Author Archives: David Vance

POLITICISED POLICING.

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I am sure you will all have caught the BBC’s faux outrage over the fact that Sir Ian Blair has resigned from his role as Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Yesterday, as the news was breaking, Red Ken was instantly brought on air on 5 live and allowed to retail the idea that Boris Johnson has made a terrible mistake by introducing…politics into policing. Over the past 24 hours, the BBC has provided a valuable platform for Labour and their placed stooges in which this idea of the Tories “politicising policing” has been repeated ad nauseum. We saw Jacqui Smith at it on QT last night and again this morning Sir Ian was painted as a metropolitan martyr to the evil Boris.

The BBC know damn well that the role of Metropolitan Commissioner has been politicised for years – and that Labour has been to the fore in this regard. But when it’s the LEFT calling the shots, if you’ll pardon the expression in the context of Sir Ian, that’s given a free pass. When it’s the RIGHT, in the form of Boris, then BBC outrage is expressed and the position taken by Mr Johnson is misrepresented. If the people of London elect a Mayor to represent them, and if he expresses the common view in London that Sir Ian does not enjoy their confidence, what is the BBC’s problem with this? It is that harsh fact that a Conservative can actually exercise POWER that so enrages them. That is why Boris is at the receiving end of BBC smearing in the past day. You can only imagine what it would be like if Cameron comes to power in 2010, a prospect the BBC are determined to ensure does not come about.

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DON’T IT MAKE HIS BLUE EYES BROWN?

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Was listening to a BBC discussion between Ed Stourton and a reporter on Today this morning just after 6am. Were I a Conservative, I would be engaged. It was asserted that there would be NO post conference bounce for the Tories and in fact the only way forward for Cameron was to set aside any notion of suggested tax cuts and instead prepare for tax increases. They then agreed that Gordon Brown’s “steady as she goes” reputation (!!!) was likely to bring about a situation where Labour could seriously challenge for a fourth term.

At the moment, the BBC seems unable to have a sentence with the words David Cameron in it without also adding the words Gordon Brown. The word “novice” is also getting a tremendous amount of play. Of course this idea that Brown is “Prudence incarnate” is so risible, so detached from all reality that only the Save Gordon crowd at the Beeb would dare run with it. Then there is the BBC hatred of tax cuts. They are plainly using the current turmoil in the markets to force Cameron to commit to ruling out any prospect of the State taking a little less of our cash.

I don’t know about you but whilst I am no fan of Cameronian Conservatism I think the BBC has been outrageous in how it has treated the Conservative conference this week. After the orgiastic coverage afforded to GordonSarah last week, Call me Dave was gleefully sacrificed this week. And another point that stands out for me is this; In the States, the financial mess is attributed to the failure of the incumbent Republic President, but in the UK, the financial mess is sold to us as a reason to support the incumbent Labour government. The BBC has not a shred of balance in this situation, it shows itself as biased, as hateful, and as political as many of us here fear.

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McCain Irresponsible?.

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I was listening to an item on the Today programme just before 7am concerning Iraq and was struck by the comment from the BBC report who said that he was stunned when John McCain claimed last week that the US was “winning” in Iraq. Further, he added that this was “an irresponsible” comment. He went on to state that although the Surge had worked, a lot of success was down to “the awakening” (Former Ba’athists who had fought against the US now working for them) and the acquiescence of the Mehdi army. Naturally, no criticisms of Obama who opposed the surge, no praise of the US military who have prosecuted it. The BBC relentlessly propagates the idea that Iraq is another Viet Nam, that we have no business there, and that victory is not an option. Now I accept that some out there may think these thing (I don’t of course) but the BBC role is to provide balanced opinion and on this issue it spectacularly fails time and time again. The only drumbeat is that encouraging cut and run and so when John McCain and others press for victory, the little defeatists in the BBC attack them.

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General BBC-related comment thread!

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Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.

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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A WEEK MAKES!

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Well now, did you catch the boy Cameron being interviewed on the Today programme by newbie Evan Davies? Interviewed is probably the wrong word – harassed is perhaps more accurate. He was not given a chance by Davies, he was constantly interrupted, his answers were dismissed, his agenda thrown aside – all in all it was an attack piece. How things can change in a week. Last week, we had the fragrant Sarah Brown and her allegedly statesman-like husband, Gordon. Solid and reliable. This week we have the hated Tories and they have been treated appallingly by the BBC, in my view. I say that as someone who has grave reservations about Cameron and co but I also speak as someone who believes in fairness. True BBC colours shine through folks, even in Evan Davies.

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THE BULGING POVERTY INDUSTRY.

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I was reading this BBC report which is little more than a PR item for those in the ever expanding poverty industry. Basically it just presents the little fantasy dreamed up by Unicef, Barnardo’s and co that there are “millions” of children here in the UK suffering from “poverty.” In a wonderful example of creative maths, they estimate that this could be almost 10% of the total UK population and..wait for it..up to 98% in some areas. Well, before we contact Band Aid to seek them to reform to re-record “Feed the World” (UK remix) maybe the BBC could try and find the space for those who dispute the phony statistics behind all this nonsense from these fatcat charities. They are retailing a liberal invention- “relative poverty” – and trying to pass it off as if it were real poverty. It is nothing of the kind. But why does the BBC only allow one side of this debate to be heard? The suggestion I make is that the liberals in the BBC are actually propagandising on behalf of the poverty hustlers and refuse to countenance another point of view.

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WAITING FOR THE END OF THE WORLD.

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Oh dear – on the day that Prudence Brown decides to buy the toxic debt of the Bradford & Bingley and manages to crash the UK banking shares market comes the news that the lower house of the US congress has rejected the Bush bail out of Wall St toxic debt! Looking forward to the BBC now pleading for everyone to support Bush!

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AL QUEDA IS WINNING?

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It’s one of the things that most enrages me. Each day, brave British soldiers risk life and limb fighting the Islamic hordes of the Taliban and Al Queda. Many British households have an empty chair this morning – loved ones having fallen at the hands of these depraved Islamic killers overseas. Similarly, many British households also mourn the loss of loved ones following the Al Queda homicide attacks in London on 7/7. There is much pain out there, much hurt. And yet our military fights on and when you hear from those doing the fighting in the field, there is so much to be proud about. The BBC sees it differently. You see in their self-loathing world, the war on terror is having no effect whatsoever. Indeed they have commissioned a poll to prove this contention. Indeed, 30% of those the BBC had interviewed reckon Al Queda is stronger because we fight back against them. So the sacrifices being made are in vain – goes the beat of the defeatist subtext.

Let me declare my bias. I am unambiguously in favour of wiping Al Queda “off the face of the earth”, to coin a phrase. I believe that we ARE in a long-term war against militant Islam and either we win or they win. I prefer the former outcome as I have children and I would prefer them to enjoy liberty without the shadow of Islam blighting their lives. But the BBC has been relentless in attacking the very decision to fight back. The BBC has systematically undermined the British public’s support for the war on terror, indeed the BBC has become a key outlet for Al Queda and their apologists to spread toxic propaganda. They know they can never beat us on the battlefield but they sure as hell can use the likes of the BBC to demoralise our military. So this latest effort from the BBC is just one more instance of how it subtly reduces the valour of our soldiers and the imperative to fight back against Bin Laden’s goon squad. I hate the fact that I am forced to fund Al Queda propaganda care of the sickeningly biased BBC, don’t you?

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THE CABLE GUY

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What is it with the BBC’s love-in with Vince Cable? Just after 7am this morning on Today, the nationalisation of the Bradford & Bingley was being covered and WHO do the BBC invite on for a bit of a chin-wag on the topic? A member of the Government perhaps? Nope. A member of the Opposition then? Nope. Instead Lib Dem Vince Cable is afforded yet ANOTHER prime time media slot care of the BBC, giving him the opportunity to explain why if only people had listened to him back when the Building Societies were being de-mutualised, then none of this current chaos afflicting them would have happened. Blah Blab Blah. I have no problem with Vince Cable mouthing his Lib-Dem platitudes, I do have a problem with the amazingly high profile he is given by the BBC, which is out of all proportion to that given to wee Georgie Osbourne, for example. Does Vince have friends in high places?

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TOOTHLESS TIGERS

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The BBC reports that the United Nations Security Council has approved a new resolution on Iran, reaffirming demands it stop enriching uranium, but imposing no new sanctions. The BBC correspondent adds that it appears that the US and European powers have scrambled to find a face-saving document that would paper over any disagreements. If you glance across to the “Analysis and background” section you will see it is headed by a smiling Ahmadinejad giving the V for victory sign. We get the picture.

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