OPEN THREAD

This is where you can discuss any BBC-related issue that concerns you. Please use it sensibly, no abuse and no trolls!

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80 Responses to OPEN THREAD

  1. Martin says:

    I see the BBC are whining over the proposed £75 million cut in BBC spending proposed today by Cameron.

    Needless to say Radio 5 have been rather hostile to it.

    After all why should the BBC and its wet liberals be forced to live like the proles that pay their salaries?

    I bet Carrie Gracie stuggles on her 92K a year, poor girl.

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  2. backwoodsman says:

    Absolutely outrageous that with businesses everywhere in dire straits, the chairman of the bbc trust, the man who is supposed to police the bbc, thinks they should get a massive above inflation tax payer subsidy.
    Even more galling is his spurious defence, that having lots of taxpayers money means they are not likely to be subject to govt influence – as if rubber stamping nulab press releases doesn’t count.
    Please write complaining and copy the complaint to your MP.

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  3. Martin says:

    I see that yet another home of one of the children from the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has been demolished.

    Now how interesting that there is no liberal outcry. Just how much money was made by that movie for the director, western actors and film studio?

    How often do we get the drug taking liberal luvvies spouting shite about world poverty? How often do we get the drug taking luvvy brigade spouting on about global warming?

    Yet what do THEY actually do about it?

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  4. mailman says:

    BBC want to start charing for you using BBC iPlayer…either that or increase the tv tax!

    People are losing their jobs and homes YET Al beeb wants to increase the tax burden on everyone!

    How out of touch are these people?

    Mailman

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  5. Martin says:

    mailman: Beeboids don’t care. They are public sector losers for the most part.

    The BBC has had a master plan for years to take control of the Internet AND the BBC also has plans to become Europe’s official state broadcaster. Just look at how the BBC arse licks the European Parliament and takes their money and in return promotes positive images of the EU.

    All of the above gives the BBC a stronger position and more money.

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  6. Roland Deschain says:

    If the BBC don’t want non-licence-payers to watch on iPlayer, there’s a simple answer. Don’t broadcast programmes on it.

    Of course, as Martin suggests, what the Government wants, through the proxy of the BBC, is control of the internet. They can’t stand an unregulated media which stops them hiding what they don’t want us to know.

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  7. Exon says:

    The other irritating thing that they promote is wind power. There’s a new Jockanese forest of windmills gone up and they had the usual suspects like the Carbon Trust waffling along about ‘generating 40% of our electricity from renewables’
    FFS!
    No mention of tidal and oceanic currents which are far more powerful and reliable, no mention of nuclear power, just talking up these idiotic twizzle-sticks.

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  8. George R says:

    Typical BBC omissions on Labour’s continuing mass immigration stealth ‘policy’:

    BBC headline (‘World’ page):

    “More Eastern Europeans leaving UK”

    -Not mentioned by BBC:-

    1.)such migrants will be back anytime they want, under E.U. rules (which over-ride UK national sovereignty);

    2.)the UK Labour government (supported by Tories and Lib Dems) campaign for the entry of 75 million Muslim Turks into the E.U.; million(s) of these Turks would be expected to become British residents, and so speed up the process of the Islamization of Britain (and of Europe);

    3.)Most British MPs, and the BBC appear to be out of touch with the views of the British people on mass immigration:

    ‘Migrationwatch.org’:

    May 20, 2009

    “Public want a massive cut in immigration:
    Nearly 80 per cent concerned about the issue”

    [Extract]:

    “A new poll has found that more than 7 out of 10 adults want immigration cut by over 80%. Just 1 in 20 adults support the current level.

    “The YouGov poll, which was commissioned by Migrationwatch for the Cross Party Group on Balanced Migration, found that 79 per cent of people were ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about the issue of immigration. ” (‘Migrationwatch’.)

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  9. d says:

    Martin “How often do we get the drug taking liberal luvvies spouting shite about world poverty?”

    Absolutely right. The lefty idiots often spout “they have to live on less than a Dollar a day” what a basic economics stundent will know is that a dollar is worth more in a poor country than a rich one. A Dollar may buy enough food in the poorest countries. Hand wringing and the spreading of guilt – thats what we do.

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  10. Grant says:

    Funny moment on the Daily Politics today when discussing the Tory proposal to freeze the licence fee.
    Andrew Neil said he has had about 20 reminders for his even though he has paid it.
    Even Beeboids are not exempt !

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  11. Anonymous says:

    Robert Spencer talks free speech and censorship on the Savage Nation..(The repulsive Labour government has banned Michael Savage from entering Britain while allowing Preachers of Hate Islamic extremists a safe haven in Britain)
    Audio:YouTube

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  12. Anonymous says:

    why don’t they advertise on the iplayer, just on the edge and not during the programme, that would get revenue to fund the whole internet side of it. they really are retards. the guy on the daily politics show refers to it as good value for money. not when they have left wing news agenda, which i am forced to pay for.

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  13. John Bosworth says:

    Martin said, “I see the BBC are whining over the proposed £75 million cut in BBC spending proposed today by Cameron.”

    It’s important to understand how the BBC have dealt with proposed spending cuts in past years. They always cut the most VISIBLE areas of their operation, so the audience would become fearful and come to the corporation’s defence.

    Hence, a budget cut on radio 4 was sure to produce howls of anguish from faithful listeners, while new office decorations could proceed, the finest food could still be consumed by heads of department and taxis could be kept waiting hours with their meters ticking away licence fees while the producers who’d booked them were distracted by other things. Every former employee has numerous ‘war stories’ about expenses.

    Perhaps a Telegraph journalist could now turn his/her eyes toward the expenses of BBC employees. Start by a quick quiz of taxi drivers parked outside Television Center.

    The financial “plight’ of the BBC can be summed up by a quote that I read years ago from a former producer of “Any Questions” who said that if there were budget cuts she’d simply have to cut back on the smoked salmon and wine at the (pre-broadcast) dinner. She may have only been joking but she spoke the truth.

    Also, perhaps in the spirit of openness, programme budgets should be published (and I don’t include performers’ fees which I suppose should remain confidential) but general expenses.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    HOW BUSH DOCTRINE BATTERS ISLAMISTS:

    FORMER President George W. Bush’s policy of en couraging Middle East democratization has just produced spectacular results in the Kuwaiti general election. New York Post

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  15. Not a sheep says:

    Nick Robinson’s current piece has an interesting turn of phrase “The Tory leader has struggled to get much attention for his call for a general election to elect a new Parliament to go along with a new Speaker. This, despite the fact that he is working in partnership with the Sun.”

    An interesting allegation to make…

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  16. cassandra says:

    What a fabulous way to make the BBC commissars tremble and squirm, freeze the licence untill reforms and real cost savings are made, in fact make the BBC commissars really squirm and take away their bonuses!

    The Tories could also fire the top BBC commissars and hire real people with real experience in the private sector, this would make the leftist parasites cry buckets, the Tories could even go further and make the BBC trust independent and transparent with a real complaints procedure.

    The BBC political zealots have run wild like spoiled children, they have been left alone and now they feel invincible and untouchable, their narrow and perverted prejudice oozes from everything they do, time for change and this time lets hope they given a smacking they will never forget!

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  17. Millie Tant says:

    For an organisation that lives by the TV tax licence fee, you’d think the BBC would at least know how to spell it, wouldn’t you?

    Not so: on the Daily Politics today a caption on the screen proclaimed their ignorance for all to see.

    It is too much for the B’oid brains to grasp, apparently. It is too much for them to take the trouble to get things right.

    Here for you, B’oidy oidy lazy illiterate lumps, is the word you need:
    L I C E N C E

    As in

    The LICENCE fee.

    Got it?

    That is a noun, by the way. (I mention that in the hope, more than expectation, that you know what a noun is. )

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  18. field.size says:

    The BBC iplayer: Typical BBC infiltration into any form of communication, then either force out the independant opposition or demand a “licence” fee for the content. WE have already paid for the the ****ing content, like it, watch it or not. I hope they try to go subscription for it…. and end up cutting their own stinking throats when the idea catches on… for the rest of their 5th rate output.

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  19. Ratass Shagged says:

    Can anyone tell me why every link I click on this blog takes me to a “Page Not Found”?

    Every link is enveloped in a flaming secure server blogger html page, such as the link someone posted to a melanie phillips article:-

    https://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dwww.spectator.co.uk/melaniephillips/3630461/a-lethal-double-standard.thtml#comments%E2%80%9D

    Annoying. Especially as clicking it in the comments pages means there is no back broswer button to return, so I have to find and scroll down the comments all over again.

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  20. Grant says:

    But they have enough money for Jonathan Ross and the move to Salford.

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  21. Jack Bauer says:

    Ratass Shagged said…
    Can anyone tell me why every link I click on this blog takes me to a “Page Not Found”?
    The Illiminati.

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  22. Jack Bauer says:

    See they even screwed my message!

    THE ILLUMINATI

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  23. Grant says:

    I am I the only person who finds the number postings by people using the name “anoymous” ( however many they are ), anonymice, confusing and frustrating ?
    Why can’y they post under a unique name like everyone else here ?

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  24. Millie Tant says:

    So now we discover that the B’oid Twits are now spending *OUR MONEY* on teaching the B’oidy boid brains how to use TWITTER.

    See link for details:

    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1033345

    (If the link doesn’t work, just Google BBC Transparency.)

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  25. nrg says:

    Neat intervention by Prick Robinson on evening news tonight. Firstly he clarified what the Great Leader’s meant to say regarding by an election being a source of chaos (democracy is bad) and poured scorn on Conservative strategy.

    Is he angling for Damien McBride’s job?

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  26. Peter says:

    Not a sheep said…
    An interesting allegation to make…
    2:51 PM, May 20, 2009
    Indeed. And not one that escaped notice already.

    nrg said…
    Neat intervention by Prick Robinson…
    Is he angling for Damien McBride’s job?
    6:27 PM, May 20, 2009
    Interesting. Does one add ‘intervention’ as part of the ‘events interpretation’ part of the enhanced narrative?

    Maybe the McBride homage might be a real possibility. Not that it ended too well. If he does end up be ‘looked after’ by those who remember past favours, it will be a fun one to watch being spun.

    Maybe it’s all down to not having enough hush money per Mr. Lyon’s threa… er… caution.

    Mr. Cameron, and others, might do well to watch their words, lest Aunty accidently leaves a horse’s behind in his bed. They have made enough of late, and must have a few knocking around to use as ‘messages’.

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  27. David Preiser says:

    A follow-up to my comment last night about the BBC dramatically misrepresenting Congress’s denial of funding for the President’s cunning plan to close Guantanamo.

    As I said, the Beeboids were saying it was a mere “hiccup”, and that the concern was that the White House plan was underfunded. I said that wasn’t true.

    Here’s what actually happened:

    Democrats on Capitol Hill Rebel Against President Obama’s Guantanamo Bay Plan

    Republicans have been raising alarm bells for weeks about the prospect of Obama’s planned Guantanamo closure.

    Where will the detainees go, they’ve asked over and over. Will they be tried in the United States? And will former detainees, if cleared of the charges against them, be walking the U.S. streets?

    Democrats have answered by rejecting Obama’s request for money to start the base closure.

    Oh, sure, you say, that’s just what the nasty Republicans saying because they hate Him and want to stop His plans for us. He would never release real terrorists on US streets or anywhere else they can cause harm. Except:

    Democrats have answered by rejecting Obama’s request for money to start the base closure.

    “Democrats under no circumstances will move forward without a comprehensive, responsible plan from the president. We will never allow terrorists to be released into the United States,” declared Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, at a press conference Tuesday after meeting with other Democratic senators.

    So it’s not really about underfunding at all, is it, BBC? That’s the the Democrat leader of the Senate, Harry Reid. Of course, Reid’s approval numbers are way down, and he faces re-election next year, so he really must think The Obamessiah’s plan is bad and will piss off his constituents. The funny thing is that the President is going to Las Vegas in a few days for a fundraising event for the very same Sen. Reid. (Read the rest of the article to see how much economic damage His careless, neo-Marxist speech has done to the economy in Nevada.)

    In any case, the BBC has now found a way to sweep this under the rug, glossing over it in a story about a judge ruling that only actual Taliban or Al Qaeda members can be detained indefinitely.

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  28. Peter says:

    Grant 6:19 PM, May 20, 2009
    I am I the only person who finds the number postings by people using the name “anoymous” ( however many they are ), anonymice, confusing and frustrating ?
    Amongst other things, no, you can add me.

    Especially as I now seem to have been retrograded to having to enter all my details again to make each post, which makes this system as glitchy as dear old Halo, without all the nice bits.

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  29. JohnA says:

    The BBC are not facing any “cuts”. They are simply facing not getting a percentge increase that was meant to cover inflation – but as there is no inflation it would actually be an increase.

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  30. Gigits says:

    The suspension of the two corrupt Labour Lords is relegated to a small story in the UK section of the Al-Beeb website.

    What a surprise.

    I’ve blogged it, if anybody is remotely interested. No? Well, nevermind…

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  31. John Horne Tooke says:

    How can a reduction or freeze in the license fee “compromise on impartiality”? I can’t for the life of me see the connection.

    I noticed there was a mini debate on PM saying now was the time to change the way our parliament is run — things like “parliament has too much power” and “power should be devolved downwards”

    I have a sneaky feeling that the BBC would welcome this now, especially as their chums in New Labour are going to be annihilated at the next election.

    Funny that this has never been a talking point on the BBC for the past 10 years.

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  32. Martin says:

    So the BBC spend £15 million a year on flying. I wonder how much CO2 that generates?

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  33. Grant says:

    Peter 6:48
    Quite agree. I think the glitches on the new website need to be sorted out for me to feel better about it than the old one.
    I am not computer-literate enough to know how to do this, but I hope David Vance and his team have this in hand.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    Have a look at the Have Your Say on the ‘Should the BBC look for other ways of funding?’.

    Not exactly complimentary is it? Yet this is the organisation which is so biased? Anyone offer an explanation?

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  35. David Preiser says:

    John Horne Tooke @ 7:54 PM

    How can a reduction or freeze in the license fee “compromise on impartiality”? I can’t for the life of me see the connection.He means that if Cameron kills the license fee, the BBC will drop all pretense and attack the Conservative Government as viciously as possible. If you think it won’t matter then, I wouldn’t be too sure. If the license fee is gone, the government will just do what Canada did. You’ll still have the BBC, but they’ll shut down the orchestras, keep Jonathan Ross, and be even more biased than ever. And you’ll still be paying for it out of your taxes.

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  36. Anonymous says:

    So the Conservative attempt to freeze the Evil Empire of the Lefts License Fee has been lost this evening. Quelle supris. Once again Lib Dems & Labour MPs have given millions of us more good reasons not to trust them or vote for them in any election in the future.

    Neither party gives tuppence for the feelings of the electorate who are paying an unfair tax to promote a one dimensional ideology.

    And when they claim they are voting to retain the so-called "independence" of the Evil Empire – we know they are guaranteeing themselves the full and unconditional support of the Evil Empire come election time.

    It is our duty to support the Conservative Cultural & Media Shadow and give him every piece of ammo we have to ensure the BBC will be finished as the front operation for the crude, class warhorses the two Nasty Parties.

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  37. Mike_s says:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8057118.stm

    Almost every thing in this article is wrong. It gives a great inside look into how beeboids think. Let’s take the trouble to go trough the article.
    “This would go against the modern theory of counter insurgency, which tries to win over populations as the key to long-term peace.
    The modern theory has been enshrined in the US manual of counter insurgency. This was written by General David Petraeus, the man who led the surge in Iraq and brought a greater degree of stability. He is now trying to do the same thing in Afghanistan.“

    Giving the terrorist no safe haven or safe area is a tactic which was used by Petraeus himself in Iraq. (think Sadr city, Basra etc. etc.) At the time the BBC was very critical about Petraeus tactics. John Simpson said that it only would lead to a deeper civil war. Using two sentences out of a 280 page book Paul tries to imply that the book advocates a softly softly approach.

    “The basis of the plan can be seen in the dominance of artillery in the government’s arsenal.
    It has 157 heavy guns, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. These are led by 40 massive 152mm artillery pieces, called the Type 66, a Chinese copy of a Soviet weapon.”
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Army#Equipment
    If you look at Wikipedia you see that they already had these guns in 1998. But they waited more than ten years to use them effectively. These guns where designed in 1947.
    If they played a decisive factor it was there use in combination with remotely piloted planes which acted as spotters.

    “And the temptation to abandon the political approach and promise a military win will be more enticing for political leaders looking for a popular boost.”

    The BBC’s nightmare. The political approach has resulted very often in just a worse situation where the anti-democratic organisation exploids the perceived weakness of the democratic government.( think Taleban, Tamil Tiger and Farc)

    “The Northern Ireland experience and its concept of the long war in which political, social and economic factors count as much as military ones, moulded British army thinking on counter insurgency to such an extent that it based its tactics in Basra on them, with mixed results.
    When the moment came to apply force to the militias in Basra, the Brits were ignored by the Iraqis – who called in the Americans to help.”
    Many commentators described Basra as a defeat for the British. The Iraqis themselves cleared up the mass with the aid of the Americans. Here again the BBC described the action of the Iraqi army as being bound to fail. They described the iraqi army as just the armed militia of government parties.
    “The events in Sri Lanka will not bring a decisive shift in thinking back to the old days of might means right, but they will have an effect in this kind of debate.”
    What they mean is that Marxists or islamists have every right to violently overthrow a democratically elected government and replace it by a dictatorship.

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  38. George R says:

    Boohoo -from Obama-groupies: BBC, and its chum, S.Chakrabarti –

    BBC report (‘Americas’ page):

    “Guantanamo detainee move blocked”:

    [Extract]:

    “The US Senate has overwhelmingly rejected plans to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo Bay, and refused funding to close down the prison camp.”

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  39. George R says:

    BBC (‘Politics’ page):

    “BNP leader is invited to Palace”

    [Extract]:

    “The leader of the British National Party is to be a guest at a Buckingham Palace garden party hosted by the Queen, his party colleague says.

    “Nick Griffin will accompany Richard Barnbrook, a BNP member of the London Assembly, at the event on 21 July, Mr Barnbrook has said.”

    In this long, rambling, politically devious BBC report, a favourite BBC word: ‘diversity’ (code for ‘the BBC likes mass immigration, and censors criticism of this policy’), is given a gratuitous subheading, but the phrase, ‘mass immigration’ is not.

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  40. Qoooze says:

    BBC ‘biased in favour of BNP’

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/bbc-biased-in-favour-of-bnp-1686284.html

    “The BBC was last night plunged into a row over claims of “disgraceful” bias in favour of the British National Party.

    Anti-fascist campaigners Searchlight launched a formal complaint with BBC director general Mark Thompson after a series of broadcasts which, the organisation said, broke strict election rules on impartiality. Searchlight said the BBC was claiming the BNP were the main beneficiaries of the “anti-politics” sentiment caused by the MPs expenses scandal, when in fact the UK Independence Party and the Greens were ahead of the far-right party in the polls.

    A BBC spokesman said the corporation “is obliged to treat all political parties… with due impartiality” and said the BBC “strongly contest” Searchlight’s allegations.”

    There’s already a concerted media campaign against the BNP, but these single-issue groups can never get enough. This letter could be why somebody from Searchlight (missed his name, looks like a junky) is on BBC24 telling us how to vote right now!

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  41. Martin says:

    The BBC are trying to scare monger. If you don’t vote Liebour, you will get the BNP.

    It’s an insult to the people of this Country.

    The BBC are the real danger to liberty and democracy, not a bunch of cranks.

    Anyone else see the totally one sided report on the tory plan to cut the TV tax on the 10Pm news?

    The BBC really are arseholes.

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  42. Anonymous says:

    Where the hell is the Beeb’s coverage of the Labour MPs featured in the same edition of the Telegraph?!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8060563.stm

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  43. serom says:

    keith vaz on newsnight.

    nice light touch, and zero grilling over HIS piggy expense account.

    yes folks – pravda didnt die. its right here, in the uk, in 2009.

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  44. JohnA says:

    BBC reports on the latest stats on ummigration are saying that Poles are returning home and that asylum seekers are slightly increased. But they have omitted the bottom-line fogure – what was the total immigration. This is the figure that really annoys people.

    Who is censoring this important info ?

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  45. George R says:

    BBC-2 ‘Newsnight’ staff moan about any cuts in their budget and expenses, but why? -This programme is currently continuing to waste BBC licencepayer resources on the political propaganda of the long-running lightweight ‘Ethical Man’ US tour against e.g. use of COAL in America. Next stop: ‘the global warming deniers of Texas’.

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  46. George R says:

    BBC vague headline:

    “Arrests in New York ‘attack plot'”.

    One has to read through hundreds of BBC edited words before there is a clue to the motivation of these “four men”; in the very last sentence, there appears the word: ‘JIHAD’.

    ‘Jihadwatch’ clear headline:

    “Four Muslims arrested in plot to bomb New York synagogues”

    [Extract]:

    “Four Black Muslims in New York don’t seem to have gotten the memo that the jihad terror threat is all over.”

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  47. Grant says:

    GeorgeR 10:24
    Thanks for the link to that BBC report.
    It is disgraceful even by their low standards.
    The BBC really are the pits.

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  48. d says:

    The identity of suspected criminals in any BBC report is now only given if they are white and non muslim. If the BBC report does not give the ethnic or religeous identity then it is a safe bet the person or persons concerned are black/asian or muslim ar all three.

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  49. Anonymous says:

    George R

    para 7 – “The four, all Muslims, are to appear in a federal court later”

    By way of comparison:

    Fox

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520908,00.html

    headline – “NYC Terror Bust”. No explicit mention of their religion.

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  50. mailman says:

    Did I hear right this morning that the licence tax is being increased to £142 a year?

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