Category Archives: liberal

Legal purposes crossed

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There’s been an interesting story recently which might tell us much about the BBC’s editorial bias. I was reminded of it by this article by William Rees Mogg in the The Times. According to him, senior judge Lord Hoffman, who has spoken out against the Strasbourg law court the European Court of Human Rights, “has supported the shift to judicial liberalism that followed the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998”

So, a liberal judge.

Who attacks a European institution.

What to do (for the BBC, who are attached to both)?

Well, interestingly, the BBC immediately reported Hoffman’s attack– they may have even broken the story to the wider public – but they made special points of saying where he might be acting from a sense of personal injury, “In 1989 Lord Hoffmann had a decision of his overturned”, or untrustworthy, Hoffman “had contributed to a decision that the former Chilean leader could be arrested and extradited for crimes against humanity, without emphasising his links to human rights group Amnesty International.”

As this kind of background is normally quietly left aside when reporting the thinking of liberal leftists, and in those cases the BBC simply rest on the seniority of the source, we can be sure that this time the BBC came down in favour of supporting a European institution. As Russell Crowe said to Marr on Sunday, pointedly and deliberately- “objectivity is a myth”.

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News they feel you just ought to hear

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No, not that some parent has fed his fourteen year old heroin, but that an evil Devonian has been riding his motorbike at 122 mph with his son on the back. This is featured among the top news stories in the UK tonight.

Riding a motorcyle in this way is of course irresponsible and wrong, but the selection of this 50 something white male to be made an example of is pure BBC preachiness. They love to tweak the nose of middle Britain, they probably consider it part of their job of (ahem) educating and informing. In fact it is attempting to add a trial-by-media system to our court system. It’s an endemic attitude at the BBC and it’s one of the things that shows how it acts out what Andrew Marr (see right) called the BBC’s ‘cultural liberal bias‘.

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About time too

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David Cameron writes about the Beeb in the Sun today. In it he supports the license fee, but begins thus: I am a slightly rare creature — a lifelong Conservative who is a fan of the BBC. I think that tells you something. And although much of the piece is about the need to cut salaries and the size of the BBC – all good stuff – and the need for a properly independent regulator instead of the Trust (welcome, too), the key passage for readers here is this:

But, I can hear the cry, what about the left-wing bias?

My answer is: yes, the BBC does have what even Andrew Marr called an “innate liberal bias”, principally because it does not have to behave like a commercial organisation and make its money from scratch every year.

That tends to make the BBC instinctively pro-Big State, distinctly iffy about the free market and sometimes dismissive of a conservative viewpoint.

Dave doesn’t really say what he’d do about that, but this does seem to suggest that the issue is now on the table. If I worked at the Beeb, I’d be a bit worried.

Knockabout liberalism

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The liberal assumptions that govern the BBC’s output can be seen in the following two articles here and here.

In the first Robert Piggot begins his article on Anglicans and their splits:

“Word has got about that traditionalist Anglicans have something against gay people – and that is what is driving the Communion towards disintegration.

Of course some of them might not like homosexual people, but, as they never tire of pointing out, that is not what this historic rift is about.”

So, in an ironic sort of way, he concedes that there may be more to the Anglican conservatve position than pure bigotry- as they “never tire of saying”.

Matt Frei meanwhile is one of those whose inability to overcome his innate prejudices is almost comically obvious. America, he says while reporting the mourning for Tim Russert “likes a good yarn and here they still appreciate good journalists as master story tellers.”

This fondness for a good yarn (as opposed to the more adult and rigorous reality that Frei deals in) sets them apart from the rest of the world who are more firmly “weary of “the media””. All well and good, but did Frei ever ask himself just how it is that the only major media networks that have a modicum of independence are all Western? People in China, in Africa, in South America haven’t really had the time to become weary of the media. Having some to speak of might be a novelty in some cases.

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BYE BYE MR BROON AND AU REVOIR KEN!

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Sorry for the lack of output from me here these past few days but normal service is resuming! Hey – have you been following the BBC’s coverage of the Local Council and London Mayoral elections? Some hilarious stuff – did you see Jeremy Vine’s performances late last night? Cringeworthy! Makes Peter Snow seem good. These results must be such a nightmare for Al-Beeb as Labour are humiliated across the country and it’s looking like Boris is going to dethrone the gruesome Livingstone in London – fingers crossed. I’ve heard some very easy rides being given to those Labour Minister suckers forced to come to camera – Alan “Postie” Johnson was given the most gentle of interviews on the lunchtime news. Did you see it? Tonight should be great stuff as the dawn of the end of Ken becomes apparent and the BBC have to see their beloved Jihad supporting Mayor take a hike..post your highlight of the election coverage…!

UPDATE ONE:

Just as Sky News are making it clear that Boris will win, the BBC are still equivocating on the Mayoral result as of 10pm. The line being taken is that Ken Livingstone WON the last time despite Labour, now he “may” lose because of Labour! Looks like the BBC will berate Labour but still loves the IRA supporting Jihad understanding Jew hating Livingstone.

UPDATE TWO. It’s now 10.30pm and Newsnight are still in denial mode. The air of depression is obvious although I noted that the lead item was prefaced with the description of Boris being a clown, a joker and chat-show host. Better than being a terror-supporting anti-semitic goon, eh?

UPDATE THREE. It’s now 10.45 and Newsnight are now in full-on “Save Gordon” mode. Ruth Kelly, a vision in pink, is being allowed to talk tripe and commentator Michael Crick has been saying that in a way this was not unexpected.

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SHIRL THE PEARL

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. Can anyone explain why Dame Shirley Williams is so omnipresent on the BBC’s main political debating programmes? I note she has been on this week’s “Any Questions” and she was on “Question Time” but a few weeks ago. Have the Lib-Dem’s got no-one else to put up for these programmes? Personally I am sickened by the fawning reception that she is given by BBC hosts when she does appear and it makes me think that politically, the BBC and the far-leftism of the Lib-Dem’s are synched soul-mates, which may explain why Williams gets such disproportionate prominence.

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Take a trip with me.

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Let’s take a morning trip through some of the propaganda pumped out by the BBC this morning as I think it is offers some fine pickings. First we read that our wise and knowing government is promising 5 hours of “high culture” to schoolchildren each week. Children will be given the chance to attend “top quality theatre and dance performances, world class exhibitions, galleries, museums and heritage sites”Pupils will also be encouraged to take part themselves. (That should make Covent Garden Opera more interesting) More will have the chance to learn a musical instrument, play and sing in groups and choirs, perform drama or make films. This is particularly aimed at those children from “poorer” families, apparently. It’s my view that our left wing government views schools as laboratories in which they can conduct their peverse social engineering and this latest distraction from providing a decent education is to be expected – a headline generating diversion. Listening to John Humphry’s take apart Culture Commissar Andy Burnham just after 8am on “Today” was, however, quite excellent and credit where it is due. We need all BBC coverage to follow this example by rigorously challenging whoever is putting forward the viewpoint.

Next up, we discover that we need MORE immigration into the UK because….Britain’s curry houses can’t get the “cultural sensitivity” from the hordes of eastern Europeans now resident in this country! You cannot be serious! Why was no one interviewed who might have felt that Britain does not exist to provide Bangladeshis with employment?

And finally, as they say, let’s finish with an apology. No, not from me to our resident Beeboids – but from Australian PM Kevin Rudd to the Aborigines. Naturally the BBC are delighted at this liberal guilt trip. There’s nothing like a pointless apology to a minority group, be it from Bill Clinton, from Tony Blair and now from Mr Rudd, for real or imagined historical wrongs, to create a warm glow in leftist land. The fact that many Australian’s DON’T see the need to apologise to the Aborigines is swept aside in the BBC reports. And so it goes folks, drip drip drip!

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