Author Archives: David Vance

FAUXTOGRAPHY?

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I see that the highly-professional world-class entirely independent BBC has been exposed for using a photograph taken in Iraq in 2003 to illustrate the senseless massacre of children in Syria. This was “an accident” we are informed in the story, but it begs the question as to just how this got through the system. It’s not the first time the BBC has been quick to embrace imagery that suits its own agenda without thoroughly checking for authenticity and in this case the image is used to invite us to believe the worst about Boy Bashar and his thugocracy.

SOCIAL ENGINEERING MORNING

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This morning has seen the Today programme replete with “stories” which all carry the same theme – social engineering and public opinion manipulation by the political left dressed up as if it was news. First off, we had Lord Browne being given a platform to share with us how awful it was to be young and gay in the 1960’s. Thank goodness we are more enlightened now, right? but society needs to become much more accommodating of gay people. Clear? Next up  we had Alan Milburn, the government’s independent reviewer of social mobility, speaking to Evan Davis about his report on access to the professions. Essentially Milburn reckons that the professions must stop recruiting the best qualified people and instead recruit on a basis that fully reflects society. Truly demented stuff from Milburn but giving an airing for us all to ponder just how unfair it all is.  Waaugh.  Finally, who’s up for school children being given lessons on self-esteem and for criminalising anyone who calls a fatty names? That’s the mad conclusion from the surreally named All Party Parliamentary Group on body image. What a joy it is to listen to this dross.

ABU QATADA MEANS NO WORRIES

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Have a read of this piece published by the BBC concerning that lovable old Jihad preaching rogue Abu Qatada. Get the feeling that it is slightly unbalanced? It’s clear the BBC want Qatada to stay, whether out of mendacious delight in the humiliation this would bestow upon Theresa May or just because whoever is the enemy of the British people is the friend of the BBC.

THE SHAMBLES..

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Interesting to read the BBC’s lead story in their UK news this morning – namely the Labour assertion that the Coalition “u-turn” on hot pasties and caravan tax proves what a “shambles” Government policy is. Labour’s Rachel Reeves is given some very impressive headlines which certainly must make Miliband happy and which will keep the momentum going that may help Labour return to power in 2015.

Now I do agree that the Coalition is showing complete ineptness, and Osborne in particular has left the Government wide open on these fronts, but let’s not do a BBC and forget that had Labour not plunged this country into massive Debt then there would not be such an urgent need to try and rebalance the National Budget.

Through the BBC prism, 2010 was year zero and what happened between 1997 and 2010 has now been erased. This contrasts with how the treated things in 1997 and the subsequent decades when “Thatcher” was still brought up at every opportunity to prove why things were less than perfect in the sunny uplands of New Labour. Cameron got the reverse treatment – and in a small degree, I feel a bit sorry for him. The revisionism that has taken place since 2010 is quite shocking. I fully accept that Labour want it to be that way – who can blame them for seeking to erase their toxic fingerprints from the scene of the economic crime but WHY would the State Broadcaster collude?

THAT EGYPTIAN RISING

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It has become an article of faith at the BBC that the “Arab Spring” was an unambiguously  good thing, an assertion of democratic intent by the downtrodden masses as they spontaneously rise up against those who suppressed them. I remember being on a BBC programme at the time and saying that some people might dispute this analysis and indicated that it was Islam rising, to the obvious horror of the BBC presenter (Susannah Reid). Well, as you know, not a day passes without the Muslim Brotherhood getting a tighter grip on Egypt and one almost laughs at how the BBC now treats this story…

The Cairo campaign headquarters of Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq has been attacked. Egyptian TV broadcast footage of a fire at the building, in the Dokki district.  The attack came hours after it was announced that Mr Shafiq – The last PM of ex-President Hosni Mubarak – would compete in a run-off next month. He will face Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi in the election. No-one knows who carried out the attack.

Right. It’s the jaw dropping inability of the BBC to comprehend what is happening in Egypt that is so impressive. As it moves towards becoming Iran by the Nile, the BBC comrades are struggling to keep their Arab Spring meme running and when the Muslim Brotherhood win the Presidency I wonder will the BBC even mention the stated intent of Mursi;

“Egypt’s Constitution should be based on the Koran and Sharia law, presidential candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood Islamist movement Mohamed Morsi said. “The Koran is our constitution, the Prophet is our leader, jihad is our path and death in the name of Allah is our goal,” Morsi said in his election speech before Cairo University students on Saturday night.

Clear enough, BBC? Why the lack of real analysis of what is happening here? Is it because they is Islam?

TRUST?

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Just how influential might the BBC be compared to other media organisations? Biased BBC contributor Alan explains…

“59% of public trust the BBC for news. 5% Sky News. No other source gets a value above 2%…the Sun and the Times get a trust value of a mere 1% each.

So, lots of influence for Murdoch there.If Murdoch and his stable had been so influential with politicians who were ‘running scared’ of him how is it that he didn’t support Europe or immigration and Labour did?  Two major policy areas and yet Labour sailed on regardless of coverage in the Sun and Times.

However let’s not forget that Miliband’s present communications chief, Tom Baldwin, was placing stories favourable to Labour and anti-Tory in the Times…..funny the BBC don’t mention that…..‘Alistair Campbell was known to liaise with Baldwin in endless attempts to ­discredit the Labour government’s enemies, the results of which regularly ended up prominently in The Times — a paper once admired for its thundering independence.’

Why do people trust the BBC Because it is accurate, impartial, truthful, reliable and unbiased. However this information is provided by the BBC from a survey commissioned by itself.…using 650 people….for a submission to the Plurality Review.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/05/bbc-ofcom-media-plurality-review

‘In its response to the consultation, the BBC said it accepts that “any assessment of plurality might take into account its share, voice and role in audiences’ news diet”, but argues that despite its role as the largest supplier of news, it should not face curbs to protect the rest of the market, and should only have its role questioned during the period in which its royal charter is up for renewal. The BBC document cites new research conducted for the broadcasting, showing that it attracts “72% of all television news minutes consumed, despite only broadcasting 27% of news minutes broadcast”.’

“The BBC uses its leading position not to advance its own interests and opinions but to ensure that a diversity of news and views is presented to all in a fair and balanced way.”
Said the BBC of itself.

The BBC have decided that the measure to use when judging plurality is not actually how many journalists or tv and radio stations  you have, or indeed even the number of viewers and listener and readers, but the revenue you make…or in the case of the BBC the revenue they are gifted by order of law.

Wonder why that is….oh…..Murdoch makes lots and lots of cash, more than the BBC.  Therefore he is unfit to run a media business and his operation should be hamstrung. Thereby in fact reducing plurality and choice.”

FAT NATION…

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It’s strange how the BBC can take almost any issue and use it to advance the notion that whatever the problem the answer is always more Nanny Statism. Take the story of the 63 stone Welsh teenager, Georgia Davis,  who was “allowed” to become so large that she needed to be cut free from her house after collapsing with breathing problems. The BBC had Sunday Times columnist Minette Marrin and Enver Solomon, policy director at Children’s Society, on Today to discuss this issue earlier today.

Leaving aside the curiosity of someone getting to the 63 stone scale tipping point in a society which is allegedly characterised by people starving to death due to the wicked cuts at no point in the discussion is the catastrophic failure in modern parenting discussed.  Once upon a time, parents were rightly held responsible for what their children ate but in this case Marrin was arguing for an even more intrusive State  whereas Solomon demonstrated a lamentable lack of wisdom. The real crisis behind this story is the collapse of the family and the rise of the irresponsible parent – both encouraged by the liberal intelligentsia and their pals in the media, the BBC in particular.