Author Archives: Sue

So Long, Sheriff

By | | ,
25 Comments


Another poisonous piece from the Man from Laramie. Another immature puerile stream of puke; clumsy, artless, biased and inept. He got so carried away with his description of Palestinian hardship seasoned with lashings of sentimentality that he almost forgot to add the obligatory token reference to eight years of inconvenience from a few irritating home-made rockets. Apart from that brief allusion, he neglected to include any smidgeon of a clue that there could be any reason whatsoever for the aforementioned multiple hardships, other than Israeli beastliness.
A gushing description of tunneling activities brimmed with awe and admiration for such industriousness. Clearly emphasising that their purpose was the importation of essentials and small luxuries, he added, perhaps a tad mockingly, that the Israelis “claim” weapons are also smuggled. He should have checked that out or he would have found it’s a bit more than just a claim.

Cowboy, it’s time to hang up your boots and ride into the sunset. Your resignation would probably be accepted, with or without the token reluctance.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Unbias!

By | |
44 Comments

I thought Evan Davis did a gratifyingly balanced interview with David Howarth and Peter Smyth this morning about the incident at the G20 protest. If only they could apply that approach to other subjects, things wouldn’t seem quite so hopeless. I’d like to hear what everyone else thought.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Rather Taxing

By | |
33 Comments



Didn’t listen to start the week, but because of the half-price offer I’ve been reading the Telegraph quite a lot. There’s always something in there about the BBC, and today there’s another item by Tim Walker, “Mandrake,” headed “Mystery of BBC’s tax cut for Bono.” A guest on Marr’s programme on Monday morning, Marina Hyde, alluded to Bono’s tax arrangements.

“Your lifestyle can undercut the moral seriousness of your mission,” she said pointing out that the singer continually lobbies the Irish government to increase its aid budget, while he has a company based in the Netherlands for tax purposes.
This seemed to disturb Marr, who quickly added: “I should say I don’t know about Bono’s tax affairs. I don’t know if it’s true or not.” Hyde responded: ”This is true and you’re welcome to check it out.”

The evening repeat is 15 mins shorter, and one of the things that had been edited out was the snippet. A BBC spokesman claimed it was chosen because his tax avoidance was “old” news.

When informed that U2’s tax avoidance had, in fact been a big story in the Irish newspapers only last month, the spokesman relied: “Oh, I don’t know why he (the editor of the programme) would say that, then.

I don’t intend to start another tiresome discussion about Bono, but why is the BBC so keen on the fella?

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Brandt’s Willy

By | | ,
15 Comments


The continuity announcer introduced Any Questions by describing Vince Cable as ‘The Sage of the Liberal Democrats’.
Q. How would B-BBC commenters describe other MPs?
No I’d better not ask that before the watershed. A.Q. was a bit more lively than usual. Speakers on Any Answers “reflecting the sentiments of the majority of callers” were angry about the police’s ‘unprovoked aggression’, (where have I heard that phrase before) and ‘kettling.’
Hazel Blears thinks the BBC – Our BBC – shouldn’t have to pay ofcom’s £120,000 fine – Wossy and Brand should cough up.
Jonathan Dimblbore kept calling Brand ‘Brandt.’ Must have been confused by all that chatter about Willies.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Don’t Mention the War

By | | ,
34 Comments

Feedback R4 was all about anti-Christian Comedy. What it was really about though, was: why is the BBC too scared to make jokes about Islam? But they were too scared to say that, so they cloaked it in a foil of other religions, saying “You’re always dissing Christianity, why don’t you ever do that with Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, Ismism, oh and Islam. They said it very quickly while no-one was listening.

‘I mentioned it once but I think I got away with it.’ Like that.

Anyway, the chap from the Beeb said “I deny everything” and “edgy comedy” and “Iconoclast”.

Oh well. Feedback is always a bit like that.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Carry on Complaining

By | | ,
17 Comments

Grimer has drawn our attention on the general thread to the inadequacies of the complaints procedure. The BBC does have one, and complaints are sometimes upheld. If they are, what is the outcome?
When the the horse has bolted – and no one seems to know how to shut the stable door – they say something like:
“Editors were reminded that, when there is an active controversy over an issue, it is important to consider carefully how to reflect varying shades of opinion.”

Continue to perpetuate inaccurate misleading agenda-driven misinformation because that’s all you know, till another complaint is made, we uphold it, ad infinitum? In other words carry on regardless.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

General BBC-related comment thread!

By | |
Comments Off on General BBC-related comment thread!

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.

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Mysteries (human)

By | |
30 Comments


 

Fashion Mysteries.

Why does everyone swoon over Michelle Obama’s hideous unflattering outfits?
Sarah Brown is endearingly dowdy; go Sarah!

Beeboid fashion mysteries:

Outside broadcast gear; Casual sporty anorak over formal collar and tie. All wrong.

Jeremy Bowen- cool dude/Country and Western/Brokeback Mountain. Denim shirt, drainpipes, fancy belt buckle, leather jacket. Occasional scarf /cowboy neckerchief (red)

You’re not a cowboy, cool, or a dude. Or a reporter.

Boris Johnson (almost Beeboid) at the olympic closing ceremony; fashion icon obviously Sir Patrick Moore. Awesome.

General Mysteries

 

  • It has been said that Alan Sugar has a built-up chair in the boardroom to make him taller, so why does he let the back of his chair be so high that it dwarfs him? (bit like “Dennis Waterman” in Little Britain?)
  • Why MMGW? (What about wimmin-made global warmin’?)
  • Would it improve the QT audience for the ‘lads’ if the BBC audience questionnaire included a cup size section?
  • Does the Data Protection Act cancel out the Freedom of Information Act?

These are some of the overarching mysteries of our time. (Some are more loosely connected with the BBC than others.)

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Hail Obama!

By | |
41 Comments


Isn’t the tone of the coverage of the G20 excitable and sort of hysterical?
“Obama Hails ‘historic’ G20 Summit” as a headline; subliminal message = “Hail Obama!, You’re Historic”

Then there’s this weird article breathlessly describing the mardi gras. Halfway through, under the heading ‘Achievements’ Dominic Casciani has suddenly written:

“The death of a man near the Bank of England appears to be a human tragedy.”

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

Tiny Glimmer Extinguished

By | |
Comments Off on Tiny Glimmer Extinguished

On Wednesday, Aleem Maqbool brought us the violence between Hamas and Fatah. (Murders, knee-cappings and torture.) There was only one brief reference to Israel’s wickednesses; he actually stuck mostly to Pali on Pali atrocities.

This morning John Humphrys let Jerusalem Post’s Gil Hoffman speak positively about Avigdor Lieberman – he was even allowed to be optimistic about the likelihood of peace under Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime.

Announcing on hourly radio news bulletins that a 13-year old Israeli boy has been killed by an axe-wielding Arab seemed almost like another small glimmer of light; somewhat dimmed by the fact that while other news outlets reporting this sign off with a mention of other terrorist attacks on Israeli citizens, the BBC reverts to type by adding instead a reminder that “this is the first such incident since the right-leaning government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office.” Later changed, extinguishing the glimmer completely, to ”All Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territory are regarded as illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.”
Understandable that militants would want to kill Israeli children, right?

Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.