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“Today Alistair Darling will make plain the full depth of the recession”

Er … shouldn’t that have read “the full depth of government economic incompetence” ?

Inspector Gadget points out the disparity between this morning’s BBC News coverage of the slapping/striking of Nicola Fisher and the killing of police officer Gary Toms.

… this story gets one page in the ‘England’ section with no photograph of the officer and no ‘trial by media’ of the alleged offenders. It was reported on BBC Radio national morning news at 8.03 am for 1.8 seconds.

Uninjured Nicola Fisher, 35, from Brighton, who was slapped across the face and hit on her leg with a baton by a Police Sergeant during the G20 protests has been talking to journalists. She refused to discuss the fee she has received via Max Clifford.

On the BBC News Website this story gets a full page in the UK and England sections, two videos and more discussion ‘out of Court’ of the officers actions from Ms Fishers perspective. On Saturday, BBC Radio national morning news ran the story twice every hour, from 6.30 am to 9.00 am. It was featured twice at length.

On my Ruralshire Constabulary team of young police officers, many of whom provide Public Order support at National events (without incident by the way) the difference in coverage will be noticed, and may add to the widening gap between police and public. Unfortunately, police officers see the media as representing public opinion.

I can understand that many people are upset by the G20 incidents. But when one of your own workmates is killed and receives less media coverage than someone who is slapped round the face and hit on the leg with a hollow metal stick causing no injury, we start to see the moral battle lines being drawn.

(Via JuliaM. Also noted at Landed Underclass)

Did you catch this interview with the incoming Archbishop of Westminster the Most Rev Vincent Nichols on Today earlier this morning? Nichols was attacked within a few minutes for daring to suggest that British Roman Catholics oppose the abortion/condom advertising plans from Brown and his pals, and of course the Pope’s words on Aids in Africa were taken and quoted out of context. I wish the  Archbishop well as I admire his moral stance, but can only see much more conflict with the anti-Christian BBC. (Isn’t it cute the way the interviewer uses the witterings of Tony Blair at the end of this to try and trip Nichols up? Thought he answered it well, btw)

Didn’t listen to start the week, but because of the half-price offer I’ve been reading the Telegraph quite a lot. There’s always something in there about the BBC, and today there’s another item by Tim Walker, “Mandrake,” headed “Mystery of BBC’s tax cut for Bono.” A guest on Marr’s programme on Monday morning, Marina Hyde, alluded to Bono’s tax arrangements.

“Your lifestyle can undercut the moral seriousness of your mission,” she said pointing out that the singer continually lobbies the Irish government to increase its aid budget, while he has a company based in the Netherlands for tax purposes.
This seemed to disturb Marr, who quickly added: “I should say I don’t know about Bono’s tax affairs. I don’t know if it’s true or not.” Hyde responded: ”This is true and you’re welcome to check it out.”

The evening repeat is 15 mins shorter, and one of the things that had been edited out was the snippet. A BBC spokesman claimed it was chosen because his tax avoidance was “old” news.

When informed that U2’s tax avoidance had, in fact been a big story in the Irish newspapers only last month, the spokesman relied: “Oh, I don’t know why he (the editor of the programme) would say that, then.

I don’t intend to start another tiresome discussion about Bono, but why is the BBC so keen on the fella?

Writing for the Observer ( yes I bought it – I wanted the Heathers DVD ) Nick Cohen asks the key question.

!

It has become apparent to commentators like Liam Halligan that the Great Deflation Scare of 2009 is, in his words :

“… largely a myth – an alibi for wildly expansionary fiscal and monetary policy concocted by Western governments and their media lackeys.

After all, where is deflation? Data released last week put annual US core inflation at no less than 4pc. So why is the Fed doing this, following the Bank of England’s lead? Because the real solution – forcing banks to face the music, while rescheduling massive private and public debts – is too politically frightening for our so-called leaders to contemplate.

A decision has been made, but not announced: we’ll inflate away our debts instead”

Media lackeys ? That’s a bit strong. Anyone in mind, Liam ? Robert Peston’s been waving the spectre of deflation for some time.

I invite readers to study the evolution of yesterdays lead BBC news story, from “Deflation risk as prices to fall” all the way through to “Surprise hike in consumer prices”.

It turns out that the only component of inflation to fall is mortgage costs – completely under the control of HMG/BoE. Everything else is going up. The only deflation is caused by the Government.

Karl Marx’s dictum sprang to mind as I listened to tonight’s opening episode of Radio Four’s “Call Yourself A Feminist”, the first of ‘three discussions tracing the development of feminist ideas from the 1960s onwards‘.

Those ideas have over the last forty years made enormous differences to the way of life – and death – in the western world, and as such are well worth examination.

The programme, however, was not an examination, but a celebration.

Next week, Linda Bellos and Bea Campbell on feminism in the Thatcher years. I can’t imagine what that’ll be like – can you ?

More of the received view of history – William Gazy reviews the BBC News reporting of the miners strike, 25 years on.

“It was presented rather in the manner Soviet TV must have recalled the 1917 revolution – bloody, glorious, necessary and united against the forces of reaction.”

The BBC alone could turn things around. Without any change on their part the outlook is bleak.

Come on BBC, you love diversity. Why not give a voice to this ‘diverse’ view?