This post suggested that the BBC’s take on May’s warning to Russia about interfering in Western politics was more supportive of Putin than of May, which is remarkable given the BBC’s relentless anti-Russia propaganda as it tries to claim Trump was handed the Presidency by Russian hacking and fake news….though we did suggest a reason for the BBC’s new found nuance about Russia….Corbyn, a fellow traveller, if Russia is a bad ‘un so is Corbyn.
Isabel Hardman’s take on things in the Spectator may back that suggestion up…..
Aside from the importance of taking a stronger stance on Russia, rather than suggesting to Vladimir Putin that he can really do whatever he fancies, this is also good domestic politics. It’s the trick that many leaders use of trying to unite their country around a foreign enemy, to distract from the domestic chaos. Britain knows this all too well, given the way Spain and Argentina use Gibraltar and the Falklands as devices for distracting from the problems of their own governments. In addition, taking a strong stance on Russia works well when your opposition is at best ambivalent about the way the country behaves and at worst supportive of some of its territorial ambitions.
Hardman thinks it is sensible to tackle Russia, something the BBC seemed to disagree with, but she also notes that Corbyn is closely linked to Russia, thus it makes sense for May to remind people of what Russia is up to as it tries to subvert democracies and by association remind people of the type of ‘friends’ Corbyn likes to have around him.
No wonder the Corbyn fan club at the BBC went totally off message about Russia and fake news and instead doing a remarkable volte face defending Russia.
This video is interesting as RT talks to Corbyn when he became candidate for the leadership….he states that he is interested in tackling corporate tax loop-holes….around Europe, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man….hmmmmm…..Just why did the BBC target the Isle of Man so much and remember how the BBC focussed on who hacked Clinton’s emails rather than on the highly damaging content…..contrast that with how the BBC never once made any attempt to discover who hacked and who leaked the ‘Paradise Papers’…….might it be the Russians as they note what Corbyn says and obligingly provides him, once he is Leader, with the very thing he wants….and the BBC obligingly ramps up the rhetoric about the ‘rich and powerful’ with ‘secret investments’ and even a ‘secret British Empire‘…..we know that there was in essence little of actual significance and yet the BBC went to to town on it…and they refused to handover the papers to the government so that it could then investigate for itself….why not? Just what was the reason for the BBC hyper exposure? Did they want to shine a light on tax avoidance or were they merely putting out propaganda to bolster Corbyn’s narrative?……Why was Labour being given ‘better briefings than HMRC’?
Theresa May ‘frustrated’ at refusal of BBC and Guardian to hand over Paradise Papers evidence
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said: “Where journalists are advocating for further tax transparency we would wish to see that information rather than for it to be held back. Potentially it could help HMRC and other tax jurisdictions to investigate.”
James Cleverly MP said: “Anyone with evidence of wrongdoing should of course hand that information to the authorities so it can be properly investigated: at the moment it seems as if the Labour Party is being given better briefings than HMRC.“
As you do, James.
As you do.
I feel very isolated in my view about this . Many voters barely know what day it is yet alone the nuances of 1984 style disinformation. . It’s probably the same on both sides of the pond. There is still a lot of tribalism – leftright / in out where if you really drilled down as to why people have their view it might land up a bit messy .
Sorry if I sound a bit demeaning – I’m only trying to be realistic .
The Media Show on Radio 4 this afternooon had an item on Russian influence. They were working towards the idea that the Brexit referendum was stolen by the Russians, but they were afraid to come out and say it – just lots of innuendo.
The classic moment came when the presented compared the governments’ relationship with journalists in Russia and Britain. Of course his argument was that in Russia journalists do as their told while in the UK any politician who tried to influence a journalist would lose his job. That’s not quite how I remember the Andrew Gilligan affair. Then the BBC were so anxious to grovel to the government that the P45s went a lot higher than the reporter.
R-Today ……or…… R4-Today ?
Which systematic machine of bias does more damage ?
…………. Surely in the UK it’s the latter
How come Brexit was swung by online Russian trolls messing with our heads?
Thought it was the grumpy hideously white and old types that thwarted the Beautiful Young Progressives, who came out to vote.
Who knew the old were so shit hot on Twitter and Facebook etc?
Grey Power huh?
When fake news gets put through another fake news cycle-that does not unfake it. It`s just fake news squared.
The BBC-what else can they do now?
Take the Brexit referendum. On the Remain side – the BBC, the CBI, the IMF, the Government, the main political parties, most MPs and Lords, the universities, the BofE, President Obama and other foreign leaders, the EU, big business, the banks etc. All that influence counted for naught against some alleged Russian twitter bots? How many voters even use Twitter, let alone were swayed by it? Did the Remain side not use social media?
This Russophobia has now got ridiculous.
What’s wrong with RT that the World Service doesn’t do ?
RT now is pointing out in 1990 Western Media ran with false testimony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nayirah_testimony
Seems like another era. What a fake O`Germy Corbyn was-and is.
Thick as mints.
Don`t tell the BBC that the Russians paid for this soft soap enema of an interview.
RT need kicking out for this suck up rectal massage of Steptoe.
The BBC blamed the English on Brexit, in particular the older white English people, which it characterises as being racist, and uses the Brexit vote as proving the English to be racist.
The BBC has been attacking the older English generation for some time now and has been acting as the mouthpiece for those saying the elderly have stolen from the younger generation, and the mouthpiece for those saying the minimum voting age must be reduced to 16.