271 Responses to Start the Week 4 April 2022

  1. Deborah says:

    First.

    Laura Kuensberg to host the Andrew Marr show. It seems incredible that she will receive (I cannot bring myself to say earn as that suggests some merit) something like £340,000 for an hour’s work. How can the BBC justify it? I remember this site directing me to a piece she wrote for the BBC about Boris. It was a viscious hit piece. More recently she tweeted that the Ukraine situation may have delayed Boris’ removal, or words to that effect. Whatever you think of Boris, it is not the job of the BBC or their employees to bring about regime change in this country. They tried it with Corbyn but the Great British public are a cussed lot and if you push too hard they will do the opposite. I could almost say it was the BBC that won Brexit for us.

       73 likes

    • taffman says:

      And that, is an insult to those fools who are daft enough to pay the Telly Tax .
      Are you dear readers, still paying it?

         32 likes

      • BRISSLES says:

        Watching Andrew Marr bouncing up and down in his seat was not an interviewing technique that sat well with me – or the obscure choice of music at the end of his shows, so rarely watched him; and though the poor woman can’t help it, I wont be watching Kuensberg either as her mouth has a sneery aspect when speaking, and for me that and her accent are a distraction too far.

           51 likes

    • BigBrotherCorporation says:

      “I could almost say it was the BBC that won Brexit for us.”

      IMO Deborah, two things in particular swayed Brexit:

      1. Our PM, David Cameron on camera groveling in front of sneering Eurocrats, begging for a few crumbs in a totally undignified display. Shortly followed by his return to the UK and sneering, bullying tone (along with his smarmy mates Osbourne, Obama, Bliar et al.), speaking down to us, the little peons, about what we MUST do… or else.

      2. The BBC and their sheer arrogance, and the unashamed bias with which they reported the Brexit campaign. Again, the tone was very much YOU WILL vote the way we tell you to, only a complete fool would even consider otherwise.

      Oh, the look on their faces when it didn’t go the way they KNEW it was going to… I don’t care if Brexit is a good idea, or not, it was all worth it just to see that look on their faces, all of them, they’re still reeling now, and not quite believing we had the affrontery to actually do it.

         79 likes

    • markh says:

      Deborah, re your penultimate sentence- I always do the opposite to whatever the BBC tells me to do, as a matter of principle!

         22 likes

  2. taffman says:

    “Climate change: Scientists race to finish key IPCC report”
    “UN scientists have worked through the weekend to complete a key report on how to restrict the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet.”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60959306
    IMHO, a load of ‘male bovine excrement’.
    Can someone tell me why the “race to finish” and why “work through the weekend” ?
    Al Beeb BS & Propaganda ?

       40 likes

    • NCBBC says:

      The IPCC is warning once again that we are all doomed in — (fill in the blanks) years.

      They have been consistently wrong.

      It happens because the people writing such reports are employed by institutes which were specifically setup for writing such reports.

         3 likes

  3. tomo says:

    Have to wonder how the Mexicans “discovered” about TR … and who organised the reception at Manchester.

       32 likes

  4. taffman says:

    “Sunflower oil: UK bottler has a few weeks’ supply left”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60941091
    Al Beeb doing its bit to encourage panic buying ?

       30 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      No, for once it’s telling the truth, although it might be a little late.

      I have to say taffman, have you read none of the items I’ve posted here about the coming famine?

      Ukraine and Russia have a virtual duopoly on the production of sunflower oil, no one else even comes close. There isn’t going to be any sunflower oil in the shops by the end of this month, and it won’t be restocked possibly for years, and when it is it will be at a horrendous price.

      Already the horrible walkers crisp company are claiming they will have to stop production because they cannot source sunflower oil, although why they can’t use some other kind of oil is beyond me.

      The bakers near where I live already is having difficulty sourcing bread flour.

      This is real it is coming whether you like it or not. You can choose to bury your head in the sand about it, or do something now such as buying Pasta, White rice, or instant mash. None of these would be particularly exciting to eat on their own but they are way better than an empty belly, and they keep so long that you will almost certainly get through them.

      It’s a little insurance policy to keep peace of mind when there are some really testing times ahead.

      If anything the BBC and the other media are guilty of playing this down to prevent people from being prepared. You now have a brief period where you can buy foodstuffs to provide for you and yours before the real horror begins.

         16 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        Thoughtful – I support u on this – a bit of prudent buying – in bulk – of key storable foodstuffs now – will help as both scarcity and price rises hit in coming months ….

        … as a pessimist I have always done this – but more so now – this is not panic buying – this is prudence – the panic buying will come later …. But count me out of that ….

           12 likes

      • moggie63 says:

        I’m going to substitute sunflower oil with the oil from the car I can no longer afford to run.

           4 likes

    • Deborah says:

      I have just been to Waitrose (sorry but they have sent me vouchers which give me 15% off if I spend enough); Waitrose own label cold pressed rape oil was on offer (even more off). Maybe nobody has told Mr John Lewis but for many years farmers have reckoned on rape being under £300 per tonne, at the moment it is over £800 per tonne. So I am recommending readers of this site to go buy rape oil in Waitrose at their offer price. Sadly I don’t think enough people read this site to cause a run, but at least you will be not doing what the BBC is pushing people to do.

         6 likes

  5. Nibor says:

    Maxincony , Piku et al ,

    Pick a date five years from now . March , April or May .

    I bet the the BBC will excoriate Donald Trump but nothing will be said about Putin .

    The BBC ; Dictators tolerated , populist politicians condemned.

       31 likes

  6. StewGreen says:

    R4:Clive Anderson show was on Saturday and repeated just now
    co-host ‘Climate change is so important and here is Deborah Meaden to talk about her fantastic new BBC Sounds, Green Business podcast’

    .. I didn’t hear the hosts ask Deborah if pushing Climate alarmism doesn’t ACCIDENTALLY push up the value of Meaden’s green investments.

    ie such conflict of interest wasn’t mentioned

       21 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      Oh 1 week after promoting the show the Nat West CEO was the main guest

      Dragon’s Den favourite Deborah Meaden has teamed up with Wake Up To Money’s Felicity Hannah to find out how our money matters in the fight against climate change.

      As always, they answer listeners’ questions and this week’s is a biggie: Can capitalism be trusted with the job of tackling climate change?

      The big guest this week is Alison Rose, boss of the NatWest Group. Deborah and Fliss talk to her about whether finance is doing enough to force big polluters to change.

      Also: making better use of pre-loved kids clothes and can a dragon wear the same jacket twice?

         17 likes

      • Up2snuff says:

        Stew, loved this: “can a dragon wear the same jacket twice?” 🙂 x 10!

           6 likes

    • tomo says:

      re: The Big Green Money Show

      Bleurgh…

      Not exactly a podcast is it? -if it’s sponsored (and produced?) with the connivance of the BBC?

      More BBC sponsored ‘sleb eco-puke

         21 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Debs is an utterly compromised tool. Perfect bbc material.

         15 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      The hideous Meaden must be after a gong …. the Harry Enfield version is about right …

         12 likes

  7. Halifax says:

    BBC Wrong again. The BBC don’t care what Hungary policy is towards Russia (its probably the same as the “Stop the War Coalition” and the “Socialist Worker” movements in the UK who are out there protesting at the drop of a hat normally but seem to be very quiet about the Russian invasion of the Ukraine) its all about the LGBTQ+ referendum being held at the same time, which if passed will stop Gay agendas being pushed in schools among other things. I’m sure if such a referendum was held in the UK the outcome would be pretty much the same but sadly unlike the Hungarians we won’t get a say in the matter. Orban is despised by the BBC much like Trump and his only crime is putting Hungury and its people first.

    Below is the BBC report on how they wished the election in Hungury would go. I dont think it worked out quite as they wanted.

    BBC piece
    The election arithmetic suggests a closer race than the government would like.

    According to opposition paper Nepszava, Fidesz is assured of victory in 41 of the country’s 106 individual constituencies, while the opposition alliance can count on 33.

    That leaves 32 battleground districts where the opposition has to break through. The remaining 93 seats in Hungary’s 199 seat Parliament are divided according to party lists.

    Different polling agencies suggest a record turnout – perhaps as high as 80%, compared with 70% four years ago.

    In a country of 9.7 million, the electorate was split almost evenly – 2.6 million apiece – four years ago. Pollsters reckon that this election will be decided by between 300,000 and 600,000 voters who are either undecided or uncommitted, and who are in the cross-hairs of campaigners from both sides.

       23 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      FFS : Orban won a two thirds majority
      I thought the BBC were making out it would be a close thing ?

         3 likes

  8. pugnazious says:

    No champagne corks popping for this one up and down the country in BBC offices…..the only bubbly there is the bubble they live in….

    ‘Viktor Orban wins fourth term in Hungarian election ‘

    LOL….and just to rub it in….Trump seems as on form as ever….

       26 likes

    • popeye says:

      That video can’t be true! I just read on the BBC website:

      “Twitter believed Donald Trump, by making false claims the election had been “stolen”, had incited violence. He was banned for life on 8 January, 2021″.

      See, the claims were “false”. The BBC wouldn’t push an untruth, would they?

         26 likes

  9. tomo says:

    It’s a calendar thing – there’s other fog of war weird stuff out there too

       5 likes

  10. tomo says:

    Looks like the Boden crew are going to go full “so what?” on the Hunter Biden front…

    – if this is any guide…

    Ms Psaki leaping to MSNBC is a rat from a sinking ship?

       8 likes

  11. andyjsnape says:

    Sunday Night Performance: An Afro-Futurist take on Shakespeare
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/42ZPKd2yMkjQp7MD9bBzcJn/sunday-night-performance-an-afro-futurist-take-on-shakespeare

    Ground breaking apparently!
    Next, Lenny Henry to be played by a white man
    Bob Marley to be played by a white man

       18 likes

  12. Fedup2 says:

    This site deserves an early long post …

    Not a good day for the BBC – ‘Today ‘ has to report on the victory of victor orban . Mr Orban – as the re elected PM of Hungary is not ‘approved ‘ .
    The BBC couldn’t wait to report the claim by the opposition that the election might not have been fair . Strangely the last time someone claimed this the term

    ‘ there is no evidence to support this ‘
    was added to the report ( see president trump ) .

    Anyway – the lefty UK media has had to reverse in the last 18 hours from a loss by mr orban to a huge victory . …..

    Next
    The party thing . Now this was a popcorn job – a karaoke party in the office of the cabinet secretary organised by the deputy cabinet secretary for civil servants – the woman fined for breaches of covid rules left her job of overseeing civil service morality ( £200k pa ) to go to work for another amoral organisation – the Premier League as some overpromoted victim of the glass ceiling .
    The icing on this cake might be that the BBC ‘hero’ – a mister Dominic Cummings -is also reported to have attended the karaoke party – complete with a 2am drunken fight …..

    There’s no suggestion thar cummings has got a ticket yet .

    Going on – the head of BBC green crap – roger harabin sounded almost tearful because some green crap report is to be published today with a requirement that carbon output be cut by 40% which it is actually going up by 14%- with India leading the way with more coal power stations … priceless ….
    Burn that carbon ….

    If Ukraine continues to go south all the above will become irrelevant in a mushroom cloud ….

       28 likes

  13. Guest Who says:

    Jez asking questions based on gender driven expert claims.

    He and Debs Meaden and Femi should get a room.

       18 likes

  14. digg says:

    Simon Calder on BBC news reporting on the long queues at Heathrow check in check out actually urged people to cough up a few quid to get “Fast tracked through security” which is apparently a thing.

    Didn’t seem to grasp that if everyone followed his expert advice the result would still be long queues, just in a different place.

    Not rocket science but very difficult for the BBC to grasp.

       23 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Digg – a couple of weeks ago I took a short flight which was ‘diverted ‘ . This was emotional – complete with a dodgy landing . I discovered that the big ticket price I paid for ‘business’ didn’t count for much on landing and the ‘free for all which followed ‘… trying to find baggage and a coach – for onward travel – which took x3 the length of the flight -my total of around 12 hours travel ….
      In my view – anyone travelling by air these days should factor in problems somewhere along the chain – whether for getting to the airport – check in – security – boarding time – the whole lot is even more dodgy than in peacetime ….

      I’m flying again Wednesday – doing my bit to change the climate …..

      – by the way – leaving Blighty I was at T5 Heathrow – which on a normal day was overwhelmed …. My fast track checking took 1 hour 20 minutes …. Which I think is the norm now ….

         5 likes

  15. tomo says:

    I like a bit of context , me…. – I do

       3 likes

  16. Guest Who says:

    The BBC Moaning Emole from Naff.

    I have highlighted a few key words. It also ends with a BBC bolt on about Orban.

    ****

    By Nafeesa Shan

    Accusations of genocide in Ukraine as Russia continues offensive

    Story detail

    Ukraine is recapturing territory as Russian troops retreat from areas near the capital Kyiv to focus operations elsewhere in the country. Their withdrawal is exposing what Ukraine says “looks exactly like war crimes”. It’s accusing Russian troops of a “deliberate massacre” – and in a television interview Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “This is genocide”. One of his aides revealed mass graves have been discovered, and at least 20 bodies and burned-out tanks have been found in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv. There has been widespread condemnation from world leaders including Germany, France and the UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Russia’s “despicable attacks” on innocent Ukrainian civilians in Bucha and Irpin are “yet more evidence” of war crimes. The UK, along with France, says they will support an International Criminal Court investigation, as Western nations now move to impose more sanctions on Russia.

    Russia, however, has denied targeting civilians, claiming photographs from Bucha and Irpin are propaganda. But according to one expert, Russia’s actions in Ukraine are a “playbook of what war crimes look like”. There have been 3,455 civilian casualties so far, according to the UN. Despite the accusations, Russia is continuing its offensive. Missiles have hit the southern port city of Odesa, and attacks on Kherson and Mariupol continue, with those who have managed to escape saying their suffering is far from over. Meanwhile in Hungary – which has taken in refugees but refuses to supply weapons to Ukraine – Mr Zelensky’s been criticised by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has won a fourth term by a landslide. He’s described Mr Zelensky and Brussels bureaucrats as “opponents”.

    ****

    A very BBC piece. Award winning.

       14 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Fines issued over No 10 event – sources

      Some of those who went to a leaving party for the former No 10 director of communications James Slack have been issued with police fines, sources have told the BBC. The gathering on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral was held on 16 April 2021. It formed part of the Metropolitan Police investigation into events held while coronavirus restrictions were in place. Sources confirmed the fixed penalty notices had been sent by email, as part of the first batch of 20 fines issued by police. The email says officers believe there are reasonable grounds that an offence was committed in contravention of Covid regulations. Prime Minister Boris Johnson – who has so far not been fined – didn’t attend the party but has apologised. It’s one of 12 events across government that are being looked at by police after an internal inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray passed information to the force .

         14 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Simpo ‘analyses’.

         5 likes

      • digg says:

        I think Simo is probably right, however what he fails to see is that Putin is in effect quite possibly trying to defend Russia from the slow and relentless creep of UN inspired wokeness and crap infiltrating the Baltic states to de-stabilise the Russian border.

        I believe Putin would rather go down fighting than to see Russia overrun by this creeping global slime.

        Putin may well lose this fight as there are hordes of global officials behind the scenes who need him to fail in their grand global plan.

        However, if they succeed it will send a warning message to a China which might have massive repercussions for them all eventually as Russia currently represents a huge physical cushion between China and the plotters in the West.

           5 likes

      • Docmarooned says:

        Simpson thick as a plank. Calls Putin mad in one sentence then NOT
        insane in another. Moron!

           8 likes

        • Fedup2 says:

          Lots of hot air about war crimes but that gas / oil still goes to krautland – which has go a certain expertise in war crimes…

             6 likes

  17. Fedup2 says:

    Today again

    This time another Justin – our Justin interviewing our Justin rowlatt – the BBC green crap editor – telling us that carbon dioxide output needs to be cut in the next 2 years –

    Justin – go tell the 3rd world that – tell India and China – which will be pumping out CO2 on a grand scale than a puny UK output .
    He didn’t factor in the % of the population about to die from starvation and cold which will cut CO2 output .

    Do these people live in the Real World ? All based on wrong emotional lies …. Burn that carbon – there’s an ice age due ..

       41 likes

  18. digg says:

    Facing what is rapidly developing into a potential bloodbath for the Democrats in the Mid-Term elections, they are rolling out desperate measures, aided by their tame left-wing media they are already accusing the Republicans and in particular Trump of cheating, despite the fact that the election has not yet been held!

    So it would appear that revealing Biden to be a doddering imbecile and reporting on the shady activities of his son, calling out the disastrous border policies and criticising the crazy woke policies is actually cheating.

    They fail to grasp or accept that the Democrats in general and Biden in particular have been a massive disaster for the USA and the public have had a belly full of it.

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-msnbc-nbc-democrats-end-country-media-biden

       34 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      I’m not so sure it will be a bloodbath as you say. Sure Biden and the Democrats polling is truly awful, but the Republicans are failing to take advantage of it, as voters say they massively disapprove of the Democrats but the Republicans are offering no alternatives, other than criticising the other side.

      The Republicans have some great people on their team, but they also have some complete dead legs who they appear unable to rid themselves of. Unelectable people who have no charisma and don’t want to work for the people.

      If they can’t leverage this situation now then they are going to be utterly lost when a more competent Democrat leader comes along.

         12 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        I’m still surprised some people assume that any election in the US will be free and fair – the Obama election theft operation this time not only has the support of the msm – but now it has the power of the executive branch

        There will only be suspicion of election fixing if a republican candidate gets through …..

           24 likes

        • G says:

          Fed,

          Many States have been working furiously to amend the voting rules so as to prevent another November 2020 occurring again particularly in important areas. I suspect there would really be public unrest on a large scale if the Dem/Communists tried the election rigging stunt again.

             19 likes

          • Fedup2 says:

            G
            Why would they change the voting rules – it was a free and fair election ( according the the MSM) –

            More seriously I heard that some work was being done but I suspect the democrats – right down to those who actually count the votes – have the thing in non republican places fully sewed up ….
            105% turn out should be expected …. And Russian money must be heading to the democrats to ensure america remains both weak and destabilised and turned inward …

            … I’m waiting for someone to claim that NATO isn’t ‘fit for purpose ‘ because of Ukraine …..

               12 likes

    • G says:

      Digg,

      If Biden & Co disappeared overnight in a flash, it would still leave the Basketcase that is now the USA. Totally infiltrated by the Marxists encouraged by the Chinese the Wokism inspired by the Chinese will go on and on and on. I don’t know what the Republicans will do about this if anything.

         17 likes

      • digg says:

        Agree G, a good start would be to subject the US education system to close scrutiny and remove the hordes of plotting Marxists who have virtually taken it over in the last decade,

           13 likes

    • tomo says:

      Ah … the heralds are out – the Nobel laureate and all time great Barry O’Blimey is sailing in majestically to rescue the doddering old fart in the White House – apparently …

      White House…? wait a minute … there’s a real candidate for a name change?

         4 likes

  19. Guest Who says:

    Vile has a question based on an experience from a ‘TV writer’.

    #CCBGB

       13 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      £10 per person is absolutely excessive, but then if he works for the BBC he’s probably dining at the Ritz or Claridges, and the charge would make sense.

         16 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        Yes it is.

        And bizarre marketing. The financial gain vs. negative PR clearly not worth it, unless… no such thing as bad publicity.

        Personally, I have always as a courtesy checked first if they offer a personalisation service and/or how much or happy to hold a bring in.

        If not, my call.

        Or…. hit the media glory hole route.

           9 likes

      • Halifax says:

        It would be on expenses.

           12 likes

    • BigBrotherCorporation says:

      “Is it right for restaurants to charge families a fee for bringing their own birthday cake in?”

      Are they eating a (paid for) meal before the cake?

      Restaurants are businesses and do need to make money, we’re not all paid vast sums thanks to a retrogressive TV tax.

      Here’s an idea, how about taking your packed lunch and eating it somewhere else ?

         17 likes

      • Scroblene says:

        Absolute insult to any restaurant if you take your own cake and stuff!

        Easiest way is to ask the chef to bake one for the party, it’ll certainly be better than the stuff from any supermarket!

        We did this – in France on a day trip – and the lunch was a great success for an eighteen-year-old’s party with several chums!

        And we had huge bags of chips in Tenterden on the way home!

        Still, Baddiel is just another noisy but weary beeboid, looking to cheapen the airwaves so it’s to be expected I guess!

           1 likes

  20. Fedup2 says:

    Today 3

    Apparently covid lockdowns have rendered very young children who didn’t go to day care or infant school into imbeciles .
    The 3 wimmin taking part on this item – including the bee lady – all sounded like fruit hoops and didn’t have much to say about the responsibility for parents to be parents during this time – surely a lot were at home with their children so could have done something – like er – being parents and caring for their children … ?
    Tell me what I’ve missed ?
    Or has the State replaced parental responsibility ?

       25 likes

  21. Guest Who says:

    BBC rallies the science expertise community.

       5 likes

  22. AsISeeIt says:

    Let’s roll down the fader edition

    Just the other day our media were lauding Ukrainian civilians taking up arms.

    Now our media are aghast at: ‘Civilians “shot in the streets”‘ – the Times at least provide scare quotes around this alleged incident, since who can really know what exactly happened on the ground?

    And once Putin started this war – amid Western policy disarray, weak distracted leadership and a failure of deterrents to match foolhardy Western expansionist bravado in Putin’s backyard – of course war is going to be a nasty brutal business, especially when filmed and photographed post hoc at the sharp end.

    Not so jolly amusing now is it, to see the ladies being armed with AKs and trained to throw Molotov Cocktails – features enjoyed so very recently on the Times frontpage?

    On a happier note: ‘How I got my fashion mojo back – at 64 by Amanda Platell‘ (Daily Mail) – which reminds me…

    I was shopping in the local Sainsburys one quiet day. Browsing their World Foods section, idly wondering to myself where the rest of their produce originated – out of this world… somewhere off planet, perhaps? Suddenly over the tanoy came a female voice “Can a man please come to the customer services counter?” At first I ignored this message. Then it was repeated, more insistently “Can a man please come to customer services!” As a man, I wondered what the problem could be – perhaps the women on the customer services desk had some problem only a man could deal with? Were they struggling to open a large pickle jar? Or they had they maybe got some difficult sums to calculate? The request for a man to come to customer services rang out once more over the instore PA system and I was just resloved to go there myself when I was over taken by a young Asian chap rushing in that direction in Sainsburys uniform, wearing a name badge that read “Aman“.

    Civil servant in charge of ethics fined over party‘ (Telegraph)

    In further detail: ‘Helen MacNamara received a £50 fine on Friday after police concluded she had broken Covid laws by attending a leaving party‘ (Telegraph)

    Allies want Putin to face justice for war attrocities‘ (Telegraph) – read your history and you’ll notice justice tends to be in the hands only of the victors in conflict – so good luck with that one.

    Putin in dock for atrocity‘ – the Sun there getting rather ahead of events. The red top tabloid is in good company, I guess. Back in 1992 Francis Fukuyama assured us we were already at the end of history.

    Covid restrictions damaged development of children for a generation, says Ofsted‘ (Telegraph) – think of the children and consider who will ever be brought to book for that?

    The FT draws our attention to: ‘Khan move triggers constitutional crisis‘ – this is not the diminutive London mayor making his inevitable bid for the Labour leadership – but his former cricketing distant cousin back in Pakistan – a supporter – like so much of the developing world – not of the West but of Putin: ‘Imran Khan strikes huge trade deal with Russia despite international outcry over war‘ (Independent)

    The venerable Torygraph provides us a couple of BBC-related asides to all the post-covid war news: ‘BBC ditches all-female list for top politics post‘ – well, we’re talking about a right-on elite community here that couldn’t even define the word woman – so how could they run an all-woman list? Geeky bespectacled frontrunner Chris Mason will perhaps be thanking his lucky stars he now won’t need to don a frock and put on a bit of slap for his interview for the post. Save that skit of the next Children in Need show.

    Apologies for boat race foul language… Commentator Andrew Cotter acknowledged the outburst [from the Cambridge cox] saying “Let’s roll down the fader on Jasper there”‘ – we’ve heard of chaps winning their “blues” but now they’re evidently turning the rarified Oxbrige air blue.

    Oxbridge chaps on the Thames have come an awful long way since Jerome K. Jerome wrote of the jolly japes had by Three Men In A Boat.

    If I could change one thing about broadcast modern sports coverage, near the top of my list would be a ban on mikes on participants, shortly followed by all post-match/post-race interviews.

    The Daily Star’s thought for the day worries: ‘Hope burglars work from home too…‘ – as we are told: ‘top cop says police should be able to work from home… the thin snooze line police farce

       22 likes

  23. andyjsnape says:

    Irish Air Corps “I’m just as capable as any of the lads”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60932944

    Referring to women again, but when you click on the above link its actually the anniversary of the Irish Air Corps being 100years old

    bBC always has to put a spin on it

    Next the first black pilot for Irish Air Corps?

       19 likes

  24. theisland says:

    https://www.thelastamericanvagabond.com/while-you-were-distracted-by-will-smith-the-international-elite-met-at-the-world-government-summit/
    Guests included Klaus Schwab of the World Economic Forum and Kristalina Georgieva of the International Monetary Fund.

    “Anyone with a functioning brain should ignore the tabloids and instead pay attention to this little known gathering of globalist Technocrats.”

       14 likes

  25. andyjsnape says:

    Anyone noticed the bBC is keen on womens football

    The viewing rights are sooooo cheap, maybe the bbc just pretend to be keen, or secretly saving a fortune?

       18 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      ajs (great motorcycles, make motorcycles great again) the bBBC also have a passion for womens rugby. You know what they say about ‘people’ who like womens rugby football a lot …. nudge nudge 😉 😉

         2 likes

  26. StewGreen says:

    Radio4 presenter Tom Sutcliffe actually did an unbiased prog about Resistance : Ukrainian/Russian resistors, WW2 resistance and HK resistance
    Then 9:41am presenter Tom said
    “Jeffereson said ‘When INJUSTICE becomes law, resistance becomes duty’
    ..now that is OK when it comes to Hong Kong that’s right the law was used to take away a seat that you had won in a fair election
    but of course that slogan has been used by the people ATTACKING the Capitol in the United States ! .. how do you make a judgement as to when a law can be overthrown ?”

    #1 That is a fake quote Jefferson didn’t say it.

    #2 The 2020 US election was unjust at many levels .. even if you don’t accept fraudulent voting caused it, the incredibly biased media reporting played a huge part.

    #3 The HK guy didn’t take the bait and only spoke about the Chinese government.

       10 likes

  27. Guest Who says:

    OT, but the MSM does like to share.

       9 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      I saw somewhere that Brand’s leaky cabinet office boyfriend is leaving the civil service … I wonder if he was ‘pushed ‘? I suppose the next job is a reward from ITV/BBC and a leaving party and gong …
      Which could me fewer leaks and less of ‘Mrs ‘Brand ….

         8 likes

  28. Guest Who says:

    Meanwhile, at a W1A news desk, every minute, an email arrives.

       5 likes

  29. StewGreen says:

    I wonder how many millions the BBC spent on this new BBCnews logo ?

    FPfMmIyX0AQRYTq?format=jpg&name=small

       12 likes

    • andyjsnape says:

      Hi Stew, the red symbols indicate the shrinking audience figures over the years 🙂

         24 likes

    • markh says:

      It’s obviously Scotland at the top, Wales on the left and insignificant England irrelevant and squashed at the bottom- BBC’s world view.

         11 likes

    • pugnazious says:

      N4pVTnzT5h24TporsPPmNc-970-80.jpg.webp

      Very representative of BBC news….totally meaningless and subjective how you view and interpret it…it can mean absolutely anything you want it to.

      I gather that it was class 7 at Notting Hill Pre-School Academy that ‘designed’ these…..they spent a whole 10 minutes playing with their coloured bricks and came up with the whole collection of designs…sheer genius!

         4 likes

    • Lunchtime Loather says:

      It will be a closely guarded secret for purposes of “journalism, art or literature”.

         4 likes

    • tomo says:

      That there’s a re-branding exercise underway has been obvious to those of us outside the UK for some time now…

      Looks like they’re selling adverts in smaller pieces too – penis enlargers and zit tools are appearing in the “elsewhere” web site sections.

         4 likes

      • Scroblene says:

        It’s Braille for thickoes…

        They can hold their fingerless gloves over the ‘logo’, shriek Siri or some other gibberish, and get some beeboid wittering away at the touch of an iPhone!

        (A new iPhone costs the equivalent of about ten years TV tax, so as mummy – and daddy – if he’s still around – will be paying all that money so the little gits can play at being moronic all day instead of becoming hard-working, normal British citizens).

           1 likes

  30. digg says:

    Quite revealing comparing the BBC reaction to the election result in Hungary with the last one in the US.

    They say…..

    Orbán unfairly had the media onside and quite possibly cheated the results.

    Ring any bells?

    “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive”

       32 likes

  31. theisland says:

    https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/us-oil-imports-from-russia-increases-by-43

    “In the past week, the US administration has increased its imports of Russian oil by 43%, reaching 100,000 barrels a day.

    Former US colonel and Eurasia Center Vice President, Earl Rasmussen, said the European Union’s latest sanctions and economic retaliation against Russia will backfire and cause a massive recession in Europe.”

    Hang on, I thought it was all Boris’ fault?

       14 likes

  32. StewGreen says:

    2013 David Starkey Harriet Harman Victoria Coren fight on Question Time
    .. https://youtu.be/AwRf0VIm2w4

       8 likes

  33. Up2snuff says:

    TOADY Watch #1 – duh uh, what do you expect?

    Dumb and dumber goes the TOADY Prog. One of the presenters (cannot remember if it’s the Bee Lady or JustRemainIn) is lamenting the effect that various Lockdowns have had on the UK’s children. They said, childrenas youngs as 2 years old are unable to recognise faces and facial expressions. What do you expect?

    The BBC helped scare everybody rigid over Covid-19 and constantly passed on the ‘mask up’ message. They even did it last week on TWatO with a medical scientist who didn’t seem to have two Yooni degrees along with his brain cells to rub together.

    Pro-Lockdown, pro-mask wearing, pro-precautions Starmer must be hastily re-writing Labour Policy and editing his Tweets if he has a Twitter account. PMQs should be fun this week …. if it wasn’t for the Parliamentary Easter hols. Doh!

       15 likes

  34. Emmanuel Goldstein says:

    I’ve just realised something.

    All this time I’ve been 100% supporting the Ukrainian side.

    SO HAS THE BBBC.

    This is giving me doubts because everything the bbbc comes out with is everything I disagree with.

    Because I cannot trust the bbbc what am I to think about Ukraine and what’s happening there.

    If the bbbc supports Ukraine are they (Ukraine) really the baddies?

    This is what happens when the bbbc is consistently anti British and is far left from the tea boy , sorry ‘person’, to the top dogs, all far left.

    Is everything we’re seeing wrong and manipulated.
    What is the bbbc’s plan for this.
    I’m confused.

       28 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Truth is the first casualty in war, but Ukraine is certainly not some kind of model state, and we know that partly because of Hunter Bidens laptop and the payments he was receiving from Ukraine.

      We know it is one of the most corrupt countries in the world hence the concerns I raised over Boris Johnsons eagerness to give away taxpayer funded weapons well before the invasion and at a time Ukraine could have afforded to pay.

      I expect once the morally questionable Boris leaves office a lucrative appointment in Ukraine will be given to him, which is effectively a cheap payment for Boris giving away what taxpayers have paid for.

         17 likes

    • G says:

      EG,

      Yes, no thought for the public trying to work out what the Black Broadcasting Corp’s. policy is on any given topic. You need to evaluate a number of their reports over a period of time to establish what their policy is toward a new issue. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if on the initial report of a new topic, the BBC simply announced what their angle is so we would know what to expect.

         12 likes

    • digg says:

      I think it is called propaganda Emmanuel, a relentless process of promoting one point of view until any other point of view is viewed as oddball and dangerous and must be obliterated.

      For tactics, see The media versus Trump.

      For examples:

      Question uncontrolled immigration and you are a Racist.

      Question Climate Alarmism and you are a dangerous Denier.

      Question draconian mandated pandemic regulations and you are a Murderer.

      Question totally unrealistic representations of ethnic balance on TV (see example 1)

         12 likes

  35. StewGreen says:

    What’s Paul Homewood upto ?
    https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2022/04/04/bidens-plan-to-starve-america-of-fossil-fuels
    https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/labour-lose-the-plot
    References
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/aug/04/labour-calls-for-hard-edged-end-date-for-oil-and-gas-exploration
    : labour-spokesperson-government-should-prepare-to-ration-gas .. https://youtu.be/e1P8RlrHHv4

    https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/which-is-it-joe
    References : https://youtu.be/KUbcXWv2S6E

    https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2022/04/02/just-stop-oil-protestors/
    Video of a mad XR Stop Oil protester making a middle class fool of herself
    “I’m sooo sfrightened , our children might not get to live to 30”

    ..the hysterical crying starts 2mins 21 seconds in, Here’s a direct link

       13 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Always the same, entitled middle aged white women displaying toxic femininity.
      Failing to understand a situation, and incapable of changing their minds once an idea has been set regardless of how much evidence is given to show they are wrong.

         9 likes

  36. G.W.F. says:

    Tears in the BBC, Brussels, The socialist workers party and probably the UK cabinet over orbans win. Now. Can marine Le pen pull it off

       21 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      I doubt that she can. France uses electronic voting and we know how vulnerable that can be. Macron has had five years and the complete resources of the state, to fix the voting system so that it gives him a second term no matter how the French people vote. The polling reported in the media will be such that should Le Pen overtake Macron in the run up to the second round , the gap between them will kept small enough for a Macron win to seem plausible.
      I’m highly suspicious of all voting systems these days which I believe to be stacked heavily against any none globalist candidates. Democracy and the right for an electorate to choose who it wishes to be their leader is in its death throes.

         14 likes

  37. StewGreen says:

    12pm BBC local news, as ever Green PR is rubber stamped
    “We’re encouraging members of the local community in the Humber to attend our public consultation to learn more about the H2H Saltend project.
    @ZC_Humber #hydrogen #NetZero”

    Actually Phase1 is busy INCREASING UK CO2
    Previously gas goes to Keadby power stations in existing pipelines and is burnt
    The new project involves constructing new hydrogen pipes from Saltend then 2 miles under the Humber to Keadby
    The methane is processed at Saltend and converted to hydrogen by steam treatment and piped to Keadby

    Sometime in the future they hope to come up with an economical way of getting CCS to work so the CO2 released in Saltend can be captured.

    Sometime in the future they hope to come up with an economical way of getting Hydrogen using windfarm electricity.

       6 likes

  38. pugnazious says:

    On March 12 The Times reported that ‘Britain’s covid toll below Europe average’

    When do you hear that on the BBC which from the start has consistently pushed the idea that Britain has done uniquely badly?

    The Times tells us that Britain’s excess death rate was 127 per 100,000 compared to France and Germany’s 124 and 121 respectively…a statistically insignificant difference we are told.

    Bear in mind that the BBC itself insists excess deaths are the best measure of how covid has effected us.

    The average for Western Europe as a whole was 140 per 100,000.

    Note that the reckless and dangerous Sweden had a rate of 91…‘Indistinguishable from Denmark and Finland’.

    Norway had a remarkable rate of 7 per 100,000 which kind of reinforces the idea that it is more luck than good management that decides how badly you are struck…as with Germany which suffered few deaths in the first wave but soon caught up despite all the knowledge and experience gained in that first wave. Norway’s population is also more rural whereas most of Swedens’s deaths occurred in urban areas and in particular the care homes.

    We are told, as we know, that there was ‘No clear relationship between levels of excess mortality and different levels of restrictions.’…ie…oppressive lockdowns didn’t help.

    Given that the BBC campaigns against the government and pushes the claim that the government is responsible for all the deaths due to its slow response this will play out at the next election when the BBC will peddle this lie for Labour….watch the video above and you’ll hear the line from the BBC reporter…‘A key question is the government response and how fast it was?’

    That’ll be the BBC’s main line of attack along with of course, ‘You can’t trust Boris…he’s a liar’, not to forget ‘Partygate’ which the BBC will ensure stays firmly in the headlines.

    But remember, Germany locked down at the same time as Britain and had the same timeline as us in its response…its lower death rate was luck not the brilliance of their government’s response….which was the same as ours. The BBC, its dodgy ‘More or Less’ fact finding programme, has tried to negate that uncomfortable truth by, well, outright lying…telling us that Germany didn’t lock down at the same time and had a completely different path to us…just not true.

    The BBC has been exploiting covid to campaign against the Tories and Boris in particular for two years, and will continue to do so in an attempt to rig an election with disinformation and black propaganda in the same way they smeared Trump with the fake dossier helping to lose him the 2019 election.

    Never trust the BBC.

       26 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      Counting raw deaths is only good for trend spotting
      To assess impact properly you have to count QALYs
      Quality Adjusted Life years lost.

      If you spend £1 million and the patient lives only 1 month longer
      ..that is vastly different from if the patient lives 70 years longer.

         8 likes

    • digg says:

      Re Norway’s low covid death rate… it couldn’t be related to their very low immigration figures could it?

         11 likes

  39. StewGreen says:

    12pm R4 : The You and Yours consumer show has finally gone back to a full hour
    So now they fill it with crap
    Right now PR for the new Bridgerton series from Netflix
    ..’the Bridgerton Effect’ is back, people want to buy clothing similar that used in this Regency Porn series”

       7 likes

    • Docmarooned says:

      It is always full of crap.

         10 likes

      • StewGreen says:

        Tuesday it’s Call #youandyours

        it’s our phone in tomorrow and we want to know
        what have you done to try to be a greener consumer ?

        There is a report out later today about how WE can all mitigate climate change.
        You might already be doing a little bit
        solar panels maybe,
        .. turn down the heating thermostat.
        … using the car a bit less.

        Please let us know what you were doing to try to be greener
        email with your contact number YouAndYours@bbc.co.uk
        Call 03700 100 444 and share your experience”

           6 likes

        • StewGreen says:

          Do you see what they have done ?
          they have taken GREEN and HIJACKED it
          to make it all about “reducing CO2 and often about shop yourself green
          BUYING more stuff to make yourself green”
          This is a particular North London trope
          To me being green is about helping nature
          Getting away from the scourge of “green consumerism”

          #1 Keep the environment clean by stopping litter
          What’s the point in building huge great climate industry symbols
          ..when the roads and rivers are full of litter ?

          #2 It can mean low impact lifestyl,e cos in buying stuff there is always an element of chopping down trees to make the stuff, clearing land for the mining, the buildings , the solar/wind industry etc.

          #3 If a country wants a lower impact it shouldn’t keep expanding its population by having open borders.

          #4 Industrialisation is not simply bad for the environment
          eg if you use 100 fields for gas wells and steel industry etc.
          that generates the wealth, that provides money to build sewers, to build clean water pipes, to fund animal research et.
          To provide the diesel that POWERS Greenpeace ships etc.

          #5 I don’t buy green cos so often it is counterproductive
          eg I avoid organics
          That food has no personal health benefits, yet the farming style takes up much more land.
          I think it is great that we can have fields of wheat that are fertilised and pesticised that are super productive
          and generally leave woods alone.

          #5b I do not support public transport like Cross Rail
          cos I think it is better not to travel than mine and concrete underground London.. all that public transport infrastructure has a nature impart as well as a CO2 impact
          that is generally built into the construction phase.

          A green person lives near their job/ school etc.
          I think those people who go and live on a holiday park in Spain are pretty green, cos they are living in the comfortable climate they want to be.

          #6 Being green involves recognising that tech will advance in the future, sot there shouldn’t now be a RUSH to concrete the UK with solar and wind farms etc.

             10 likes

          • StewGreen says:

            “IPCC publishes more than 3,000-page report on how to mitigate climate change”
            IPCC AR6 WG3 report release livestream: How to mitigate #CLIMATE change
            Video of press conference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STFoSxqFQXU

            The item is also advance PR for Earth Hour
            “There’s just one week to go until Earth Hour”
            tweet WWF

               1 likes

  40. digg says:

    Radio 4 presenter just reported on new expanded list of guidelines for recognising symptoms of covid, including a runny nose and feeling tired…

    It reminded me straight away of the Rowan Atkinson sketch where he is a police chief reading out a list of offences reported by his officers…. walking in an odd way…wearing an offensive tie… etc.

    They really do not want to release their grip or allow the covid stats fall or any sense of normality to return do they?

    It makes me wonder why that should be. Social experiment or do they want us all to be lab rats or are we all being softened up for draconian restrictions due to “Climate change” which coincidentally is the BBC’s other big story today.

       20 likes

  41. StewGreen says:

    I have heard numerous times in numerous BBC news bulletins
    “Orban has REFUSED to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine”
    .. that is an extraordinary claim
    that I have not heard them present any extraordinary evidence for

    The first video that comes up on a YouTube search is this from AP dated 26th February
    I made the link go to 1min 45 seconds where Orban condemns Russia

       15 likes

  42. Fedup2 says:

    A couple of days ago the BBC put on a piece about the large number of Ukrainian refugees going into Hungary . A good few comments were made by said refugees about how well there are welcomed and cared for ….
    ( goes against the ogre orban narrative ) –

    On this I am generally against overseas aid – but for this – we need to at least provide support for those countries neighbouring Ukraine caring for the millions arriving … with the bill being picked up by the Russians sooner or later …

    The orban election victory seems to have disappeared from the BBC output ….

       18 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Don’t forget that we tried reparations once before following a catasrophic war and ended up with the third reich.
      Any kind of reparations are going to have to be most carefully administered because in addition to all other issues are the worlds largest nuclear missile warheads.

         5 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        I still blame the French for Versailles…. There were plenty at the time arguing that the punishment was too much (UK / US ) if I recall …

           5 likes

      • Mustapha Sheikup al-Beebi says:

        But is it actually true that “reparations caused WW2”?

        I claim no expertise but have heard this view challenged by historians. Here, for example, is a reference work which I used at school (‘O’ Level) and have found to be a helpful quick reference work since. It’s Alan Palmer’s “A Dictionary of Modern History 1789-1945” (Penguin 1962, 1975 reprint).

        Under “Reparations” he says: “After the First World War the peace treaties imposed indemnities on Germany and her allies; … The wisdom of requiring large sums of money from defeated countries that had lost many markets was criticized at the time by a number of economists, especially Keynes … German Reparations were fixed at £6.6 billion (plus interest) … … In 1924 the Dawes Plan allowed Germany to secure a loan in order to pay Reparations. … … in 1929, when the Young Plan cut the figure by almost 75 per cent … The general financial collapse of 1931 stopped all payment … Germany paid, in all, about one eighth of the original sum. Payment of Reparations imposed on Austria and Hungary was also considerably helped by loans, in this case backed by the League of Nations.”

        Now, a public perception of unjust reparations (and French arrogance) after Versailles would have caused resentment among Germans, even if only a fraction of them was ever paid; but unless new research has challenged Palmer’s summary since the 1960s, then reparations were not as important as is often claimed.

           3 likes

        • Nibor says:

          Mustapha ,
          I also read that Germany’s economy during the WW1 was based on victory and extracting reparations from the Allies .

             0 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      Fed, apparently there are a lot of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine.

         6 likes

  43. Flotsam says:

    I know a Hungarian living in Britain who says Orban is very right wing and there’s no democracy in Hungary. He’s probably more accurately defined as Nationalist, it’s a shame we don’t have Nationalist leaders in England. The SNP and Plaid Cymru are self defined Nationalist parties.

       21 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      They are both Nationalist & Socialist
      One made a law where they can arrest you for private conversations in your own home.

      The other forced others to all wear masks
      whereas their own leader attended a university dance party, maskless !

         13 likes

  44. Fedup2 says:

    Flotsam – with a bit of luck – now that Mr Orban has a mandate – and if there is anything like a ‘satisfactory ‘ outcome to Ukraine ( please ) – mr orban will make more mischief with the Reich EU .
    The BBC rubbishes him for being close to putin – but may be they’d do better looking at merkel and the krauts who have sold any soul they had to Russia ….

       13 likes

  45. Up2snuff says:

    TOADY Watch #2 combined with TWatO watch #1 – the Beeboids are getting exercised about their Easter holiday flights to somewhere warm or interesting

    Much coverage in the two news programmes today about the dreadful delays being suffered by air travellers. Now you know what us road, bus, tube and rail travellers feel like. It is all due to Covid. Funny thing: Covid cases rise just at Christmas/New Year 2020 and again in 2021. Covid cases rise at Easter 2020 (despite the warm weather) and at Easter 2022. Someone at the BBC – Marianna springs to mind – ought to investigate that connection.

    Justin and the Bee Lady were exercised about whether they would manage their trips to Dublin or Paris or Prague this Easter. Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

       11 likes

  46. StewGreen says:

    France24 ” An early official count of #Serbia’s 🇷🇸 national election Monday confirmed a landslide victory for President #AleksandarVucic and his populist party.

    The party is an important ally to Moscow in the volatile Balkans but also in Europe.”

       7 likes

  47. StewGreen says:

    Alert : old person has died
    .. as if it’s a very rare thing for a 95 year old
    Her off Eastenders with the fag and laundrette

       12 likes

  48. andyjsnape says:

    Victory for Hungary’s Orban means a headache for the EU
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60978909

    On one can say the bbc is biased lol

       13 likes

  49. theisland says:

    Of course they do – bitter Remainers.

       21 likes

  50. tomo says:

       19 likes