A complete non-story makes headline news on the BBC frontpage and the BBC continues to throw muck at Boris in the hope that some sticks never mind the truth…the BBC’s fake news in this case emblematic of how it has reported on Brexit in total….almost complete lies and misinformation designed to portray Brexit as negatively as possible….
Brexit: Boris Johnson accused of ‘misusing’ statistics
This so-called report gets nowhere near the truth in its supposed ‘analysis’ and in fact gives you, the audience, the job of deciding what’s true and what’s not as the BBC can’t bring themselves to admit Boris is right….
This is an extraordinary row.
A senior cabinet minister and the most senior civil servant responsible for official statistics, engaged in a public slanging match on a Sunday afternoon.
At lunchtime, Sir David’s letter, accusing the foreign secretary of “a clear misuse of official statistics.”
Mr Johnson’s formal written reply to Sir David accusing him of “a complete misrepresentation of what I said” and asking him “to withdraw it.”
Sir David is yet to respond again.
Who will people trust the most? The civil servant or the politician?
That is your call.
Hmmm..our call? Well it needn’t be ‘our call’ if the BBC was doing its job properly and actually ‘analysing’ the facts…as the Spectator points out….
Why is the UK’s supposedly independent statistics watchdog joining the Boris-bashing?
Perhaps Sir David didn’t have time today to also purchase a Telegraph subscription and therefore was unable to read what the Foreign Secretary actually wrote. Because, unlike the ordinary everyday abuse of statistics by politicians (on which the Statistics Authority is normally silent) every word from Boris (this time) was accurate. Here’s what he had to say:-
‘Once we have settled our accounts, we will take back control of roughly £350 million per week. It would be a fine thing, as many of us have pointed out, if a lot of that money went on the NHS, provided we use that cash injection to modernise and make the most of new technology.’
How on earth does this ‘confuse gross and net’ as Sir David claims? We all know the deal with the EU: we pay in, then a chunk of the is returned to the UK via a rebate and EU spending. So our net contribution is about £200 million a week.
But as Boris argued in the campaign debates, the gross figure matters…..it’s fairly clear that it’s not quibbling about the net amount: it’s about ‘control’. About what happens to the gross, before it’s converted into net.
Doubtless Sir David doesn’t like this argument, but in trying to say that it’s illegitimate – or somehow an “clear misuse” of statistics – he is over-reaching and calling the neutrality of his office into doubt.
So when the Foreign Secretary uses the gross figure in legitimate correct context, why then does Sir David upgrade his condemnation from ‘potentially misleading’ to ‘clear misuse of official statistics?’ He’ll have written his letter for consumption for the press.
Odd how the BBC’s indepth and rigorous ‘analysis’ can’t recognise the real problem…a civil servant over-reaching his office and seeming to be taking a partisan interest in the issue.
Much more fun to attack Boris and undermine Brexit. No?
Sir David doesn’t need to read Boris’ article because ‘Britain’s most-trusted broadcaster’ has continually quoted Boris’ Bus as the key ‘false fact’ that duped the plebs in voting for Brexit.
Sir David probably believes that Nigel Farage is a racist, Obama walked on water and Trump is comedy, (drama, news, gardening, music, baking, dancing etc. gold), too and for the same reason.
Add ‘Global’ to the list. Classic FM’s faux news reports gleefully quoted this ridiculous fabrication today as well.
Two peas in the same pod – the wholly owned subsidiary of the globalist Left that is Britain’s broadcast media.
Alan,
Your increasingly frantic and desperate scribblings are a joy to behold.
“Boris Johnson accused of ‘misusing’ statistics” is not only a non-story but also fake news.
…Because what happened doesn’t matter because it never happened.
[Let that sink in for a while]
It’s quite simple, Alan. We won’t “take back control of roughly 350m per week”.
Because we don’t lose control of “roughly 350m per week”.
Because we don’t pay the EU “roughly 350m per week”.
Maxi is right for once .We don,t pay the EU roughly £350 m per week .
Click to access CostOfTheEU2008.pdf
Other than the direct payment , [ which was approx £361 m per week last year ] , the indirect payments , [ taxes duties etc etc ] add a few more hundred million to our costs each week.
Er, ITRW, more like £361m p/w in 2014! In 2015 we had to pay a supplement on top. IIRC, that took our contribution to about £400m p/w. The UK’s Budget Contribution is increasing because, like all Governments, the EU wants to spend more. 2016 will have been a greater figure but probably will not be yet completely finalised.
Up2 , I think you might be right . The £361m was from memory of the last time a total cost of the direct contribution was available .
So , as you say , the real costs will be going up all of the time .
ITRW, that was the BBC’s own calculation based on the EU’s figure provided to HMRC for 2014. I’ll post an item on this on the StW Thread but when I went for the bookmarked page on the BBC web-site this a.m. (writing another e-m to the Humph!) I found the BBC had buried it away a little bit deeper. Or so it seemed to me.
I wonder why?
You may have to do some hunting to find this, dated 15 June 2016:
There are other complications apart from rebate and other EU-specified/directed spending. I’ve mentioned the supplement, which Dave & GO said they were going to negotiate downward. Don’t know for certain whether they did. The BBC certainly did not make a big thing of telling us taxpayers on R4, if they did.
In addition, I think we are billed by the EU in Euros so the exchange rate movement becomes a factor between the time the EU Budget is agreed and the time payments are made.
Just to mention – something has gone wrong with the link I posted above. I added the URL in the time-honoured fashion after doing ‘the thing’ : You can add images to your comment by clicking here.
Sorry B-BBCers, you will have to type that ref manually into your browsers, remember to prefix it with ‘bbc.co.uk’. Even copy and paste doesn’t appear to work at the moment.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36470341
No ,we pay a lot more ,so lets take back control of the massive amounts we do pay either up front or through various off the books schemes.Hard to tell when the EU hasn’t had its accounts signed off in donkeys years.
Anything we pay would be better spent in Britain.
Dear Maxicrony
I am open minded to a debate but simply stating your opinions in quotes doesn’t really add much. Is there more to your comments or should I just ignore them in the future? One thing that is quite simple is that we have paid more into the EU than taken out ever since it started. Perhaps you can provide some details on your figures, as quite simply, if you are to refute one argument you should have evidence of your position.
Funnily enough on R4 this morning the presenters were asking everyone about this and pushing their guests to agree with your views – sadly for them the majority did not disagree with Boris.
John Redwood stuck it to Humphrys did he not?
About time…and no Kuennsberg to follow up and slant her lies over what he`d clearly said. Redwood for leader!
Dear Maxiconman.
The BBC keep on saying that Boris Johnsons Telegraph article is 4000 words long.
It is not.
This is a blatent lie, and utterly wrong.
Do go and count the words-send a letter of apology to Boris and log your error with the Stats Commissar. The BBCs “fake news” continues-and no “reality check” on exactly how many words Boris used.
Important to be factually correct Maxipad!
Bow down and then resign as token resident troll….we used to have some really good ones, guess it`s all dumbed down.
BBC exaggerate number of words used by Foreign Secretary Rumpus.
An embattled BBC Director and a series of trolls seem close to losing their jobs, according to well placed sources at the beleaguered organisation now in crisis. When we said Mr Johnson had used 4000 words in his article, we were merely quoting a figure from somewhere-none of us bothered to check on the veracity of the claim.
Reality Check and The UK Statistical Bureau seemed to be credible sources-but we take responsibilty for failing to check our facts…maybe we HAVE had enough of experts after all.
350 million words a day to be returned from Brussels…and this 4000 of Boris` seem to have set off a crisis that we will finish with the BBC and its useless padding priests like Maximan.
maxi, the point I made to John Humphrys this morning is that the key figure for the UK’s contribution is the level to which we are taxed for the EU. That, currently, is more than £350 million per week. As you will see from my other posts, the figure for 2014 was £361 million per week. That was available on the BBC web-site – see above @ 2.17pm – at the time of the Referendum Leave campaign bus.
In reality, the UK Rebate, the EU-directed spending and any Budget Supplement are of no consequence to the taxpayer.
The UK taxpayer pays the total; that is the level to which we are taxed and which we UK taxpayers never get back. The GROSS figure. Have you got that? That is what is charged and paid. The money is taken from us and given to Government.
All Government costs. Extra layers of government costs us more. Big government costs us big-time.
A very good reason, on a value for money basis, for getting out of the EU – fast. Do you not agree?
Funny thing, maxi. You never reply to requests for a response. You never join in conversations or argue your case or add further information, even when B-BBCers reply to you with polite and reasoned argument. Why not engage a little? You will not get any abuse from me.
BJ £350m (before rebate) BBC Fact Check £276m (after rebate).
BBC say it’s only £276m per week after rebate. Hold on, does that mean EU has £74m of UK money in a bank, gaining interest for a year and then they give it back to us?
£74m @ 2% interest = £1.48m interest for the EU to spend as they please.
Note that whilst the UK does not have £74m in the UK Account, the UK cannot use this money to pay off debt or interest payments. But again, it’s only £276m per week and not £350m – and BBC never refer to their own fact checking site – which means they don’t trust themselves?
MM, the Rebate is immaterial. We pay in tax the full amount, the gross amount. The fact that some is immediately or eventually spent in the UK is totally and completely immaterial. It is money the UK taxpayer never gets back. There is no escape for you or the BBC from that fact.
They did acknowledge it in the run-up to the EU Referendum last year as I have indicated.
Strangely, the BBC are now in denial over their £361 million per week and Boris’ £350 million per week. Almost equally strangely, the EU has stood still on finance, according to the BBC. They indicated today that the HMRC figures for 2014 are currently – over one year on – remaining the latest official figures for the UK’s EU contribution.
Why should people who voted to leave the EU be forced to pay for the BBC if they believe it to be biased in favour of the EU?
Once again it is the self-serving, sneering media talks about itself to itself; just like when they thought we would all be fascinated by the ‘gender pay gap’ at the BBC.
Given the state we are in it is preposterous that they could lead Toady with this story this morning.
71 Gender Pay Gap? The BBC might as well fight for all 71 Genders if they’re going to talk about it properly. Or are the BBC advocating that there are only two genders? Male Pay and Female Pay?
I do get confused on where we are and which story to follow when the BBC report news …
Facebook introduce new ‘custom’ gender options in UK {bbc.co.uk jun2014}
Is the BBC going to pay depending sexual orientation as well?
By 2020, the BBC wants its employees to comprise 50% women, 8% disabled people, 8% lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people and 15% people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. {bbc.co.uk sep2017}
Are Gary ‘£1.75m + Crisps + BT Sports + Twitter Opinions + Labour Supporter’ Lineker and Chris ‘£2.3m + CarFest + Free BBC Advertising + Labour Supporter’ Evans going to give up their pay immediately for the feminists or 71 genders?
How many sharks could Evel Kneival jump?
Any chance of a Panorama that follows an FOI enquiry as sought on our tab by the BBC beyond parody?
The BBC -only THEY ask questions that nobody else has asked on planet earth.
Yep ,This morning the BBC continues to headline the non Boris NHS story that no one cares about, and avoids the story of two refugee “children” that ordinary people are very concerned about .I notice the hand wringing lefties ,those that urged us to take in all these “children” are very quiet.
I for one am very happy Boris made his intervention .Long may it continue until we are out .No wonder the EU funded BBC is furiously spinning against him.
Easy example of al Beeb bias by exclusion ;
AL Beeb ; LGBT student shot by police
Evening Standard ; armed LGBT student shot by police .
Guardian: One-armed LGBT student shot by police.
What an opportunity for the P.M. in this Florence speech to build on the excellent article Boris released at the week-end.
The bBC has supremely nailed its colours to the mast……………….a blue flag surrounded by yellow dots………………..
Sincerely hope a trap has been laid here………………….if it is beyond Theresa and Boris to have pre- planned this then I would gladly offer services at considerably less expense than DJ Humphreys and that traitorous crew to draw up some tactics.
Hoping that Gove comes out with that other Remainer bunny boiler about “having had enough of experts”.
About time the lefty oafs got a bat up the nightie, as Bojo has done.
At least there`s a pulse and throbbing forehead now with the elite…this seems to get them, so carry on nurse say I!
PS-day off, reading my Wetherspoons magazine…Tim Martin and James Dyson are re-emerging as our leaders. Tim is on fine form in the magazines, even got 7.5% off on Wednesday. My ladies are all getting led along there, to back Mighty Martin!
Surely the basis of the remainers’ argument – ‘….that it is nonsense to claim we could gain around £350 million a week, it’s only £271 million a week’ – is just a little, er, weak?
It is Beltane, when set against the intangibles. (There are some real tangible advantages to being out of the EU and we should have them highlighted more by our beloved Broadcaster.)
I am starting to get really tired of the BBC’s line on the EU and Brexit. Not that it is driving me to want another vote and change my mind. Quite the opposite. I want out now, more than ever before. However, I shall whisper the next bit: I suspect increasing numbers of Remain voters are now starting to feel the same, so …..
KEEP IT UP BBC, YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB! WE ALL LOVE THE EU.
The BBC are doing a marvellous job at pissing normal people off about leaving the EU.
I don’t actually know anyone now who believes a word they say, and that the few remainers in the village, that I do see from time to time are looking very despondent and downcast.
They don’t even bother to troll the ‘argument’, which itself is a pitiful excuse to get noticed, as we see here from time to time with boredom.
Well done, BBBC, keep it up! Even a well known journalist near here laughed like a drain when we all jeered at the ‘Is it true or did you hear it on the BBC’ mantra, and he was in total agreement.
It’s almost worth the TV tax to listen to all the folk just thinking how useless the BBC is.
Just watched more than 100 days BBC News. And that Fraser guy and that smirky Katty women was talking about Boris as if he had just stolen their spot on TV!
These BBC people just cannot hide their hatred for May, Boris and all things Brexit!
Its quite worrying when you see these people behaving in such a way! Its as if they are trying to influence some idiot out there to hurt or threaten them both!
Oh! and I’ve just heard that Trump has never been as popular has he is today – according to todays American press! Yippee!
Maybe this is why these two BBC employees are behaving so bad as they are tonight! Yippee!
R5 9am is supposed to be a phone-in, but it’s just a kckathon against Boris Johnson
as they invited a series of LibMob voices like Jon Snow to give their opinion
..9:21am there is actually a caller
an anti-Boris caller