It’s probably worth just having a permanent link to Justin Webb’s blog on this site, but even so I found his latest effort surprising: Credit to the House Republicans: they fight for what they believe in. But John McCain – what does he stand for? Does he back the party rebels or the president – he won’t say. As things stand, he stands for not debating. I stand to be … 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
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 … Continue reading
Even if we no longer expect the BBC to have any role in – or indeed concept of – supporting the British national interest, you’d think they might take a more … er, neutral tone in reporting the sale of a major UK strategic asset to a foreign government. “EDF agrees to buy British Energy” Gosh. Decent of them, taking it off our hands like that. Of course the BBC … Continue reading
they would probably read like this. Generally, of course, the Beeb’s fairly dismissive of polls, and won’t lead news items on them, so when the Conservatives passed 50 per cent for their biggest poll lead since Thatcher, it was pretty roundly ignored – mentioned only at the bottom of this article. When Labour surge by seven per cent, mostly at the expense of the Lib Dems, though, it’s crowbarred into … Continue reading
Wonder if you caught B-BBC favourite Justin Webb on Newsnight this evening? The topic was the dramatic events in the US with John McCain suspending his campaign – and most likely the pending Presidential debate on Friday – to go to Washington and work to get a solution to the current impasse on the financial bill. Obama has responded by insisting he will carry on campaigning and that he will … Continue reading
A selection of BBC News website readers have been telling us what they thought of his speech, says the Beeb’s vox pop on Gordon’s speech. “Selection” is the right word. There’s Denise Curtis, who thought the speech “fantastic”; Pat Morris, “born and bred Labour” (and her verdict is the most critical); Garry McNulty, who has voted Tory only once in his life – so the typical floating voter, then; and … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
Tuning in to Today on Radio 4 always requires a strong stomach although I normally steel myself and do it to keep an eye on what the BBC gets up to but even I was left queasy at an item ran around 6.50am on the poetry of Osama Bin Laden. Some left wing US academic was invited on to read out an example of the ramblings of the Al Queda … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
