Category Archives: save gordon.

Brown’s Darling to the rescue

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Here’s a thread to discuss BBC coverage of the Government’s pre-budget statement. Worth saying I think that it was Labour who introduced the pre-budget statement. This junket that nowadays occurs is in many ways midwife to valuable pro-Government spin. Thanks to Paul S for highlighting Fraser Nelson’s helpful list of Gordon’s spin – how many of these points will the BBC promote in its coverage? Look out for action contrasted with passivity (Gordon v Dave)- especially how Gordon is leading the world in action- and the recession that “came from America”, as well as plenty of party politicals harking back to the “heartless Tories” using false or misleading comparisons with previous recessions. Maybe you’d like to consider counterpunches, since the BBC probably won’t allow for any or properly cover any Conservative rebuttal…

Get Osborne! (save Brown)

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Looking at the many valuable comments in the latest open thread, it’s amazing how many ways the BBC have found to get at George Osborne in recent days. Speaking from what I have seen, it was noticeable how Marr stacked his progamme this morning with better-then-average lefties like Doug Alexander and Dr John Reid (plus Jarvis Cocker for leftist chic), to foreground a lengthy interview with Osborne which began with the line from Marr: “Do you think your job is on the line this weekend?”

Sums it all up really- not the reality, that is, but the BBC’s preferred narrative. Alexander- the Secretary of State for International Development- was there to demonstrate how (in accordance with the Brown narrative) the crisis is global, first, and we are the victims, second, while John Reid was there to show how he was burying the hatchet and uniting behind Brown and to blame Osborne for not doing the same.

In fact Osborne performed superbly on the Marr programme, so despite Marr’s repeated attempts to bring up the world crisis in defending Brown, Osborne swept past him. Yet is he actually winning this argument? Difficult to say, because the BBC has so relentlessly depicted him as on the defensive, the “George Osborne under attack” meme. This has been partly justified by bringing up a so-called convention regarding commenting on Sterling which, as the commenters at B-BBC have noted, is bogus. Meanwhile David in the comments points to this article as a related note, where Brown “regrets” Osborne’s comments highlighting the risk to the pound. Surely in fact Brown regrets that his economic incompetence is being exposed? It is no good his shaking his head over that unpublic-spirited Osborne- it is Brown who has been frantically trying to look competent in situations he has been instrumental in creating. So far he has done only the most obvious things, like bail out faltering banks, huddle with world leaders and pronounce “routemaps” as he poses for photos.

Earlier I saw an BBC online article where Gordon was shown in a decidedly odd picture (actually used above) at the G20 meeting towering over the Russian President, the Russian’s eyes upraised to meet Gordon’s (ie. where on earth was Gordon standing in relation to Medvedev? [Update: apparently Medvedev is unusually small. This does not explain the particular photo with Gordon facing the camera and Medvedev looking up to his eyes, or indeed the very choice of this photo- why these two men and only them? Generally I think the BBC’s photo-story-telling is abysmal]). In a more sensible world Brown wouldn’t even have been able to take the reins of the Government a year and a half ago because his incompetence over boom and bust would have already been made apparent by a sentient fourth estate (Labour’s favourite bank Northern Rock was melting away as they feted Gordon). Instead, those who have the temerity to question the inevitably compromised economic wisdom of Gordon Brown are put in the media dock by the BBC-led media.

Meanwhile, Guido points to yet another angleof BBC bias in favour of Brown.

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THE JOKER

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THE JOKER

Have you spotted the bizarre image of a grinning Gordon Brown accompanying a lead news item on the economic perils affecting the UK? The BBC carries the story on how Brown is going to be the first man in history to confound the logic that when you are in a hole you stop digging. Brown is boasting today how he will spend his way out of the financial mess in which he has placed us and that we should all put our faith in his economic prowess. The Tories are not even mentioned by name in this report (Have they nothing to say on it??) and it seems that the BBC narrative is that only smiley Gordon can save the day. Indeed it goes on to report that Brown is going to get “up to a million people” of incapacity benefits and into gainful employment. Again, no challenge to this delusional Labour nonsense! Brown is the man who allowed the acceleration of the Welfare culture and was central to the massive growth of those on incapacity benefit and now we are expected to believe he will get tough on it? I’m reminded of quote from The Queen in Alice in Wonderland who declared that ” Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” If you read the BBC each morning, you know how she feels.

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GORDON PREVAILS

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The message is clear. Labour has now rallied behind Gordonfollowing his very successful Party conference, the critics have one by one come on board, and in these “serious” times we do need a “serious” political leader such as Mr Brown. That is the narrative that the Labour leadership seeks to convey and it is the narrative that the BBC has obligingly been running with on their behalf. It has permeated BBC news for the past several weeks and it is warning to David Cameron that he will NOT be given a even break by the State Broadcaster, regardless of how liberal he presents himself. The BBC wants to Save Gordon and that is all that matters, the rest is detail. We see a BBC which asks no hard questions of the Brown years as Chancellor. There is an economic memory hole into which the Beeb consigns all of Brown’s disastrous decision making (Anyone got an update on the price of Gold today?) This is the State Broadcaster using its 24/7 influence to re-write history and present the man who took your old age pension as the man who will help save the global economic crisis. You couldn’t make it up.

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THE ANSWER IS THE EU

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I was interested in the suggestion made by the BBC this morning that the answer for Iceland’s current financial woes is..to join the EU. (Today programme) They never miss the chance to promote the EUSSR, do they? I was also amused by Robert Peston’s blog entry which pretends that Germany’s decision to underwrite ALL of retail savers interests may not quite mean that – so getting Brown, Darling and the gang short term reprieve out of having to respond in kind here. I suggest that what is lost in translation is what suits the BBC’s business editor.

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MONEY MONEY MONEY

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So, who to believe when it comes to understanding outflows of money from the UK to Ireland? The BBC is suggesting that there is nothing happening and no reason for any concern but others take a very different view. I wonder why the BBC is so determined to retail the notion that the Irish government securing 100% of savers deposits would have no impact on the UK money market. Any thoughts on who that might benefit? Answers on a postcard.

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DON’T IT MAKE HIS BLUE EYES BROWN?

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Was listening to a BBC discussion between Ed Stourton and a reporter on Today this morning just after 6am. Were I a Conservative, I would be engaged. It was asserted that there would be NO post conference bounce for the Tories and in fact the only way forward for Cameron was to set aside any notion of suggested tax cuts and instead prepare for tax increases. They then agreed that Gordon Brown’s “steady as she goes” reputation (!!!) was likely to bring about a situation where Labour could seriously challenge for a fourth term.

At the moment, the BBC seems unable to have a sentence with the words David Cameron in it without also adding the words Gordon Brown. The word “novice” is also getting a tremendous amount of play. Of course this idea that Brown is “Prudence incarnate” is so risible, so detached from all reality that only the Save Gordon crowd at the Beeb would dare run with it. Then there is the BBC hatred of tax cuts. They are plainly using the current turmoil in the markets to force Cameron to commit to ruling out any prospect of the State taking a little less of our cash.

I don’t know about you but whilst I am no fan of Cameronian Conservatism I think the BBC has been outrageous in how it has treated the Conservative conference this week. After the orgiastic coverage afforded to GordonSarah last week, Call me Dave was gleefully sacrificed this week. And another point that stands out for me is this; In the States, the financial mess is attributed to the failure of the incumbent Republic President, but in the UK, the financial mess is sold to us as a reason to support the incumbent Labour government. The BBC has not a shred of balance in this situation, it shows itself as biased, as hateful, and as political as many of us here fear.

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HAIL SARAH

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Did you see this piece of NuLabour PR disguised as news on the BBC portal concerning Sarah Brown? Look – there she is with that piece of Alaskan red-neck moose hunting trash Sarah Palin! Look – there she is with Rupert Murdoch’s wife and Queen Rania. Look – save Gordon now means pushing Sarah. It’s propaganda – not news. The BBC are doing everything possible to secure Brown’s tenure as our Great Leader. Makes you proud to pay the license tax, right?

 

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A FOURTH TERM?

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Well, as forecast here yesterday morning, the BBC has lavished praise on the Brown conference speech. Indeed in the BBC worldview bubble, Brown has triumphed magnificently, silenced his critics, routed the Tories, and laid down solid “serious” plans for the future. They have even suggested, oh so subtly, that Brown has moved the Party “slightly” to the left. Cheers all round and time for more “regulation”. The thing is that the BBC is now completely immersed in the NuLabour spin zone, indeed it is the broadcasting arm of the Labour government. They have been doing their best to “Save Gordon” for some time now and will feel that their mission has been accomplished, at least for this week. Let’s see if Cameron gets such an easy ride next week. Of course OUTSIDE the BBC bubble, things remain as they were. I suggest that Labour remains in terminal decline and the loss of the seat in the forthcoming Glenrothes by-election will surely bring some reality back to this BBC created faux reality. Finally, if you want to see just how great the Brown love-in is, just check out the image on the Today page this morning – Gordon and Sarah kissing each other, even as the BBC drools over them. Pass the sick bag.

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Leaping to delusions

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The BBC did itself proud today heaping praise on Gordon Brown. Online Reeta Chakrabarti was leading the way with this incredible pile of Brown-boosting. Notwithstanding the fact that she highlights the cheesiness of the conference speech occasion and its artificiality (not that she adequately describes how set up the whole edifice was), she squarely falls into the trap of simply praising Gordon.

Look at the segue in the following:


“he pushed all the right buttons – personal about how the NHS had saved his sight – political with some crowd-pleasing Tory-bashing.


‘Pro-market’


Serious about the economy – and substantial when talking about the Labour agenda.”

We go from the standard language of “button-pushing” to the stupid cheerleading of Gordon’s supposed qualities.

What about the observation that this year there was no no more boom and bust? What about the absence of the usual crowing about his own long-term management of the economy?

Instead Gordon was boasting that he was the man for the crisis. There’s no downside to Gordon’s rhetoric, is there? Just what kind of dupes do the BBC have to be to fall for this so completely and without reserve? The only reserve they can muster is that this speech might not be enough for public opinion. But then the public are mad, aren’t they (when they oppose Labour)? It’s child’s play to score a hit against Gordon, but the BBC’s kid gloves were tailor-made for protecting such a moron.

One final point: it is true that other media also reported Gordon’s speech as a good one. But they (eg. Sky) made clear that it was good from the partisan point of view. And they (eg. Sky) do not habitually acquiece to the Government’s own notions of its competence. The BBC is uniquely funded and uniquely wedded to the delusions from which Gordon drinks so deeply.

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