Open Thread

General BBC-related comment thread! 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 it wisely.

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106 Responses to Open Thread

  1. Martin says:

    BBC radio5 have sTILL been hammering the Toss and Brand story today. The size of the hole these morons keep digging must be half way to Australia by now.

    The usual bunch of scouse accented Tory haters ringing in whining about the Daily Mail and how the BBC is the best value for money you can get (well of course it is when everyone is forced to pay for it!)

       0 likes

  2. Frankos says:

    radio 2 has that semi bearded tosspot Mark Thompson arguing for the BBC. He is under the impression that the BBC has a great reputation and hugely talented presenters–I would like to disabuse him. The worst thing about all of this is that the BBC think that the Ross/Brand broadcast (and a lot of the other dross they produce) is edgy but brilliant. Their standards are so low now that explaining our disatisfaction is quite pointless.

       1 likes

  3. Adam says:

    I want someone to explain to me why the beebs election logo is USO8 not US08

    Is there an innocent reason i am foolishly missing?

       2 likes

  4. Frankos says:

    is it just me –or has Mark Thompson got a really punchable face??? —Caligula said “if Rome had but one neck” I say “if the BBC had but one face”

       2 likes

  5. mailman says:

    http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OGFhOWY3YTZkMzliYjFjYTlkMjNjMGNhMTc3ZjYyMWM=&w=MA==

    Very interesting article that is applicable to how the BBC has covered for Obama…opps, sorry I mean how the BBC has covered the election.

    Mailman

       2 likes

  6. mailman says:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/3286392/Rush-Limbaugh-The-man-whos-always-Right.html

    Excellent interview of Rush, who has never been wrong…apparently (although he might have some competition with Webb to claim the “Ive never been wrong” crown 🙂

    Mailman

       2 likes

  7. dave fordwych says:

    Well spotted Adam.

    Any Beeboid care to enlighten us?

       2 likes

  8. mailman says:

    Sorry for the link spamming, but it looks like the Obamapalooza08 love fest on the other night was a flop;

    http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/31/obamamercial-a-flop-with-critics-ratings/

    Interestingly, if this guys audience was so huge, and considering its nationwide broadcast, how come so few people actually watched the show?

    Anyone know if Webb has covered this point? 🙂

    Mailman

       2 likes

  9. Devil's Advocate says:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7699509.stm

    Bit of an odd one for the Beeb. A soldier telling Obama that “to say Iraq is a mistake is an insult” (my paraphrasing).

    Of course the INVASION of Iraq was a mistake, the TRUE reasons for which will never be known (except it wasn’t what the politicians said), but perhaps Obama isn’t making enough of an effort to praise the troops. Maybe Mr Webb should have a word in his ear.

    Or is there subtle leftie bias in this? Are the BBC showing the soldier to draw Obama into praising the troops? A hint here, a hint there, “Here, o Saviour – do this; it’ll help you win!”

       2 likes

  10. GCooper says:

    Devil’s Advocate writes: ”
    Of course the INVASION of Iraq was a mistake…”

    There’s no ‘of course’ about it. It is far too early for such sweeping judgements to be made. Unless you’re George Galloway, of course. Or work for the BBC.

       2 likes

  11. Demosthenes says:

    Adam | 31.10.08 – 1:37 pm

    I want someone to explain to me why the beebs election logo is USO8 not US08

    Is there an innocent reason i am foolishly missing?

    So that people reading it (on air or otherwise) will conform to the preferred

    U.S. oh-eight

    rather than

    U.S. zero eight.

       2 likes

  12. ipreferred says:

    Also it’s the font.

       2 likes

  13. Grant says:

    A few gems from News at One just now, with Sophie ” I don’t know the meaning of negative equity” Raworth.

    Rand and Toss- The BBC are still pushing the view that, since “young” people don’t see a problem, everything is OK. Amazing. Ageism by the BBC.

    Pesto- Robert Peston was on cracking form, very miffed that Barclays have gone to the Middle East for funding. Seemed to imply that British nationalisation is better than Arab nationalisation. Racism, Robert Peston ?

    The high point , for me, was when he pronounced Qatar as ” Catta “, as in “Cat”.

    Nick Clegg- interviewed by Sophie who was asking him about the effect of the “downturn ” on people’s mental health ( a serious topic ). Clegg used the word “recession” in the first sentence of his reply. I wonder when , at the end of this quarter, a technical recession is confirmed, what will the BBC call it ? Maybe, a “double downturn” ?

       2 likes

  14. mailman says:

    DA,

    The reasons for the invasion are pretty well documented…I thought it was all about the oil 😉

    Mailman

       2 likes

  15. The Omega Man says:

    Devil’s Advocate: the TRUE reasons for [INVASION of Iraq] will never be known..

    Utter bollocks: the reasons are well known, and found to be accurate.

    http://www.qando.net/archives/002062.htm

    It is true that the BBC and other anti-American fellow travellers will never accept these as reasons, but the BBC goes further in disgracefully trying to deny even their existance so that no-one can ever be allowed to make up their own minds.

       2 likes

  16. NotaSheep says:

    I think you will find that Qatar is pronounced as Catar.

       2 likes

  17. George R says:

    The BBC has a report on Arab financing (Abu Dhabi and Qatar) of Barclays Bank:

    “Barclays secure Middle East cash”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7701405.stm

    While incorporating factual information, the BBC report does not include the strong criticism of this deal which Lib Dem’s Vince Cable has made (including on today’s BBC Radio 4 ‘World at One’):

    “Barclays’ Middle East funding under fire”

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/31/barclay-sovereignwealthfunds

    And – ‘sharia finance watch’ has:
    http://www.shariahfinancewatch.org/blog/2008/10/31/barclays-a-leader-in-shariah-compliant-finance-gets-a-6-billion-dollar-capital-injection-of-funds-from-the-middle-east/

       2 likes

  18. Grant says:

    Notasheep 3:35

    How did I guess I might spark a discussion on arabic pronunciation ?

    I would suggest that the first letter starts as a hard “k” at the front of the mouth and moves towards a “g” in the throat, without being gutteral. So a sort of halfway house between “k” and “g”.

    The “a” sounds like a cross between “a” and “aw”.

    The “t” is similar to the english.

    The “ar” is a more open “a” than the first “a” and the “r” has a slight rolling to it.

    But, it is certainly not pronounced the way Robert Peston said it today !

       2 likes

  19. Peregrine says:

    Don’t be ridiculous Omega Man, all you have linked to there is the stated reasons with proof. Those of us in the know realise that the “it was for oil” conspiracy is hiding a much deeper truth: The lizards in charge of the new global order needed the breeding grounds for their next generation, which can only be found in the catacombs of the old cities of UR.

       2 likes

  20. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Justin Webb’s latest includes this gem:

    Dine with Mover and Shaker Democrats right now and the refrain is always the same: “Can this just be over?”

    Has ol’ Justin ever dined with Republican movers and shakers? As far as I can tell the only non-groupthinkers he has dined with were (IIRC) parents of friends of his children. They were the ones who, he said in his Spectator piece, toast “Death to Al Q’aeda”.

    Bad losers and bad finishers

       2 likes

  21. Adam says:

    Nothing is pronounced the way Robert Peston says it

       2 likes

  22. Martin says:

    Peston’s voice is so irritating. It goes up and down and he sounds such a smug shit.

       2 likes

  23. Millie Tant says:

    Perhaps we could have a thread about irritating BBC voices, illustrating the BBC bias against everybody who doesn’t have cloth ears.

    I have several candidates for a list of the worst BBC offenders.

       2 likes

  24. Jon says:

    Martin | 31.10.08 – 5:01 pm |

    I couldn’t agree more – once upon a time the BBC were well known for their beautiful pronunciation of English (hence BBC English) – Peston would never have been allowed to speak in the “old days”.

       2 likes

  25. Adam says:

    Another camp twat on the beeb

       2 likes

  26. Ron Todd says:

    Millie Tant

    Should only people with a nice middle English accent be allowed on the BBC.

    We should worry more about the message.

    As somebody who is a bit aspergers and has trouble with language should I be banned from giving an opinion?

       2 likes

  27. Grant says:

    Adam and Martin

    I thought we had got away from gay slurs and ad hominem attacks on this website!

    Still waiting for a linguist to demolish my view of how arabs pronounce “Qatar ” !

       2 likes

  28. Grant says:

    David (USA)

    I don’t know who Webb dines with. But, I bet it won’t be at his expense.

       2 likes

  29. Grant says:

    I just googled “youtube BBC spoof” and got into a really great clip of young people taking the piss out of the BBC. Sorry, I can’t do links, but please try it.

       2 likes

  30. Martin says:

    Grant: What gay slurs? All I said was Pestons voice goes up and down and is annoying. Jeus lighten up a bit.

       2 likes

  31. Lurker in a Burqua says:
  32. Adam says:

    Sorry Grant, i am being ‘edgy.’
    I heard it was important.

    Learnt about it on tv the other day, forget which channel…

    Seeing as i am apparently a raving homophobe i may as well play up to it.

       2 likes

  33. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    Of course the INVASION of Iraq was a mistake

    Utter drivel. There is no of course about it. Most sane people I know regard it as something that was absolutely necessary.

       2 likes

  34. Little Black Sambo says:

    In an English context foreign words ought to be pronounced in a fairly English way, otherwise they sound embarrassing or bossy or showing-off.

       2 likes

  35. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    Grant,
    Don’t hold your breath waiting for the gay-bashing tosspots on this site to stop doing that. There are some real scum here.

       1 likes

  36. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    LBS, just because you are ignorant doesn’t mean everybody else is.

       1 likes

  37. George R says:

    BBC’s reporter, one SYED SHOAIB HASSAN, tries to make his report as anti-American as possible, including this headline:

    “‘US strikes’ on Pakistan villages”

    ( It has a timeless BBC ring to it )

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7702679.stm

    Alternative report,’France 24′:

    “A suspected US missile strike Friday on a Pakistani tribal area killed at least 16 mainly Arab militants, possibly including a mid-level Al-Qaeda commander, officials said.

    “Two missiles hit a pick-up truck and a house west of Mir Ali, a town in the troubled North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan that is a known hub of Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, they said.

    “Officials said that the strike targetted an Al-Qaeda financial coordinator known as Abu Akasa Al-Iraqi and that there were unconfirmed local reports that he was among the dead.” (AFP).

    http://www.france24.com/en/20081031-suspected-us-missile-kills-16-militants-pakistan-officials

       1 likes

  38. Grant says:

    Martin 7:08

    Please, don’t take it personally. I love your posts here.

    I think the point that Hugh et al are making is that this is not the forum to discuss whether someone is gay or not.

    But, you are also right, I need to lighten up a bit !

    Let’s concentrate our fire on Peston and the BBC.

    Google “youtube BBC spoof” and have a laugh !

       1 likes

  39. George R says:

    And on it goes, as normal, a free BBC political plug for a Mr. Lammy, “friend of Mr. Obama” given a free page of propaganda:

    “Labour ‘has to learn from Obama'”
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7695376.stm

    Unjustifiable political bias from the BBC.

       1 likes

  40. Little Black Sambo says:

    Nearly Oxfordian: your comment rather neatly supports my opinion.

       1 likes

  41. mel simpson says:

    Depressed about Obama’s high poll ratings?..you gotta read this confession from a Hilary supporting Democrat campaign worker
    http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/a-hillary-staff.html

    “Put simply, you are being manipulated. That was and is our job • to manipulate you (the electorate) and the media (we already had them months ago). Our goal is to create chaos with the other side, not hope. I’ve come to the realization (as the campaign already has) that if this comes to the issues, Barack Obama doesn’t have a chance. His only chance is to foster disorganization, chaos, despair, and a sense of inevitability among the Republicans.”

    “What truly bothers this campaign is the fact that some pollsters get up to an 80% “refuse to respond” result. You can’t possibly include these into the polls. The truth is, people are afraid to let people know who they are voting for.”

       1 likes

  42. The Hum says:

    Devil’s Advocate writes: ”

    “Of course the INVASION of Iraq was a mistake…”

    Of course GCooper and Nearly Oxfordian are correct, as far as I am concerned GWB was absolutely correct to invade Iraq. That it took a man who cannot string a sentence together to work this out says something for all those “clever” people “who knew better”.

    Omega Man link is interesting, it seems to me that very few people have bothered to read ISG/Butler, but because of our friends in some sections of the MSM most people have missed this trick:

    http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/report/2004/isg-final-report/

    Click to access butler.pdf

    Peregrine:

    “The lizards in charge of the new global order needed the breeding grounds for their next generation, which can only be found in the catacombs of the old cities of UR.”

    I don’t know if this is a serious comment but if it is then David Icke is alive and well………

       1 likes

  43. George R says:

    Unfortunately there is part 4 of BBC Schama’s TV series, ‘The American Future’ screened at 9 pm GMT. More subsidised political propaganda for Obama, and for open-door Immigration policies.

    There’s a review of Schama’s book/series here:

    “How to Make History Badly”
    (by Nick Cohen)
    http://www.standpointmag.co.uk/node/594/full

    (An alternative view to Schama’s on immigration in America: by American, Lawrence Auster):

    “Immigration and Multiculturalism: Why are the Conservatives silent?”

    http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/000637.html

       1 likes

  44. Kill the Beeb says:

    How is the term ‘camp’ an indication of homophobia? Does that mean I’m not allowed to say Graham Norton is an over-camp twat without being ‘homophobic’?

    And what the fuck is homophobic anyway? Homo = man Phobic = fear. Still has nothing to do with gayness as far as I can tell.

    This site is seriously starting to become more P.C than the BBC at times.

       1 likes

  45. Martin says:

    Check out BBC Newswatch. Female beeboid getting akicking over the BBC bias agianst Osbourne compared to Mandelson. AS usual the brass neck of beeboids ot defend their bias was amazing.

       1 likes

  46. Martin says:

    Grant: No probs. Been a good week for kicking beeboids!!

       1 likes

  47. George R says:

    And the BBC political bias, American branch, continues to its pro-Obama crescendo with BBC 2 ‘Newsnight’ tonight,-half an hour after Schama finishes (temporarily) his open-door immigration propaganda starting an hour earlier, virtually in tears at an Obama political rally; we’ll have the gabbling Scot, Ms. WARK, shoving yet more Obama propaganda the way of the subsidising Britsh licencepayers with two Obama endorsers (mentioned by her in her trailer for tonight’s one-sided political indocrimation session): 1.) Oliver Stone AGAIN! 2.) Ms. Toni Morrison, author of a book on slavery – say no more.

    Vision: a stubbly M. Thompson gives a solemn lecture on the BBC’s political impartiality.

       1 likes

  48. Martin says:

    George R: As soon as the latest BBC Newswatch is up on the BBC site check that out for brass neck beeboid defending bias!

       1 likes

  49. George says:

    And what the fuck is homophobic anyway? Homo = man Phobic = fear. Still has nothing to do with gayness as far as I can tell.

    The illiteracy is mind-boggling. Don’t you own a dictionary? Homosexual is not derived from ‘man’ but from the Greek word for ‘same’.

       1 likes

  50. Nearly Oxfordian says:

    LBS, you are not only a racist but an idiot.

       1 likes