You may remember that at the beginning of 2020 the government held a ‘consultation ‘ over decriminalisation of not having a TV Licence . The result was due to be published in the Summer . Well it has now said it will not announce the result of that consultation until a new BBC Chairman is annointed – which means – the Summer of 2021. Meanwhile Capita TV Licencing Inspectors /debt collectors are still visiting homes – despite the Chinese Virus . Defund the BBC .
Midweek Thread 18 November 2020
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Time for me to top the podium?
To moan about Boris and his big mouth?
Or not, and that he has been stitched up by someone ‘leaking’ a false statement or partly false statement?
I would hope the BBC would inform me about the truth of what the PM actually said.
But that, sadly, is a hope too far.
The BBC are more interested in bringing the Government into disrepute.
Catchup link to the latest posts on previous thread
– page 5 A few posts from after 7pm Tuesday
– page 4 started Tuesday morning
The above post is disputed
The BBC is repeating the 5 part documentary about Margaret Thatcher – which I viewed as a ‘tell it as it was “ documentary – a rarity for the BBC
It’s sad that the likes of the repulsive Heseltine and Ken Clarke feature so much – and that they are alive and she is not .
Yes that was actually a top rate documentary. I hated much of her politics as a young person in the 80s (a little less so now) but this series made me realise that she did nonetheless have a lot of integrity; I actually quite liked her in retrospect (though not all her politics).
Good historical perspective too. One of the bbc’s better efforts in recent times.
Seppers, there was a lot that was good about Mrs T but she was infuriating for her bungles and her obsessive adherence to many Conservative dogmas and outdated economic theories.
I voted ‘for her’ three times (OK, there wasn’t much in the way of alternatives) but occasionally it was through gritted teeth. She valued friendship and ‘political friendship’ highly and this got her into trouble 1. when political friends became enemies (Howe, Heseltine, Clarke) and, 2. when she listened to their advice for pet projects to put in place.
If it wasn’t for the Falklands War, Mrs T. would have been a one-term PM.
I wonder what will come along to save Boris and get him back in No.10 in 2024?
It won’t be his ‘New Green Deal’, that’s for sure.
“I wonder what will come along to save Boris and get him back in No.10 in 2024?”
Nothing will save him, I hope.
He is a blithering buffoon. He has no mandate to ban ICE cars by 2030, nor to make the country dependent on ridiculous windmills.
No modern economy can be run in this way. He is way to the left of Joe Biden.
Conservative MPs, especially the Red Wall need to get rid of this moron. He is a conman and a bullshitter, who will lead the Conservatives into oblivion.
The bas***d will take the country with them.
Rob
I have to agree – Boris is one of the great con artists – I used to believe he was proud of the country and its culture and was in favour of growth..
It seems he is none of the above. Have they calculated that most car companies will not replace their manufacturing in the UK but build the new electric cars and components in Europe or elsewhere. The French will still produce diesel and petrol cars , so will the Germans and US – we are truely F**ed
We lost our great skills in building Nuclear power stations – something I know a lot about…we destroyed our long term power planning when we got rid of the CEGB…
China and every other bugger are building coal fired stations…
The Great In Great Britain, like the British in BBC is a sham now – we are on the down cycle to becoming a third world country – or at best a living museum picking up crumbs from the tables of China, US and India.
I am saddened by the calibre and foresight of our MPs…we need to manufacture to sell products ( financial services will not always be there to prop us up) – that is how China and the other are prospering – just like we did in the Industrial revolution.
Sorry Long rant…must be long covid 🙂
James Arthur –
For reasons personal to me CEGB was important, but CERL, the research lab in particular. I visited the CERL as a child and know quite a bit about its work, which I was told was world class. And I’ve not heard anyone mention CEGB for about 30 years!!
Funny world.
Wednesday Woman’s Hour : More Green propaganda
Rosamund Kissi-Debrah is number three on the Woman’s Hour Power List 2020: Our Planet.
“She is a tireless campaigner for cleaner air, following the tragic death of her daughter Ella from a series of severe asthma attacks. Since then she’s created powerful change from a grassroots level, influencing the Mayor of London and working with the World Health Organisation.”
Context : Yes her daughter always had asthma, yes they lived close to the North Circular, yes her daughter died aged 9 in 2013 of asthma complications
However the link between asthma & traffic is not that rigorous, asthma tends to peak at peak grass pollen time
so the inquest did not connect the death to traffic
Suddenly in July 2018 , 5 years after the death the idea of fighting for a fresh inquest came up.
After petitions after 1.5 years a new inquest was granted and will begin on November 30th
Kissi-Debrah campaigns closely with Sadiq, however what Sadiq does is not productive.
He tends to blame London pollution on cars and diesel engines.
But thing is there are many other causes, and car pollution tends to reduce over time as engine tech advances.
Sadiqs new cycle lanes have created worse pollution as traffic is more often queuing.
Tomorrow’s FAR RIGHT Woman’s Hour
on the FAR RIGHT bbc also has this item
If you don’t feel you know enough about gender politics, a new – and free – course is now available online.
It covers gender equality, gender history and stereotypes.
New research indicates that nearly 9 million people in Britain don’t really understand what toxic masculinity is
…. and nearly 8 million people said they didn’t know enough about LGBTQ rights.”
At least young Harry understands what toxic masculinity is… and he’s having none of it.
I wonder what Granny & Grandad think.
And 60 million neither know nor care.
Hi Stew
Of the 9 million people who dont really understand, was there only 9 million who were asked = 100%
Again applies to the 8 million who didn’t know enough about rights
Now that the BBC has stopped doing comedy, anyone wanting a laugh could do worse than watch Big Tech bosses Zuckerberg and Dorsey trying to keep a straight face as they lie through their teeth to the Senate that they’re non-political and impartial.
Comedy Gold!
I suppose it’s only fair that, since comedy has gone political, politics should go comedic.
The BBC are in on the lie of course, suggesting in their article that Big Tech are getting criticism from both sides; the implication being that they’ve therefore got it ‘about right’. (The beeb’s usual argument for their own claim to impartiality.)
In fact the main criticism the two weirdo bosses are getting from the Dems seems to be that they don’t censor enough!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54974819
I think I have seen the fellow on the left drinking Special Brew in a bus shelter.
Of course, for a whole new level of TDS, look no further than BBC American BS.
Meanwhile, back at the hive.
Is she sure that is a correct figure? How many were….linked to or whatever the weasel word is…how many were flu?
The BBC buries the retirement of ‘Lord Ahmed Of Rotherham ‘from the House of Lords under its ‘ ‘politics ‘ section .
When I heard of this character I thought it was a sick joke – but it seems not – he retired before being expelled for proven sexual misdeeds – is it the air in Rotherham ? Or just rubbish like him taking advantage of a soft country ?
Cripes. When Lurch gets hold of this one…
A @BBCNews video tweet
(It not actual news but a a 50 year look back at UK black power stars)
“A lot of white people did not want black people as their neighbours”
In the 1960s, Farrukh Dhondy and Leila Hassan Howe became activists in Britain’s Black Power movement.
They explain how it felt to be on the brink of a revolution of change
BTW AFAIK neither are really African, he was Indian born, she is mixed race.
‘Trump’ Denial Syndrome?
“Fisher people”
A trawl of the BBC style guide suggests that “men” should be left out of job descriptions on air unless it is a fact that the job is the sole preserve of men.
The guide states: “Unless you are sure only males are involved, avoid words such as ‘newsmen’, ‘businessmen’ and ‘policemen’. Substitute journalists, business leaders, police officers etc, as appropriate.”
Telegraph
FFS the suffix “man” actually means “people”, “mankind”
In the original German it means human
Fishermen can mean a mixed sex group
Just wondering how sperm donor is ( I was going to say handled) genderfied
A #Cambridgeshire Police Officer’s facing a misconduct hearing over allegations he tried to buy a box of 12 donuts for 7p by sticking a barcode for carrots on them – and going through a self-service checkout.
It’s alleged to have happened at a Tesco in Wisbech in Feb
How has that only just come out ?
Is there video
Guess Tesco have video of it all playing out with cameras everywhere.
(Sainsbury staff have started wearing bodycams near me in North Yorkshire…)
Media, being useless dont report how he got caught, or why he isn’t being criminality charged for shoplifting.
Other questions: Why do public sector workers think it’s their human right to do their shoping in their work hours .
How many of the 12 doughnuts would fatty have eaten in one go? Why don’t the bbc carry his photo?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-54971734
” a £9.95 cardboard tray of 12 Krispy Kreme doughnuts”
Now that is criminal!
They used to say no-one ever went broke selling doughnuts to cops. That only works if they don’t actually nick them, of course.
Attorney Sidney Powell’s latest on election fraud:
– Michigan county refuses to certify election results.
– Affidavits against Dominion.
– Mounting evidence of fraud in swing states.
– Worldwide web of corruption around Dominion.
– Worldwide and US cover-up.
– Witnesses in fear for their lives.
– CIA involvement.
– Billions of dollars in play.
– Huge Donald Trump landslide, concealed.
– Founder of Dominion admits he can change a million votes.
BBC response? Zilch.
Meanwhile, according to Jon Sopel’s Twitter feed, everything is going wrong for Trump’s case. Frankly, I have no idea where the truth lies. But I know utterly biased commentary when I see it.
Roland had these allegations of vote rigging on such a massive scale happened four years ago I would have thought them to be the ravings of lunatics. But after all that has happened over the past four or five years with the attempted coup to remove Trump and the resistance to Brexit I think that they are probably well founded and worthy of extensive investigation. The problem as I see it will be a) who can be trusted to hold a fair investigation and b) if a fair investigation finds in favour of a President Trump how will the ‘liberals’ react and how will their Rottweilers in BLM et al be prevented from running amuck.
Vlad,
“BBC response? Zilch”
No, no, no. On Toady earlier, I learnt again that DJT is now making, “unsubstantiated claims”. That’l cover it for our own Black and Asian Broadcaster aka ‘Worlds Most Trusted’.
I recently came across this on a forum, its a reply to a readers question regarding why do so many migrants try to get to the UK and it’s written by an Iranian. It is a bit of a read but sums up the ridiculous situation in the UK more honestly than anything else I have come across.
“I’m Iranian. My father was a refugee. As soon as he discovered his life was in danger, he packed a few belongings and fled Iran. He claimed asylum in the first safe country he reached – not Turkey as he feared they would return him. He claimed asylum in Georgia and sadly, he died in a UN refugee centre outside Tbilisi.
I think any decent human being will have sympathy for refugees.
The migrants crossing the Channel are not refugees. The vast majority are not ‘fleeing war’. They come from countries like Iran where there is no war. Neither are they ‘fleeing poverty’ – not that ‘fleeing poverty’ is a legitimate basis for asylum.
These are people with access to large sums of money with which they pay criminal gangs in order to be smuggled illegally from one safe country to another.
They are not genuine refugees and most have their asylum claims rejected.
And THAT is the reason they want to reach the UK.
In the UK, bogus asylum seekers who have their claims rejected will refuse to leave – it’s very easy to do. Either they ‘disappear’ or else they refuse to co-operate with their removal. It is IMPOSSIBLE to deport someone to Iran if they refuse to co-operate. The Iranian government will not accept the return of its citizens by force nor will it issue papers for the British Government.
Now most of Europe is a ‘hostile environment’ for illegal immigrants. Most of Europe has ID cards. In some countries, such as Germany, migrants must register with the police in the area in which they live. An illegal immigrant will have a very hard time in Europe. Without an ID card, renting accommodation, getting a job, education or healthcare is difficult or impossible.
Not so in the UK. All of the above, except for employment, are easily available to illegal immigrants and their children. Employment is a little more difficult but the UK’s black market for jobs is bigger than other European countries.
If you’re a genuine refugee, fleeing in fear of your life, you claim asylum as soon as you’re somewhere safe.
If you’re someone who is reasonably confident you have a legitimate claim for asylum but are a little more fussy about where you wish to live, then you’ll play the system and move west to the richer countries where your standard of living will be higher.
If you know you have no legitimate claim for asylum, you’ll go to the UK because here, even when your claim based upon, for example, being a Christian convert, or being ‘gay’ is rejected, you’re here to stay. Deporting you is impossible.
As an Iranian, I’ve met many of my compatriots who despite being practicing Muslims and heterosexual, have nevertheless found that claiming to be ‘Christian’ or gay’ has resulted in their bogus claims for asylum being accepted or else being awarded Leave to Remain. And if the claim fails, they just stay anyway and there’s nothing the UK can or is willing to do about it.
THAT’S why migrants wish to cross the Channel and reach the UK.
Why does this matter?
It matters because lives depend on the asylum system. When it is abused in the way it is being abused, it ceases to work. Asylum becomes more and more difficult. The populations of host nations become increasingly suspicious and jaded. The entire system becomes overwhelmed.
What’s more, the ability to immigrate legally is made increasingly difficult as governments, under pressure from their voters, restrict legal migration to reduce the numbers of people entering their countries.
As well as being detrimental to those who genuinely need asylum and to those who wish to immigrate legally, abuse of the asylum system stokes anti-immigrant sentiment. Populations feel overwhelmed. Nations feel that their immigration policies are being determined by people smugglers. And as we can see in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Austria, France and Italy it increases significantly support for the far right and its often blunt and dangerous ‘solutions’ to complex issues.
Those who support and even enable asylum abuse and illegal immigration for ideological reasons are wrong to feel the sense of moral virtue they undoubtedly do.
There is nothing moral nor virtuous about undermining the asylum system whilst bolstering anti-immigrant sentiment and support for the far right.
How can genuine refugees possibly compete in a system overwhelmed with the huge number of mainly young, aggressive males, with no legitimate claim, willing to break laws and with the money to pay people smugglers to enter their preferred European destination?
Real humanity comes from real understanding rather than the facile virtue-signalling that masquerades as ‘humanity ‘.
Migrants, safely in France, who pay thousands of Euros to criminal gangs in order to cross the Channel illegally in boats is indicative of an asylum system no longer fit for purpose.
A system that offers no sanctions for dishonesty and criminality but huge rewards to those with money and willing to risk their lives and those of their families.
A system overwhelmed by a dog-eat-dog survival of the fittest, richest and least deserving and that’s what astonishingly, a vocal and ideologically motivated minority seem to support from a position of misplaced altruism and ignorance.”
Digg
Whether that account is true or not – it does raise one of the great illnesses of our time -‘misplaced altruism ‘- something which is mainly – but not wholly of the left – but will one day be identified as a symptom of how sick the welfare system became in the UK – ….hopefully ….
Why not play the game of ‘misplaced altruism ‘ yourself dear reader ? But watch your Blood Pressure
If I can sum it up, the “migrants” are coming to Britain because we are a soft touch. Who knew?
That’s an amazing piece of writing.
Assume it’s been sent to MPs?
Its bothered me for a while that deserving cases are being displaced by queue jumpers. Survival of the fittest shouldn’t be left-wing policy, yet it does seem to be.
But then again, some of them think anyone should be able to come on any basis, and when I asked how that works in terms of maintaining a democracy (for which I think you need some kind of borders) I got no answer. When I asked what would happen about the country being unsustainably full I was told that I should consider leaving.
Good old Mehdi.
The UK’s loss is Biden America’s gain.
Lurch satirises selective reporting.
Brave.
Easy to see why the BBC has decided just to channel twitter.
https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/17/jack-dorsey-claims-twitters-censorship-policies-encourage-more-speech/?
More speech has to be better than free speech, ri… left?
Always interesting what Lurch likes on twitter, and…
BBC Local Radio is excited.
The end of the road is nigh for your petrol or diesel car.
The Prime Minister will announce on Wednesday he’s bringing forward the ban on non-electric and hybrid cars to 2030.
***
That ‘your’ is interesting. They going to enjoy another exemption on the basis of being so ‘essential’ and all?
Not sure blighty will have the generating power by then – but small details like that have never got in the way of the sickie ex journo in number 10 …
But if he gives me a £4K scrappage voucher on my diesel – I might get to like the idiot .and on the upside – the congestion tax can be removed because the air will be clean- right ?
Such a shame that there is no alternative politician to support – shows what the commons is now …diminished
I’m all for sustainable transport provision if its genuinely greener/less polluting. But personally I’ve wondered about the electric car ‘panacea’ from the point of view of us having the ability to generate enough electricity- and carbon and other pollution free, or otherwise no point. Im no expert at all. But I’ve noticed you can’t discuss that. A bit like housing, during the brexit referendum. A sort of no go area.
Not directly BBC – but it’s newspaper reports a finding by the ‘social mobility commission ‘ that one in five children have a lower status job than their parent(s) …. obviously chucks in that coloureds are most affected – they would wouldn’t they ?
But doesn’t look for a reason – perhaps the under education of the guardian journo or the ‘social mobility commission ‘ – which is probably some lefty academic who can’t be bothered to get dressed as he ‘isolates’.
So – the answer – kids dreaming of fame ? All wanting to be journos and lawyers and politicians on thr gravy train -W hen we know that these jobs tend toward closed shops ….
…or just a lefty education system failing to produce kids fit to work ?
For once I agree with Nihal.
Though the irony of a Beeboid doing this with a diversity shovel load is funny.
Must rewatch Total Recall again.
In two weeks.
Should trades unions have ‘bosses’?
Guest…
Cruel but funny Total Recall jibe…need some fun these days
Are you sure that isn’t Len McClusky?
I am busy planning my “Woke Xmas” this year, roast swan, free range of course from the local river with the help of an air rifle, smoked dolphin and some tiger and panda cubs smuggled in for the kids as a treat.
Currently working on a recipe for rhinos in blankets
Darcy – you blew it by calling if ‘Xmas’ – its ‘wintervall’ ….
Damned you are right
I saw a report the other day by some “professor” for calling us all institionally racist for having lockdown during Diwali instead of Xmas
FFS you could not make it up if you tried
Oxford professor accuses No10 of being ‘institutionally racist’ for November coronavirus lockdown that sacrificed Diwali for Christmas
Oxford professor Soham Bandyopadhyay said policy kept families apart
Christmas has been given greater priority in ‘racist mechanism’, he argued
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8957557/Coronavirus-No10-accused-institutional-racism-November-lockdown-sacrificed-Diwali.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
Last time I checked, Hinduism (and Sikhism and the Jain faith) was a religion, not a race. If the ‘professor’ considers that the National House Arrest Scheme unfairly targets or impacts ‘Asians’ (i.e. South Asians) then he is way off course: there are more than twice as many Asian Muslims as Hindus in this country and they were not impacted by this. Not do I recall undue complaints and whingeing about Christians not being able to properly celebrate Easter or Jews celebrate Passover.
The problem with the traditional Divide and Rule strategy that has been adopted by the BBC and other left wing extremists, under the new brand name of Intersectionalism, is that it creates and requires a never ending stream of ‘victims’. Having said that, it tends to be the case that socially responsive and cohesive groups that do not constantly make a fuss, such as Hindus and Chinese, tend to get ignored and walked over by the powers that be.
“Having said that, it tends to be the case that socially responsive and cohesive groups that do not constantly make a fuss, such as Hindus and Chinese, tend to get ignored and walked over by the powers that be.”
Or even that happy band of Anglo-Saxon Celts for whom these rain-soaked isles are their one and only home, now being rapidly colonised by invaders from Asia and Africa bringing their own cultural norms.
BBC News
Americans may have been distracted by the election recently, but the Covid-19 pandemic has quietly been getting worse across the country.
***
It did go quiet, didn’t it? About the minute the bbc thought Sleepy was no longer in Seattle but the WH.
But now they are spinning it up again. Impartially.
BBC News
The footballer, who wants to promote reading and literacy in England, said books will be for every child “even if I have to deliver them myself”.
***
Jeff Bezos is toast.
Oh sh1t
Now we have to add books to the food nappies and computers to be given freely cos a footballer says so…
Why the BBC are so repulsive…
BBC employees see the BBC’s stance as being the epitome of what is desirable and almost allowable in society and therefore have no truck with anyone who doesn’t conform to that idea.
The BBC have a very high proportion of staff from minority groups, Gays, Lesbians, Trans, Activists etc. and so see that as being the normal and natural way forward, if you are not of that mindset you are a neanderthal.
The BBC have a large percentage of employees who live and work in the Metro Bubble and therefore see that as the most normal, desirable and pertinent way to live even though most people in this Country would see it as incestuous and self-serving.
The BBC attitude to it’s public is only one way, either you think and act like the BBC or you are the enemy and therefore to be “un-peopled”.
The BBC staff are composed largely of people who have come up through the very woke university arts sector and therefore have a very brainwashed and distorted view of the human condition.
The BBC believes itself to be an institution that is part of the landscape so doesn’t need to worry about how it’s message is being received by people outside its own parameters.
The BBC cannot be mended so alternatives need to be found for the overwhelming majority of people in the UK who just want decency, honesty and fairness from the National Broadcaster.
I heartily agree that a Country is better served by having a “National Voice” rather than relying on the press profit-driven techno barons but that voice needs to truly reflect all of society rather than impose a myopic view onto it.
Extract from a piece in the Telegraph today about a lost cause – radio comedy …
‘ This week it was revealed, via a Radio Times poll of experts and insiders, that the “panel show antidote” I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, is the greatest radio comedy of all time. Quite what the show’s most regular correspondent, Mrs Trellis of North Wales, would make of it we don’t know. Perhaps she might remark on the fact that she has been writing letters to the programme since 1972 and that nothing better has been made in the intervening 48 years.
The rest of the top six is made up of Hancock’s Half Hour (1954), Round the Horne (1965), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1978), The Goon Show (1951) and that young whippersnapper On the Hour (1991). Decades of technological advancement and we are still glued to a nearly 50-year-old old panel show and comedies first broadcast when Vera Lynn’s Forget Me Not was in the charts.
Is it simply the case that they don’t make them like that any more? Well, yes. Scrambling to switch Radio 4 off at 6.30pm, before the half-hour “comedy” slot begins, is almost a national sport, with its overreliance on “fast-paced” topical comedy (the interminable The Now Show) and laboured spoofs (Bleak Expectations, Angstrom)…….’
It goes on a bit but for what value any poll can hold – I’ve listened to ‘clue ‘ from being a kid upto … recently ….and it has ‘something ‘. But once Barry cryer and Graeme garden leave – it will be gone .
And ‘hitchhikers ‘ is – I think – the best radio comedy ever – but spoilt later by being flogged at dire TV and an even worse film .
The writer of hitchhikers – Douglas Adams was a great loss – but if he wasn’t dead already the BBC would have killed him off ..
You forgot ‘Count Arthur Strongs Radio Show’ probably the most unfunny 30mins ever to grace the airwaves. Unlistenable.
West – being brutal – the off switch came in very early on that crap – the ‘on ‘switch was never used again….
I thought ‘dead ringers ‘ had something but doing Tom Baker ( dr who ) all the time dragged – and when the name of the person being impersonated has to be mentioned at the start of a sketch you know it will be poor … gave up – been R4 clear – largely – for a year or more now …deezer instead ..
Comedy, like music, is a personal thing. The Goon Show has left me cold every since I first heard it on the family’s valved-radio, just a Welsh guy trying to annoy passing bats.
But that panel shows now seem to make up most of the BBC’s ‘comedy’ output and be ‘the best of’ is ridiculous. It is like having a programme observing an orchestra’s pre-socially distanced tour coach making its way around the M25 being described as ‘music’.
Much Binding was good; surreal in parts.
Fed:
You are right about the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was the programme which got me into listening to Radio 4. For several years when I was a student and after I did not have a TV, but Radio 4 was my constant companion.
But that was then. There is nothing much I want to listen to on Radio 4 any more. I gave up on Today recently, and don’t miss it. That was just about the last thing I used to listen to on 4. So that’s it for me, they finally drove me off.
I used to enjoy My Music at 6.30 on Radio 4. Steve Race was in the chair and panel members included Denis Norden, Frank Muir and Ian Wallace (my favourite). But somewhere at the start of ‘woke’ the BBC programmers moved it to a late evening slot, then claimed it had low audience listening figures and cancelled it. Manipulation, what the BBC hoes best.
Decades of technological advancement and we are still glued to a nearly 50 year old panrl show…
Actually, when contemplating the demise of really good comedy or music I’ve sometimes wondered whether that is it…tech is the new rock n roll.
‘Question as a headline’, but as pioneered by the BBC, I can share with multiple layers of separation.
Be interesting if, and how, BBC Londonistan ‘analyse’.
Especially the oh so diverse ‘Asian’ network.
Or not.
Speaking of bbc ‘analysis’… the BME….
***
After Trump, what will Biden do about Iran?
US President-elect Joe Biden says the international system is “coming apart at the seams”. He’s promised to salvage America’s reputation and says he’s in a hurry. On his long to-do list is a pledge to rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to give it its formal title – one of the signature, if hotly debated, achievements of Donald Trump’s predecessor in the White House, Barack Obama. Since withdrawing from the deal in May 2018, President Trump has been doing his utmost to demolish it.
Read full analysis >
Paul Adams
Diplomatic correspondent, BBC News
***
Paul is new to me.
But in the world of diplomatic restorations, making nice with Iran by giving them back their threat chips strikes one as an interesting priority… unless getting the media and Davis crowd on board is the only consideration.
TBH, I think segregated housing based on ethnicity and culture in a crime-ridden dump like Greater London is actually a good thing. Get their own ethnic police, ambulance, etc.
I thought they lived in enclaves already. Do they need any help to do that?
Equilibrium is restored this morning as the Guardian frontpage is the BBC’s choice oncemore to top the pile of newspapers for their on-line review.
Methinks the headline: ‘Revealed: fast track for PPE firms with political ties. Damning report finds mutiple shortcomings in UK’s government contract process’ – a story embarrassing for the Tories is the main attraction, rather than the attempted photoportrait of the absolute old boy in familiar defiant pose on his absolute doorstep: ‘Labour Party reinstates Corbyn after 19 days’ – in the wilderness… of his own allotment.
Is he in or out? Is Starmer just playing the Hokey Cokey and trying to please all opinions in the Labour Party – as we approach Hanukkah ?
The comment: ‘It’s not clear why MPs or Peers should have any special expertise on whether a firm is qualified to provide PPE’ is a Guardianista statement that one can readily agree with. Have we at last solved the Left/Right political debate?
Can we agree the government should stop with all this crony capitalism? Can believers in actual free markets now walk proudly forward with a Guardian tucked under the arm?
Not so fast… do you really think our press have blown the whistle on government market rigging and special treatment in favour of certain favoured lobbyists at the expense of the public?
The FT has some very bad news: ‘Johnson seeks Downing St reset with “green industrial revolution”‘ – dozens more taxpayer subsidised windmills coming to the benefit of a lucky landowner near your favourite beauty spot, mate.
‘Petrol and diesel car ban from 2030’ enthuses the Times. ‘End of sales of polluting cars brough forward’ and we do always admire a little newspaper campaign themed logo – a badge, a medallion, a mid-tweetieth century style totalitarian-like insignia – this one in waspish yellow and black featuring a sunburst over town and country with the slogan “Clean air for all” – how could one disagree?
The trouble is that when the media demand the government throws our money around on their pet project demands, such as PPE, then the government will throw our money around… so enter the cronies…
See here: ‘Smile that says: I bagged £880k deal on PPE gravy train’ (Daily Mail); ‘£21m handed to jeweller’s “middleman” in PPE deal’ (Times).
The giveaway Metro names the problem but one doubts they will ever embrace any solution that actually cuts government spending: ‘Public trust “in peril” as spending of taxpayer’s cash soars, says watchdog’
‘Household mixing ban may save Christmas’ (Telegraph)
‘Families will meet again in Christmas Covid plans’ – but wait a minute, were we not supposed to be coming out of this lockdown on 2nd December? Or is the problem that we swallowed that last round of restrictions and so long as we acquiesce this pantomime goes on and on…?
Asiseeit
For those who hate Christmas – the prospect of ‘isolating ‘ for a whole 14 days must be blissful …. ….
I’m returning to UK in December so I’ll be doing my 14 house arrest ….
Can someone tell me, is it Carrie Symonds or Carolyn Lucas who’s actually acting Prime Minister. Because whoever is in charge, it’s certainly not a Conservative…
I’m not obsessed with green issues. As far as I know the Green Party have just one MP. Extinction Rebellion have none. How is it this pitiful excuse for a PM seems to be following their manifesto?
Due to this bovine half-wit, our long enjoyed civil liberties are almost non existent. Our economy has tanked and unemployment is about to sky rocket. And Boris squats in his flat fretting about getting rid of petrol cars, FFS! It really shouldn’t be top of the list…not even on the bloody list. Get us back to work and get us back to normality and give us back our freedoms, you gormless, gutless prat.
If I’d wanted to live in some nightmarish hybrid between North Korea and Venezuela I could easily have trotted down and voted for Jeremy Corbyn. At least we’d have know what we were getting…
When I voted Conservative I wanted them to “get Europe sorted.” I wanted a sensible immigration system. Endless boatloads of illegals being put up in 5 star hotels doesn’t really cut it.
Okay, no one could have envisioned this virus…but our hapless response to it has been beyond dreadful. Our country now feels like a despotic dystopia. Britain is now a bloody miserable place to live. All I see are frightened people, shuffling around behind their masks.
And where’s our (supposed) PM when the going gets tough? Hiding again in his Downing Street flat.
Jeff
I’m obsessed with green issues – every time the Chinese open a coal powered power station I pop a bottle of champers – I get very drunk …..
China is approving plans for new coal power plant capacity at the fastest rate since 2015, in a sign that pressure to stimulate the economy is undermining a transition towards cleaner energy sources.
New coal plant projects proposed this year in China would add more than 40GW to the country’s power supply, according to new data — comparable to the entire existing fleet of South Africa.
The news will fuel concerns that urgent efforts to stimulate economies devastated by virus lockdowns will push global emissions to levels higher than those recorded before Covid-19.
Survey data from the Global Energy Monitor and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air also show that China approved the construction of more coal power plant capacity in the period to mid-June than in all of 2018 and 2019 combined.
China is already the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and pollution levels there have quickly rebounded after lockdown.
https://www.ft.com/content/cdcd8a02-81b5-48f1-a4a5-60a93a6ffa1e
Block some roads in Cambridge for a week, dig up an historic college lawn or two and a pink boat in London
That’ll do it
Excellent – keep burning that carbon ….
David Rosenberg
@davidjrosenberg
Disgraceful interviewing by @KirstyWark
on Newsnight just now. Ex-MP Louise Ellman, dumped by constituents, gets all the time on the world. Jenny Manson from Jewish Voice for Labour rudely interrupted every three words.
How long before the bbbc comprises minorites sitting in studios broadcasting to no one ?
“SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: A Question of Revenge as axed Sue Barker & co cash in by taking the show on the road
Sue Barker is having the last laugh on BBC bosses who axed her as presenter of A Question Of Sport after 24 years.
I can reveal the former tennis champion, who admits she was gutted to lose the role in the BBC’s relentless diversity drive, is taking her version of the show on the road with a nationwide Question Of Sport live tour, next Autumn.
Sue, 64, will be joined by popular team captains Phil Tufnell and Matt Dawson, who were also dropped from the long-running series.”
ttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8960087/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Question-Revenge.html
BBC ‘Reportedly’ News
Chris Krebs reportedly angered President Trump by running a website debunking election misinformation.
***
Meaning they are hiding behind one degree of separation.
And if the Kreb cycling of information is like the Marianna and her trench of what doesn’t suit… that would seem fair grounds.
Guest – very dry – but one might wonder if mr krebs has a bike?
One for Marianna to run by Champion?
The BBC killed Lady Diana…
BEEB FURY BBC slammed for ‘immoral’ debt-collecting tactics for people failing to pay licence fee during lockdown
THE BBC’s draconian debt-collecting tactics for people failing to pay the licence fee during lockdown is “immoral” and “heavy handed”, MPs have blasted.
Twenty-three senior Tories have slammed the corporation for prosecuting and harassing vulnerable people over the £157.50 charge during lockdown – using private firm Capita.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13226092/tory-mps-slammed-bbc-licence-fee-lockdown/
So I’m locked in isolation – there’s a knock at the door – I answer it – a capita debt collector is there – asking me questions – and perhaps giving me covid . Are they tested each day ? Humanity test maybe ?
Good that tax ‘ debt collection beats health …
https://hereistheevidence.com/
It would be nice if even one BBC activist covering the election still had journalistic integrity, then we wouldn’t need sites like these.
Dreaming of a White Christmas? The BBC isn’t. The photograph used to illustrate this article uses the ‘usual suspects’ and looks like it could have come straight from the Tesco or Sainsburys TV ad production team.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54984297
It is, of course, from Getty Images and has also been used by The Irish Sun (Nov 5th), Marthastewart.com (Oct 24th 2011), Metro (Oct 6th, Sept 22nd), Healthline (Dec 22nd 2019) and 46,236,412 other places.
Must. Resist. A. Joke.
Party walls have neighbours’ ears.
In this vein, OT but…
Ocado to Islington.
Never knowingly under weed – my thinks some one is after – compensation. …. have you had wee delivered (allegedly ) by Ocado – ring. get.free.money .com ….
Someone was taking the piss.
Ian, the internet is such fun; see what comes up when one types:-
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/black+family+christmas+dinner
Maybe the Al Beeb missed a trick here, ‘mixed’ blessings maybe….to get the message out of what modern Britain really looks like; just as most TV adverts never fail to remind us.
BTW, it’s even more fun when you type white family Christmas!
C’mon air your lungs again ! …………….. one, two, three…
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
How still we see thee lie
Your streets are still deserted
Though 10 months have gone by
Where are all the busy wo-o-r-kers ?
The shops and pubs are dead,
They all prefer to stay at home
Working in the shed,
I thaink you…….
Blimey; self obsessed much?
Guest,
She really is an arrogant little soul, isn’t she?
Wiser people than her (form an orderly line, please) realise that specialising in something does not ipso facto mean that you’re good at it.
She is good at taking selfies and promoting herself, but beyond that I’ve yet to see her exhibit any particular skills.
She’s certainly smarter than me!
She can read twitter and re-tweet, ‘skills’ I have never (bothered to) master.
Don’t encourage her, Jim!
This twerp clearly does not know… 1/2
…2/2 is used for.
The media has spoken (not the BBC yet, by surely a like or RT serves? Mates’ rates), and as they set policy now…
Boris speech gibberish
“HYDROGEN. Working with industry to generate five gigawatts of the low carbon fuel by 2030”
Gigawatts is not a measurement of fuel
It’s like saying “I put 100 horsepower of fuel in the car”
He means the CAPACITY of the hydrogen making industry would be 5GW, meaning they could produce 5 GigaWattHours each hour
Hydrogen is NOT “low carbon” cos the only economic way to make it is by treating methane with steam, electrolysis is much more expensive.
“the £500m of new funding for hydrogen infrastructure will see almost half go towards scaling up 5GW of new production facilities for the low carbon”
https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4023559/government-promises-unleash-net-zero-investment-blitz-point-plan-green-industrial-revolution
Daily mail writers JAMES TAPSFIELD, JASON GROVES
‘Driving will become a privilege for the wealthy’
: Warning PM’s decision to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030 as part of green push will punish motorists who can’t afford electric cars – and leave a £40BILLION black hole in tax revenues
Boris Johnson is unveiling a ten-point, £12billion plan for the environment
It includes investment in nuclear power, wind energy and domestic heating
‘Green industrial revolution’ may create 250,000 jobs and cut carbon emissions
The petrol and diesel ban is to start a decade earlier than originally planned
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8959477/Boris-Johnson-announce-2030-ban-sales-diesel-electric-cars-tomorrow.html
MAB : #MarieAntoinetteBoris
“Let them not fly
Let them pay extra for electric cars
Let them have one less nurse in each ward, to pay for green energy extra costs”
Let 1 in 10 electric car owners be allowed to charge their car at any one time because of the massive lack of infrastructure and generating capacity.
\\ 13th Nov 2020 marked the end of the @Conservatives party.
A Marie Antoinette moment, Carrie parties while the plebs are in lockdown.
@BorisJohnson selling out Brexit supporters, going full green and woke, a copy of Labour.
Time for a new party to step forward //
It will herald a kicking for Tories in the Shires.
Green may work in suburban areas but the internal combustion engine is the life blood of the more rural communities.
If you follow this green, wokeist bullcrap to its natural conclusion, Princess Nut Nut and her ilk will have us all wearing jumpers knitted from our own pubic hair and drinking our urine as there will be nothing else.
WW.
Ref. the urine.
You can get it delivered now.
I can’t afford Occado’s prices, I’ll stick to home made.
Since the Agenda21, GreatReset WEF lot own both Tory and Labour parties
..they don’t care which one gets elected
We get Islington Soclialism, Wokism, Open-Borders Globalism either way.
As Comrade Lenin said, when asked in the early days of the Bolshevik revolution if an opposition party would be permitted: “Of course! Having an opposition is healthy to the political debate. Just as long as we control it…”
TOADY Watch #1 – is Part-time suffering infuriation as well?
Laura Kuenssberg was interviewed by the Bee Lady before Mishal got out the whips and finger-nail pullers and dental picks (all metaphorically speaking, of course) to have a go at Robert Jenrick (have I remembered the interviewee victim correctly or was it Alok Sharma?) in the prime 8.10 a.m. interview slot.
Laura sounded a bit exhasperated with Labour’s reinstatement of Jeremy Corbyn and she reckoned that some Labour Party members would be suffering more infuriation. Yes, apparently it is a word. I had to check. 🙂 Perhaps she is one of the LP members also suffering? It sounded that way.
Snuffy is self-correcting thanks to the Montacutie on TWatO (no thanks to maxi & his Wild Woman – they are useless): it was Alok Sharma, SoS for Business on TOADY suffering Mishal’s attentions. He held up quite well. Marks out of 10? 8 would be very mean, so 9 probably.
He got smacked by JHB
The clip on their Youtube video list
https://www.youtube.com/c/TalkradioUk/videos
Regarding an earlier comment rightfully chastising me for daring to use the racist word “Xmas”.
A perusal of the delights of daytime TV has revealed that the company “Dreams” are sponsoring “festive ” entertainment now, FFS, the information did not make me feel festive in the least.
And what is it with all these donkey charity adverts ? “Donkeys are loyal and faithful ” they tell us
Says who ?
They should watch a few episodes of Last of the Summer Wine, that would put them right on that one, nearly killed Foggy trying to catch one.
And the authorities could take a few lessons on the gender of the real purveyors of domestic violence and ban the sale of brooms, tin trays and hosepipes.
Couldn’t happen here if Labour got in, as they clearly never will.
Oh, hang on, THEY DON’T NEED TO!!!!
PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS WASHED
We’ll keep you brainwashed
BBC
I’ve noticed on this site – there there are a disproportionate number of coloured faces ……
same goes for Crimewatch
“Faces of colour” BTW
I enjoy Ian Blackford at PMQs – his language is so precise – he never mentions ‘England ‘ instead he says ‘Westminster ‘ – he speaks for ‘the people of Scotland ‘ when he is only talking about his supporters .
Each week he gets away with his anti English rants …..
Anti-British, Fed. Anti-British.
Blackford and co. very much dislike the majority of Scots – i.e. those of us who see ourselves as British as well as Scottish, the two not being mutually exclusive.
But guess what? We don’t like him and his associates either.
Van
It does irk a bit but I just seem as Bernard Manning now —-
2 other attack strands ar PMQs
1.A campaign for the “right to food “ – I nearly choked on me popcorn
2. And the other one is for coloured types to get the vaccine before whitees do because they are ‘allegedly ‘ more likely to get covid . If one were to say that coloured people are to be used to test out the vaccine I don’t think their representatives would be so enthusiastic …
I think the 1.7 million NHS employees , Civil Servants. Local authority staff and teachers will be next –
There will be a lottery for the last vaccine ….
I don’t know anyone who likes the Right Honourable Member for Greggs.
I often wonder what kind of arseholes live on the Isle of Skye that vote for this buffoon.
Van:
I wish the majority of Scots would stop voting for this National Socialist party.
“Biased BBC is a Propaganda Machine for Intellectual Elite’s Liberal-Left World View”
Aitken’s critiques will come as no surprise to readers of this blog, but it’s satisfying to hear them reiterated so clearly, calmly and authoritatively.
One more straw for the old camel’s back.
I went to hear Aitken seven or eight years ago give a talk on the BBC soon after his book was published. He had the same views then as now on its bias but I don’t think he was as convinced of the scale of the damage it had done and was continuing to do to this country as he is now and back then he still extolled all the good things that it did , in his opinion at least. Basically he has now moved closer to the position of many on this site , viz , that the BBC is highly dangerous to British culture and to our way of life and must be made into a subscription only service ASAP.
But has there been any change in the the BBC’s offerings over the past seven years? Yes there certainly has , it’s propaganda has got louder, more brazen and more left Wokist. So far Aitken , nor anyone else , has had any discernible impact on the great Woke panjandrums who inhabit Briadcasting House. I fear that we never will if we wait for someone in government to act. They either fully support the foul corporation or are scared to death of it. We must do it ourselves and urge more and more people to stop feeding the beast by refusing to pay the License Fee.
That shed is a work of art.
R4…some oink BBC Tim Harlness said at Christmas what would we be missing if didn’t have it…
Fortunately a dissenter…but BBC presenter of course supporting BBC colleague..the BBC R4 twato woman just
said there is probably a reason Christmas happens at the time of year it does….funny….apparentley she has never heard of Jesus
you stupid person
Wank3rs…typical hate the Christians….
See a “2+2=4” thinker
vs an entire room stacked by Australia’s ABC with “2+2=7” climate thinkers
PRESIDENT Trump is still trolling the MSM
! Multiple HIGHLY PARTISAN sources called this election differently.
Twitter CEO !!! LOL
I bet Jack wishes he hadn’t had that last can of Special Brew before giving evidence.