May I take this opportunity to wish ALL at Biased BBC a very Happy Christmas. Thank you for sticking with the site in 2013 and most of all for your fantastic contributions to the issue at hand – BBC bias. It has been my pleasure to help provide this forum for you and so I hope you all have a great Christmas and trust the BBC does not ruin it for you! 🙂

Biased BBC reader Derek provides us the 12 rules of the BBC!

1. The BBC is an institution that must always be part of the public sector & funded by the licence fee,
2. Any criticism of the BBC is simply the result of politicians attempting improper influence,
3. High public expenditure is good: the public sector is preferable to the private sector, which by seeking the profit motive, is inherently evil,
4. Margaret Thatcher was an evil woman whose policies ruined Britain: BBC spokesmen should, wherever possible, use the word “Thatcherite” disparagingly and contemptuously,
5. The Murdoch empire is inherently evil and must be shown to be such at every opportunity, The Guardian, Observer and Independent are fine newspapers, whereas the others are beyond the pale.
6. Left wing comedians such as Jeremy Hardy, Mark Steele, David Mitchell and Jo Brand are to be hired as much as possible by the BBC: the more obscene and offensive their output, the better the BBC likes it,
7. Christians who openly wear a cross are suspect (Israelis are similarly suspect) whereas Muslims must always be granted craven levels of deference,
8. High levels of immigration are good, and anyone seeking to limit uncontrolled mass immigration is racist,
9. The EU is ” A GOOD THING” and people opposing it should have their views ridiculed and disparaged,
10. Global warming due to man’s activities is a fact: it cannot be disputed,
11. Public and Grammar schools are inherently bad whereas comprehensive schools are inherently good. Failing comprehensive schools do so because of lack of funding, political interference or being located in areas of deprivation: however their failings can never be blamed on the teaching profession,
12. The state must always protect all people from any harm or misfortune irrespective of cost to the taxpayer, or their behaviour.

Biased BBC contributor Daniel Pycock writes……

“The BBC were only too delighted to report the comments of Sir Michael Wilshaw (Head of Ofsted), who told The Observer: “Grammar schools are stuffed full of middle class kids. A tiny percentage of pupils are on Free School Meals (3%). That is a nonsense … Anyone who thinks Grammar Schools are going to increase social mobility needs to look at those figures. I don’t think they work”.

Firstly, where else but the Guardian Media Group would the BBC take its line from on education? – and Secondly, why is this opinion being reported without reply? The BBC allows an assumption that Free School Meals are an appropriate measurement of working class pupils, whilst then concluding (based on said assumption) that Grammar Schools would not increase social mobility (they evidently did, and still do where they are readily available)*

To my knowledge, grammar schools have not been proposed by the Conservatives or Labour (indeed only UKIP promise them), and they have, at best, been the subject of a columnist bitch-fight between Peter Hitchens (Mail on Sunday) and Owen Jones (The Independent). I am thus intrigued as to why this unprovoked attack on schools – that will neither be built nor supported by a prominent political party – should merit a prominent position in the headline reviews – and top-10 headline positions on the BBC News ‘England’ and ‘Politics’ pages.

*BBC Headlines: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-25386217

The BBC’s anti-grammar bias, combined with its anti-free schools bias (as exposed by Toby Young at The Telegraph), means that its editorial position resembles the Churchillian quip about democracy: that “comprehensive schooling is the worst form of education except for all the others that have been tried”. The problem with this argument, however, is that it is not true – and it certainly is not close to being “balanced” or “impartial”

*You are, for instance, 33% more likely to attend a university from a working class background in selective Northern Ireland (39.1%) than in Comprehensive Scotland or Wales (26.6% and 29.1%).

Things you may want to reference, in order:

BBC Article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25386784

Observer Article: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/dec/14/ofsted-chief-war-grammar-schools

Peter Hitchens’ Blog: http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2013/12/owen-jones-doesnt-want-helathcare-distributed-on-the-basis-of-wealth-and-cunning-why-then-does-he-de.html

Owen Jones’ Blog: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/anachronistic-and-iniquitous-grammar-schools-area-blot-on-the-british-education-system-9013626.html

Toby Young’s Exposés: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100250088/the-bbcs-anti-free-schools-bias-is-becoming-laughable/ and http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100128060/bbc-news-online-publishes-grossly-misleading-anti-free-schools-article/

Hi everyone and welcome to the new Open Thread for this festive week. Over you to you…tell us about the bias!

(Via TV Licensing blog)

See also:

Good old BBC…into recycling…only this time it’s anti-Semitism:

Spot the difference:

There was some outrage that the BBC should interview Anjem Choudary on the prestigious Today programme, (0810)

The only thing that was ‘outrageous’ was the complete failure of John Humphrys to conduct an interview that got to the heart of the matter…..UK foreign policy and its supposed consequences….at least in the eyes of most Muslims and leftwing commentators.

Humphrys painted himself into a corner refusing to get onto the subject of foreign policy until Choudary expressed condemnation at the killing of Lee Rigby, which he refused to do.

The interview became pointless and continued in ever decreasing circles, the only winner being Choudary.

Humphry’s line was the usual one adopted by those unwilling to ‘offend’ Muslims, one that fails to challenge the fundamental reasons for Choudary’s narrative….Humphrys wants Choudary to condemn the violence of the killers but dodges the real question….what does Islam really teach?

If Choudary is a radical for preaching Islam what does that tell us?

The apologists always say…he is preaching an extreme, fundamentalist, strict version of Islam…well isn’t that exactly what Islam is?…if the fundamentals of Islam are not ‘Islamic’ then what is?

It seems people try to pick only the bits of Islam that they like.

Choudary preaches that UK foreign policy drives the ‘radicalisation’ of Muslim youth….but this is something that the BBC has long accepted as fact itself…presenters like Victoria Derbyshire nodding along as caller after caller puts forward this theory.

The BBC’s very own Peter Taylor…Reporter, BBC series Al Qaeda: Time To Talk? :

US foreign policy

So is it time to talk to al-Qaeda?

According to General Ali Shukri, former counter-terrorist adviser to King Hussein of Jordan, it is not something that should be ruled out.

“There is no harm in talking,” he told me.

Although no-one is seriously thinking about MI6 or CIA setting up back channels to Osama bin Laden’s cave, perhaps it is worth paying some attention to what he has been saying for the past 10 years.

His statements are not about any Caliphate, a pan-Muslim state which is rarely mentioned, but about US support for Israel, its backing for “apostate” Arab regimes in the Middle East and the presence of US troops in Muslim lands.

In reality, the issue is US foreign policy.

I was left in no doubt from all those I spoke to that Iraq above all else was the motivating factor behind the radicalisation and recruitment of young Muslims, and that the US-led invasion has gifted Osama bin Laden with a Jihad he could only dream of.

Taylor just confirms what Choudary says.

The trouble though is that the BBC never challenges that belief, that narrative…so in effect the BBC itself is ‘radicalising the youth’.

And Choudary is in more good company…including Labour MPs…

Muslim leaders say foreign policy makes UK target

Leading UK Muslims have united to tell Tony Blair that his foreign policy in Iraq and on Israel offers “ammunition to extremists” and puts British lives “at increased risk”.

An open letter signed by three of the four Muslim MPs, three of the four peers, and 38 organisations including the Muslim Council of Britain and the Muslim Association of Britain, was greeted with dismay in Downing Street. It has courted the MCB and several of the signatories, such as key Labour MPs Sadiq Khan (Tooting) and Shahid Malik (Dewsbury), whom it believes can shape Muslim opinion.

Humphrys tells Choudary that perhaps he should go to a country that has Sharia if he wants to live in such a country….why should he though?  Does Humphrys say that to those who would turn this country into a Socialist ‘heaven’ like Ed Miliband?

Does Choudary ‘hate this country’?  Those who attacked the Daily Mail for suggesting Ralph Miliband hated this country because he wanted to destroy the essential being of it…political, social and moral….defended him by saying that he was entitled to want ‘change’.

If it’s OK for Marxists why not Islamists?

If Choudary’s views are radical and extreme why not Miliband’s?

This article by Jenny McCartney in the Telegraph demonstrates the problem this country faces as it typifies the mindset of those in power……the lack of understanding of what Islam really means and what the consequences will be when Muslims gain more and more influence:

We’ve heard enough from Anjem Choudary

In the wake of the Woolwich murder of soldier Lee Rigby, radical Islamists are given publicity because the media is attracted to extremists

The problem with that is that Choudary isn’t a radical…he is preaching Islam.

If he is ‘radical’ then so is Islam.

That should be the real lesson the Great and the Good should start to learn.  McCartney has absolutely no understanding of what she is talking about…her main complaint is…‘what emerged from the discussion was that Choudary does not believe in democracy since “sovereignty belongs to God”. He was not willing to condemn the murderers. And he calls, yet again, for the adoption of Sharia across the United Kingdom.’

The ‘sovereignty of God’ is a basic tenet of Islam, calling for Sharia is quite clearly something Muslims, genuine Muslims, should be seeking….and Muslim dominance is something that even Labour MP’s are hoping for:

The true face of Islam:

Rejoice! The number of Muslim MPs has doubled

Why would Muslims rejoice because there are more Muslim MP’s?

Look at this latest sorry tale of surrender:

Muslim staff at Marks & Spencer can refuse to sell alcohol and pork

At M&S, Muslim staff who do not wish to handle alcohol or pork have been told they can politely request that customers choose another till at which to pay.

At one of its stores in central London last week, customers waiting with goods that included pork or alcohol were told by a Muslim checkout worker to wait until another till became available. The assistant was extremely apologetic at having to ask customers to wait.

Note, it’s not the staff member who has to move to another till, it’s the customer….however the Muslim staff member is quite happy to take their wages from the money made in a shop selling alcohol and pork.

What is the difference between Choudary and the Muslim who refuses to do certain things because of their religion?

Nothing really…they both wish to impose Islam upon the world.

Time the BBC et al woke up……and it was only two years ago or so that the BBC told us that Christianity was ‘thriving in the Middle east’…even giving an example in Hamas controlled Gaza……it was a lie  then and the real truth is only now coming out in the mainstream political and media consciousness:

Labour: We must ‘do God’ to fight anti-Christian persecution

Douglas Alexander, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, says politicians should speak out about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, and not be put off doing so for fear of causing offence

Let’s be clear who is persecuting those Christians…it is Muslims….something the BBC even now seeks to minimise.

Paul Mason gave us so much amusement when he had his loafers under the BBC’s desk I think we should give him a parting present for Christmas to show our appreciation.

A fan of Northern Soul he can be happy that the younger generation are keeping the faith and the flame alive:

Mason’s love of Northern Soul could explain a lot….. not a revolutionary at all…

Just a fan of Northern Soul….

And a Merry Christmas to all Biased BBC’s readers as well…

Richard Bacon, you have to think, just says whatever is on his mind at the time which naturally let’s slip his political leanings all too often.

However that works the other way…in that he isn’t PC, at least not in the preferred BBC mode…a couple of days ago he was discussing the attempt to firebomb a shop in NI by Irish Republians (dissident of course) when he asked (13 mins):

‘Do you think they are stupid?’

The reply was that they are ‘ideologically committed…with no purpose other than their ideology….much like Jihadis’

Bacon suggests that no one can reach out to these Republicans and explain things rationally.

Following an ideology blindly, the futility, the true keepers of the ideology with no realistic endpoint…. an internecine community, like a religion, a sense that the world hasn’t moved on for them…no realisation that communities are mixing and intermarrying, and that it’s a modern world.

As said ‘much like a religion’…except when it’s not as the BBC et al try to impose a different view of religion, or at least one religion, when it suits…. as witnessed immediately the verdict on the killers of Lee Rigby came out….everyone seemed more concerned with reassuring us that this had nothing to do with Islam, Islam is a religion of peace as you know.

Labour’s Sadique Khan, Muslim, decided the real culprits were the ‘Far Right’ and he was glad that the Rigby family had not wanted anything to do with them…of course he meant the EDL….the evil ‘far Right’ group presumably because they oppose homophobia, misogyny, anti-Semitism and all round oppression and repression as expressed by the Islamic religion…as admitted by Mehdi Hasan.

Blinded by an ideology….and not just the people living by it.

Would Bacon ever ask ‘Are committed Muslims stupid?’   Christians…he might ask that…but Muslims?

Whatever Ed Miliband says goes….straight onto the BBC News.

A ceiling collapses in a theatre and instantly Miliband is there posturing for the BBC which happily reports his every word….nobody expected him to say anything or wanted him to…no doubt his PR people thought it a good idea….but isn’t it just Miliband ambulance chasing for headlines which he was given on a plate by the BBC?

Now Miliband has ‘vowed to give councils the power to ban high stakes roulette machines from bookmakers’ shops if Labour wins the next election.’

I heard that on the radio news bulletin…but there was no mention of Labour’s part in legalising these machines in the first place in those bulletins….so giving credit is given to Labour for attacking them but failing to place the guilt where it should be.

A couple of weeks ago we had Labour’s Tom Watson on the BBC, Derbyshire I believe, admitting that Labour ‘dropped the ball badly‘ on this:

“these pernicious machines are destroying the lives of the poorest in society”.

Strangely in the following news bulletins Labour’s part in that wasn’t mentioned…Watson claiming to be the moral scourge and that only Labour  would seek to ban the gambling machines seemed to be the story.

You would have had a completely different view of who was to blame if you relied solely on the news bulletins for your news.

Either the BBC is being manipulated by Labour…in which case the supposedly highly experienced BBC should know better and be able to counter that…or the BBC is a useful idiot willingly going along with Labour’s  narrative.