From the Spectator:   Didn’t the BBC know that Will Straw is a PPC before his dad told them? Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was on today’s Daily Politics, gushing with pride that his son Will is Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for the seat of Rossendale and Darwen in Lancashire. Yet it seems that this piece of dynastic info was news to Auntie. Will Straw was on the BBC News Channel this morning, … Continue reading →

  That old subversive Andrew Neil goes off message:   afneil Andrew Neil   Isn’t it difficult for politicians to attack energy cos for rising prices when Commons voted to raise prices by 40% by 2020.   And another subversive, Paul Hudson (via Bishop Hill) Real risk of a Maunder minimum ‘Little Ice Age’ says leading scientist It’s known by climatologists as the ‘Little Ice Age’, a period in the … Continue reading →

    There’s no Truth in the News and , for the BBC, no News in the Truth.   You might have thought that something like this would have mobilised the investigative journalists of the BBC: Miliband urged to reopen union vote-rigging probe: Email cache ‘shows Unite plotted to subvert Labour inquiry’ Labour leader under pressure to reopen vote-rigging investigation 1,000 emails appear to implicate Unite in thwarting original inquiry … Continue reading →

Monday morning..the storm has not washed the BBC away ..so let’s detail the bias!

  Always interesting what the BBC employees find of interest….not necessarily in the course of their work but in a personal capacity…which is perhaps all the more telling…as on Twitter which they usually claim the views expressed are their own and not the BBC’s…and in the case of Huw Edwards he disclaims the retweets…which is just as well really:   Here he retweets the BBC’s favourite economist who tells us: … Continue reading →

  Quite a few people have picked up on Grant  Shapps comments about spreading the Licence Fund around a bit more. A good portion is already doled out to Channel Four, but of course that is merely the BBC’s inbred cousin with fewer inhibitions and a disturbing tendency for showing off in the rudest way possible. Hardly a balance considering together they pretty well dominate political broadcasting in this country. … Continue reading →

UK GDP figures for Q3 are due later this morning and it seems they will be positive, further underlining UK economic recovery. This is bad news for labour and bad news for the BBC. I caught an item on the Today programme this morning where the idea was being floated that ALTHOUGH growth did seem to be happening, it’s the wrong sort of growth apparently. I wonder do the BBC … Continue reading →

You would need a heart of stone not to laugh at the collective mindmelt the BBC finds itself in as its former hero, Obama, is accused by Merkel and Hollande of outrageous invasion of privacy via telephone spying. Can you imagine the BBC anger had this revelation came out has Bush been President? But it’s President Narcissus in the White House so the BBC has to be nuanced and so … Continue reading →

Folks, I am reminded that the Common’s Select Committee on CMS announced on 22 October that it is to hold an enquiry into the future of the BBC. The deadline for written submission is 6 December. Anyone seeking to make a submission should note that they have until the 6th December to address the future of the BBC.

Here we go with a new and on-time Open Thread. Off you go…!