50 Responses to Open Thread

  1. cjhartnett says:

    So much good stuff on this site that I thought I`d try for the big themes to sum up much of the Beebs output.
    1. Heard Martha Kearney worry about Karzai not quite playing the democrat on the World at One(really need to get a job don`t I?). Apparently this Afghanisation of his country is a bad thing-and this absence of any democratic mandate and sheer contempt for the process is a concern.
    Meanwhile the EU sets about our energy ,force constitutions on us and hasn`t had its accounts signed off since it was created…yet we need to worry about the lack of enterprising nail bars in Kabul!
    2. As to work-if Evan Davis is lurking then you`ll not need to know his conclusions about the feckless white chavs that hold the multicultural dream back at Beebland.
    3. Shouldn`t the Beeb be done for being an accomplice to the “mercy killing” of Ray Goslings partner by witholding information in a potentially homophobic attack?
    4. Beware the “hung Parliament” and “assisted dying”gets a onceover until the plebs are reassured about climate change again
    5. That a secretary humping oaf like Prescott dare get onto Newsnight to spout his offal and be indulged by Paxman etal with no mention of HIS sexual bullying of staff just shows the BBC up for what they are.
    6. Can we now expect the “passionate and driven” excuse for bullying to be used in coutrooms and appeals panels when kids are expelled or on trial for assault and worse?…and why not?

    In short- we need to relax and watch the Beeb eat itself as it tries to hype an election-no doubt they`ll all be off on worldwide jollies before the end of the tax year so they can research “how the British election looks” from Hawaii,from Sydney and of course from L.A and Washington! My moneys on Dimbleby Major to bag the first pointless beano somewhere hot and expensive-been a beastly winter after all due to all this global warming they`ve been telling us about!

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    • Grant says:

      I like point 3.  especially !

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    • It's all too much says:

      I think it is about time that the BBC launched another state enforced organ ‘donation’ propaganda campaigns.  It is at least six months since I was told that I was a selfish sociopath for wanting to keep my liver

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    • John Horne Tooke says:

      Your first point is well put. The BBC don’t understand democracy

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  2. Beeboidal says:

    In view of the latest bargey by the Argies, I was wondering how the EU would react to any Argentine aggression in this post- Lisbon Treaty era. Wandering the internet, I came across this BBC headline:
    ‘EU rejects Falklands claim fears ‘

    Oh, what fears are those then, Beeb?

    “The EU constitution will not harm Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, the European Commission says.”

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4510831.stm

    As is often the case with the Beeb, you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.


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    • Grant says:

      I think Notasheep has posted on his website that he thinks an attack on any member EU state is an attack on all according to EU treaties etc.  Could be interesting !

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    • Martin says:

      During the Falklands war European Countries refused to sell us ammunition, the Froggies shipped Exocets to Argentina (the SAS had to take them out) and we got SFA form Europe.

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  3. kitty shaw says:

    The BBC report on this innocent Australian peacenik mamdouh Habib foully persecuted by the accursed Americans and their Zionist paymasters 
     
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8535960.stm
     
     
    What they mysteriously don’t tell you about this foul Egyptian islamofascist 
     
    http://aussienewsviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/mamdouh-habib-australias-left-favourite.html

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  4. Abandon Ship! says:

    Woman’s hour, the Monday 22nd edition, can be heard here

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/whnews

    Listen as host Jane Generic takes somewhat different approaches when dealing with Amnesty International’s Irene Khan versus a later piece on Sarah Palin.

    For example listen to Generic’s limp questioning of Khan about the Moazzam begg affair, letting Khan completely off the hook, with the latter essesntially likening working with Jihadists to working with the Catholic Church (huh?) and then droning on about “sex terrorism” (huh?). The relevant sequence is from 10.20 to 11.55. Thanks Jane Generic for your piercing analysis.

    Then on to Sarah Palin at 20 min. Jane Generic sets the scene: “Popular she may be with some, but is she credible?” Can there be any doubt that Jane Generic is at best bemused by Palin and at worst despises her. What would Jane Generic say about Sarah Palin if she was amongst friends in the BBC canteen or a north London dinner party?

    Then onto the edition on Feb 23rd.

    Listen how Jane Generic and chum (Daisy “normal mother” Goodwin, who is actually a TV producer and quiz show pannelist) treat an American Episcopalian pastor when he has the temerity to suggest that it is better for children if the the parents make serious efforts to ensure their own relationship is good. 32.20 onwards.

    Note the comment and snigger by Jane Generic at 37.54

    Note in particular how Jane Generic and Daisy “normal mother” Goodwin twist what the guest is saying to make men look like selfish, useless objects.

    The thing is that it is self evidently true that parents who sensibly concentrate on their own relationship being good will also, in general, have well balanced, happy children. But then again Jane Generic and Daisy “normal mother” Goodwin look down on men in general, and are particularly infuriated by the fact that the guest is an American and a Christian, and seems to support marriage.

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    • Grant says:

      I think I posted here already that when Winifred Generic interviewed David Cameron a few days back, one question was ” Did you play darts when you were a member of the Bullingdon Club “.
      I occassionally dip into Woman’s Hour and am disappointed that it is just as biased as all other BBC output.

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    • Millie Tant says:

      Your times for the two segments are rather confusing. 10 20 and 20 minutes? (I found them on the Woman’s Hour website, however.)

      Your account of the discussion with the American pastor is very different from what I just listened to. He didn’t just “suggest
       that it is better for children if the the parents make serious efforts to ensure their own relationship is good”.

      He was saying that families are too child centred; that it is time to focus on the parents and their relationship, with the couple as the head of the family; that it is a myth that the more attention we give our children the better they will turn out; that the marriage should be the priority.

      Daisy Goodwin was introduced as a working mother. Which she is. She is also married –  has been for 22 years – and has two children. She said she and her husband work as a team.

      They discussed whether the pastor’s idea meant yet another thing for working or non-working mothers to feel guilty about – not giving enough attention to the husband.
      To which he said he saw himself as simplifying the lives of mothers and wives, giving them one thing to focus one, one priority, to which Jane Garvey asked: “The husband?” If there was then a snigger, it was so faint that I had to strain to hear whether there was or not. I replayed it a couple of times as well, before giving up. 

       There was a very audible snigger though when the pastor was asked how he and his wife went about keeping the romance alive in their marriage followed by an oddly bragging reply: “Keeping the romance alive has not been a problem for us”.  

      Overall, I thought it was a good discussion of what is a somewhat unusual, even controversial approach to how we should deal with families and children. Both he and they talked about how they managed in their families and expounded their views, including anxieties, about his idea.  

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  5. Chris Kaley says:

    I’m listening to this daft programme on radio 4 called “Costing the earth”, where they’re rabbiting on about how our pets are damaging the environment because of their “carbon footprints” and they’re excessive emissions of greenhouse gases.  Needless to say, this goes unchallenged by anyone, and of course the assumption is that global warming is real, and worsening, and, and… we’re all GONNA DIE !!!!  So get rid of your pets, or turn them into veggies.

    Strewth, give me strength, why is the BBC so AWFUL ??????

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    • matthew rowe says:

      Yep managed about 3 seconds then had a fit !! flipping ‘exccess baggage ‘  on sat was as bad with their ‘it’s all melting ‘ bullshot !!

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      • Grant says:

        Chris,
        I caught it as well. Quite unbelievable.  I loved the bit about “it is easier to get dogs to become vegetarians than cats “.
        Beeboids are nuts !

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  6. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Yesterday, I mentioned that there’s a Tea Party movement starting for Europe.  Today I see that Dan Hannan is helping start one for Britain.


    The Freedom Association

    Those who look to the BBC to stay informed on US issues will think this is all very silly.  But I can assure you that it can be very serious indeed, can help win elections, and alter the direction of council votes.

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  7. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Plenty of bias on Today this morning, beginning with the segment on – what else? – The Obamessiah’s latest efforts on the health care issue.  Even Naughtie’s intro praised Him unnecessarily. He called the forum “innovative”.  Why is it innovative?  He was forced to do it because He and the Pelosi/Ried junta reneged on the promise to televise all the earlier hearings and debates, to make the various bits of proposed legislation available to the public, and overall general transparency in the process.  They did it all behind closed doors, stuffed it with pork, with sweetheart deals and special favors to buy votes.  The President was even called out on it by C-Span.

    So it’s not “innovative” at all. He’s been forced to do this little dog and pony show because He’s going to try to use that old campaigner’s charm and let the media do the work for Him.  But the BBC uses positive, supportive language instead of reporting this background for honest context.

    Mark Mardell, naturally, is continuing is Republicans-As-The-Problem narrative.  He even provides an audio clip from his beloved Obamessiah blaming Republicans on blocking progress in Washington.  Steven Hess from Brookings actually claims that the President actually wanted bi-partisanship, that it suits His nature.  This a joke, as the man’s entire adult life has been hardcore partisan fighting, from William Ayers to ACORN to Chicago politics to having his staff say that Fox News isn’t a proper news organization to every time He’s blamed everything on Bush and/or the Republicans in the last year.  Of course, you never hear any of that from the BBC.

    For Mardell’s part, he’s clearly read enough of the Washington Post this week to know that the whole point of this charade is to show that the President is offering the hand of friendship to the Republicans, knowing full well that they can’t go along with His extreme policies.  So they’ll end up looking like, as Mardell puts it, “the Party of No”.

    Mardell plays an audio clip from the Republican side, where Sen. Cantor states that the public doesn’t want this bill.  But Mardell dismisses it by pointing out that even Republicans say the “magic word” of bi-partisanship, as if to say that the Republicans are being disingenuous.

    No mention of the Tea Party citizen movement, which is the real reason the Republicans haven’t bowed down already on this issue.  No mention of the false promises and backroom dealings and power grabs of the President and Democrat leaders.  No mention of any problems with the bill.  No mention of any of the main reasons it’s come to this.  None of this is His fault, it’s all down to Republican obstruction and the nasty culture of partisan politics in Washington.  To hear the BBC tell it, it’s not His fault at all, and there’s nothing wrong at all with His Health Care Plan For Us.

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    • Cassandra King says:

      Obama & Co started out with clear policy objectives to achieve during the limited window of a clear majority in both legislative houses, they failed completely and are suffering the consequences of their arrogance and bloated egos.
      Obama is pushing his media stunt because thats all he has left, he is trying to pull the equivolent of the Nixon/Kennedy election debate where he can read from his autoque and the set up will favour him and try to make the Republicans look bad.
      Its a petty and pathetic attempt by petty and desperate people to trick and deceive rather than adress the real concerns.

      So there you have the great Obama reduced to TV trickery, a president so unpopular that he makes Carter look good and yet the BBC still clings to their hero.

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  8. cjhartnett says:

    Funny how we`re all saying the same thing in our different ways mainly.
    1. Womans Hour has got to go-what other fop forum is allowed to denigrate half the population(who are normally working while Garvey and the sinecure that is Jenni Murray smear and sneer)? Surely a Human Rights Test case here! Use their “tools” to dismantle them.
    2. We now are living in a post-democratic age as exemplified by the EU. It really doesn`t matter what we the little people say any more becuase they will hog the screens and keep their probosces filling on our very lifeblood. The BBCs rloe is to damp dowm,reassure and deceive as they line their lofts with our taxes. They are in the “taking the mickey”stage now in that we`re beyond irony and parody-sheer brass neck and the small vocabulary of appropriate,concern,regrettable etc!
    3. Turns out that Alexandr MacQueen was removed from his house under cover of a maroon blanket-no doubt the fashion industry note the “new black” and will be coordinating with Michael Jacksons coffin in due course…as I say ,we are now beyond parody!

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    • Grant says:

      Why ” Woman’s Hour ”  , but no “Man’s Hour ”   ?

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      • Martin says:

        Have you seen female beeboids? They make the England Rugby team look like a bunch of Brighton limp wrists out on a hen night.

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  9. Phil says:

    This website is extremely slow and cumbersome. I’ve eliminated my computer as the problem.

    The site got much worse after the last revamp.

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  10. George R says:

    BBC Newsnight’ tonight:

    Tucked away at the end of the ‘Blog’s meanderings, is this snippet for an item:

    ..”.considering how the BBC managed to lose money hand over fist while redeveloping key new buildings, including Broadcasting House in central London.”

    -Don’t mention ‘facing Mecca’, BBC Arabic TV HQ, and all it entails.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2010/02/thursday_25_february_2010.html

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  11. Grant says:

    As a fully paid up member of the Michael Prick fan club,  I have recently been posting on his BBC blog, under the name of my dear wife, Isatou. Apologies to her.
    The point is that the blog seems quite lightly moderated, so if any BBBC  regulars want to join the fun, feel free.

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  12. Biodegradable says:

    Man refuses to pay licence in protest of BBC Israel bias

    Jeremy Flashman makes no bones about it: “I hope they send me to prison.”
    The reason that 45-year-old father of three Mr Flashman is so keen to end up behind bars can be summed up in three letters: BBC.


    The telecoms engineer, from Woodford Green in Essex, has become so angered by the BBC and the way it reports Israel that he has refused to pay his television licence.

    Read on…

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  13. John Horne Tooke says:

    UPDATE: Guido understands that the BBC political teams have been told not to go away over the weekend.

    http://order-order.com/2010/02/25/bbc-source-bbc-news-team-on-red-alert-for-election-call/

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  14. George R says:

    A BBC classic  piece of propaganda for Islam:

    -how the BBC turns a report which states that there were 201 people arrested , of whom 66 were charged for ‘terrorism’ in 2009, into a propaganda piece for Islam:

    “Terrorism arrests rising in UK”

    The only reference which this BBC ‘report’ makes to ISLAM is to propagandise that ‘stop and search’ causes ‘radical Islamism’!

     The notion that Islamic jihad and Islamic jihadists are present and active in the UK in the first place, and want and intend to kill us non-Muslims, passes by the BBC, and its Islamic tendency.

     So, true to its political predilections, the BBC turns a report which points to the severe threat to the security of non-Muslims, presented  overwhelmingly by Islamic jihadists, into a ‘human rights’ campaign  on behalf of Muslims!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8536412.stm

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  15. George R says:

    “BBC’s landmark headquarters is £110m over budget as building projects top £2bn.

    “The BBC has overspent by an “astonishing” £110 million on its refurbishment of Broadcasting House, pushing the cost of its three latest building projects past £2 billion.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7317281/BBCs-landmark-headquarters-is-110m-over-budget-as-building-projects-top-2bn.html

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    • Marky says:

      Had half an ear on the BBC 10 oc news, one of the reporters said that the building projects were ‘value for money’. Who says it’s ‘value for money’ the licence tax payers who have to pay even though they don’t want to watch the BBC?

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  16. Marky says:

    Just noticed the ‘Have Your Say’ now doesn’t have readers recommended, would this be because the BBC haven’t liked many of the opinions that were being recommended?

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    • Llew says:

      I am convinced Labour have a hand in the recent changes and removal of the recommendations. Every topic that had the slightest bit of politics in it would have an anti-Labour comment at the top of the “Most Recommended” section, and almost always the following 20 or so comments would hammer Labour or the Mong.

      I think with the old system, it was simply overwhelmed by anti Labour posts they couldn’t reject them as quickly as they liked.

      Withdrawing the recommendations and the ability to quickly see the “best” posts means most posters will probably give up on it. With reduced comments, the Beeboid running it can ensure pro Labour ones stay in and anti Labour ones get removed. 

      It is of course highly convenient that the system has changed just before the election!

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  17. George R says:

    BBC imperialism pauses.

    “BBC signals end to expansion”

    http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article7041944.ece

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  18. piggy kosher says:

    All Jews in the UK should refuse to pay the dhimmi licence fee.

    The defence should be that the state broadcaster is wilfully disseminating racist and anti – semitic propaganda, harmful physically and emotionally, to the Jewish population of this country.

    Now that would be interesting.

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  19. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Utter nonsense, gross misrepresntation, and outright falsehoods from the BBC about The Obamessiah’s little dog and pony show about health care. (Due to comment limitations, this will be in 2 parts.)

    The BBC describes His plan thusly:

    The president and his allies want to expand health coverage to include millions of uninsured Americans.

    Gross misrepresentation, as there’s a hell of a lot more in this bill, but note the narrative:  it’s all about helping those in need.  Remember that for later.

    The whole thing is presented from the perspective that health care “reform” is the correct idea, and Republicans are blocking this wonderful thing because of nasty partisanship.  Even though they admit that the Republicans say that the country can’t afford it, and that it’s the same plan they rejected already, that’s not good enough for the BBC.  They do not present the Republicans’ opinions as valid, but they do present the President’s opinion as the right way to go.  Can’t get more biased than that.

    Regardless of anyone’s opinion on this issue, it’s biased for the BBC to take sides on this issue.  Never mind the fact that they’re supporting a purely domestic policy in a foreign country.

    The Dems want health care “reform”, says the BBC, but oh, the horror, they lost their filibuster-proof majority and so must work with Republicans.  The fact that they would ram this through unilaterally if they could is the furthest thing from bipartisanship there is, yet the BBC presents them as willing and the Republicans as the ones blocking lovely bipartisanship.  This is false, and bias from the BBC.

    (continued below)

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  20. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Notw how the BBC reports an exchange between the President and Sen. Alexander.  He speaks nobly about having an open mind, and Alexander obstructs and says they need to start all over.

    Since this is a BBC report, there’s something they don’t want you to know about it.  The President told a lie about what the CBO said about costs, Alexander corrected Him, and the President shut him down.

    Read it for yourselves and decide who’s lying.  The BBC won’t tell you the truth.

    They’ve misreperesnted the entire health care debate, and shown the President and the Dems as being on the good side, while presenting the Republicans as obstructionists with no valid position.

    The BBC’s Mark Mardell in Washington says that while the president chaired the meeting firmly, trying to drag the Republicans into a concrete debate on detailed issues, there was almost no chance of the Republicans agreeing to anything that was on the table.

    “Drag the Republicans into a concrete debate”, as if one side was being cool and it was only the nasty Republicans who weren’t willing to work.  Apparently “My Way or the Highway” counts as reaching across the aisle, when it’s Him.

    What the BBC also won’t tell you is that the President did most of the talking.  Not much debate going on, really.  Complaints were met with arrogance.

    “You’re right, there was an imbalance on the opening statements because – I’m the president.” Half the room laughed. “I didn’t count my time in terms of dividing it evenly.”

    If Bush had said this, much gnashing of Beeboid teeth would ensue. And here’s yet another unflattering image of The Obamessiah you will never see on the BBC.

    Totally Unnecessary “Nugget” From The Blair House Kabuki Political Theater

    In contrast, the BBC always went the extra mile to find unflattering images of Bush. Any gaffe, no matter how small, found its way onto the website and into news reports.

    Now, remember that narrative the BBC set up at the top, about how it’s all about helping the uninsured?  Here’s how they end the piece:

    The US is the world’s richest nation and the only industrialised democracy that does not provide healthcare coverage to all its citizens.

    Your license fee hard at work, promoting the domestic agenda of a foreign government.

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  21. Biodegradable says:

    Colonel Richard Kemp blasts media’s Israel coverage

    Predicting further outright condemnation of the IDF, he said: “Some of it, I am afraid to say, is based on antisemitism. There are dark forces at work out there and that is responsible for more of the adverse propaganda we are seeing, and the exploitation of the media, including the BBC. It is down to us to do everything we can to stand up and tell the truth and push the cause of honesty and freedom.”

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  22. Grant says:

    Just watched a clip of last night’s QT  where Nigel Farage was asked about his attack on Rumpy Pumpy.
    We were left in no doubt which side Dimblebore was on.
    Craig, if you are reading this, the Bore interrupted Nigel within seconds and then repeatedly.

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  23. George R says:

    Libya’s Gaddafi’s jihad against Switzerland: BBC avoids mention of any complicity of Brown-D.Miliband-Straw.

    Labour’s role in releasing Libyan mass murderer, Megrahi for a trade deal, strengthened Gaddafi’s hand.

    Where is Labour’s support for Switzerland?

    Such much for Labours naivity in stating Islamic Libya’s terror threat is over!

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8537925.stm

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  24. George R says:

    ‘The Times’ leading article on the BBC:

    “Big, bloated and cunning”

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/

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  25. 1327 says:

    Did anyone else catch Radio 4’s PM yesterday (Thursday) ? There was an extended item on the awful death of the poor little girl who was starved to death by his Mother & her boyfriend. The Mother who was a mental case had pulled the girl from school saying she wanted to home school her and wouldn’t allow the social workers access (or so they say). A senior social worker was then interviewed and spent the next 5 minutes or so basically ranting about the evils of homeschooling and the need for even more legislation to stop this and allow them access to any child. At no point did the interviewer question any of this nonsense or play devils advocate. To be honest it would have been far better to have had a home schooling spokesman in to counter it.

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  26. George R says:

    BBC Radio 5 ‘Film Review’ in full ‘socialist’ mode with ex?-Trotskyite Mark Kermode propagandising for Michael Moore’s anti-capitalist, pro-socialist film ‘Capitalism: a love story’.

    Two particular points:

     1.) Kermode said, paraphrasing -‘any film which ends with the playing of ‘the Internationale’ has something going for it’;

     2.) Kermode went to see BBC’s Robert Peston to ask him for this opinion of Moore’s socialist analysis of capitalism, and Kermode reported that Peston agreed with Moore.

      BBC’s so-called ‘Film Review’ has become, under Kermode an outpost of the 4th International of Trotsky.

      All this Kermode propaganda, meekly listened to by Simon Mayo, was at about 3:40 pm on. Check iPlayer.

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  27. George R says:

    BBC ‘Newnight’ and its political agenda tonight:

    1.)propaganda for Labour’s discrimination against men in politics (and in most other areas) – by Minister HARPERSON -whose Labour husband has somehow got himself lined up for a safe Labour seat;

    “Forget the sisterhood… Harriet’s husband needs a safe seat: Harman ‘goes missing’ for key meeting on all-women shortlists”

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1249099/Harriet-Harmans-husband-needs-safe-seat.html#ixzz0gf2Q1Yny

    2.)propaganda for Ethiopian Muslim, Binyam Mohamed, again.

    BBC avoids:

    “Is Binyam Mohamed a Martyr”


    http://frontpagemag.com/2010/02/11/is-binyam-mohamed-a-martyr/

    Newsnight blog:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2010/02/friday_26_february_2010.html

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  28. George R says:

    BBC Radio 4 ‘PM’ has just presented the first 16 MINUTES on the wonderful Ethiopian Muslim Binyan Mohamed!

    The BBC’s presenter of ‘PM’, Carolyn Quinn, must have been so agitated by her concerns for Mr. Mohamed (now in Dorset), that she neglected to comment on the conspicuous ABSENCE OF ANY CONSERVATIVE SPOKESPERSON IN THIS 16 MIN SLOT!

    We had long written statements from Brown, from D.Miliband, and  Clegg  was on, -but not a hint that the Conservative Party even exists!

    It is boring, but can be checked on iPlayer.

    And there’s more of the same on ‘Newsnight’ tonight.

    BBC’s Election tactic: EXCLUDE THE TORIES!





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  29. cjhartnett says:

    Referring back to 1327.
    Never heard the hatchet job on home education but it is par for the course.
    The State wants our kids groomed by their agents only-and those who get the green room schmooze will use no chance to slate families and anyone who despises their manipulat ion of our children.
    This woman who starved her child was firstly a Muslim and her schizophrenic boyfriend was guilty too. Any plans to register all Muslims and schizophrenics? Course not-because they might get some trouble!
    The clue is in the lackey they have chosen to smear home educators-a Graham BADMAN no less!
    Time for Home Educators to withold their licence fees and to take the BBC to court for defamation surely! 

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  30. Pat says:

    I see the Beeb are getting it in the neck on the Points of View pages about their ridiculous new Have Your Say format.

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  31. Wally Greeninker says:

    Concerning the removal of Alexander McQueen’s body: back in the fifties, a woman in our street who worked in a hospital laundrey had ‘liberated” one of a consignment of maroon blankets for use on her bed at home. By coincidence, few days later, she saw a corpse being wheeled into the mortuary and realised to her horror that the maroon blankets were the ones they used to cover dead bodies. She took the one she’d pinched back the next day.

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