Well now, Mandelson is back. Gordon Brown is relentlessly selling us the line that we need “serious people for serious times” – as the BBC obligingly parrots. But Mandelson is a man without political integrity, twice forced into resigning. I met him a few times politically and counted my fingers after shaking hands with him to ensure all were still there afterwards. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, Margaret … Continue reading
This time, it’s spot the bias in this piece of free association by Matt Frei. I mean, I know it is biased because… Well, because it’s by Matt Frei and is, as far as I can tell, about American politics. But what the hell does it mean? …the latest opinion polls suggested the public was selling Palins and McCains and buying Obamas and Bidens. It was not a rally. But … Continue reading
Guido has a good post on Newsnight here, taking in its inability to report the markets (“pathetically bad”, he says); a harsh comment or two on Crick’s pointless Place that Face, which even Paxman seemed embarrassed by; and a note on our favourite Trotskyite, the programme’s economics editor Paul Mason. He also links to this piece by Iain Martin at the Telegraph which he argues it would be better just … Continue reading
I have not watched the Palin/Biden debate yet, but I can only assume Palin has done very well indeed. The reason I say this is that listening to the BBC’s coverage of this event on the Today programme this morning the entire tone was that Palin had not fouled up. Essentially the BBC line was that “gaffe-prone” Palin had managed to just about hold her own, though she wobbled “a … Continue reading
I am sure you will all have caught the BBC’s faux outrage over the fact that Sir Ian Blair has resigned from his role as Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Yesterday, as the news was breaking, Red Ken was instantly brought on air on 5 live and allowed to retail the idea that Boris Johnson has made a terrible mistake by introducing…politics into policing. Over the past 24 hours, the BBC has … Continue reading
Iain Dale has an amusing insight into how the Beeb “balances” the panel on Question Time. He reveals that UKIP’s Nigel Farage was bumped off the panel in preference to the CBI’s Richard Lambert, the former FT editor who famously got the newspaper to back Labour in the 1992 election (although he seems less keen on them now): So why don’t you bump Janet Street Porter instead, pleaded Nigel, pointing … Continue reading
Just a quick one – My favourite part from the coverage of the Palin Biden debate so far has to be Webb’s first thoughts on his live blog. He begins by criticising the choice of moderator, Obama fellow traveller Gwen Ifill, thus demonstrating an almost total lack of self-awareness. “What were they all thinking?” splutters the man who is tipped to take over Letter from America. Well, quite. Click through … Continue reading
Of all the examples in the comments yesterday of the different treatment given to Cameron’s speech at the Conservative Conference to Brown’s at Labour’s, perhaps the most simple and compelling for me was the running order on Radio 4’s flagship, Today*. Following Brown’s speech, the programme led with it as their first item and revisited it again in the prime 8.10am spot. And again just before 9am. Following Cameron’s they … 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
… for arranging for a few dozen of their activists to protest outside the Conservative Party conference, cunningly disguised as “financial services workers”. It’s just the cut and thrust of politics, and while a neutral observer might wonder how the Tories are implicated in the current crisis, having been out of power for eleven years, trying to associate them with the sins of the incompetent banking fat-cats is all part … Continue reading
