HOPELESS IN KABUL

Anyone catch wee Douglas Alexander being interviewed on Today this morning @ 7.12am? It seems that the ideal way to assist our soldiers is to send in 1000 UK civilians including “a number of economists” – and that’s what Dougie announced. This nonsense was taken by Sarah Montague without comment. What next- a legion of aromatherapists?

COMPARE AND CONTRAST…

Interesting to reflect on the news the BBC reports that Gordon Brown is to provide extra equipment for our Armed Forces in Afghanistan to the tune of £150m (over 10 years, natch). This £150m is not new money, however, and must be found from the existing MOD budget. Last week, the BBC reported Brown committing an extra £300m to a Climate Change Fund for chirpy third world kleptocracies and since there was no mention then of cuts elsewhere, we can assume this was “new money” he found. So, you might then ask yourself why it is that not one intrepid BBC journalist wondered aloud why an extra £300m can be conjured up on the one hand for Copenhagen cultists but £150m for our military must be financed by cuts elsewhere? Is there no BBC curiousity left these days? Can’t the State broadcaster ask difficult questions of this government, and if not, why not?

"those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military"

This morning’s BBC news is making much play with a letter in the Times denouncing those who appropriate icons of British military history for political purposes. It was one of the lead items on R4 news.

Two former heads of the Army are among those to put their names to a letter accusing “those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military”.

It does not name the BNP but has been issued as part of a new campaign.

They write: “We call on all those who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage to cease and desist.

“The values of these extremists – many of whom are essentially racist – are fundamentally at odds with the values of the modern British military, such as tolerance and fairness.”

Well, I’m sure you can’t expect the (former) Army top brass to keep copies of everyone’s election leaflets – but surely the BBC’s army of newshounds and political correspondents must have noticed that the 2009 Euro elections featured an awful lot of what you could loosely call ‘nationalist’ iconography which didn’t come from the party not named by the generals. Try this, spotted by Iain Dale.

OK, why haven’t the BBC spotted this leaflet, handed out in the West Midlands Euro constituency in 2009 – by an ‘essentially racist’ party ? I noted it at the time as the Battle of the Spitfires.

Surely, as the generals have not named any political party, but purely those “who seek to hijack the good name of Britain’s military for their own advantage” , the BBC piece should include the Labour Party in its list of suspects ? Where’s that balance I keep hearing about ?

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!

LAST ORDES

Watching Sir Hugh Orde on the Marr Show. Orde is perhaps the most politicised Police Officer one could conceive but he was on to argue that is is wrong to politicise the police aka the suggestion that Police Chiefs should be elected. He also got a dig in at Boris Johnson. Orde is the guy, let us recall, whose proudest achievement is to brought IRA bombers and bank robbers onto the Policing Board of Northern Ireland. When the IRA murdered people in Northern Ireland and committed the UK’s largest ever ban robbery, Sir Hugh was to the fore to suggest her had no evidence of this. What a guy. He now tours the BBC studios arguing that politics should be kept out of policing. Surreal.

THE RECESSION IS OVER – REJOICE!

It’s almost pitiful to watch the desperation of the BBC as it continues to seek out those illusive green shoots of recovery. Today, they have been located in France and Germany where we are now informed that they have “exited recession.” Not that long ago Gordon Brown assured us all that the UK was better placed than any other major economy to withstand the recession. Yet here we have other European economies seemingly moving out of economic stupor so I am sure we can expect the BBC to now challenge Brown and ask him to explain why we still languish in the doldrums with soaring unemployment. Then again…

The Keynsian fantasists that drive the UK economic policy are not only prolonging the recession here by their gross folly but also ensuring that this country will be an economic basket-case for years to come. But when one reads the BBC portrayal of events, one could be forgiven for thinking that Captain Brown has steadied the ship and with a bit more spending we will soon move into clear blue water.

Perhaps you read this quote from Brown speaking in 1996…

“I tell you we have learnt from past mistakes…. Just as you cannot spend
your way out of recession, you cannot, in a global economy, simply spend your
way through a recovery either…. losing control of public spending doesn’t help
the poor”

I wonder if the BBC will pursue the rather obvious problem this gives McDoom? Of course not. This is all about trying to construct a narrative that suggests we are moving into slow recovery mode and by the time of the GE next June we might do worse than stick with experienced Captain Brown rather than the novice Cameron. It won’t wash, of course, but they will give it a try. Then, once that fails and Labour is removed from power, the new narrative will be all about Tory cuts and protecting “the weakest” in our society. (Welfare parasites to you and me) The BBC never really changes colour – always red.

MARK EASTON – CLASS WARRIOR!

Anyone catch Mark Easton’s breathless endorsement of the latest piece of NuLabour class warfare proposed by Alan Milburn? Mark’s just so excited by this instance of social engineering! Milburn was then afforded the prime time slot on Today here. It’s lovely to see how the BBC synchs with Labour, isn’t it? Flawless. Listen BBC – Vote Labour. By way of balance, Melanie Phillips has this take on it, with which I fully agree.

A LOAD OF BALLS…

Sarah Montague “interviews” Ed Balls here. What a laugh. It was in essence a forum for Balls to constantly repeat that the Conservatives are out to cut back “investment” in the public sector. I love the fantastical claims that Balls makes, which Sarah gaily lets pass. “Tough Discipline in every class-room” – was this a comedy routine? The BBC pimps for Labour day in day out and it is as simple as that. Note that the arrogant and devious tone throughout from Balls and the way in which he throws around “Billions” as if it were HIS money. (PFI is “a great success” was another great throwaway line. )

THE GENTLE TOUCH?

So, Conservative Julie Kirkbride has fallen on her sword and will not seek re-election. On the One News the BBC has been covering this from the feminist angle on of just how difficult it is for “working mums” to get the work/life balance and also from the angle of how few female MP’s that Cameron will be left with. (Nice dig at the unrepresentative Tories, natch!) In addition, did you notice the way that Labour trougher Margaret Moran has been thrown to the media wolves just as Kirkbride hits the buffs. A good day to bury bad Labour news?

HAIL KIM JUNG VERY ILL

Had to laugh at this interview conducted by the BBC this morning with Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell concerning North Korea’s underground nuke test. Talk about being given an easy ride! North Korea has shown total contempt for the “International Community” and in particular is thumbing it’s nose at Obama and his soft power approach to the issue. But the BBC cannot go too deep into this one since it makes The One look ALMOST as wimpish as Rammell.