Author Archives: David Vance

PROFLIGATE -UPDATE

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It doesn’t matter if they are Conservatives, Labour, Lib-Dems – whatever. The fact is that the sheer greed of the political caste at Westminster is truly monstrous. Playing within the rules that they set, and that they policed, the enthusiasm with which they have ripped US off knows few limits. But how do you think the BBC is covering the issue? With The Telegraph providing us with details of how Conservative MP’s have had their snouts in the trough of taxpayer funded largesse, do you detect a difference in BBC reporting?

When this news broke last week and it was Labour’s dirty little expense secrets that were revealed, the BBC narrative was all about how this damaged our confidence in politicians. Instantly the issue became outward looking and was presented in terms of lost public respect for politicians. But now it is Conservative expenses the spotlight is all about the Conservatives – firmly fixed inwards. The other aspect is there is a tone difference in how this is reported. Don’t you think there was a sense of dismay when the Labour skeletons fell out of the expenses closet, whereas this last few days there is an evident delight at being able to expose the folly of the Conservatives – with a dash of class war envy thrown in.

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THE WAR ON DRUGS

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I suggest that any progress against those who peddle dangerous and illegal drugs is to be welcomed. So the claim by the Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) that it is making serious inroads on the cocaine market has to be welcomed. However the BBC was quick to invite Danny Kushlick, of the drug policy think tank Transform, to posit an alternative view, namely that it might be best to make all drugs legal. It’s an odd counter-balance as one could equally argue that Soca and government could do MORE to combat the narcotics trade as opposed to suggesting nothing be done. Perhaps there may be a few at the BBC who take a liberal approach to drugs?

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THE DHIMMI BROADCASTING CORPORATION

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Wonder what your thoughts are on the decision by the BBC to appoint a Muslim as head of it’s religious programming? The post – considered one of the most influential religious roles in the country – has gone to Aaqil Ahmed. What with having a Sikh producing its most popular and longrunning religious programme, Songs of Praise, the BBC seems determined to marginalise Christians.

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UN -REAL IN SUDAN

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It is a BBC meme that the UN = force for good. Meanwhile, on Planet Reality, the rest of us see it as an anti-Semitic US-hating tyranny loving moral cesspit providing jobs for the boys – especially if your name is Annan. But rather like Rwanda, Sudan is one of those names that instantly conjures up images of sustained UN failure, genocide is such a pesky irritation for grand-standing Internationalists, Yet amazingly, in this report, the UN praises itself and this is essentially a UN press release masquerading as news.

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CHANGE THE POLITICIANS

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I see that the politicians, and Labour in particular, are swarming over the BBC this morning claiming “the system” of expenses is wrong and that everything they have done is within the rules. Oh really? I don’t think so. The Labour Government has presided over this criminal abuse of OUR taxes and all that time the politicians kept mute about what they were up to. Blears says that that the public hates “this” system. No we don’t. We hate her and the rest of the free-loaders who rip us off. I’d like to see the BBC itself express rather more outrage at the sheer scale of the fraud perpetrated by ALL the politicians (Hello John Selwyn Gummer!) but it does seem genuinely taken aback by this issue. What say you?

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DV ON THE BBC

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Just to say that those who can tune in to Sunday Sequence on BBC Radio Ulster just after 9am can hear me discuss the issue of journalistic protection of sources. This is the background. My own view is that given the neo-Totalitarian desires of those little Hitlers in the local devolved Assembly, I am grateful for those journalists like Suzanne who show an independent mind and who, via their sources, reveal truth to the public that frequently annoys the political elite. That’s worthy in my book. Should a journalist protect sources in ALL circumstances? No. There is a moral obligation on all journalists and each must wrestle with this – but where innocent life can be saved, sources should be revealed. That is not the case here.

Then there are those journos who sell sleaze and who seek to protect their sources when in fact all they are really doing is to dishonour their own profession. However liberty is not best served by the Police aggressively leaning on journalists as an alternative to the police doing their own job and building a case against terrorists. Here in Northern Ireland we have a politically correct ineffective police service at the behest of politicians, if it can’t do the job we pay it for and gain convictions, maybe questions would be better directed the way of those within it’s senior ranks. Your thoughts?

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