421 Responses to Midweek 15th May 2024

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  1. MarkyMark says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:09 pm

    c4318e5c-ff26-463e-83e3-1b1398dfdcc3-3b379db3-bda7-4ece-8fba-4d2c55150f4b

       10 likes

  2. tomo says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:17 pm

    Muslim mayor in gay Mecca…. what could possibly go wrong?

    https://x.com/tony_como/status/1791493080480149721

       2 likes

  3. Zephir says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:25 pm

    @ Tomo

    Breaking news:

    A suspected bomb has gone off in Durban City Centre, reports are saying it has caused at least £100,000 worth of improvements.

       8 likes

  4. Foscari says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:28 pm

    I probably have seen more clips from writer Aaron Sorkin’s
    ” A few good men” than any other film. ” You cant handle
    the truth” that immortal sentence from Jack Nicholson
    as Tom Cruise gets him rattled is probably Sorkin’s most
    famous five words he penned. And in ” West Wing” there
    are almost as many,
    Tom Cruise battle plan is that he knows Colonel Jessup wants
    to admit that he issued “the code red”. And Tom Cruise
    finally does get Jessup to admit it.
    GO ON BBC you know you don’t care if you are known to
    be institutionally anti-Semitic. You almost let it slip at
    the Eurovision contest. And a plethora of times before.
    I am sure there are number of your reporters who would love
    to come on air in Hamas colours. Come on BBC . And you
    could all be like Yasser Arafat. Who many did not know
    was a Newcastle supporter . and could also ask to be buried
    in the Gazza strip.

       10 likes

  5. MarkyMark says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:31 pm

    “as they settle into (remove locals, change the fabric of society, spy for free) communities across the UK”

    . . . .

    From a Theresa May speech …

    As Martin Wolf, the chief economics commentator of the financial times, says: ‘The desirability of sizeable immigration is a matter more of values than of economics. It is not a choice between wealth and poverty, but of the sort of country one desires to inhabit.’

    https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/home-secretary-speech-on-an-immigration-system-that-works-in-the-national-interest

       3 likes

  6. MarkyMark says:
    May 17, 2024 at 5:48 pm

    “Chi Leung Wai, a 38-year-old Border Force officer, Matthew Trickett, a 37-year-old Home Office immigration enforcement officer, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, a retired Hong Kong police officer who is employed as a London-based trade official for the former British colony, are all accused of spying on pro-democracy activists …3 days ago”

       2 likes

  8. Fedup2 says:
    May 17, 2024 at 6:24 pm

    Evidence of anti Israel BBC Bias via the DT

    STARTS The BBC has apologised after one of its senior presenters suggested Tel Aviv was Israel’s capital, contradicting its own guidelines.

    The broadcaster initially defended the error, prompting accusations of “systemic anti-Israel bias” from one of its former directors, but later apologised.

    During a pre-recorded interview for BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, Gary O’Donoghue, the corporation’s Washington correspondent, used Tel Aviv as a metonym for Israel’s government, rather than Jerusalem.

    It is a common journalistic practice to use a nation’s capital city as a metonym for its centre of government but Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, is the site of Israel’s parliament and all its main administrative arms.

    The status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is disputed internationally, with most countries, including the UK, choosing to base their embassies in Tel Aviv.

    In 2021, the BBC issued guidance that stated that: “The Israeli government should not be referred to as Tel Aviv.” According to a report by Camera Arabic, a media-monitoring organisation, it has since made the mistake 34 times.

    Following Mr O’Donoghue’s reference to Tel Aviv, a complainant asked if there had been a change in the BBC’s official position. However, the broadcaster did not acknowledge that it had made a mistake.

    A BBC spokesman said: “There has been no change to our policy… we have reminded journalists of the position.”

    Danny Cohen, a former director of BBC Television, said: “A mistake does not happen 34 times. The BBC has a serious problem with impartiality, which its senior management are clearly unwilling to address.”
    Andrew Percy, Conservative MP, said the BBC “has run a consistently biased narrative of hate against the state of Israel since the start of this conflict”.

    He added: “It is hardly surprising therefore that it can’t name the correct capital of Israel.”

    The incident occurred in mid-April during an item on the reaction from Washington following Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel.

    Mr O’Donoghue said: “The events of the weekend, with the close military cooperation involved, have served to bring Washington and Tel Aviv closer together.”

    When asked to comment on the presenter’s remark, the BBC complaints team initially said: “BBC News tries to use language that makes sense to our audience, within the context of the story we’re reporting.

    “While we report that Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, this isn’t widely recognised by the international community, with most foreign embassies being in Tel Aviv.

    “Therefore, in some reports there might be mention of ‘correspondence between Washington and Tel Aviv’, for example.”

    Viewed as ‘occupied territory’
    East Jerusalem is viewed by the UN as occupied territory, which Palestinians want as the capital of a future state of Palestine. It has also been the focal point of Jewish life for more than 1,000 years.

    In 2018, the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, officially recognising the city as Israel’s capital. Rishi Sunak described Jerusalem as Israel’s “historic capital” in 2022 and said there was a “very strong case” for the UK embassy to move as well.

    The BBC’s Arabic service has frequently referred to Tel Aviv as Israel’s capital. Since it publicly pledged to stop in January 2021, the service has made the error a total of 35 times, Camera Arabic, a media-monitoring organisation, reported.

    A Camera Arabic spokesman said: “While the BBC’s practice of falsely naming the Israeli capital and seat of government ‘Tel Aviv’ withered somewhat in English-language coverage in recent years, in Arabic it still occurred at a more-or-less steady pace of once a month since mid-2020.

    “Sadly, with an editor of the BBC’s English edition clumsily excusing it in hindsight, it now seems that this bad habit is trickling back into the English-language coverage.”

    The corporation’s official guidelines on the subject state: “The BBC does not call Jerusalem the ‘capital’ of Israel, though of course BBC journalists can report that Israel claims it as such.

    “If you need a phrase you can call it Israel’s ‘seat of government’, and you can also report that almost all foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv.”

    A BBC spokesman said: “Our reference to Tel Aviv in this news bulletin was an error, for which we apologise. We would like to assure you that this wasn’t indicative of any form of bias.

    “The point has been raised with senior editors at BBC News, who have reminded our journalists to use language which adheres to the BBC style guide.”ENDS

    I can’t understand why Israel doesn’t designate the BBC as an enemy broadcaster …

       7 likes

  9. taffman says:
    May 17, 2024 at 6:49 pm

    Are the Tories are busted flush ?
    As far as I am concerned, a patriotic Taffman and a patriotic British Citizen, I will be voting for The Reform Party .
    What say you ?

       17 likes

    • Fedup2 says:
      May 17, 2024 at 6:58 pm

      Taffman – what ‘tories’? – reform is the only vote for non socialists now – and they are not ‘right ‘ enough for me …

         9 likes

  10. Zephir says:
    May 17, 2024 at 8:10 pm

    I am aware this site diversifies somewhat now and again, and one of my passions is music, (you may have noticed) the connection with the bbc is that the Euro farce horrified me.

    I have been amusing myself this afternoon with the massive talent this country has produced in the past, and, in this case, specifically the ex Genesis singer Mr Gabriel, of whom some may be aware ( hello Scrobs)

    He has done some amazingly emotive stuff over the years but also has a keen sense of humour which is why I love this as he also manages to combine it with incisive lyrics.

    He is also a little bit mad like all the best true artists

    (And, note to the bbc we were and, apparrently are, all are meant to be racists and sexists ? well have a look and judge for yourselves:

       5 likes

    • Zephir says:
      May 17, 2024 at 8:41 pm

      A lesson for all bbc employees, a little from the lyrics from the above

      “You know your culture from your trash
      You know your plastic from your cash
      When I lose sight of the track
      You know the way back, but I know you

      You know your stripper from your paint
      You know your sinner from your saint
      Whenever heaven’s doors are shut
      You kick them open but, I know you”

         3 likes

  11. Thoughtful says:
    May 17, 2024 at 8:29 pm

    The pay for junior lawyer at Linklaters solicitorsis now starting at £150000 pa That is for a graduate uni leaver age around 22 years old.

    That’s pretty much the same amount the Prime Minister receives which kinds of puts into perspective the low pay this most important position receives.

    It’s now so risible only the super weathy like Rishi Washee or the super poor ( yeah right) like the growler Fick Ange would consider it a viable option.

       3 likes

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