There’s been a lot of debate on the BBC this morning on the report from the Home Affairs select committee calling for the banning of what is called “below-cost” selling of alcohol. The idea of government setting minimum prices for alcohol is one idea put forward by the Committee’s oleaginous chairman, Keith Vaz. Now before we get caught up in the debate about whether it is the price of alcohol … Continue reading
If there is one concept that is guaranteed to raise hackles at the BBC, it is the idea that government might seek to cut taxes. For years now the BBC has assiduously retailed the Labour line that any cut in taxation would result in less doctorsnursesnteachers and so as Prudence Brown has cranked up taxation, the Conservative Party backed away from the idea of cutting tax (wrongly in my view). … Continue reading
The great thing about guest columns on the Beeb’s website is that they allow different voices to give their take on the big events of the moment – voices we might not normally hear, such as this piece by [democrat, arch-Obama supporter and] “social commentator” Nancy Giles. So, instead of the usual left-leaning commentary on the significance of Obama’s win on race relations in the US that we’re used to, … Continue reading
I see the BBC have managed to mess up the apology they made such a big deal out of broadcasting on Radio 2 yesterday. “The Corporation was forced to change the wording of a statement broadcast on Radio 2 after the 78-year-old Fawlty Towers star complained that it did not directly refer to his wife and daughter, who he said had been deeply hurt by the affair. Mr Sachs, who … Continue reading
Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use … Continue reading
Obama’s set-piece press conference debut contained three nice little nuggets- Obama referred to former First Lady Nancy Reagan as being into a “seances thing”. He referred to himself as a “mulatto” “mutt”, and he said that people were more interested in his new dog than in his policies. All this was there, accompanied by the anxious looks from the assembled Obama team members, yet the BBC headlined their story “impressive … Continue reading
Here’s a gem of Obamania from the BBC’s Kevin Connolly. If you can bear to wade through it you will come across this classic lines.. “He is a complex figure, a child of a white mother and a black father who in his very essence draws together two of the longest threads in America’s national tapestry and has used his own life story to persuade Americans that hope is audacious … Continue reading
Did anyone else have the misfortune to tune into the rancid”Today” on BBC Radio 4 Obama this morning? God it was hard to take. Now that we are all black, the lead item was from race-hustler Trevor Philips suggesting that there is institutional racism throughout the British political system and that Obama could never have gotten himself elected here because of it. It’s my view that the BBC has been … Continue reading
You wait months for a resignation, and then three come along at once… Another Beeb executive has quit over Ross and Brand’s phone calls. And the BBC is to apologise to the nation. Just for the call, mind. But it’s a start, so tune in today on Radio 2 at 10am, and again just after 9pm. Bloody repeats.
The IMF is not optimistic: it’s cut its 2009 growth forecast for the global economy to 2.2% from the previous estimate of 3%, as this report from the Beeb just about manages to mention at the end. And, more relevantly, in this piece yesterday about the rate cut. But can you guess what nugget of information readers of the Beeb’s reports miss out on? The Independent: Britain, in particular, is … Continue reading
