241 Responses to MID WEEK OPEN THREAD…

  1. Guest Who says:

    Even light and moderate drinking could increase risk of cancer, researchers say http://t.co/w0M7kelzbx http://t.co/EHlWSwuiQ5

    The words ‘could’ and ‘researchers say’ seem like catnip to news editors

       49 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Yet another thin end of the wedge being inserted into our private lives, I suspect.

         15 likes

  2. Guest Who says:

    The BBC seems to be really adding to its skill sets…

    http://tv-licensing.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/bbc-blackmailed-chancellor-over-budget.html

    What next? Extortion? Contracts?

       26 likes

    • shelly says:

      They may have to cut BBC Four Oh No !!!

      That means people will have to buy the box sets of Family Guy instead of watching it endlessly on BBC Four every bloody night.

         31 likes

  3. AsISeeIt says:

    I have to say I’ve rarely been tempted to make comments on BBC moderated forums – taking the stance that the BBC is already irredeemably biased and even where the home team might let adverse comment stand the flak which our national broadcaster gets may in fact merely serve to entrench the in-house world view.

    Other posters here have shown how the BBC is steadily reducing and closing down opportunities for public comment and reaction to what is broadcast.

    Rather than a messy ‘free for all’ it seems far better for the BBC to ask for texts etc – to carefully filter and then select what gets published. They certainly appear to be going down this route.

    To wit:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-33963436

    ‘Is it the beginning of the end for online comments?’

    ‘Vibrant online communities? Or cesspools of abuse? Have comments had their day?’

    ‘Moderating comments is a full-time job (or several full-time jobs) at many news organisations.’

    ‘Officiating comments on a BBC News story requires knowledge of more than a dozen different disqualifying categories.’

    The context was very very different but I’m reminded of a few words of lyric by Gill Scott Heron:

    ‘Call in the cavalry to disrupt this perception of freedom gone wild. God damn it, first one wants freedom, then the whole damn world wants freedom.’

       40 likes

    • AsISeeIt says:

      And – in the category of ‘you couldn’t make it up’ – BBC Trending follow their anti-online comment report with a story headed:

      ‘The songs China doesn’t want you to hear’

         36 likes

      • NCBBC says:

        And what the BBC does not want you to know.

        I came across this on Jihad Watch

        West Virginia Muslim arrested for threatening to blow up Statue of Liberty

        http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/08/west-virginia-muslim-arrested-for-threatening-to-blow-up-statue-of-liberty

        The BBC had the news on its Ceefax page, but they mentioned the perp as Jason Paul Smith, 42, of Harts, West Virginia.

        Imagine my surprise when JW stated that he was a convert to Islam with the new RoP moniker Abdul Yasin.

        The BBC lies by selective omission of factual material which is relevant to the issue.

           16 likes

        • Flexdream says:

          Remember how the BBC refused to name Lee Rigby’s killers by their preferred Muslim names, but used their old Christian names?
          Yet as soon as the gay, transgender traitor Bradley Manning wanted to have a girl’s name the BBC started to call him Chelsea?
          Bias? What bias?

             10 likes

    • Geoff says:

      Try also commenting on the ‘Digital Spy’ forum website, a site that is always mentioned by Steve Wright on Radio 2.

      http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=108

      Any and TVL, anti BBC posts are immediately jumped on by the same group/clique of posters, ‘offending’ posters often having accounts revoked.

      I read a claim elsewhere, that the IP address of one of these pro BBC posters was traced back to a Capita office, but as I said it was only a claim.

         31 likes

      • Richard Pinder says:

        Is the Capita office in Darlington or Belfast? There seems to be hundreds of BBC censorship monitors in Belfast. I wonder if they are employed by Capita.

           20 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      If they do stop the Blogs and close down HYS on any other articles it will, effectively, mean the end of the web-site. There will not be a lot of point in visiting it. A saving on Purnell’s salary, I guess, but the interwebby will survive and continue to evolve. Without the BBC. A shame, I think.

      Would have thought it obvious to the DG & Execs that if they do go down that route, they are starting to undermine their case for any Licence Fee, let alone an ever increasing one. If they are not informing, educating or entertaining (do endless repeats of Family Guy count, even under E for entertainment?) via the website, are they perhaps not complying with that mission statement elsewhere?

      I have not seen Family Guy. Is it entertaining? It props up one channel. There’s another saving (as suggested above) and 10% or more off the £145 Licence Fee.

         19 likes

      • Matt says:

        Family guy is funny in parts but suffers from the usual US lollywood spin I.e positive toward democrats / illiberals and negative about republicans /conservatives it’s why the BBC laps it up !

           22 likes

    • Number 88 says:

      ‘Officiating comments on a BBC News story requires knowledge of more than a dozen different disqualifying categories.’

      I don’t think in BBC-land it is that difficult. The rule is; If the BBC doesn’t like the comment, it gets deleted.

      Actually, what the BBC really means is;

      ‘Officiating comments on a BBC News story requires knowledge of more than a dozen different approved BBC positions (on things like climate change, immigration, multiculturalism, far left politics…etc…etc).’

         20 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Interesting you say ‘BBC moderated forums’, as I had a gander a while ago to see if they’ve pulled the plug yet (No. But watch this space), and the highest rated comment was modded out.

      Was it something they said? And about whom?

         11 likes

    • TrueToo says:

      Other posters here have shown how the BBC is steadily reducing and closing down opportunities for public comment and reaction to what is broadcast.

      They started whitting it down seven years ago after becoming aware that the general public did not share their left-wing, pro-Islam idiocy. Peter Horrocks, recently head of the World Service, was instrumental in the process – after the poor fellow got such a shock from the public response to the assassination of the Pakistani PM by members of the Religion of Peace:

      Ten days ago, just hours after the death of Benazir Bhutto, we considered turning off the comment recommendation facility on that story on the BBC News website. It was only a fleeting suggestion but that we could consider, however briefly, freezing this important part of BBC News’ service tells you something about the power and the potential danger of the new intensity of the interaction between the contributing public, journalists and audiences. And it raises the question of how much attention and resource news organisations should devote to this rapidly burgeoning aspect of our journalism.

      Let me explain more about the Bhutto response. As is usual after major stories, our team quickly put up a Have Your Say forum to get reaction to her death. As you probably know there is a facility for users to recommend comments that previous people have posted. Here are a few of the top half dozen comments, with the number of people who eventually ended up recommending the views.

      “That’s the way politics works with The Religion of Peace”. 828

      “Religion of Peace strikes again.” 717

      “Is this another example of the wonderful tolerance for which, or so we are constantly being told, Islam is famous?
      Its time the rest of the world stopped making excuses for this barbaric, dark ages way of life and completely condemned the casual brutality continually perpetrated by so many of the religion’s supporters.” 565

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2008/01/value_of_citizen_journalism.html

      That’s when the seed was planted in Horrock’s PeeCee mind and that’s when the deterioration began.

      ‘Have Your Say’ these days is not worth bothering with.

         15 likes

  4. David Brims says:

    According to the papers Gordon Brown walked 1.3 miles, roughly 2,400 steps, you got to feel sorry for the poor sod, even his friends detest him.

       24 likes

    • popeye says:

      Part of the standard training given to ex-Labour Prime Ministers by his protection squad – when in the presence of Labour supporters keep moving; a moving target is harder to hit!

         23 likes

  5. David Brims says:

       18 likes

  6. nofanofpoliticians says:

    This year’s Strictly Come Dancing troupe is being drip-fed to us slowly. Have to say, it seems like it is becoming an internal competition for BBC staff only.

    My guess is that the budget has been slashed, and they are only interested in the cheapest participants. The programme seems doomed.

    One can only hope.

       45 likes

    • Geoff says:

      The budget seems to be going on the Pro’s, only 1 woman and 2 blokes are actually British (one 5th) do we not have any homegrown Pro’s? Is this not the ‘British’ Broadcasting Corporation? British jobs for British workers?

         38 likes

      • nofanofpoliticians says:

        I’m not a particularly avid follower, but it seems that the pro’s are a pretty cosy bunch.

        One is the sister/ brother of another, he is married to a third participant. Separately, there is a boyfriend/ girlfriend relationship seemingly of some years going on in there too and separate to that there are former dance partners and (external) dance school/ show partners.

        The whole thing seems to be drafted from a fairly small pool.

           23 likes

  7. Dave666 says:

    One of the most ridiculous stories I think I’ve ever seen. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-33984082
    Children more unhappy here than in Ethiopia?! Really 50% of children suffered from physical bullying in the last month. Really?! This has been on the periphery of news for a couple of days this morning BBc tackle it with their usual balanced methodology. So who wrote this report? It’s the children’s society. Yes Breakfast charity of the day. http://childrenssociety.org.uk/
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Children%27s_Society
    Any one say “I think this is a load of bollox”. Nope. Apparently they are driven by a belief that all children deserve a good childhood. The CEO (I think it was) appears and gives his speil without any challenge to the reality of the story. Shame the sofa sloths didn’t ask how much he gets paid.

       42 likes

    • shelly says:

      Perhaps we should all seek asylum in Ethiopia for the sake of the Children.
      Or maybe Camilla Batmanjellylegs needs a new role in making kids lives better here. Forget Orange Wednesdays, Weed Fridays are where its at.

         50 likes

    • Ian Rushlow says:

      The thought of children suffering is unbearable. Given that children from Ethiopia and Romania are happier in those countries, it follows that any who are here need to be repatriated to their countries of origin, plus no further immigration allowed from there. Think of the children! In this post Kids Company world we need such bold initiatives. Er, or have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick?

         68 likes

    • Stuart Beaker says:

      “In Soviet Russia, all childrens happy.”

         3 likes

  8. nofanofpoliticians says:

    Others around here may already have been aware, but I was surprised to read that Justine Roberts (the founder of Mumsnet) is married to one Ian Katz, Editor of Newsnight.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3202952/Armed-police-launch-late-night-raid-home-Mumsnet-founder-fake-tip-fathers-group-said-hacked-website.html

    Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised, but these little titbits are never explained before these people get interviewed by the BBC.

       64 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      My, my. What a small world.

         24 likes

      • ObiWan says:

        One might even be forgiven for mistaking some kind of…oh, I dunno, some sort of common purpose, or something, behind it all…

           35 likes

        • johnnythefish says:

          Talking of Common Purpose, look what Mooning Chukabutty and Posh Boy are up to:

          A moderate Labour pressure group dubbed “the Resistance” is being formed by two top shadow cabinet members as Jeremy Corbyn pulls ahead in the leadership race, the Evening Standard can reveal.

          Chuka Umunna and Tristram Hunt have written privately to Labour MPs calling on them to meet four days before the leadership result is announced. It is being seen by MPs as a rival to Mr Corbyn’s Left-wing platform and the start of guerrilla warfare for Labour’s soul….

          …The group, Labour for the Common Good, will meet on September 8 and include some peers, council leaders and trade unionists.

          http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/shadow-cabinet-mps-form-the-resistance-group-in-anticipation-of-corbyn-win-a2633476.html

          Coincidence, magic or sly opportunism? You decide.

             16 likes

  9. Will all end in tears says:

    And just when you think the BBC can sink no lower……

    Did anybody watch Newsnight last night and the final item on the Battle of Britain?

    Has there ever been a more sneering, anti-British piece of bullshit, all orchestrated by the cock-end in chief Davies.

    Not an utterance of the heroism displayed by the men, women and children of this nation, oh no. The most important thing was to focus upon any “myths” that the Battle may have given rise too.

    The two guest historians were only too happy to whistle to the tune and pointed out – naturally – that it wasn’t just Britain, it was the Commonwealth, and the Czechs and the Poles etc – cue gleeful sneer from Davies.

    It was also deemed of utmost importance to focus, not on the fighting spirit of the public during the blitz, but that there was looting going on at the time – something that I swear made Davies cream his undies.

    It was the most disgusting thing I have seen or heard on the BBC, our National broadcaster – seriously.

    Shameful, shameful, shameful

       135 likes

    • nofanofpoliticians says:

      … and yet again, true to form, the Newsnight team draw upon some well-versed academic or other to illustrate the (somewhat dodgy meme) they wish to push.

      it doesn’t matter whether the subject is the Battle of Britain or the example in the Global Justice thread, there is always an academic to call upon in the background to substantiate the meme.

      Hardly ever a practitioner, or someone who may have first hand knowledge of the subject matter under discussion.

         51 likes

    • 60022Mallard says:

      Quite a long piece on ITV News at Ten from the goings on at Biggin Hill yesterday.

      Would seem to have been the antithesis of the Newsnight coverage.

      Perhaps Mr Katz’s eye was off the ball due to his wife’s problems – see above.

         52 likes

    • Geoff says:

      19% of foreign aircrew fought in the Battle of Britain yes, but were we reminded that they flew those wonderful planes that we saw yesterday, British designed, British built running British designed and built engines ?

      The foreign aircrew analogy is often used in such circumstances much like the ‘expat’ analogy often trotted out by the bBC when justifying immigration/The EU.

         71 likes

      • Matt says:

        The foreign aircrew weren’t really fighting for us they were fighting with the tools we gave them to battle for their homelands which by the BBC ‘s thinking is nationalist and protectionist so no wonder the BBC hate it all !

           38 likes

        • Englands Dreaming says:

          The Czech and Polish pilots were fighting with us against a common enemy.

             18 likes

    • Thatcherrevolutionary says:

      That didn’t appear to be reflected in the completely non-diverse crowd.

         29 likes

    • RJ says:

      “The two guest historians were only too happy to whistle to the tune and pointed out – naturally – that it wasn’t just Britain, it was the Commonwealth, and the Czechs and the Poles etc – cue gleeful sneer from Davies.”

      As it was the BBC I assume Evans and the “historians” didn’t make any mention of pilots from South Africa and Rhodesia.

      As an aside – I was near Cambridge on Saturday when a flight of 7 Spitfires went over. A magic moment.

         39 likes

    • Thatcherrevolutionary says:

      Can you imagine the 2015 Battle of Britain report?
      ‘Today unknown men in aeroplanes dropped high explosives randomly on the South East of Great Britain. Despite the German markings on the aircraft and flying in from the East, there was nothing to suggest this was Germanic in origin. Police also said there was nothing connecting the various attacks at Biggin Hill, Kenley, Gosport & Hornchurch, and could have been the work of a ‘lone wolf’ airman. Detectives are still looking for a motive for the attacks.’

         52 likes

      • shelly says:

        “Can you imagine the 2015 Battle of Britain report?”

        Had the establishment welcomed German “enrichment” into the country back then perhaps the top boys name would have been, Kurt, Adolf or Ernst.

        And East London would have been flooded with Men in Lederhosen instead of dresses. What larks !

           33 likes

      • Geoff says:

        ….Winston Churchill speaking in the House of Commons has stated that these raids have absolutely nothing to do with Nazism…

           35 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        “BBC Calling. BBC Calling”

        Lord Hall Hall… what a card, eh?

           21 likes

    • Al Shubtill says:

      I just watched that item on iPlayer – f***ing incredible! Would the national broadcaster of any other country, produce such a dishonourable piece of television belittling the courageous men of its own military? This especially on the very day which commemorates the loss of so many of them, in the defence of our country.
      Evan Davies, can be adjudged in one word – c**t.

         10 likes

  10. Up2snuff says:

    The poor old Beeb’s disasters roll on and on: something does seem to be happening to them. A troubled collective conscience, perhaps? It could, of course, all be put down to it being the summer holiday season, I guess. That would demonstrates a certain shallowness of capability that some would argue should not exist for £3.6bn per annum, especially when their excellence at all things is currently being stated.

    Some humour to be found in some of it as the scriptwriting for the News in yesterday’s WatO and this morning’s TODAY demonstrated. Then there was the interloping North American with those Spitfires & Hurricanes at Biggin Hill yesterday.

       15 likes

  11. AsISeeIt says:

    Cognitive dissonance

    This morning on BBC Breakfast Silly Billy Turnbull reads out a ‘text’ from a ‘Headteacher’. The message is heavily provisoed with the assurance ‘I’m busy at the moment drawing up plans for next term’

    Our anonymous texter teacher goes on to bemoan the lack of funding set aside for child well being. The Government has ‘cut’ such funding, we are told.

    It seems although our texty teacher would dearly love to improve child happiness it appears it’s all a question of increasing public spending dosh.

    House eunuch Bill hammers home his pro-public sector talking point after reading a Department of Education reassurance of their spending commitment – but pointing out to the viewer ‘It seems that teacher dissagrees’ – this with his oh-so-earnest big softy teddybear Bill wouldn’t lie to you expression to camera.

    Blantant bias. How dare the BBC present anonymous texts as bona fide argument.

    I was on a crowded communter train yesterday. A young woman was talking rather loudly about her plans for the evening:

    ‘My friend, she’s always texting me about going out. She wants to go out every day. I can’t, I’ve got to fit it around work. Of course she’s a teacher and gets 12 weeks holiday. She texted me from the gym this morning and said – hey, come out drinking with me today’

    Perhaps I’ll text that to Bill – do you reckon he will read it out?

       54 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      ‘How dare the BBC present anonymous texts as bona fide argument.’

      Seems to be happening more and more, as they reduce actual unmodded HYS forums to filtered ‘comment’ too.

      Seems what the people the BBC speak for tell them is not what the BBC likes to hear or pass on.

      Next step will be paid PR passed off as vox pop once the BBC commissars have vetted it as suitable.

      OFCOM maybe best stand by again.

         27 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Our anonymous texter teacher goes on to bemoan the lack of funding set aside for child well being. The Government has ‘cut’ such funding, we are told.

      It seems although our texty teacher would dearly love to improve child happiness it appears it’s all a question of increasing public spending dosh.

      Call me old-fashioned, but isn’t the ‘well being’ and ‘happiness’ of children their parents’ responsibility?

         19 likes

  12. Umbongo says:

    For a slight foretaste of the BBC’s position on Corbyn as Labour leader (yes – it’s “news in the future” but that is, after all, a BBC speciality) read Mary Riddell in today’s Telegraph. Mary even includes the obligatory smear of anyone who might consider Hamas a tad uncivilised: critcism of Corbyn’s tacit approval of a new holocaust in the Eastern Mediterranean is, according to Mary, OTT.

    I suggest that we in the the UK – and especially Jews – brace themselves for a breath of the stagnant wind of anti-Jewish politics blowing from the left. Such vile air will, of course, be fanned by our national broadcaster (initially under the guise of anti-Israel reportage/analysis and then, as Corbyn et al get their feet under the table at Westminster and W1A, as out-and-out anti-Jewish propaganda). This will further strengthen the support for Labour among a significant portion of Moslem “new” Britons. Even so, any manifestations of anti-Jewish thuggery will, of course, have “nothing to do with Islam”.

       39 likes

    • Dave S says:

      Corbyn is not to be taken lightly, The universities are already hotbeds of anti Israeli actions and BDS is still alive and well. Corbyn is not pro Israel. He will dissemble like the rest of them.
      It is astonishing just how the liberal classes have made Palestinians their favoured cause. Corbyn is their man.
      So we can expect the BBC to continue with it’s biased reports from Israel. Now given that little extra air of authority by the possible new leader of Labour.

         17 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      ….critcism of Corbyn’s tacit approval of a new holocaust in the Eastern Mediterranean is, according to Mary, OTT.

      Does she not do logic? Hamas is committed to the destruction of Israel, Corbyn is an unequivocal supporter of Hamas. Corbyn therefore must be in favour of the destruction of Israel. QED.

         12 likes

  13. Guest Who says:

    BBC News shared Victoria Derbyshire’s video.
    21 mins ·
    London’s “supercar season” has begun ?

    19,738 Views
    Victoria Derbyshire
    Supercar season hits London bbc.in/1EBO1uL

    It’s a thing. Apparently.

    And news. Apparently.

    At least, to some (they even have little emojis to go with. Bless).

       14 likes

  14. CranbrookPhil says:

    Ugh! Was the whole of the World at One taken up with Corbyn spouting his nonsense? I couldn’t face it so turned the sound off, each time I turned it up Corbyn was still talking. I gave up in the end! Honestly, the BBC coverage of the Labour party & recently Corbyn has been way over the top!

       44 likes

  15. Roland Deschain says:

    Some of you may recall that I made a complaint to the BBC about James Naughtie referring to “adding Latin volatility into the mix” when talking about Jose Mourinho. I considered this to be an offensive use of stereotyping.

    It’s taken them a week, but back comes a reply at last.

    Thanks for contacting us regarding Radio 4’s ‘Today’ on 12 August.
    We note your comments concerning discussion of the story about Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s treatment of team doctor Eva Carneiro. We understand you were unhappy with James Naughtie’s reference to Mourinho’s “Latin volatility”.
    In the discussion it was first mentioned that Mourinho could be seen to “go nuts” at the sight of the Chelsea team doctor entering the field to treat Eden Hazard.
    A guest then referred to that being “quite typical of managers” as far as they were concerned.
    James Naughtie did go on to say “We’ve got to talk more about Mourinho here…when you add, you know, a Latin volatility into the mix that’s another complicating factor?”
    This prompted the response:
    “Yes, well I think also… part of what makes them [managers] who they are is that explosive nature. That’s what makes them good at their job…”
    Part of a presenter’s role can be to play devil’s advocate to some extent and to encourage further informative responses from guests. However, we appreciate that you felt this was an offensive question which made an inappropriate use of a stereotype.
    Thank you for your feedback. Please know complaints are sent to senior management and programme makers every morning and we’ve included your points in our overnight reports. These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback in the BBC ensuring that complaints are seen quickly by the right people. This helps inform decisions about future discussions.

    So… it takes them a week to quote me part of the programme I’m complaining about? Amongst all this verbosity, their explanation actually amounts to one sentence: “Part of a presenter’s role can be to play devil’s advocate to some extent and to encourage further informative responses from guests.“. That’s it? Racist remarks are fine and dandy in order to get further informative responses from guests? Strangely, I can’t imagine a presenter saying “…and when you add into the mix a Muslim propensity to take offence” in order to get an informative response.

    But anyone planning to appear on a BBC programme might wish to bear this in mind and be ready with “I was only trying to encourage informative responses” should they upset anyone.

       49 likes

    • Old Goat says:

      I really don’t know why anyone bothers to complain to the BBC, about the BBC – they’ll always have an answer, wriggle out of the question, and come up with some weary excuse fully exonerating their man (or woman, or trans-whatever).

         32 likes

      • David Brims says:

        It’s a bit like writing a letter of complaint to the Mafia because they commit crime.

           31 likes

      • Roland Deschain says:

        OG

        To waste their time, of course. I certainly didn’t do it in the expectation of a mea culpa.

           21 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          Ha-ha… good one! Even the BBC knows when folk are joking and appreciates it. Witness all the staff who say ‘just joking’ and all is fine.

          Because claiming seriously to be taking complaints other than seriously can if they did not engage in larks themselves (and hypocrisy is not a BBC trait), be seen as a heaven sent opportunity to slap a ‘flippant and vexatious’ sticker on the case and the entire complainant file should an expediting tickle a fancy. If they monitored this site, which they don’t, according to not old, not white, not men in times past.

          As to the complaint reply itself, you and others have correctly noted the now inevitable, lame padding out exercise to distract from the fact they don’t have a leg to stand on to answer the actual complaint.

          it also means the complainant has to go back to ‘Go’ to retry, and of course adds verbiage that either busts their imposed limits or if answering their points allows they to claim it would now take too long and would be a waste of licence fee payers’ money.

          It’s the CECUTT version of a BBC DPA estimate of how long they would take to answer an FoI being the BBC DPA’s excuse for how they now need not answer it as they’d take too long.

          The spirit of the Leopard in the Basement with the daft side of the Farce strong is.

             11 likes

      • Jerry Owen says:

        I gave up complaining last year to the BBC as their stock fall back on argument is ‘We believe……etc etc, end of story, except for the pointless…but we do welcome your opinions..or some such banal rubbish.

           16 likes

      • 60022Mallard says:

        I have achieved a climb down from them over Justin Webb describing Sarah Palin as a creationist, something they were unable to substantiate – but, of course, if you ask most people they will say she is because they heard it on the telly, so it must be true.

        Its a bit like saying the BBC is biased, or calling the TV licence the television tax.

        The more times you say it to people and they read it casually dropped in to articles in the papers or on websites etc. it takes on its own momentum and becomes a “fact”, so keep up the good work.

        It’s a favourite trick of the left that needs to be employed against them. JC being “far left” is one never to forget to add to your comments on him.

        “Far left” still resonates badly with many in the U.K.

           23 likes

        • shelly says:

          I find rabid, intolerant, nut job, for JC works well too…

             14 likes

        • Roland Deschain says:

          The more times you say it to people and they read it casually dropped in to articles in the papers or on websites etc. it takes on its own momentum and becomes a “fact”

          That is a very good point, and I believe it has been said about BBC bias so frequently that there is now a sizeable section of the population who do indeed consider the BBC leans leftward. Not enough of them think this strongly enough to want to do something about it, but I believe we’re getting there.

             18 likes

      • Dave666 says:

        Yes Old goat I’m afraid I must agree. It’s been some time since I made a complaint. Mind you part of the reason for that is that I watch less and less of the complete crap they broadcast. They of course are never wrong’ However it’s really about time the BBc were forced to set up a truly independent and objective complaints system

           13 likes

    • 60022Mallard says:

      “Part of a presenter’s role can be to play devil’s advocate to some extent and to encourage further informative responses from guests.“

      Note the careful use of the words “can be”, because we all know on here the number of times the BBC presenter has resolutely NOT taken the opportunity to play devil’s advocate

         27 likes

    • Jerry Owen says:

      Roland Deschain
      So offending can be ‘racism sexism homophobia Islamophobia, but when it comes to offending a white heterosexual male it is just mucking around basically… as white men don’t count!

         32 likes

      • 60022Mallard says:

        Quite.

        The white heterosexual male between 18 and 65 is the baseline for judging the extra “rights” of those who are not.

           23 likes

  16. dontblamemeivotedukip says:

    Attention all tribal tory voters
    http://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/kathy-gyngell-whittingdale-backs-away-from-putting-the-bbc-in-its-place/
    don’t say you weren’t warned

       30 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      Fudge_bar_wrapper.JPG

         25 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      ‘…don’t say you weren’t warned’

      And a long time ago, from the moment the ‘Future of the BBC Committee’ (one Whittingdale J.) shut down Angie Bray in one of the few attempts to get past how to ensure the licence fee money got secured (by force if necessary) and a nice cosy OFCOM (though they do seem to be showing more teeth lately) oversight, and address the fact that the BBC is now unable to provide an impartial, accurate service of integrity at any level.

      Especially CECUTT and the DPA depts, which rather ensures the rest can and do what they like without accountability.

         9 likes

  17. G.W.F. says:

    I am not surprised. I see Cameron – and hence those he appoints in his Government – as virtually one and the same voice as the BBC. Multicult, foreign aid, pro EU, open immigration despite his speeches, pro-Islamic, need I go on? A question worth considering is whether the BBC follows No 10 or No 10 follows the BBC? Or does it matter? Cameron’s policies are those of the BBC. The BBC supports Labour, but Cameron is closer to Labour (before Corbyn) than many of his backbenchers. But they are a rather meek bunch anyhow.

       42 likes

  18. Rampage says:

    Got in the car and had Radio 5 on. “This afternoon the story of how a young girl overcame prejudice and played football with boys”. Radio off.

       47 likes

    • Jerry Owen says:

      Have you noticed on TV that parallel to men’s sport reports the equivalent female sports is reported on. I have to concentrate to see which sex sport is being reported on when it is pictures rather than film as the women wear the same outfits as the men.

         21 likes

  19. David Brims says:

    BBC 2 tonight 9pm Horizon.” The First Britons. Horizon reveals how new archaeological discoveries are painting a different picture of the very first native Britons. But extraordinary new evidence has forced scientists to rethink who these people were, where they came from and what impact they had on our early history. ” I think I can guess where the BBC would like us to believe where the First Britons came from…. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0675hcv

       29 likes

    • dontblamemeivotedukip says:

      Just a guess but would this cover it?

         6 likes

    • 60022Mallard says:

      Isn’t it accepted that man has moved outwards from warmer climes as he developed the ability feed, clothe and keep himself warm in less promising lands?

      Others may see a slightly different spin on what is happening today!

         16 likes

    • Essexman says:

      I detect the narrators voice is not from ” Hideously White” English stock, he says things like ” What we can find about our countries ancestors ” Well I guarantee , his, were still hunting in West Africa at the time.Ours were hunting in English forests , & learning to grow crops .

         18 likes

      • Essexman says:

        The narrator was Adrian Lester , parents from Jamaica , married to Rita Chakabarti`s sister Lolita .Talk about rubbing our ancestors noses in it, the bastard evil BBC .It was a programme about Hideously White ancient English settlers , how can they get someone of a non English decent, to narrate OUR Fucking History .

           37 likes

        • GCooper says:

          One thing’s for sure – that was no accident.

          The BBC is playing its usual cultural marxist game: setting-up anyone who responds to deliberately placed bait so they can scream ‘racist’ at them.

          The BBC at its most pathetic.

             30 likes

  20. Roland Deschain says:

    BBC Breaks Impartiality Rules On Climate And… Ooh Look! A Performing Dog!

    James Delingpole gives it his usual treatment.

       28 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      B…b…. but a long line of market rate talents (or their spokespersons) have, are and will keep telling me the BBC is impartial.

      So much so it’s in their DNA (except views; they are their own. Apparently).

      Can it be this is not true, and the BBC is not to be trusted?

      Because Mssrs. Whittigdale and Norman and their ‘teams’ may get a nasty shock if they side with the BBC whilst the public know a dog when they see one, especially when being sold a pup in what had seemed just another cost establishment whitewashing stitch-up.

         12 likes

  21. Al Shubtill says:

    On the R2 midday news there was a report that Slovakia is to accept only Christian or atheist immigrants and not Muslims as they “wouldn’t feel at home there”. I was surprised Al Beebus even covered it, especially as there wasn’t any partiality evident in the piece.
    It then occurred to me that the Beeb is so enveloped in this paradise which is multiculturalism; that it would view this Slovakian policy as completely absurd and assumes that everyone listening shares that opinion.
    Whereas in reality +80% of those listening would be thinking – why the hell don’t we do that? Well done the Slovaks.

    I have started to form the view that the push back against the Islamization of Europe will come from the East; the E.U. policy of diffusing these immigrants throughout all member states will not be tolerated there.

       65 likes

    • Dover Sentry says:

      Good point. I think that Putin will not want Islamic influence on his borders with the potential of these countries becoming Islamic states.
      I think Putin looks beyond the five year cycles of Western Governments

         15 likes

      • Al Shubtill says:

        That is true DS, but the Russians have problems of their own with sizeable, and increasing, Muslim minorities within their own borders.
        I think that newer member countries within the E.U. (with no history of mass immigration from the failed world) such as: Poland; Czech Rep.; Slovakia; Croatia (which was never conquered by the Ottomans); Hungary; Bulgaria and Romania, are the ones to observe. I think that regardless of how the E.U. tries to bribe the pro-European project elites of these states; once these native populations, begin to see parts of their countries crammed with escapees from the Third World – they’re not going to like it.

        It is worth remembering that a lot of Eastern Europeans, take cognizance of what mass Third World and Muslim immigration has done to the countries of Western Europe (where many of them, their friends or family members have worked or visited) and it won’t be a prospect for the future, that the majority of them will aspire after.
        There is also the long historical shadow, cast by the Islamic rule and conquests of the Ottoman Turks.

           17 likes

  22. taffman says:

    According to AliBaba telly news, ‘sex offences on trains and stations reach record level’. I wonder why?
    As if to make a point, they run a film portraying a white man molesting a coloured woman on a train – But really, is it those ‘men’ again?

       56 likes

  23. Thoughtful says:

    BBC now really sticking the knife into Corbyn – a little late it has to be said, but they have sought historical footage of him sharing a platform with some pretty unpleasant holocaust deniers, and actually went to the lengths of speaking to the man who Corbyn claimed to have no knowledge of, despite him having personally invited him to the house of commons.

    I think the BBC are still in the BLiar Nu Liebour camp, and the hard left Corbyn really doesn’t suit them – after all they might find their very high salaries highly taxed!

    Maybe they thought that they weren’t able to interfere in the Labour leadership election process, which would make something of a change because they’ve interfered in plenty of other elections to political posts.

    This might well be seen as right wing bias on the part of the BBC, but that would be wrong. It is a reaction from the liberal ‘soft’ left to a hard left man with some very unpleasant friends.

    Keep an eye out for accusations of right wing bias over this.

       30 likes

    • CranbrookPhil says:

      Yes, earlier I wrote that I switched off The World at One because a belly-full of Corbyn was not something I relished. Wish now I had stuck with it because I learn that he made a brilliant noose for himself!

         21 likes

    • dontblamemeivotedukip says:

      I think the BBCs volt face has something to do with Corbyn’s attitude to the EU. like a lot of his opinions he’s pretty coy about it – but he used to take the old hard left ‘business mans club’ position. There’s no sign that his changed that and a some of his supporters, on line, seem to think he will campaign for Britain to leave the EU.
      That would put the Marxist cat among the BBCs pigeons.
      ( recent example would be regular on line trot Lindsays comments on this piece in commentator http://www.thecommentator.com/article/6041/jeremy_corbyn_s_magical_mystery_tour )

         22 likes

    • Dave S says:

      Good point. The left is prone to vicious in fighting at times .

         13 likes

  24. Alex says:

    BBC memo to all journalists and news staff:

    “Look folks, you can mention ‘terrorist attack’; you can even mention ‘terrorist network/cell’ if you like; or you might want to mention the identities of the perpetrators as ‘Asian’; or perhaps you may wish to say that it was an attack aimed at harming the Thai tourism industry; also you may choose to look non-plussed and waffle on about the authorities not having any motives for the attack. But for God’s sake, just DON”T MENTION ISLAM or Muslims!!”

       45 likes

  25. Alex says:

    This is one type of inequality which the BBC would rather ignore…

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/599049/TV-Licence-jailed-England-BBC-fee-Scotland-fines

       20 likes

  26. Alex says:

    I wonder whether the Corbyn Fanclub Show (aka Newsnight) will be discussing this type of story?

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11812730/Jeremy-Corbyn-denies-knowing-Muslim-firebrand-who-condones-killing-British-soldiers.html

       23 likes

    • Richard Pinder says:

      Could not find anything other than a picture by “Tories for Corbyn” of Tony Blair shaking hands with Gadaffi, and a mention of Cameron, de-civiliser of Libya, proudly saying that he regards himself as the “heir to Blair“.

         2 likes

  27. Pollystuscanyvilla says:

    From today’s Guardian…

    “The Labour party has a robust system to prevent fraudulent or malicious applications and duplicate votes,” they said. “All applications to join the Labour party as a member, affiliate or supporter are verified and those who do not share Labour’s aims and values will be denied a vote.

    Really? I voted today. I stated that Labour needed to show its true colours and show what it really means to be left wing.

    Bingo! Accepted.

       37 likes

    • LostOverThere says:

      Shame they couldn’t apply that to election voting

         14 likes

    • Pollystuscanyvilla says:

      By the way if UKIP had ran an election like this the media would say what a bunch of amateurs. “How could they run a country?”

      Funny how no one questions in the MSM Labour’s clear inability to run a P.U.I.A.B.

         46 likes

      • Flexdream says:

        Yes, compare and contrast the coverage of Farage’s resignation and reinstatement with the coverage of the Labour leadership election fiasco.

           17 likes

  28. Charlatans says:

    dontblamemeivotedukip above highlights this great future of BBC article by the influential Conservative woman website.

    http://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/kathy-gyngell-whittingdale-backs-away-from-putting-the-bbc-in-its-place/

    I have submitted my comments, since this conservative site has quite a parliamentary following I am informed and hopefully one can have some small influence if you have views you wish to air and get read:

    “CHARLATANS
    So many fundamental wrongs with our National broadcaster. The main one being the BBC is so often operating outside its remit. It is not fairly and politically balanced, nor representing the views and outlook of today’s majority UK population. Definitely no-where near matching the political makeup of the countries inhabitants.

    Rather the BBC output, agenda, ethos, management, through deliberate recruitment, is seismically skewed to the liberal left minority of the nation. For sure this takes precedence, notwithstanding since 1918 the UK electorate has for 70% of that time, (irrespective of the immensely subtle ‘liberal left’ powerful propaganda put out by the BBC), voted in centre and centre right governments. Often today one finds the news and current affairs output is akin to a Labour party agenda.

    Evidence of this can quickly be found if one researches the net for literally many thousands of actual ‘liberal left’ BBC bias output examples, with many websites dedicated to such, (note cannot find one website dedicated to bias to the political right, which must alone give credence for the direction of travel):

    http://biasedbbc.tv/
    http://biasedbbc.proboards.com
    http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot

    http://order-order.com/2015/04

    Indeed the Guido Fawkes site, (the most popular national political blog), has hardly one page without some derogatory BBC liberal left bias highlighted.

    It surely cannot be right that 10% of the Magistrates Courts criminal caseload is dealing with Licence Fee non-payment, committed generally by the poorest in our society, with over 180,000 cases annually. An absolute national disgrace and scandal this regressive tax is not changed to a subscription service in this digital age with such media plurality.

    How can one trust the BBC to deal fairly, without bias, with items such as EU referendum when they are recipients of many millions of EU funding and based on their historical and current political reporting form?

    So many other astounding wrongs, like what on earth is a National Broadcaster, of a 2 millennium christian heritage country doing appointing a Muslim Head of Religion and Ethics? That is like the Vatican appointing Jimmy Seville as their child abuse adviser. One could accept in our multi-cultural nation the national broadcaster has advisers from ethnic minorities, but running the show is a different matter.

    Is it any wonder then that the BBC produced its premier religious programme from Calais, ‘Songs of Praise’, featuring a BBC production with a gender segregated christian congregation. This totally devalues our proudly evolved National equality values which have not come cheaply and are normally a positive British example for the world.

    Then we have a tax funded organisation whose senior staff and stars are actually in-house advised to take advantage of self employed tax avoidance schemes?

    The BBC urgently needs radical reform, minimizing state output by part ‘privatisation’ of commercial assets. The state sector should produce, without bias nor fear and favour, only news and current affairs, combined with information representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities and bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK:

    A radically reformed and minimised BBC would avoid the numerous taxpayer abuses e.g.

    Financial ineptitude with the likes of gigantic waste of multi millions on failed IT schemes.
    Lonely Planet purchase.
    Enormous Staff Pay-offs.
    Move to Salford.
    Unbelievable high management salaries.
    Staff gravy train type perks etc,

    We can then be rid of Immoral appeasement of criminal behaviour and cover ups like Saville and so many other State subsidised scandals.

    Privatisation of the successful commercial broadcasting parts of the BBC would relieve the enormous mandatory tax price to the viewer, who can then choose to subscribe.

       46 likes

    • John Anderson says:

      Excellent comment, Charlatans. I had drawn attention to this article early this morning – it really is a good summary of Whittingdale’s wetness.

      Another name that should have been included automatically in Whittingdale’s new advisory panel is David Elstein, who led the case for radical change at the BBC including subscription durinbg the last Charter review. Elstein is a very experienced TV executive / Chairman etc, he knows his onions. But of course that is why the Department did not recommend him to Whittingdale. And why Whittingdale, whose former Commons committee had received evidence from Elstein, did not add his name to the list.

      It is simple “Yes Minister” stuff. To get the advice you want – stack the advisory panel.

      (Incide3ntally one of the panel, Dame Colette Bowe, was a bit of a creep when I first came across her at the DTI. She is now a more important creep, a Quango Queen of little distinction.

         28 likes

      • Charlatans says:

        Thanks for that John and Number 88. The Telegraph article is very telling about the Hall and Fairhead programming threats and as suspected there are a lot of behind the scenes panics and scraps ongoing in the build up to next years Licence Review.

        The overriding reform issue has to be that the crunch has finally come for the corporation with the digital and media plurality forcing change. In addition the BBC has literally been asking for it with their behavior economically, Saville, liberal left ethos etc, etc, etc etc.

        Thank god their time has come.

           12 likes

    • Number 88 says:

      This, from the Telegraph, shows why this evil self serving organisation needs to be cut down to size. Hall it seems was quite happy to sabotage budget day for the purposes of holding the government to ransom – threatening to announce the closure of BBC2, 4 and all local radio on the day of the Chancellor’s speech.

      Arrogant and out of control, we can now add ‘manipulative’ to the BBC charge sheet.

      Hall obviously thnks he has a strong suit given what he believes to be the positive public sentiment the BBC has. One of these days he’s in for a rude awakening.

      One other thing. Once again we see from this report how the BBC ‘Trust’ goes into bat as for the Corporation, as its cheerleader, rather than the viewer and listener whose interests it is supposed to serve.

      What a complete and utter total disappointment and waste of space Rona Fairhead became. I had such hope when her appointment was announced.

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/bbc/11813249/Lord-Hall-threatened-to-overshadow-Budget-after-TV-licence-row.html

         28 likes

      • Essexman says:

        Why don`t they close down 1 Xtra & the Asian Network , & maybe 6 music & News 24 for starters , no one would miss them . Oh yeah 2 are for effnicks , one a propaganda outfit , another , a music station , that commercial radio could do .

           27 likes

        • Number 88 says:

          And the BBC Online Magazine…and BBC Trending…and something called BBC Music that they are promoting as a poor man’s BBC version of Spotify.

          Where are they getting the staff from to do all these extra things?

             20 likes

          • Guest Who says:

            They appear on a hiring spree somewhat at odds with the claims of Lord Hall.

            Seems designed around a civil service version of ‘too big to make redundant’, as Charter negotiations proceed.

            In short, further economic blackmail.

               10 likes

        • taffman says:

          Or even the world service .

             15 likes

  29. Dave666 says:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-33986738
    Just watched the BBc discuss this on News 24. I turned to Mrs Dave and said “the BBc won’t like that” To round off the piece of scum reporter rounded off with “others might not see it like that” to the comments it was done for the migrants own good and community cohesion. Shame none of our Governments bothered to think like that

       16 likes

    • David Brims says:

      When the civil war in Syria is over will they go back ?

         18 likes

      • GCooper says:

        Have any of the immigrants who have come here following such crises? Precious few, as far as I can recall.

           12 likes

    • Al Shubtill says:

      It doesn’t say whether the orc was inbound or attempting to flee to Pakistan to avoid arrest, as countless others have. A s**t hole that we pour millions into through overseas aid – and yet with whom the U.K. has no extradition treaty.

         16 likes

  30. The Old Bloke says:

    As we all know to well, the BBC have pushed “Climate Change” for all its worth and given Roger Harrabin a free hand through the BBC to publish whatever he likes uncontested. Things might now start to change as “real” scientists and climatologists start to look skywards at the “bright one” that is our sun and warn us all of the lack of sun spot activity and almanacs across the world are now being studied for historical data and what chance of a “minimum” happening again. The infamous “Hockey Stick” did not take into account any influence that our sun might have upon our climate. Oops. The BBC and Mr Harrabin have told us time and time again that any “Climate Change” is to be caused by man made Co2 and henceforth “Global Warming”. But, what of Global Cooling Mr Harrabin? In your world it isn’t going to happen is it Mr Harrabin? But in the real world, it now looks like it is and scientists and climatologists are now getting concerned. Hmm. Well there you go.
    In approx’ 10 days time it looks like Murmansk will see below zero temperatures with frosts. They don’t get frosts in August. We have just had the greatest number of “frost days” in August for over 60 years. Iceland will get snow this weekend. We have been warned haven’t we Mr Harrabin? And to all the other newspaper columnists that visit these pages, look around you, and do your job.

       42 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      The other problem with sun induced warming via overnight storage radiators, a.k.a. large towns & cities, across the world is what happens when the source of heat gets turned down for a significant period.

      Buying an extra fleece jacket & thermal socks in the end of summer sales might be a really good idea.

         5 likes

  31. Pounce says:

    The bBC, its role in promoting Anti-Semitism in the UK and how it has no problem lying for Allah:
    Matisyahu row: Jewish singer invited back to festival
    The above is how an American Reggie singer who happens to be Jewish was banned from a Spanish Jazz festival . It transpires that after the intervention of the BDS protestors in stopping Matisyahu from playing , the festival’s director tried what he presumably thought was a perfectly reasonable request: And asked Matisyahu to produce a “signed statement or video” stating “in a very clear way” that he supported the creation of a Palestinian state. This was made a precondition of performing. “If you sign these conditions, you can continue the performance,”
    Understandably, Matisyahu refused to respond to this ultimatum, and festival organisers cancelled his performance, which was due to be just one of a number of performance stops Matisyahu is making in Europe and America.

    Yet according to the bBC the reason why this American jew was banned was and I quote:
    BDS Valencia said that, because of some of Matisyahu’s lyrics and his previous comments on Israeli affairs, his values did not tally with those of the festival, namely “peace, equality, human rights and social justice”.
    And there at a stroke the bBC hides the ugliness which all these Jew Haters are renowned for. Can you imagine the outrage from the bBC if a Muslim was denied the right to do anything.

    The bBC, the apologist for Islamic intolerance and their anti-Semitic acolytes

       48 likes

    • nogginator says:

      additional …

      http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/08/spanish-music-festival-bans-jewish-performer-for-being-pro-israel

      “Matisyahu had to endorse “Palestinian” statehood, which would be endorsing the creation of an internationally-sanctioned jihad base for renewed attacks against a diminished Israel, or not perform. And so for Rototom Sunsplash, it’s all out in the open: hate Israel, or go home”.
      In a much more insidious, underhand way as are all things Tory

      ” In 2013 it emerged that the key, but hidden, reason why Pamela Geller and I were banned from Britain was because we were supporters of Israel. British authorities tried to cover this up: our lawyers requested documents under the UK’s freedom of information law, and among the documents we received as an internal memo of the UK Home Office from one official to another (both names were redacted) directing that the material about our support from Israel be removed from our dossiers, so that people wouldn’t get the impression that we were being barred for supporting Israel.
      This was sufficient to indicate that our support for Israel did indeed play a large role in the decision to ban us, and that the British authorities knew how bad that would make them look, so they removed almost all the traces of it. The Rototom Sunsplash organizers had no such compunction. They’re open about their support for the Nazi-like BDS movement. The way the world is going, they clearly don’t think they have to hide it.”

      R Spencer

         21 likes

  32. Pounce says:

    The bBC, its green crusade and how it will defend the indefensible
    China CO2 emissions: ‘Coal error’ caused wrong calculations
    Confusion over the types of coal being burned in Chinese power stations has caused a significant overestimation of the country’s carbon emissions Researchers say that existing calculations of China’s CO2 were made using a globally averaged formula.But when scientists tested the types of coal actually being burned in China, they found they produced 40% less carbon than had been assumed.
    China the world’s biggest polluter (Which the left, never mind the bBC remain very silent over, unlike the US or UK) has apparently been misquoted in the amount of CO2 it shoves out, yup according to new research by international scientists. (Err it was a letter to the nature magazine) China isn’t the bad guy here, on that note anybody every see the left defend the Uk never mind the US for polluting the world. Don’t worry if that Jesus freak gets into power, the UK will revert back to horse and cart in which to redress the worlds CO2 problems.

       25 likes

  33. Guest Who says:

    @FrankRGardner On @BBCr4today prog Thurs morning: the ISIS strategy for women. My report.

    So, they have a strategy. Sounds official. Be interesting to discover what it is. Apparently.

       15 likes

  34. nogginator says:

    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/08/18/draw-mohammed-uk-exhibition-cancelled-after-security-service-pressure/

    BBC? … surprise surprise … silent on this one.
    The only flicker, you can find, if you bang mohamhead cartoons into
    BBC news, at the very bottom of the page, in the “from other outlets” slot you get this.

    Cartoon Exhibit cancelled over ‘real possibility’ of violence”
    http://www.rt.com/uk/312759-mohammed-cartoon-exhibit-cancelled/
    From you ve guessed it … Russsia Today yep! RT
    Jam packed full of Tell MAMA, crap about Islamofauxbia and other drivel.

    Are you in any way surprised?
    Remember the skewed BBC reports over the attempted massacre in Texas by Islamic adherents?
    … only prevented by quick reactions?

    We must respond with a global fight for free speech
    http://www.shariawatch.org.uk/articles/mohammed-cartoon-exhibition-cancelled

    “Some have told me that this cancellation represents a victory for the terrorists
    … but what’s new?
    When a victory occurs within a sea of victories, it is the sea that is the villain – and it’s the sea we have to swim in.
    We need an international campaign comprising all who seek free speech protection, particularly from Islam.
    It needs to work hard and fast to reverse the tide.
    I will contact every organisation, politician, writer, and advocate for free speech that I can find, and I hope we can take the fight for free expression on to the world stage”
    A M Walters

    Free Speech? … additional

    Cancelled – More imposed silence
    http://www.shariawatch.org.uk/articles/event-cancelled-more-imposed-silence

       16 likes

  35. Pollystuscanyvilla says:

    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/20/van-calais-migrants-help-homemade-humanitarian-mission

    Another daft middle-class virtue signalling “GROLIES”

    (Guardian Reader Of Low Intelligence in Ethnic Skirt)

       20 likes

    • Dave666 says:

      Wonder if she will be putting any migrants up in her property?

         13 likes

      • Pollystuscanyvilla says:

        I also doubt if Libby Freeman’s job as a Set Designer (an important and key profession that keeps this country running) will be undercut by an unskilled migrant.

        As someone myself who was once involved in “hands on” activism work spending many freezing nights/days (and its has to be said risking personal safety, roughed up, verbally abused and possible loss of job) – along with many other decent people of all classes and politics, none of us felt it necessary to get our fizogs in some puff piece in the Guardian (or any other paper for that matter).

        What makes me think Libby is really doing this for herself.

           13 likes

        • shelly says:

          A quote from Libby.

          “We were given a great reception as we walked around the camp. My friend had a ukulele and at one point she started singing Don’t Worry Be Happy.”

          This made me laugh so much I had to walk out of the office, haven’t these “migrants” suffered enough?

             25 likes

  36. AsISeeIt says:

    The BBC Breakfast crowd may be somewhat cack-handed when it comes to providing us with real news but they do tend to gift us with great quotes.

    This morning Carol Strictly Kirkwood declares of her weather report:
    “… not very helpful if you’re planning your weekend…”

    Meanwhile a guest wildlife expert from Oxford University who had been tracking Twitter star Cecil the lion informs us:
    “…not all lions have names”

    Keep up the good work BBC

       35 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      OT (unless it was a BBC reporter), but in the sorry Cecil episode I did appreciate the twitter meme when his brother was referred to as ‘also a lion’.

         25 likes

      • AsISeeIt says:

        ‘…his brother was referred to as ‘also a lion’. ‘

        That’s made my day.

        Digressing way beyond the point perhaps but the internet is a strange and wonderful thing : ‘Life with the Lyons writer Bob Block also created the BBC television series Rentaghost’

        Rentaghost eh? I’ll bet they were all on Zero Hour Contracts. Living Room Tax – not for them.

           11 likes

      • shelly says:

        Cecil might have come from a rainbow family, made up of half breed Leopard/Lions and an adopted zebra Brother, as is the modern way.

           22 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      Not all lions have names? Are you sure about that? I saw a film about lions once and they all had names like “Simba” and “Scar”.

         21 likes

    • Dave666 says:

      I wonder if Cecil the lion was named after Cecil Rhodes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Rhodes ) (a not very flattering wickedpedia write up there “imperialist”). “Not all lions have names” damn if I meet one without a name I’ll have to call him/ her mate then.

         13 likes

  37. Dave666 says:

    BBc Breakfast reporter states he will look at why there is a shortage of housing. Oh I wonder if they will mention immigration I think to myself. However at least while I was watching there was no mention of why the demand for housing has increased.

       38 likes

    • Old Goat says:

      Funny that wherever there is a shortage, or problem due to increased numbers, and greater use for (or demand on) a service or utility, the obvious criterion staring everyone else starkly in the face, is blithely ignored by the BBC.

         42 likes

    • shelly says:

      Its all our fault for getting older and divorcing, the housing shortage has absolutely nothing to do with newcomers swarming in to the country and having nowhere to live, as everyone knows other enrichers are willing to rent them a garden shed to sleep in.

      I’m surprised these latter day Rachmans aren’t described as go ahead entrepreneurs in some quarters.

         30 likes

  38. Doublethinker says:

    There is an article in the Telegraph this morning about how Lord Hall threatened to close BBC2 ,BBC 4 and local radio if the government went ahead and forced the corporation to fund free LF for pensioners without any mitigation of the lost income. The article goes on to say that the government then gave way and gave the BBC several sources of mitigation.
    If this article is true it shows how powerful the BBC is . It merely has to threaten to reduce its service and the government , with 5 years left before an election, caves in. Personally, I would have told the BBC that if that was what it wanted to do then go ahead, but no doubt the loss of political capital was considered too great.
    This ought to make the government realise that the best way to deal with the BBC is to make it a subscription service. Then the BBC is in no position to threaten the government. If it makes cuts it is its own decision in the light of public willingness to pay for its service. As long as the BBC receives public funding it will be able to threaten the government unless it gets its way.

       34 likes

    • G.W.F. says:

      I may have made this point here before. I do believe that the BBC has become a state within a state. It collects its own taxes, which are enforced by the courts, has its own foreign policy as well as internal policies, such as multiculturalism, and promotes laws. Elected Governments are responding to it as a state, not as a servant or provider of services for the people.

         45 likes

      • David Brims says:

        ”I do believe that the BBC has become a state within a state.” More like a crime syndicate, Rolf, Jimmy, Chris Langham, Jonathan King, Alan ”Fluff” Freeman, Stuart Hall, Uncle Mac Derek McCulloch, etc etc, and that’s just the ones we know about.

           23 likes

    • David Brims says:

      ”Lord Hall threatened to close BBC2 ,BBC 4 and local radio if the government went ahead !!!!!!” They should have called his bluff.

         27 likes

      • John Anderson says:

        Closing BBC3 and BBC4 is what any normal commercial body would do if faced with retrenchment.. Crap schedules, poor audience figures. It would not choose to close BBC2.

        If the Telegraph article is accurate this shows how ridiculous “Lord” Hall was being.

           24 likes

        • GCooper says:

          Conversely, a public service broadcaster should be expanding its minority coverage and leaving the mass market Woolworths stuff to commercial media.

          I see no reason why we should be forced to pay for Celebrity Come Dancing or Bake Off, when these could just as easily be made by ITV. Last night’s Horizon on mesolithic Britian, however, would probably not have been made by a commercial channel.

          That said, I agree that Hall is an imbecile and that forcing people to pay for anything is almost always unjustifiable.

             17 likes

          • Cockernee says:

            Reith’s original dictum was “give them something a little bit better than they think they want”.

            I don’t think Celeb Come Dancing or Bake Off really fit with that.

               17 likes

      • R P McMurphy says:

        Don’t say that David, I want to listen to Radio Leeds when I’m 85, just like the rest of it’s audience.

           5 likes

  39. David Brims says:

    Saw Tony Hall on SKY news practically jumping up and down, ” The BBC is Britain, Britain is the BBC !!! ”’

       13 likes

    • David Brims says:

         12 likes

    • John Anderson says:

      David Brims

      Thanks for posting the video clip of Tony Hall in all his arrogance.

      It put me in mind of Caesar’s aside to Mark Anthony, commenting on Cassius :

      Let me have men about me that are fat,
      Sleek-headed men and such as sleep a-nights.
      Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look.
      He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.

      Trouble was, Mark Anthony told Caesar not to worry about Cassius.

      Hall is every bit as much a snake as Cassius. And in our Parliamentary democracy, he is an over-mighty baron.

         20 likes

  40. taffman says:

    AliBaba broadcasting Wales reports from France re Calais – “new fences – looks like a prison- migrants broken legs – cuts from razor wire etc. Its Britain’s fault – Calais seeking compensation from Britain”.

    In reality the root cause is the ‘soft underbelly of Europe’. It has been going on for so long now that message has got out to these migrants/invaders that Europe is a soft touch, remember Sangatte. They go to Calais because they know that its a way of getting in.

    The economic cost to the trade and transport of Britain over the last few months has been is phenomenal. The government could have deployed a whole regiment of British soldiers to defend our borders and saved us millions of pounds. All this when we have been going through a period of ‘austerity’, where is our Home Sec?
    ‘Europe, you are the weakest link, Goodbye!’

       31 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      If that’s a prison it must be the biggest one in the world, given they basically have the whole of Europe to wander in. I have noticed several BBC articles in recent days which I believe are deliberately trying to soften attitudes up to accepting the swarms, by making people feel sorry for them.

         37 likes

      • GCooper says:

        Not too many prisons where there’s a queue to get in, are there?

        The argument is facile and all too typical of the liberal Left, which never misses an opportunity to show how compassionate it is… Until it’s actually in power.

           26 likes

        • G.W.F. says:

          I see from the BBC this morning that Appeaser May is reported to be doing a deal with the French to resolve the Calais problem.

          I wonder if she is interested in combatting the networks of UK leftists who are busy organizing convoys and other means of support for the would be invaders. Somehow I doubt it, as her Prime Minister’s pals in the UAF are busy scurrying back and forth and plan a delegation there on 5th September. You are such a hypocrite Teresa May.
          Photo taken from the Calais Migrant Solidarity Action Campaign/

          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33992952

          11824989_10153537646609419_931689658996531308_n.jpg?oh=3abc2ffb97e42596e671e1f17c9cdbe1&oe=563E6EB4

             19 likes

          • G.W.F. says:

            Note the HYS on the story. Not going well for the BBC. It will be removed soon.

            http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33992952

               15 likes

            • John Anderson says:

              GWF

              I checked the comments – the first 4 pages of highest-rated were ALL opposing the BBC’s soft line on “migration”.

              The BBC is totally out of step with majority opinion in this country – among all the people who are forced to pay for the BBC.

              The BBC knows this. But the BBC sails on regardless.

                 29 likes

              • Pollystuscanyvilla says:

                Unfortunately, and my partner who has worked at the BBC in TV production has said this, they have NO respect for the license payer.

                   25 likes

                • Roland Deschain says:

                  Why would they have respect for those forced, with the threat of imprisonment, to fund them? They’d have respect if there was a choice. They’d need to, to ensure the funds to pay their salaries kept coming in.

                     17 likes

              • Guest Who says:

                All top raters seem calm, considered, and factually sound.

                The mods must be desperate.

                If this makes 5.45pm I’ll be impressed.

                   12 likes

            • Roland Deschain says:

              I wonder how long this one will last:

              594. Posted by Insight
              @575. Posted by Loadsofmoney
              This is a brilliant point. Why are these migrants not heading for the Gulf states? The truth is they are not happy under islamic law. They want freedom and the West is the only region to provide it. Shame is we have to then tolerate everything that comes with muslims. These include sexism, child molestation, ten children per family and hefty welfare bills.

                 36 likes

              • Guest Who says:

                It doesn’t say it’s closed, but the last was an hour ago, or around 5.45pm, amazingly.

                   6 likes

          • taffman says:

            Why do I get visions of the home secretary climbing out of a plane from Calais, waving a piece of paper proclaiming “peace for our time”?

               16 likes

      • AsISeeIt says:

        ‘BBC… deliberately trying to soften attitudes up to accepting the swarms…’

        What our BBC, surely not?

        http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/dq4vmv/who-do-you-think-you-are–series-12—2-jane-seymour

        ‘Jane Seymour: a quintessentially English-sounding name. But in fact the actress was born Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg, her mother was Dutch and her father’s side of the family were Polish Jews. She’s keen to find out what happened to two of her paternal great-aunts Jadwiga and Michaela, both of whom lived in Europe and would, she suspects, have been caught up in the Holocaust’

        Expect a reference to what we now term ‘migration’ or at least an implied parallel – in fact it is an obviously false equivalence but that won’t stop them.

        By the way, the nieces of current immigrants seem too often to turn out to be somewhat less of the English Rose – more of the Jihadi Bride variety

           32 likes

    • ObiWan says:

      The real danger from this invasion, apart from the obvious pressure on services and infrastructure, is from the religious nuttery and total disregard for British culture that these illegal immigrants drag across Europe from their dustbowl hellholes.

      ‘Integration’? Forget it. That’s never an option – in fact it is expressly forbidden as any ‘devout’ muslim will tell you. This is why muslims stand apart in the societies of every country in the world they infest with their toxic, fascistic cult.

      Better not say that out loud, though.

         25 likes

  41. Roland Deschain says:

    Prominently on the BBC news page this morning is Living Wage will ‘damage care homes’. The only counter to the claim is a “government spokesman” saying it will benefit workers, but not actually dealing with the particular claim. That’s the second time recently I’ve seen a prominent article claiming that the Living Wage will cause problems.

    I don’t want to get into arguments about whether it will or not, but rather the difference in BBC attitude when the Tories propose such things and when Labour do. I simply can’t recall the BBC giving coverage to such claims about the Minimum Wage when Labour brought it in, without some spokesman on the left being wheeled on to say why the warnings were simply scaremongering by greedy bosses. Can anyone who is better at searching these things than I find a BBC article from the time that proves my memory to be wrong?

       27 likes

    • Flexdream says:

      Just read http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/1/newsid_2465000/2465397.stm and the helpful ‘In context’ box “In February 2000 a report by pay specialists Income Data Services said the introduction of the minimum wage had not caused job losses or upset industry pay structures.”
      Bias? What bias?

         13 likes

    • JimS says:

      In Socialist Scotland BBC Scotland carries out a survey of football teams.

      Peter Kelly from the Poverty Alliance, which promotes the living wage, told the programme that the clubs needed to do more.

      He said: “It’s really unacceptable, I mean we would say the same about the majority of businesses in any other sector not paying the living wage – we really think that they can.

      “These are clubs that are leaders very often in their communities. They need to be showing leadership in terms of pay as well, there’s a lot more they could be doing.”

      Hunt the negative is a constant of BBC reporting, whatever the story: “interest rates up, mortgage holders lose homes; interest rates down, savers destitute”; “Pound up, exporters doomed; pound down, holidaymakers forced to stay home”.

         17 likes

  42. AsISeeIt says:

    Unlike our late lamented Cecil, not all lions have names, but some dolphins may be spying for Mossad – according to Hamas

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34001790

    ‘Hamas ‘seizes Israeli spy dolphin’ off Gaza’

    ‘No photographs of the alleged marine secret agent have been released.’

    ‘Al-Quds (Arabic newspaper) said that the newest recruit was “stripped of its will” and turned into “a murderer” by the Israeli security services.’

    Quick, someone call Chris Packham!

       16 likes

    • shelly says:

      They once hung a Monkey in Hartlepool for spying, but that was back in Napoleonic times.

      Greenpeace v Hamas what’s the beeb to do ?

         19 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      How did they know Daniel (no relation) was Mossad? No foreskin?

      ‘a naval unit of Hamas’s military wing’

      Looks up ‘pedalo’ in Jihad’s Book of fighting Ships…

         10 likes

    • Stuart Beaker says:

      They should send out the Common Porpoise patrol, that’d soon see it off..

      (Sorry, I used this joke before)

         12 likes

    • nogginator says:

      If only he could have worn a shoe, the case would be open and shut.
      of course if they were flip-per flops

         8 likes

  43. AsISeeIt says:

    The BBC really do like to lend their considerable weight to one side in the culture war.

    Here’s about as frank and succinct a statement the BBC are going to give 9or could get away with) in their support for their chosen side and their attitude to what they term the ‘backlash’

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33994268

    ‘What do you get when you search using the phrase “beautiful skin” online? Mostly white, beautiful women.’

    ‘That’s one reason why a group of Twitter users started the hashtag #FlexinMyComplexion to celebrate darker skin tones. But this is the internet… so of course there was a backlash.’

    Anyone left in any doubt at all about where the BBC stand on this?

       20 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      I’d be interested how a lady of any age or hue would fare if she applied to BBC for a screen fronting role if not enjoying a decent complexion.

      Zitism being rife there, being only one directress dedicated to this scourge.

      The law of unintended consequences can have a funny way of biting offence bus PR travelers and their media enablers on their pert, cellulite-free tushies.

         6 likes

  44. Guest Who says:

    http://order-order.com/2015/08/20/unesco-calls-for-re-education-of-teachers-and-journalists/

    Not sure the BBC’s finest will need much ‘retraining’ to get in line. But at least they are already well tapped into UNESCO elsewhere to get a head start.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33972240

    Sheer coincidence, one is sure, eh, Matt? BOGOF on the BBC’s two fave settled topics.

       10 likes

  45. AsISeeIt says:

    BBC News finds room for this:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33985433

    ‘CCTV shows man take £100k Black Panther statue from Chelsea hospital’

    But BBC News neglects this:

    http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/17/dash-cam-footage-captures-pram-pushing-man-keying-aston-martin-5347235/

    ‘Dash-cam footage from the £90,000 sports car caught the man with a pram keying the side of the vehicle, causing £9,000 worth of damage.’

    The deciding factor in the choice of story? Send in your answers on the back of the BBC Charter

       22 likes

    • David Brims says:

      The effnik gentleman scratching the Aston Martin with his keys, they seem to like committing random and motiveless crime. The car was parked in Hackney, there’s your answer, as the police would say, ” wrong place at the wrong time.”

         26 likes

      • G.W.F. says:

        The Nazi end of the left – Class War – have adopted this vandal as one of their heroes, along with St Duggan, Isis, and the muslim grooming gangs. Don’t expect the police to act

        11059846_1635483220002632_1424760259747783636_n.jpg?oh=2d41c83c83a865a7dc608d7da6bc805c&oe=5675F2D6

           14 likes

  46. 60022Mallard says:

    I usually watch ITV News at Ten, for obvious reasons.

    Did not catch it all, but they did a report from Morley, you know – the home of the “Portillo moment” of the 2015 general election.

    While it would appear to remain a likely target seat for Labour next time the man in the street respondents shown did not appear to be Corbynites. Something Labour high command probably understands, but are probably powerless to do anything about.

    I would not expect to see such an informative report on the BBC.

    They also seem to like to finish with a “happy” item, which often leaves a smile on the presenters’ and my faces.

       10 likes

  47. nogginator says:

    This is a reprise with additions
    http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2015/08/18/draw-mohammed-uk-exhibition-cancelled-after-security-service-pressure/

    BBC? … surprise surprise … silent on this one.
    The only flicker, you can find, if you bang mohamhead cartoon event into BBC news, at the very bottom of the page, in the “from other outlets” slot you get this.

    Cartoon Exhibit cancelled over ‘real possibility’ of violence”
    http://www.rt.com/uk/312759-mohammed-cartoon-exhibit-cancelled/
    From you ve guessed it … Russsia Today yep! RT
    Jam packed full of Tell MAMA, crap about Islamofauxbia and other drivel.
    and this as it has now expanded
    http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/uk-cancels-mohammed-cartoon-exhibition-1.1902916
    and this
    Independent on Saturday
    UK cancels Mohammed cartoon exhibition
    There is however, a list of
    moh offensive tweet,
    manager forced to resign over moh,
    Charlie Hebdo:
    Muslims media anger at new cartoon,
    Europe s young muslim s angry,
    the “cartoons” of Mohammed that have caused so much trouble …

    … hmmm and I thought it was Islamic adherents, killing, and trying to kill … must be those little pictures eh!

    Are you in any way surprised?
    Remember the skewed BBC reports over the attempted massacre in Texas by Islamic adherents?
    … only prevented by quick reactions?

    We must respond with a global fight for free speech
    http://www.shariawatch.org.uk/articles/mohammed-cartoon-exhibition-cancelled

    “Some have told me that this cancellation represents a victory for the terrorists
    … but what’s new?
    When a victory occurs within a sea of victories, it is the sea that is the villain – and it’s the sea we have to swim in.
    We need an international campaign comprising all who seek free speech protection, particularly from Islam.
    It needs to work hard and fast to reverse the tide.
    I will contact every organisation, politician, writer, and advocate for free speech that I can find, and I hope we can take the fight for free expression on to the world stage”
    A M Walters

    Free Speech? … additional

    Cancelled – More imposed silence
    http://www.shariawatch.org.uk/articles/event-cancelled-more-imposed-silence

       16 likes

    • AsISeeIt says:

      ‘BBC? … surprise surprise … silent on this one’

      In stark contrast with:

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-33949056

      ‘Homegrown: Scrapping radicalisation play ‘shuts down’ debate’

      BBC reporting loud and proud (on just the one side of the freedom of speech debate)

         12 likes

      • G.W.F. says:

        Given the BBC’s desire to prevent any offence towards moslems One can see why they did not lift a finger to prevent the draw the prophet competition. It would never be allowed by a number of agencies. The venue would recieve complaints from representatives of the local Trades Councils, Labour Councillors, Trades Unions, and organizations like the UAF and the more radical fanatics of the Antifa movement, would ensure that it never took place. The real Jihadists here would not have to get off their arses. NHS staff, NUJ members would block streets with their No Platform for Racism banners, newly printed by the well endowed SWP. No need for the state media to show concern.

           17 likes

  48. Englands Dreaming says:

    It looks increasingly that the “migrant” crisis is getting completely out of hand, as per the news from Macedonia and the latest figures for asylum seekers in Germany.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34008867

    Caught a bit of World Have Your Say on the World Service, I usually give it a miss, but today they had a section on Slovakia and it s decision to only take non-muslim migrants. Of the three people pertaining to be from Slovakia they all were against this suggesting that the people are needlessly worrying and basically they need to be re-educated.

    Later there was a man from Bulgaria and also one from Germany nicely articulating the problem of the lack of cultural compatibility between the EU and most migrants.

    A lady from Macedonia was saying that Macedonia would like the migrants to stay, but the migrants don’t want to live in Macedonia!

    So from the 7 representatives I heard, 5 were for mass immigration and 2 were against.

       19 likes

  49. AsISeeIt says:

    Fully expect the BBC soon to be all over this migrant-positive story

    http://metro.co.uk/2015/08/20/the-lady-and-her-tramp-holidaymaker-adopts-the-brave-little-dog-who-saved-her-from-sex-pests-5351774/

    ‘Having had the dog confirmed as a stray, she paid for vet treatment, got her passport and, after 21 days in quarantine, Georgia was able to bring Pepper home’

    [Aww, how cute]

    ‘And in one final twist to the tale, Pepper gave birth to six puppies a week later’

    [Don’t worry UKIPers out there, they used an old shoe box not NHS maternity facilities and we can be assured puppies don’t take up school places. I guess they will need good affordable homes though]

       9 likes