“Then imagine bumping into an old friend who tells you he’s now working in one of the old Soviet republics which has found it hard to throw off the state control. Here, your friend says, you have to inform the state of your address when you buy a television. This address and your name is then kept on a database which is used to verify whether you have a licence … Continue reading →

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts. Click through to read and … Continue reading →

asks Drinking from Home. At some point since Wednesday 27 September the BBC changed the phrase “a Ministry of Defence (MoD) report has said” to “a research paper prepared for the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Academy says”. Paxman’s claim that “We didn’t say it was the Ministry of Defence view” is easier to justify with the updated version. Sneaky move, eh? For those new to the game, this is standard … Continue reading →

From the opening speil to a Have Your Say forum: Is UKIP the “voice of the British majority”?Is the UK Independence Party at the “centre-ground of British public opinion” as its new leader, Nigel Farage, claims? The party is best known for campaigning to withdraw Britain from the European Union. Despite this, it won 10 seats in the 2004 European Parliament elections. Emphasis added. Spotted by Pete_London. Click through to … Continue reading →

Please use this thread for off-topic, but preferably BBC related, comments. Please keep comments on other threads to the topic at hand. N.B. this is not an invitation for general off-topic comments – our aim is to maintain order and clarity on the topic-specific threads. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog. Please scroll down to find new topic-specific posts. (UPDATE: I’ve bumped the timestamp … Continue reading →

links to a Real Player clip of two BBC types discussing the collapse of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at a rally. One of the presenters says: If we were talking here about an Israeli prime minister for example one would assume that he would have the best of medical care available just an arm’s length away. ADDED LATER: The more I think about it, the more I love that “for … Continue reading →

In all sorts of little ways the BBC wants to make sure that you get it. Here is a story from Saturday: Bomber attacks ‘model’ Iraqi city. Four soldiers and 10 civilians died in the blast in the northern city which US President George W Bush held up as a model in a speech in March. And Tal Afar, to the west of Mosul, was supposed to be a showcase … Continue reading →

why the BBC’s timeline of North Korea’s nuclear activities goes no further back than 2002? USS Neverdock can. Click through to read and contribute comments on this post.

“The truth is, most “quality” BBC programmes aren’t paid out of our license fee, but make a profit,” says James Graham of Qaequam blog. “What you pay for out of your license fee is the uncommercial stuff, which with the exception of things such as educational programming and news, normally means low grade crap such as soap operas and reality TV.” Is that right? Reading the comments on the Quaequam … Continue reading →

By the Observer’s Nick Cohen may be of interest. Although it is impossible to generalise about such a vast organisation, the bias charge has enough truth in it to stick. If you doubt me, research one opinion outside the liberal consensus. Read up on the arguments for making Britain a fairer country by giving trade unionists more rights, for instance, or saying that abortion is murder or that Tony Blair’s … Continue reading →