Mr Miliband, following the leader’s keynote speech at the Fabian Society’s New Year Conference, why the ban on talking to the economy had been introduced.
He told him that local Labour activists have been advised by the London regional party not to talk to voters about the economy “as its not our strong point”.
Mr Jenkins said: “We’ve been told by the London region not to talk about the economy. Can this conceivably be true?”
Here is the BBC’s report of Miliband’s speech…
Ed Miliband accuses David Cameron over pay rise plea
No mention of the unwelcome comments by the Labour activist but the BBC do report, not Miliband running from the debate on the economy, but instead it is the Tories…
‘Running from debates’
Mr Miliband also described the Conservative leader as “running from debates” because “he knows he has failed”.
He joked: “Why did the chicken cross the road? To avoid TV election debates.”
The prime minister has said he won’t take part in the debates ahead of May’s general election unless the Green Party is also included.
Mr Miliband said of the PM: “He is neither proud of his record nor confident of his future.”
So no comment at all about the activists and the economy…when you consider that Labour were planning to avoid talking about immigration on the doorstep and Miliband omitted to mention both immigration and the deficit in his big speech you might have been expecting to see this making the headlines on the BBC, if only to dismiss it….you certainly would if it was the Tories…in fact the BBC have been quick to report the good Lord Patten saying Miliband is the major threat to Cameron in the election….thus ‘bigging up’ Miliband.
I wrote this up well over an hour ago..and the BBC has since updated its ‘Miliband section’ on the frontpage…but still no sign of this story.
So good news for Miliband, yep, we’ll report that. Bad news for Miliband, nope, no chance.
The Telegraph also reports this…
Britain’s recovery is proof David Cameron is ‘doing something right’, says Barack Obama
Britain’s economic recovery is evidence that David Cameron “must be doing something right”, Barack Obama has said, in a huge pre-election boost to the Prime Minister.
In what will be seen as an effective endorsement of Mr Cameron, the American President hailed Mr Cameron’s leadership and described him as one of his “closest and most trusted partners in the world”.
His comments, delivered alongside Mr Cameron in the East Room of the White House, will be a major boost to the Prime Minister with less than four months until the general election.
How does the BBC treat news of Obama’s endorsement of Cameron’s economic policies?…just this rather snide comment by Nick Robinson about Cameron and Obama ‘boasting’ about the state of the economy inserted into a report on the trip, all rather low key…
This is the day when the argument about the British economy travels across the Atlantic.
A day on which the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama have written a joint article in The Times boasting of how they’ve worked closely together to restore economic growth and to improve “living standards” – language which Labour has tried so hard to own and will be frustrated to see the White House sharing with Downing Street.
Any thoughts on why the BBC seems to have downplayed, practically ignored, this story when it seems to be highly relevant and is good news for the Tories as the Telegraph notes…‘ a major boost to the Prime Minister with less than four months until the general election.’ and considering that Nick Robinson recognises it is bad news for Labour….‘language which Labour has tried so hard to own and will be frustrated to see the White House sharing with Downing Street.‘?
From the quoted Telegraph article:
“When approached at the conference by this newspaper, Mr Jenkins, a writer and historian, said: ‘This is a small internal matter. The information was passed to me indirectly, it was written off as ridiculous.’ Mr Jenkins refused to comment further.”
As of course, did the absolutely biased BBC – “Nothing to see here! Mr. Jenkins says it is ridiculous! We accept that! Move along now, right on to the next anti-Tory message as soon as we can find it!”
Day after day the BBC leads its UK news with ‘Labour says’ stories, as highlighted above. On the rare occasion it has a Conservative story it is usually a negative one of the ‘Conservatives reject’ kind.
Add the incessant stream of stories originating from Left wing single issue pressure groups, ‘charities’ and trade unions and you have a recipe for the entirely socialist dominated news that pours out of the BBC like so much intellectual sewage.
Yes, today’s intended political boost from Labour Party-supporting BBC-NUJ came in sycophancy to Miliband at Fabian Society.
Beeboids, however, censor this today:-
“Labour’s private hospital stitch-up: Shocking evidence of how the Left sabotaged NHS success story”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2913987/Labour-s-private-hospital-stitch-Shocking-evidence-Left-sabotaged-NHS-success-story.html#ixzz3P6cOnSFB
I’ve commented quite a lot on that page – most of the lefty comments are just ad hominem with no facts (surprise, surprise) to back them up.
I will keep doing so, so more and more people can spot the weaknesses in the Labour arguments.
That’s a very good point. Those who defend the BBC by talking about the amount of coverage don’t mention or are unaware of the effect of how stories are introduced. Words like claimed, admitted, denied etc. all colour whatever follows, and we all know which way it is slanted, don’t we?
I wonder how much the Oxbridge grads at the BBC remember of a period of recent Eastern European history, say, 1967 -1992?
Do they remember how State controlled media would day after day, week after week, transmit official ‘lines’ on all sorts of stories that were so slanted toward the official line that the population quickly learned how to read between those lines. Would they be aware of Samizdat, citizen journalism and the power of word of mouth transmission by trusted channels?
They must remember how in some countries – Romania, for example – that the people grew to believe that what they were told had little or no substance or was a direct lie that whenever the Government actually made a true statement through the media it wasn’t believed?
Surely, they must recall the BBC’s own programmes about the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia 1968, the Fall of Ceausescu and the Stazi?
What? Have they forgotten so soon?
Oh dear.
The trouble is the left are in charge in most of the quangos and institutions,including the BBC,so they have free range to sabotage most things if they so wish.
A year or two ago now, but when Labour were in power the stories were introduced as “The government denies Tory claims that …” You rarely if ever got to hear a Tory expounding on the point.
Now it appears to be “Labour claims …” and then you hear Labour proclaiming, with a short government rebuttal at the end.
Where is “Scott” when you don’t really need him?
Here is a perfect example of blatant BBC bias and yet the BBC-luvvers stay in the woodwork.
What’s up, Scott? Do you find reports like this absolutely unanswerable from an unbiased point 0f view? Is that why you hide your light under a bushel with such stories?
Scott, you would gain far more respect than the very little you have now if you decided to chip in on such stories, instead of just squatting on the sidelines, hoping against hope to perhaps find a post which *you* may consider “homophobic” and then you can rub your little thing again whilst “answering”.
BTW, Scott, do you still stand by your hope/wish on another thread that one day you would like to see every single thing in this world being presented from a homosexual angle/point of view? After all, what else could a wish for 110% homosexuality mean, eh?
“Suffer the little children … “
BBC uses RIPA terrorism laws to catch TV licence fee dodgers in Northern Ireland
The BBC is using anti-terror spy laws to trap licence fee dodgers in Northern Ireland, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.It has invoked the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) to catch viewers evading the £145 charge.
The Act, which regulates the powers of public bodies to carry out surveillance and investigation, was introduced in 2000 to safeguard national security.
But a series of extensions mean it can now be applied to investigate minor offences, including not paying the licence fee.
The BBC confirmed its use of RIPA in Northern Ireland after enquiries from this newspaper.
However, the publicly-funded broadcaster refused to give details of what way and how often it applied the legislation.
The Telegraph’s revelation has led to calls for the BBC to justify its use of the controversial powers. DUP MP Gregory Campbell said: “The purpose for which the anti-terror legislation was introduced was pretty clear – the clue is in the name. It should be used for that purpose, and if the BBC is using legislation for a purpose that it wasn’t originally intended, then they should explain this to the public.”
RIPA was introduced by the Labour government in 2000 to catch terrorists and prevent serious crime. However, in recent years it has been used for minor offences such as littering and making sure parents are sending their children to school.
A document obtained under Freedom of Information legislation confirms the BBC’s use of RIPA in Northern Ireland.
It states: “The BBC may, in certain circumstances, authorise under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and Regulation of Investigatory Powers (British Broadcasting Corporation) Order 2001 the lawful use of detection equipment to detect unlicensed use of television receivers… the BBC has used detection authorised under this legislation in Northern Ireland.”
Another reason why any moves to exploit recent terrorist activity to introduce yet more government snooping should be hurled back at them.
I assume that they are using RIPA to match IP addresses of people viewing live TV via the Internet, with the physical location of that IP address and THE NAME OF THE PERSON paying the broadband bill. They then check to see if there is a TV licence at that physical address and have legal evidence if there is not and most importantly a name to threaten and sue.
All much cheaper than sending mythical tv detector vans round to put the frighters on the naughty (English speaking only) population.
Alan,
“Labour Party member asks Miliband if he shouldn’t talk about the economy. Miliband says yes you should talk about about the economy.”
Wow, big story bro.
No wonder the dick “Ed’s” dont wanna chat about the economy Dezzy:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2914839/Two-Eds-hid-truth-global-crash-Miliband-Balls-knew-UK-economy-fall-cliff-year-happened-kept-secret.html
Go on lad, spin that one of you can.
Chop,
So Ed Balls thought there was trouble ahead when Northern Rock collapsed. Wow, the revelations are coming thick and fast tonight.
Ahem….ohhh Dezzy, out of Eddy’s own mouth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JHFUP9-PXk
He LIED, that is what the point of the article is…meaning should anyone trust anything he says on the economy?….i’ll let you work that one out.
Chop,
In your 18 second(!) clip, all Balls is saying that no one at the time saw the risks of financial deregulation (which began in 1986). Given that it was supported by the Conservative Party first and the Labour Party second; how is that a lie?
The whole point of the article is simply to poor scorn on Ed Balls; because apparently he noticed the beginning of a banking crisis but didn’t tell everyone that now would be a good time to panic. [You remember the queues at cashpoints of course].
Whatever your political persuasion, you should recognise it’s pretty feeble stuff.
Google reveals thousands of academic papers from around the world telling us exactly how the 2007/2008 world financial crisis germinated in the USA, infiltrated the world and who is to blame.
As far as the UK is concerned we have our own particular role and blame since London is a premier world financial centre, regulated by the British Government, who are the only authority able to make the rules here, (ensuring it fits with EU compliance).
http://www.positivemoney.org/issues/recessions-crisis/
One would assume our state broadcaster could easily explain how the worst financial legacy EVER, ever, which was left by Labour for the incoming Coalition in 2010, since the BBC have an army of some of the highest paid economic analysis experts, courtesy of our taxes.
Unfortunately though, the BBC are now so entrenched and infected with their ‘left’ ethos, (backed up by decades of recruitment placements to match), they can no longer penetrate the ‘red mist’ resulting in political obfuscation and biased reporting as a matter of course, including subtly re-writing history in aid of the cause where necessary.
Supposedly without fear or favour reporting, the UKs most popular and historical media reach, into every home has not done their job and given us unbiased truth about the last Labour Governments critical role in the world’s biggest ever economic crisis.
Otherwise, if the Nation was properly informed, by it’s Public Service Broadcaster, as one would expect if it was neutral, Labour would not be showing anywhere near it’s elevated level in the polls.
Even in this critical period in the run-up to the BBC Licence review, where one would think they would try and ‘screw the bobbin’ with more balanced reporting, without fear or favour, the BBC are so addicted with comprehensive ‘left infection’ and complacent ‘metro’ isolation, that they are just no longer able to help themselves anymore in spewing out Labour propaganda!
I am just a mere ex-soldier and small businessman but the financial crash is all pretty clear to me, with Labours part in the downfall being so obvious and fact based.
In 1997, the Conservatives bequeathed Labour a growing economy and impressive projected positive finances, the best ever handed over to an incoming Government in this land. Labour, in part, got elected somewhat on this promise not to ‘screw it up’ by inputting in their 1997 manifesto to continue these sound Conservative financial policies for the first few years in power.
Once bitten and twice shy, just like today Labour needed to counter the polls showing the electorate fear of a repeat of their economic history. With good reason, since the public has not forgotten when Labour were in power in the 70s, when they handed over to Thatcher such a dire, desperate situation of our nation degraded to the ‘sick man of Europe’, even requesting an IMF bailout like a poor third world African nation, solely due to the horrendous Labour Political and Economic incompetence.
Such was the gigantic scale of the Blair and Brown deficit and debt legacy, it would not matter which Government was in power from 2010 onwards, things were again so desperate, (for the second time Labour were in power in my lifetime), austerity and financial prudence was again rapidly needed or we go Zimbabwean.
Predictably, as soon as they got into opposition, Labour got it wrong all over again with ‘TOO FAR – TOO FAST’ advice. They voted against every welfare Bill reform put through. Had we followed Balls, Milliband, McCluskey and the party’s traitorous propaganda we certainly would not now be EU and world leading growth champions, but instead facing a ‘Greek Tragedy’?
Under Labour, our country contributed greatly to the world financial crisis. London, the World Financial centre infection tempted so many other nations to take advantage of easy leverage and corrupt dealing under the auspices of the UK Governments ‘light touch’ regulation. was Gordon’s message from the world’s premier financial centre.
In London, so many other nations’ banks and international financial transactions were conducted under our rules and they too became infected, suffered or took advantage of LIBOR scandalous rate fixes and FOREX scams for example. Just look at the evidence of infection resulting from the collapse of the Icelandic banks – Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Heritable – and the impact on UK depositors where the UK Treasury decided to freeze the UK assets of Landsbanki held in London when it became apparent they might not pay out to UK depositors.
It is of course accepted that the USA initiated the suicidal scaled up sub-prime, CDOs and other lax and related corrupt banking practices, which London under Labour light regulation followed and duplicated with gusto. It is clear Brown and his Treasury cohorts failed spectacularly in their dereliction of duty to regulate the City of London to our National credibility detriment. This LABOUR induced scandal has shamed the nation.
Labour, who were the only ones with the power to regulate, stress test and ensure ‘No more boom or bust’ let these London based banks run riot, impacting most of us through pension funds, bank charges, savings, PPI and derivatives and also allowed the other Nations banks in the City to follow our ‘world class’ London example.
One should never forget it was Brown Balls & Milliband, more than any other MPs who were in the treasury and are most to blame for not regulating and the recession legacy they left.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6240362.stm
The country was basically on the brink of bankruptcy after 13 years of Labour. They certainly ‘did not fix the roof whilst the sun was shining’, borrowing to the hilt even during those financial good times when they should have been building the reserves, (not selling off 400 tons of gold at bargain basement prices) and leaving notes to their successors that there was ‘nothing left’.
Even, now Labour has the brass neck to ‘slag off’ the other parties for wanting to privatise the NHS!
They really think us ‘plebs’ did not notice PFI, for example, which is going to require our children and grandchildren to pay off £300 bn PFI Labour Privatisation – YES £300bn to be repaid – for the NHS over the next generation. This is causing great hardship in the NHS already!
http://www.channel4.com/news/counting-the-cost-of-pfi-in-the-nhs
Add to that their illegal wars, where literally millions lie dead or displaced and importing 4 extra million people into the country, depressing the working mans wage and putting enormous strain on our NHS, Housing, Doctors, Schools, cultural cohesion, turning a blind eye to the likes of Rotherham, Labour’s legacy is criminal, pathetic and shameful!
I live in hope that most others can see what I can see with the Labour propaganda dished out by the BBC and just pray the Broadcaster Licence review will right an obvious wrong for the future benefit of our nation.
Great post Charlatans.
Seem to recall that we originated the Sub-prime problem in the UK, strictly speaking, in that the vehicle for trading (CDOs etc) were a UK invention courtesy of some Oxford grads (including one or two Americans), working in the City, possibly/probably for a subsidiary of a US bank. At the time the Sub-Prime trading vehicles were invented, Blair was PM and was bigging-up (pardon the yoof-speak) London as the No.1 world trading market.
I also have a notion that this info originally came my way via BBC R4, no less, just before or after the credit crunch was under way.
Can anyone help my overloaded memory on either count?
Dez,
Thatcher was warned about the inherent problems that had been spotted in the preparations for Big Bang in 1986 but insisted on sticking to the timetable. Various events subsequently occurred signpost warnings, not least failures of Swiss financial institutions, Black Monday and Black Wednesday. You could add the Bank crash of the 1970s to that list of experience.
Cracks had appeared in Brown’s economic management at various times 1999-2006 and when warnings were issued about specific areas they were met with a mantra of ‘Longest period of sustained economic growth’, ‘Record low inflation’ and, notwithstanding the highest ever levels of personal debt in the UK, ‘Record low interest rates’.
Unfortunately, when the locals wanted their money out of a bank that other locals worked at and knew might have some problems, the result, I strongly suspect, was that they were not fully believed in No.10 Downing Street. Maybe more mantra recitation followed although probably more in private as we heard rather less of it on the BBC who were actually out & about & doing some reporting. That rather lays the burden of responsibility with Gordon Brown and his cohort that included Ed Balls & Ed Miliband.
You would think that savvy political figures like that trio, of that age, would remember the events outlined – fully in the public realm – that I recited in my first para above, wouldn’t you? Well, if they did, it didn’t really spur them into much quick decisive or supportive or corrective action, did it?
Next door at No.11, The Chancellor was starting to get concerned there was a crisis brewing and was busy trying to find out what was going on.
Would you really want the two Eds from that trio back in charge of UK PLC? Especially when in their public utterances they seem to be completely unable to show any understanding of what actually went wrong under their stewardship?
You missed out Labour’s eradication of boom and bust.
Quite right – woops – beg pardon.
Eleven months before the Lehman Brothers collapse, Miliband tells Winter that the UK economy is going to collapse, hence the cynical push for a snap election. Ah yes, “it all started in America”.
Yes, it did all start in America. But who in their right mind would lend cash to the Sub-Prime market? What reason would they do that? Look deeper and you might be surprised at why and who was behind the biggest financial crash in history.
How was it that some countries did not have banks crashing around them. while others suffered only the mildest of contagion? I know where the responsibility ultimately lies – with the Labour government.
Labour activists thinking that the economy is something the party shouldn’t talk about at an election is a big story. Much more of than say one about a friend of a Tory councillor being rude about a Labour councillor which was the lead story on Newsnight.
The BBC TV license fee is most unfair to all of us. But then it will be their final downfall. BBC Irony that they will not survive with their demands in Europe. Outside Europe we have a slim chance of benefiting from the inevitable collapse of the EURO currency. We are not part of Europe but still have world wide influence (and US credibility despite Obhama). The BBC survives only in the vain hope that (BBC) still has a World Service to influence its liberal left bias. If the BBC is worth saving that is it’s only sphere of influence. Ironically there is no real future for the BBC in Europe. It will have to kow-tow to Brussles exclusively and will in all possibility be made redundant as will the compulsory TV license fee anachronism. The fact that the BBC is fundamentally ‘anti-competitive’ may not work in its favour in the EU when faced with German competition from many commercial independents that offer ‘value-for-money’ with a far better ‘niche’ service without obvious propaganda dressed as entertainment.
If only the BBC can see that their future is outside Europe.
http://www.th-eu-nit.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=25442:myth-of-importance-of-eu-trade-blown-apart-as-experts-reveal-it-is-not-vital-to-uk-economy&catid=32:euro-economics&Itemid=32
Maybe the abrupt Swiss Frank de-coupling from the Euro signals the imminent collapse of the Euro ? No fools, those Gnomes of Zurich!
If it is gonna collapse – or at least get thrown into huge turmoil – let’s hope it happens before the General Election. More votes for UKIP.
Britain’s economic recovery is evidence that David Cameron “must be doing something right”, Barack Obama has said, in a huge pre-election boost to the Prime Minister.
One must have sympathy for Obama here. Firstly he has no idea about his own economy so why expect him to know about Britain’s?
Secondly, what answer could he give? “Britain’s economy is crap” would be seen as partisanship on the other side.
Poll out today in the papers: Express claims: ‘EXCLUSIVE: 80 per cent of Britons want to quit EU in biggest poll for 40 years. ‘BRITAIN is marching towards the EU exit door today after eight out of 10 people voted to leave in a historic poll.
Can we expect a counter attack by the BBC? Well we all know of course, they will probably ignore it (as irrelevant) and carry on as usual. The Ukip vote has just got stronger.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/553241/80-per-cent-Britons-leave-EU-poll-reveal