A GENERAL QUESTION..

The reason I ask is the BBC driven faux outrage over the fact that a senior soldier should seek to serve his country amongst the ranks of the Conservative Party. Today has been making mischief on this one all week and Sarah Montague had another go this morning. It strikes me that the BBC was determined to make this week as uncomfortable as possible for Cameron and so getting an experienced military leader advising the Conservatives is presented in the worst possible light. Had he joined up with Gordon’s gang, do you think the BBC would have treated the matter in this way?

YOU CAN’T TRUST ‘EM

Anyone catch the BBC 10 O Clock News just now? They ran coverage of the Cameron speech at the Conservative conference. Then, they cut to a small vox pop in Bolton and would you believe it but the people they found couldn’t quite bring themselves to support the Conservatives. Peter Mandelson will be pleased! Good old Auntie.

DROPPING THE PRETENCE

I commend this post by my colleague Andrew McCann over on A Tangled Web to you. Andrew is able to listen to the atrocious 5LIve more than I and so he gets to endure the full-on bias from that particular broadcasting delight. Give it a read, I think he makes some excellent points.

GETTING USED TO THE FUTURE..

Did any listen to this interview on Today this morning between John Humphyrs and Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley? The tone adopted by Humphrys throughout was sneering, aggressive, combative and very challenging. Now I have no problem with this whatsoever, but I would simply contrast this with the last twelve years of pro-Labour Today driven sycophancy (apart from when Tony went to war, of course!). I suspect that as we enter the next period of Conservative government Today will once again assert itself as the broadcaster of choice for the insurgency. This morning, we got a glimpse of the future as the State Broadcaster prepares to go into opposition. I would prefer it went into oblivion, wouldn’t you?

OUR TORY MASTERS

Bias is a curious beast. I don’t watch Eastenders but I believe that London Mayor Boris Johnson made a cameo appearance in “The Vic”. Big deal, eh? Well, it bothers the BBC who ran an item on it this morning pointing out that a/ Their hero Red Ken never got on despite seeking appearances, b/ That Boris was “a national joke” and c/ Is this how we are going to treat “our coming Tory masters”? d/ It was all simply too awful.

ALL VIEWS WELCOME

I thought this was quite telling from John Redwood...

This afternoon I was asked to appear this evening on the World Tonight to do an interview on spending cuts. I agreed. I was asked if I preferred a pre-record or live. I said I preferred live. They agreed and made the arrangements.

I was then telephoned and asked in detail about my views. (They are on the website anyway). When I said they should ask the government where their cuts were coming, as I was happy to set out my proposals and Conservative proposals, there seemed a hesitation. I said if they did not want to do that I would naturally raise the question. They then confirmed the interview.

A few hours later they left a phone message to say they did not want to do the interview after all! Clearly they did not want me asking on air for Labour to explain where their cuts were coming under the new headings the PM has so wisely set out.

I Missed …

… the first two of the series of Radio 4 party political broadcasts on behalf of the (admittedly substantial) bleeding heart wing of the Labour Party by Helena Kennedy, but did manage to catch the third.

Helena Kennedy QC examines the ways in which the best intentions in legal reform can sometimes produce unexpected and unpalatable consequences.

Helena looks at the development of alternative systems of justice that bypass the courts. Restraining orders to protect the victims of domestic violence, once championed by liberal lawyers like Helena, have in recent years been broadened in scope and application by politicians, with possibly troubling results.

To put it in plain English, it was fine as long as the people being banged up were evil patriarchs. But from these restraining orders (the breach of which entails imprisonment) was developed the ASBO (the breach of which entails imprisonment). Now yobs who made life miserable for other people were being locked up – and (gasp) they were young people !

Now that may well be an unpalatable consequence for well-heeled “criminal justice professionals” who think that prison should be reserved for racists, smokers and foxhunters. To the law-abiding poor who have to live alongside ASBO recipients they’re a good thing – when enforced.

Tragically it is too late to hear again Episodes One (“Helena began her career championing the victim’s voice, but is now worried it has gained such strength that it is beginning to threaten the rights of defendants“) and Two (“In the 1970s and 80s, Helena and a generation of liberal lawyers attacked the judiciary for being too right wing and out of touch. Now right-wing politicians have taken up their language and attack the judiciary for being too liberal and out of touch“), but I’m sure we’ll hear the arguments again on the BBC – probably on the Today programme.

TALKING IN THE DARK…

Comrade Barber of the TUC has his ludicrous economic assessment carried by the BBC here. The odd thing is that Barber gets space for his contention that it would be madness to deal with the burgeoning public sector debt by..erm.. cutting it. McDoom gets space to say all is well. Vince Cable even gets space to have his have it all ways say…but, I think ONE party is all but ignored. Can you guess which one? Barber even gets a veiled threat to public safety in the last but one sentence. The BBC does not pursue it, naturally. As we approach the GE, the BBC will work with the Union baronsto ensure that Cameron is as boxed in as is possible so that any post election propensity to axe the bloated State sector is minimised. Self-interest is clearly a driving force here!

THOSE CONSERVATIVE SHIAS

I was reading this BBC report on the law that has been just passed in Afghanistan that will allow a man to starve his wife to death if she does not agree to have sex with him. According to the State Broadcaster “Mr Karzai is selling out Afghan women for the sake of conservative Shia support at next week’s presidential election.” Let us be clear; there is nothing that is any way “conservative” about the dark ages pathology of Shia Islam and whilst the BBC never miss the chance to couple the word “conservative”to any depraved cause, we should not let it pass unchallenged.