Author Archives: All Seeing Eye

Priorities and Agendas

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It seems like a good moment to update David’s excellent post below about the ongoing voicemail hacking change my password? Meh, why bother? nonsense in the news at the moment.

Compare and contrast what the BBC sees as a priority – indeed the Top News Story:

…and what the Great British Public are reading about (under threat of imprisonment for non-payment)

The BBC want to use this story to discredit both Rupert Murdoch and the Prime Minister even though it is only alleged at this stage (and not yet proven) that in 2002, five years into a 13 year period of Labour government, journalists working for a Labour-supporting newspaper edited by a someone who was a close friend of the then Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, and who was also feted by the then Labour Chancellor and later Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, illegally accessed the voicemail of the missing Milly Dowler. Everything still remains allegation and speculation.

Now the BBC (and specifically Peston) want to derail Rupert Murdoch’s consolidation of what he already owns and Nick Robinson has the knives out for Andy Coulson.

The problem for our State broadcaster, as shown by the screenshot, is that the public are preferring to read BBC stories about female biology in New Zealand and how to escape from jail in a suitcase. Even the Most Read entry at 7 is a rebuttal by Cameron.

You might think that people are concerned about the crime but don’t buy into the convoluted attempts to smear Murdoch and Cameron, eh?

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Question Time LiveBlog 30th June 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from Birmingham; a post apocalyptic prison-city which was extensively remodelled in the mid 20th Century by Adolf Hitler and is located in a huge bomb crater somewhere in the Midlands. Highlights include nightmarish buildings, utterly miserable public transport and sadistic traffic systems. For this reason Birmingham has been designated an IKEA World Heritage Site.

Birmingham currently holds the world record for fruitless scratch card scratching and bitterly screwed up lottery tickets.

On the panel tonight we have Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond MP, Shadow Business Secretary John Denham MP, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers Christine Blower, Labour supporting Sir Richard Lambert (although recently in favour of deficit reduction) and Polly Toynbee.

LiveBlog commenters are kindly asked to leave sharp objects at the door. Your moderators accept no responsibility for injury or damage to nearby objects. Alcohol is virtually essential.

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the bizarreness of This Week with Andrew Neil, and Michael Portillo. They are joined on the Sofa of Mediocrity by Gisela Stuart MP; hindered by some people calling themselves “Michael Rosen” and “Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE” who all of you down wiv da kidz peeps will know as “DJ Jazzie B“. Plus a political round-up from Adam Boulton. Joy.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 23rd June 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from Huddersfield in the Colne Valley – where the surrounding hills provide a stunning view of the permanent yellow smog over the town. To the east lies the tourist attractions of the ICI complex, various shopping complexes and Leeds Road – the main escape route – which is lined by a selection of everything’s-a-pound shops, Netto, Lidl, and derelict buildings.

Who is actually on the panel this week? Let’s run it as a competition.

Okay: John Redwood. Okay, no prize for knowing him. Wikipedia reckons Norman Baker is either a Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Transport or the navigator on Thor Heyerdahl’s Ra, Ra II and Tigris reed boat expeditions. The explorer would be more interesting.

Rachel Reeves is apparently a Labour MP who is so unbelievably obscure that in her biography under “Personal” it only tells us that she moved house in 2006 and who her sister is. Yes, really.

Fern Britton is someone who was last spotted when ‘retiring’ from daytime television two years ago.

David Mitchell? No idea. A Tory MP who stepped down in 1983? A cricketer who played for Devon? Once? Or this murderer hung in Barbados in 2000? The studio might get a bit smelly if so.

No, really…I give up. Who is he?

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the bizarreness of This Week with Andrew Neil, and Michael Portillo. They are joined on the Sofa of Mediocrity by Postman Prat…Alan Johnson.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 16th June 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from Aberdeen, a city noted for sheer dullness, grime, and the unbelievably irritating accent everyone has. The motto on the City coat of arms reads “any spare change for a cup o’ tea big man?“. Even moss dies there by dint of being too interesting for the city. Black and white movies are often shot on location in Aberdeen, as nobody needs to take out the coloured film.

You’d have to be a masochist want to watch this Question Time. On the panel we have Wee Eck Alex Salmond, Michael Moore, Diane Abbott, Lord Forsyth and Scotland’s first home grown billionaire Sir Tom Hunter. It’s going to be dreadful.

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the bizarreness of This Week with Andrew Neil, and Michael Portillo. They are joined on the Sofa of Doom by failed MP and race-hustler Oona King…a woman whose name has even spawned its own verb [example: “She was talking so much drivel she was oonaking“]

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 9th June 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from Norwich.

On the panel we have Andrew “Let’s be a proud international aid superpower” Mitchell, ex-local MP who lost his seat in 2010 Charles Clarke, anti-Easter Egg campaigner Jo Swinson, anti-man campaigner Germaine Greer and Peter Hitchens.

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the bizarreness of This Week, with Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Alastair Campbell. Expect the Blue Nun Bingo to be as aggressively competitive as ever.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 2nd June 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from Glyndwr University’s William Aston Hall in Wrexham. It is represented at Westminster by Ian Lucas MP (Labour) and was the birthplace of Sir Foster Cunliffe, founder of the Royal Society of British Bowmen. Really. That’s about as interesting as it gets. Oh, and the local church steeple is known as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales. Don’t laugh.

On the panel we have Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson, Labour MP for Hell West. He campaigned strongly for AV which was appropriate because he was also the second preference vote in his own marriage.

He is joined on the panel by Elfyn Llwyd, a feared combat-dwarf from Lord of the Rings and also Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd (bless you – nasty cough, that)

On too we have journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer, former assistant editor and columnist at the Sunday Express and, stepping in for Health Secretary Andrew Lansley will be dripping wet Conservative MP Stephen Dorrell, former Health Secretary from 1995-1997. Also on the panel is journalist, author and serial quangocrat Simon Jenkins.

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the surreal This Week, with Andrew Neil and Michael Portillo. The Blue Nun Bingo is looking squeaky at the top of the leaderboard to it’s all to play for this week. TheEye just assumed but Millie Tant spotted correctly. No TH this week.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 26th May 2011

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Question Time comes tonight from a location they’ve decided not to share with us (at the time of typing this) on the BBC QT website. Tripoli maybe? Some newly-vacated office-space in Abbottabad, Pakistan? UPDATE: Exeter

On the panel we have Conservative MP and novelist Louise Bagshawe, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne MP, Labour MP Hilary Benn, Britain’s former Ambassador to the United States and Press Complaints Commission Chairman Sir Christopher Meyer and media lawyer Charlotte Harris.

The LiveBlog will also stay open for the surreal This Week, with Andrew Neil and Michael Portillo.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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Question Time LiveBlog 19th May 2011

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Question Time comes tonight, unbelievably, from inside HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs. Built in the 1880s by convict labour (imagine trying that today…can’t do that, it’s me uman rites, innit) – past inmates include escapee Soviet spy George Blake and the only UK Minister to have been confirmed as a Soviet spy John Stonehouse.

On the panel we have Ken Clarke, Jack Straw, token right-winger Melanie Phillips and Universal Shami Chakrabarti. To be fair, Chakrabarti hasn’t been on QT for at least a couple of weeks now so the BBC probably think we’re missing her or something.

It’s fair to assume that the first question will be about rape, so make sure you have the Shrill Feminist Whine setting turned right down on your television set.

The LiveBlog will stay open for the surreal This Week, with Andrew Neil and Michael Portillo.

David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be moderating the abuse here from 10:30pm. See you later!

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How Many Years Make A "Tradition"?

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…so how many years makes for a “tradition”? With the BBC; not so many when it suits them.

Number 10 shuns EU flag tradition

Downing Street will not fly the EU flag over Number 10 during Europe Day on Monday unlike previous years, the BBC has learned.

The Royal Wedding…traditional. Morris dancing…traditional. Flying the EU flag? Meh.

The UK’s relationship with Europe is a potential source of tension between the Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition partners.

Making an uncalled for political point about the whole thing the BBCs own Laura Kuenssberg tweets:

No 10, FCO + Treasury decide not to fly EU flag for Europe day on Monday, but Vince’s BIS dept will! (DECC conviently has no flagpole)

Really? The Coalition must be doomed. Doooomed! The BBC – looking for splits wherever they can…

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QT and Elections LiveChat (Pt1)

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Welcome to the LiveChat which is a 5th May Election Special.

We kick off with the return of Question Time; which tonight comes from the last BBC option “damn I can’t claim decent expenses from here” of London.

On the panel we have Secretary of State for Transport and Conservative dark horse Philip Hammond, Andy Burnham, Paddy Pantsdown, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown and Douglas Murray. Really? Are the same dozen people always on speed-dial?

Immediately afterwards we have the local election results and lots of idle speculation about the result of the AV referendum.

Unfortunately we won’t get David Vance‘s result until Friday morning so the champagne will have to stay on ice.

As it’s such a big night we’re going to split the Chat tonight. If you want to take part in the QuestionTime and England/Wales/NI election results then this Chat is where you want to be. If you want a Scotland twist to your evening then use the Chat window in the post below.

The Chat tonight reflects the different voting areas, and is hosted on Biased-BBC, AllSeeingEye, MaxFarquar and QT stalwart Subrosa‘s blog. Moderating will be AllSeeingEye, Subrosa, Max Farquar and David Mosque, and both chats will go on until people fade away though tiredness or wine.

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