284 Responses to Weekend Open Thread

  1. DB says:

    Wouldn’t it be terrible if people responded to these surveys in anything other than a respectful, non-mocking manner?

       24 likes

    • Matrecheese says:

      Survey completed

         13 likes

    • NotaSheep MaybeaGoat says:

      Do I have the time?

         4 likes

    • Charlatans says:

      Dear Mr (hidden for my privacy)

      Thank you for contacting us regarding ‘Newsnight’ broadcast on 1 October.

      I understand you felt Emily Maitlis chaired the debate with Jon Steafel and Alastair Campbell in a biased way and did not control the discussion in a professional manner. I also note you felt that Alastair was an inappropriate choice of guest for the programme.

      We appreciate this was a lively and at times heated debate on a clearly divisive subject. That said, we believe both Alistair Campbell, and Deputy Editor of the Daily Mail Jon Steafel, were given time and space to make their positions heard.

      We believe Emily Maitlis interjected where necessary, pressed both guests and handled the discussion in a fair and impartial manner.

      The BBC makes no editorial comment or judgement on the views expressed by contributors to our programmes, and our aim is simply to provide enough information for listeners to make up their own minds.

      With regards to the appearance of Alistair Campbell, we understand that some people believe that a programme should not allow certain individuals to air their views, we feel that it’s better to include many viewpoints wherever possible. This may include hearing opinions which some people may personally disagree with but which individuals may be fully entitled to hold in the context of legitimate debate.

      The BBC, like all other media organisations, uses a range of guests and contributors. Appearances are decided on a case by case basis, but I do acknowledge you feel Alastair Campbell to be an inappropriate choice.

      We do strive to maintain the highest of journalistic standards and we’re sorry if on this occasion you feel we fell short.

      Nevertheless, I do appreciate you feel strongly regarding this, and as we’re guided by feedback such as yours, I’d like to assure you that I’ve registered your complaint on our audience log. This is a report of audience feedback that’s compiled daily and made available to staff across the BBC, including members of the BBC Executive Board, the ‘Newsnight’ production team, channel controllers and other senior managers.

      The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.

      Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us regarding this matter.

      Kind Regards

      Richard Carey

      BBC Complaints

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

      YOUR COMPLAINT:

      Complaint Summary: Alister Campbell hypocrisy BBC 2 Newsnight

      Full Complaint: Dear BBC and Newsnight (re 01 Oct 13), Why was Alister Campbell’s hypocrisy and partisanship not outed and challenged? Why was he so unfairly allowed to dominate and vent so much anger on your programme on Milliband’s father’s Marxist influence? The enormous Marxist siblings influence aspect was of obvious relevance to be outed for a potential future Prime Minister, compounding his financing of his political ambitions mainly with union funds, (Unions many of which have strong Marxist ideals and historical links). Your interviewer, Ms Maitlas (?), let Mr Campbell dominate the interview with little challenge. The viewers who pay the wages need to know both sides of the story fully and if there is any political hypocrasy going on in particular. Since Campbell is mired in journalistic and political hypocrisy, some suggesting he was a massive, undemocratic influence, in taking this country to war in Iraq. Ex-career soldiers like me, who have been on the front line in war and also worked in an Embassy behind the Iron Curtain in the 70s, has seen the deathly, devastating consequences of Government decisions to go to war are all closely watching this man, suspected to have had an an enormous influence in undemocratic, heinous and lethal injection in the Iraq War decision process and we are questioning the BBC stance in giving this man such a free ride and enhancing his pay packet through my taxes. Roll on the Chilcott report. A very irritated viewer.

         34 likes

      • Wild says:

        “The BBC makes no editorial comment or judgement on the views expressed by contributors to our programmes, and our aim is simply to provide enough information for listeners to make up their own minds.”

        Liar. Can I have my money back?

           50 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        Bar a few words, that seems to the letter almost the exact same cookie-cutter patronising, insincere blow off shared by another poster the other day.

        The BBC, About As Impartial As A Touchline Dad


        John says:
        October 11, 2013 at 2:37 pm

        It’s almost as though they pay complaints lip service whilst lying through their teeth that they listen or care.
        Eh, Helen ’email address to nowhere’, Complaints Ed. Boaden?

           22 likes

        • nofanofpoliticians says:

          Ho Ho Ho… the bbc have commented on the Dacre commentary in today’s Mail and Guardian saying that they were unbiased in their reporting. Well, they would say that, and may have been unbiased in their reporting (although I’d challenge that very strongly) but they were highly biased in their analysis. Very duplicitous, as there is a very thin drawing line between the two, especially when they call in people to provide “third party” commentary.

          http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24508073

          Interesting use of quotation marks throughout the article too.

             20 likes

    • The General says:

      HOW TO MAKE BETTER ANSWER :- Get rid of Richard Bacon, Victoria Derbyshire, Shelagh Fogarty and Chris Warburton.

         18 likes

    • JayBee says:

      One word to describe Derbyshire?

      SelfLoathingLiberalCow?

         7 likes

  2. Guest Who says:

    Meanwhile, in the other news (literally), I’ve just had my emailed ‘Snowmail’ from Ch4.
    They seem rather keen to play down certain things (like Pol’s latest self-detonation) but rather play up stuff that evidently appeals more.
    I’m trying to figure out what governs such selectivity and negativity in the UK political infirmament…
    Royal Fail? Why are investors getting ‘free money’?
    Is it a triumph or a scandal?…Culture and Digital Editor Paul Mason will be examining what happened today
    Cable at odds with PM over Snowden
    Political Correspondent Michael Crick will have the latest.
    No doubting BBC Newsnight’s contribution to news accuracy, integrity and objectivity as an alma mater must come as a real reassurance to one and all.

       35 likes

  3. chrisH says:

    Any prospect of a proper scientist for the Toady Prog?
    This mornings pieces on body language and elephants pointing were pitiful nonsense( about 6.45-7.15)…it`s as if Dr Denzil Dexter from the Fast Show is their role model in Californian crap.
    That said-given that research now shows that elephants “point” with their trunks…maybe the “Elephant in The Room” there at the BBC might start to point at Blair, Browns f***in up of anything their grubby mitts managed to get hold of from 1997-2010.
    Instead of pointing at charities, think tanks surveys and the like-all designed to puff Labour up and to trash the Tories at every turn.
    Witness the 7a.m news today which said that Snowdon damaged this country more that the Cambridge Spy Ring did-and then its being knocked off the 8am news to make way for Billy Hayes soundbite re Vince Cable..which I`m sure he said a couple of times, so as to get the best soundbite for Evan at 8.
    That Elephant in the Room points not at Savile, at BBC payhikes and scandals…no, it points at business, Tories, the shops banks etc…and NEVER at the political scum who infest the waters still, long after we turfed them out in 2010.
    No David Kelly, 90days detention, ID cards, Prescott and temple, Queen Mothers funeral, Iraq, green taxes etc…borders trashed and mid-Staffs either.
    It`s as if the BBC and Labour have decided on omerta isn`t it?Why so, lefty scum?

       45 likes

  4. Dave s says:

    I may have misheard but I am sure the BBC reporters were calling for the Levinson recommendations to be instituted at once and every newspaper to be subject to a state censor appointed by the Guardian/ BBC directorate.
    Polly Toynbee would make a fine chairperson.
    Of course the state bureau of correct thoughts would need powers of arrest and imprisonment.
    And it would really have to do something about the internet.
    That surely is next on the list when the press has been silenced.
    As a beeboid what is there not to like about that?

       42 likes

    • bendybus says:

      I second St Polly of Toynbee for the chairperson role.

      After her performance in today’s Grauniad (which was nothing less than outstanding even by the her standards) I feel we could rely on her to provide an objective, non-partisan outlook on all matters.

      It was fun seeing Polly ripped to tatters in the CiF comments today and her feeble defence only added to the fun.

         53 likes

    • pah says:

      You forgot that they’d need a nice uniform too. A black one perhaps with red armbands? Designed by Hugo Boss?

         13 likes

  5. DickMart says:

    BBC went to town on Daily Mail’s factually based attack on the Marxist Ralph Miliband. Now seemingly silent on Guardian (Toynbee) real smear of Michael Gove. http://order-order.com/2013/10/11/polly-blames-headline-writer-for-baby-p-smear/ Surprise, surprise.

       68 likes

    • bendybus says:

      Indeed.

      I have new-found respect for many of the CiF commentators today. They tore Polly a new one – despite the attempts of her sycophants (and the moderators) to cover her fat tattered arse.

         54 likes

      • Scummy Leftard run BBC says:

        Business as usual from the lefties in the Dacre story comments though.

           14 likes

    • Charlatans says:

      This is so funny from Guido comments – it will keep you all smiling all weekend!!

      http://order-order.com/2013/10/11/guardians-bid-for-smear-of-the-year/#comments
      JH9324092309432904 says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:40 am
      Oh, do f**** off Polly.

      Stories like this seem to escape your radar. How deafeningly silent you are.

      Imagine if some horrendously white men had kidnapped and rap_d a muslim girl – der der! Get the 24/7 ticker tape ready! Synchronize watches with the BBC! Go! Go! Go! Publish a Saint Steven article, quick!

      Reply
      4
      Ed Balls says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:41 am
      Baby P happened on my watch Polly

      Reply
      49
      Andy Burnham says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:02 am
      Yeah but I let tens of thousands die on MY watch. You dozy amateur.

      Reply
      60
      Toe Knee Bliar says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:07 am
      I arranged the deaths of even more, illegal wars anyone

      Reply
      Ed Miliband says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:20 am
      Don’t forget me!

      My green policies left pensioners unable to afford to heat their homes and they froze to death.

      68
      O’bama says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:12 am
      That’s nothing, check my body count…

      Reply
      Allah says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:19 am
      You’re all playground amateurs

      93
      Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:25 am
      Pah, I blew up the whole planet, and everyone on it.

      Reply
      Alistair C says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:59 am
      Don’t forget me Polly – I helped killed thousands in Iraq – give credit were its due please or I might get really really mad and go bonkers on Newsnight.

      7
      lolwut says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:43 am
      Guardian’s only saving grace here is this is a CIF piece, not editorial.

      But still – I wouldn’t shed a tear if they stopped lining her pockets to write bullshit.

      Reply
      13
      Toxic Labour scum trashed my Country says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:45 am
      The Grauniad must be prosecuted for treason and employing morons.

      Reply
      20
      Hugh Janus says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:48 am
      Treason, certainly, but I don’t think it is an offence to employ morons. If it were then we could have a field day with the House of Commons.

      Reply
      38
      lol says:
      October 11, 2013 at 10:58 am
      if people couldn’t employ morons, this website wouldn’t exist.

      and treason? lol keep taking the meds dude.

      Reply
      83
      Andy Burnthem (1200 deaths and counting) says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:20 am
      Well the comments are running about 90% against her which is remarkable in this most lefty of all publications. The woman is as mad as those other fucking lefties, Harman and Abbott. I mean, you wouldn’t would you?

      Reply
      97
      Biased Broadcasting Corporation says:
      October 11, 2013 at 11:29 am
      She could spin for Goebbels, couldn’t she?

      Reply

         24 likes

  6. George R says:

    INBBC sticking to its ‘Norwegian’ suspect, re-massacre in Kenya:
    -Anything to deflect away from the real and present danger of global Islamic jihadist threat to non-Muslims, as indicated in the singling out of non-Muslims for execution in Nairobi.

    “Norwegian suspected of role in Kenya’s Westgate attack”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24480609

    ‘Sky News’:-

    “‘White Widow’ Lewthwaite ‘Key’ In Al Shabaab.
    An intelligence report obtained by Sky News suggests Samantha Lewthwaite is a key figure in the al Shabaab terror group.”

    By Alex Crawford.

    (inc 5 min video clip)

    http://news.sky.com/story/1152971/white-widow-lewthwaite-key-in-al-shabaab

       19 likes

    • Mark says:

      Did the Norwegian in question have Viking ancestry ?

         27 likes

      • David Kay says:

        were the vikings assylum seekers from somalia? if so yes he has viking ancestry.

        remember the cartoon vicky the viking? al beeb are doing a remake. Mohamed the Viking.

           25 likes

      • Stewart says:

        Like the ‘Danish’ bloke that planted the suspect package in the mosque, remember him?

           18 likes

  7. nofanofpoliticians says:

    Amid all the commentary today about the possibility that Royal Mail may have been sold on the cheap, the BBC forgets to mention two things:

    1. That Labour had planned to sell it too, but had bottled it, and
    2. They planned to sell it cheaper than it was eventually priced at.

    In reality, no-one will know whether it was sold at the right price or not for another 6 months ago, but heh, that doesn’t fit the narrative does it?

       38 likes

    • nofanofpoliticians says:

      ago = or so … (doh!!)

         0 likes

    • +James says:

      The BBC is pushing the line that the tax payer lost money on this deal. But from what I understand the money raised from the sale of shares goes I back into the Royal Mail, not the States coffers. So by priviatising this will save tax payers money, because the money raised by shares will be used to modernise the company.

         24 likes

    • Ian Hills says:

      Labour promised to guarantee the Royal Mail’s pension fund black hole after privatisation, too…..

         25 likes

  8. David Kay says:

    According to Al Beeb, British Terrorist Kieron Bryan who was arrested during the Greenpeace pirate raid, is just journalist doing his job and had nothing to do with Greenpeace.

    His twitter account casts a little bit of doubt on that. In fact, it points in the direction that Bryan is actually an eco terrorist with a long history of “saving the planet again”

    Praise be to Allah for President Putin. We can sleep safe in our beds at night knowing he is keeping those eco terrorists in jail

    @kieronjbryan saving the planet again eh? Somethings never change.Good man skype during the week.— Niall McCracken (@Niall_TheDetail) September 1, 2013

       26 likes

  9. George R says:

    Labour Party’s Mr Bryant makes unintentional joke of the day:-

    -perhaps wondering if he can follow in the footsteps of Mr Purnell ,Labour’s top appointment by D.G. Hall, Bryant describes the BBC as: ” the quintessence of studied impartiality.”

    Of course, the reality is, and it is hourly illustrated on B-BBC blog, that the BBC is:
    the quintessence of studied political bias.

    The Labour Party propagandists are concerned to keep the ‘Guardian’ and the BBC in their corner.

    So, the Labour Party does not criticise the ‘Guardian’ over publishing secrets of national security, instead Labour joins the Guardian in opposing press freedom, but excludes the BBC from control. And the last thing Labour wants is the break up of one of its biggest political supporters, the BBC.

    The propaganda battle lines are clearly drawn for the next Election, with the Labour Party politically aligned with:-
    the Guardian,
    the Daily Mirror,
    the Independent,
    and the BBC.
    Bryant:-
    “David Cameron’s baiting of the BBC may betray a wider strategy.
    “We learnt quite a lot at PMQs. But the most intriguing revelation was the Prime Minister’s dig at the beeb.”

    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/david-cameronsbaiting-of-the-bbcmay-betray-a-wider-strategy-8874803.html

    Expect Bryant to appear on BBC channels even more frequently between now and May, 2015.

       30 likes

  10. chris says:

    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/12/left-daily-mail-paul-dacre
    Paul Dacre taking aim at the BBC and Guardian’s “reach around fest”

       21 likes

    • George R says:

      Yes, an excellent article by Paul Dacre.

      Full link in ‘Guardian’-

      “Why is the left obsessed by the Daily Mail?
      The Guardian has published an extensive critique of the Daily Mail and its reporting of Labour, press regulation and the Snowden leaks. We invited Mail readers to join in that debate. Paul Dacre, editor-in-chief, asked for the opportunity to comment. Here is his contribution”

      http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/12/left-daily-mail-paul-dacre

         17 likes

      • CCE says:

        “what is worse: to criticise the views of a Marxist thinker, whose ideology is anathema to most and who had huge influence on the man who could one day control our security forces … or to put British lives at risk by helping terrorists?”

        Well the BBC/Guardian Comintern has made it clear where it stands!

           29 likes

      • Cosmo says:

        Now if we had a British “Fox News” that would really put a bug up the lefts arse.

           22 likes

        • George R says:

          They’d ban it before it got off the ground.

             19 likes

          • Chop says:

            “They’d ban it before it got off the ground. ”

            They already did, when they went on the attack of all of the Murdoch empire when he wanted to take total control of Sky.

            Had he have gained full control, I guarantee there would have been a “Fox” news or something very similar right now.

               3 likes

  11. Teddy Bear says:

    For me, the following article addresses the very core of how skewed the BBC truly is in their mindset and agenda, as revealed by their recently evidenced hypocrisy.

    I find the left wing mentality as shown by the BBC, Guardian, et al, and the Islamic extremist share a particular trait:

    The latter believes that whatever they think is right, and anybody who disagrees with them deserve death. So much easier than believing that there are many ways to view life, and see the differences as enriching oneself, particularly followed by those who have low self esteem.

    The former is really not different except they will bring about the death of their ‘enemies’, or those that don’t think like them, in a far more insidious way, like they’re really not responsible.

    So which is the REAL sin: to criticise the Marxist views of Red Ed’s father or to help terrorists and put British lives at risk?
    PAUL DACRE, Editor of the Mail, answers the paper’s critics

       27 likes

    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      I never actually realized this wasn’t a front page Mail piece. Is Dacre telling the truth that nearly all of the BBC apart from Sports and CBeebies spent a week on this and it wasn’t even close to being the proverbial frenzy whipped up by a front page Mail article and was just an op-ed? I mean, I suppose it can be taken as “The Mail” as an institution saying the elder Miliband hated his country and the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree, but does an op-ed carry the same weight with the public as a front page, above-the-fold story? That has to be a tiny bit embarrassing for at least a handful of BBC employees and other journalists. None of whom read this blog, obviously.

      I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard something dismissed as a mere Mail attempt to whip up a scandal out of nothing. Ross/Brand comes to mind, since it was one of those “we received only two complaints and nobody cared until the Mail created faux outrage” deals.

      Seriously: is Dacre lying that it wasn’t on the front page and was only their op-ed, or am I misunderstanding?

         4 likes

  12. George R says:

    The two article -in ‘Mail’ and in ‘Guardian’ above, are the same.

       2 likes

    • chris says:

      I wish we could all agree to refer to the ‘liberal left’ as the ‘authoritarian left’.
      We need to control the vocabulary used. Just as the left have been doing for 20 years.

         27 likes

      • George R says:

        Yes; the authoritarian left’s mantra for closing down discussion, is to throw out epithets such as ‘far right’, ‘racist’, or ‘Islamophobia’.

           22 likes

      • chrisH says:

        Good point Chris…but to be honest, it`s like the difference between Al Queda and the Muslim Brotherhood.
        One wants voluntary submission-or prefers it anyway-the other wants the shock troops, show trails and executions, albeit after the liberals have created some appeals process that does nothing.
        They`re two cheeks of the same arse I`d say-and the liberal left have bigger words, but less wish to fight.
        I reckon that the likes of Nick Cohen are OK though-nearly always left, but able to annoy them too…the ones that don`t upset the Left are the ones you need to watch…nearly all of them in fact!

           8 likes

  13. Richard Pinder says:

    Well maybe the secret services could leak the Balen report, Pollard report and that Helen Boaden Newsnight bogus Climate sceptic cover-up incident that was leaked without the full details.

    Send the stuff to the Media, Culture and Sport Select Committee and or Philip Davies MP. I have received evidence that they are asking for this type of information, if they already have not just received it.

       26 likes

    • Cosmo says:

      Shouldn’t the BBC be exempt from FOI requests ? Oh and while your at it lets exempts both houses of parliament and their incumbents.

         7 likes

      • Richard Pinder says:

        The BBC usually spends £250,000 or more resisting FOI requests, succeeds, and then fails the next day, when the information is made available anyway.

           5 likes

    • pah says:

      Yes. Funny how stuff that is damaging to Labour seems to have gone astray isn’t it?

         17 likes

  14. Rich Tee says:

    Article on the hardship caused by rises in Council Tax:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24482948

    No mention that Council Tax doubled under Labour, and that the Conservatives actually capped rises to 2 per cent, or that Labour controlled councils are just as likely to put Council Tax up as Conservative ones, probably more so.

    We all have to pay more Council Tax, when it goes up it goes up for everybody.

       27 likes

    • CCE says:

      Absolutely we have paid huge ammounts as a result of labour – all their increases are compounded and we pay that increase for ever (Has anyone evey seem a council tax bill go down?) but I disagree on one point, huge numbers of Labour clients and dole aristocrats – who use 98% of the ‘services’ other than bins – pay no council tax whatsoever. Similarly why is it a family of 6 pays the same as a couple in their 60’s with kids who have left home?

      I am nauseated by the BBC “Britain is starving” narrative and its slavish repetition of the Labour cost of living attack line.

      Yesterday we had yet another ridiculous story about the red cross collecting in supermarkets for the starving poor.

         38 likes

  15. Thoughtful says:

    Well I suppose it’s down to me to whinge about HIGNFY which I managed to stomach until Mark Steel (English version of Stalin !) opened his left wing gob, and then even friends we had round were asking for it to be turned off.

    HIGNFY used to be a program poking fun at news story, but today on many occasions the BBC wheels out some far left comedian to support its propaganda aims and spoils the entire program.

    I currently have 3 complaints with the BBC which have taken far longer to answer than 10 days. In one case I have a response telling me that they are going to take longer but without any indication of how long.

    I guess they’re finding extreme difficulty in justifying why they said that wearing the Niqab was someone’s religious right if they followed that. My complaint was that they failed to mention that it absolutely is not a religious requirement and why did they fail to mention that. Further it is actually banned during the Hajj.

    Obviously they know they got it very wrong and they are banged to rights, but they simply don’t seem to want to admit that. I expect I’ll receive some half baked answer sometime in the future which bears no real relevance to the original question.

       43 likes

    • Peed off prod says:

      I agree ,once upon a time i would look forward to watching HIGNFY but now i just cant sit and watch the smug tossers spewing buckets of not funny anti bankers…tory…business… pro labour bullshit anymore.
      How long before that useless fukwit stephen”how dare ye call me biased”nolan hauls his flabby fucking ass into the main chair cos the money grabbing…psni loving…shinner supporting…media twisting lefty bollox would slot in perfectly with that bunch of lefty tossers.

      Strewth……….

         36 likes

      • Rich Tee says:

        Me too. It used to be essential viewing but I stopped watching it several years ago.

           31 likes

        • chrisH says:

          Mark Steel
          Jeremy Hardy
          Robin Ince
          Mark Thomas
          Mitch Benn
          Stephen K Amos
          that Iranian woman
          Omid Djalili
          Any chance of somebody creating a “Lenny Henry Index”…a scale that puts these unfunny lefty “comics” in order of their need to live off the BBC, since they couldn`t fill a small pub room if they had to rely on wit alone.
          I`d say Mark Thomas is unfunniest, followed by Steel as a close second.
          Saw Brigstocke plying his trail on ski slopes in the French Alps…so to be fair, his hypocrisy IS worthy of a joke or two…climate change, prep school, turbines in the Cotswolds etc, leaves his wife for a showgirl…so I spare him this list.
          Feel free to include him!

             21 likes

          • NotaSheep MaybeaGoat says:

            Mostly with you on that list, especially Jeremy Hardy and Mark Steele, but you forgot Marcus Brigstocke (I wish I could). Shappi Khorsandi can be quite amusing on occasions and I think I heard Robin Ince disecting NHS idiocy.

               11 likes

            • chrisH says:

              That`s the Iranian woman-Shappi!
              I did include Marcus in my way…and, yes Robin Ince has his moments to be fair.
              Is it too late to include Omid Jalili(that it?)…and the gold standards of mediocrity at state expense-Clary and Brand(Jo or Russell…same shit)

                 2 likes

          • Andy S. says:

            Stephen K. Amos’ last DVD was being sold in a local “Poundland” not so long ago. Shows even the public don’t find this idiot funny if so many copies of the DVD of his act have been remaindered.

               8 likes

    • barlicker says:

      This week’s panel on HIGNFY :
      Paul Merton and Ian Hislop
      Pointless Richard Osman
      Hard-left Independent columnist Mark Steel
      Dan Snow – son of Peter, nephew of Jon Snow.
      Which of these are not left of centre?
      Last week’s panel :
      Paul Merton and Ian Hislop
      David Mitchell – Guardian columnist
      Danny Baker – BBC broadcaster
      Cathy Newman – Channel 4 News presenter
      And which of these are not left of centre?

         30 likes

      • Wild says:

        In an interview with Tom Hanks the other day John Snow said that if you are a TEA [“Taxed Enough Already”] activist in the USA you ought to be classified as mentally ill. Tom Hanks (a Democrat supporter) was visibly taken aback.

           31 likes

    • barlicker says:

      This week’s panel on HIGNFY :
      Paul Merton and Ian Hislop
      Pointless Richard Osman
      Hard-left Independent columnist Mark Steel
      Dan Snow – son of Peter, nephew of Jon Snow.
      Which of these are not left of centre?
      Last weeks’s panel :
      Paul Merton and Ian Hislop
      David Mitchell – Guardian columnist
      Danny Baker – BBC broadcaster
      Cathy Newman – Channel 4 News presenter
      And which of these are not left of centre?

         8 likes

  16. CCE says:

    Interesting article in the telegraph which gets no BBC coverage – natch – as it illustrates what we knew all along

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10374203/Welfare-cheats-quit-black-economy-following-crackdown.html

    “more than 100,000 people who were told to carry out “mandatory work activity” or lose their benefits chose to stop claiming welfare. ”

    Figures released earlier this year by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that between May 2011 and February 2013, a total of 146,810 claimants were referred for mandatory work activity placements. Only 53,720 started such placements.

    ministers suspect that others were already working while claiming, and chose to continue working while giving up their benefits claims

    My question would be is anybody investigating these 100,000 thieves and prosecuting them? The BBC would no doubt lead on the downtrodden being forced by Tory owned multi-national privitised hospitals to sell their children for medical experiments so that they can afford the bus to the food bank

       23 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Beware government statistics ! They pronounced something similar with the disability crackdown, and it turned out that the figures were absolutely normal, people who made claims but then found that they either got better, or weren’t as bad as the quack initially told them they were.

      Politicians of all shades will produce all kinds of dubious figures to justify their policies, and while I’m certain that there are some who are swinging the lead I’m extremely suspicious of the quoted figures.

         8 likes

  17. Doublethinker says:

    I went to a lecture last week by Robin Aitkin author of ‘Can We Trust the BBC’, and was heartened by the fact that after his talk 50% of the audience voted that they didn’t trust the BBC, whereas before his talk less than a third felt that way.
    It seems likely therefore, that if a way could be found for the truth to be told about the way in which the BBC allows its in built liberal left bias to manipulate the news and current affairs coverage, then perhaps a majority of people would want to see radical changes and perhaps abolition of the BBC.
    Of course there is no chance of the BBC allowing any such attack on its supposed impartiality to get on its programmes, and it would mount a stout and intimidating defence of its output, whipping up a frenzy amongst its liberal left defenders.
    Sites like this are a small beginning, but a much bigger audience is required.Perhaps Sky might start to reveal the truth about the BBC or maybe we could be saved by Fox opening a British service. If the British people are told the truth then they may throw off the shackles that the BBC has placed upon them.

       40 likes

    • Arthur Penney says:

      The Mail are now definitely running an anti-bbc campaign. The bias that the BBC showed towards Milliband Pere and Milliband Fils appears to have been the last straw.

         26 likes

      • GCooper says:

        It’s goof to see. The Left declared open season on the Right years ago. I’ve never understood why conservatives always think it incumbent on them to be the gentlemen. If the other side fights dirty, so should the Right.

           25 likes

        • Wild says:

          The Left will try to close down Guido Fawkes next.

             18 likes

          • GCooper says:

            They’ve certainly tried to muzzle him in the past with legal threats.

            As we saw under the Blair regime, it’s always the Left that masquerades as the champion of liberty and always the Left that is the first to trample on free speech.

               28 likes

  18. George R says:

    “It’s still all too obvious which side the BBC is on as corporation ignores critics of security leaks.
    “BBC website led yesterday with a claim by Vince Cable that the Guardian had done a ‘considerable public service’ by publishing secret material.
    “Story initially buried Jack Straw’s damaging attack on the paper.
    “Straw’s powerful intervention was not mentioned on Six O’Clock News.”
    By JACK DOYLE.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2455508/BBC-accused-siding-Guardian-coverage-criticism-release-secret-documents.html

       16 likes

  19. Thoughtful says:

    Well it’s all over the news last night & today how cruel Europe is in not providing luxury ferries to allow bogus asylum seekers to travel to Europe in safety & comfort. Having failed to get a sympathetic voice from the Italians cursed with possession of the island of Lampedusa they wheel out the prime minister of Malta who is royally pissed off that no one is funding his navy’s missions to rescue drowning boat people.

    The Mediterranean is becoming a cemetery he cries – they don’t want to come to Malta they want to go to Europe. The motives of the man don’t matter to the BBC it’s the message he’s spouting that makes him interesting to them.

    Lot’s of hand wringing about how Europe (no mention of the Italians) are not doing enough to allow these people to settle in Europe, and presumably the UK with no voice to the contrary that they should be encouraged to stay where they are !

       43 likes

  20. George R says:

    “Paul Dacre teaches the Guardian how to sell newspapers the old fashioned way”

    http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/10/paul-dacre-teaches-the-guardian-how-to-sell-newspapers-the-old-fashioned-way/

       16 likes

  21. John Anderson says:

    I have been away for a couple of weeks. I always forget how pleasant it is to be well away from the BBC and all its lies and twisted “news” coverage.

    I returned to hear them droning on about those pesky Republicans denying Obama a free hand to waste money. This morning they reported that some state governors are taking over temporary responsibility for major US heritage sites – Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Statue of Liberty – for which Obama’s “Shutdown Theatre” had blocked public access in a spiteful manner. No mention of the equally bad cases of the stormtroopers of the National Parks Service stopping veterans visiting war memorials – or the several cases where the NPS has been forced to drop its nastiness by local legal action.

    This first clip is an eloquent argument against raising national debt. Problem is – it is a direct quotation ofg Obama himself, when Bush wanted a debt -limit increase.

    http://www.cnbc.com/id/101099795

    The second clip is a guy asking a bank manager for an increase in his overdraft limit :

    http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/10/raise-my-debt-limit.php

    None of this is reflected in BBC coverage, of course.

       23 likes

  22. noggin says:

    The BBC after literally blanket coverage of T Robinson,
    and “decapitation of the EDL”, and their “fascist violence”, lauding the smug bods at the Quilliam foundation for over 2 days, on every facet of their media.

    but no time, no space on BBC news, England news, or even Regional news for this, whilst the film crew was actually with him for the erm “documentary”?

    Former EDL leader “attacked” in Luton while filming documentary … Luton Herald
    Tweet “been attacked in Luton town centre in a religious attack!”
    “Under attack in town

    mind you lets not forget who, the real victims are eh!
    i mean just ask Mo Answer or Mehdi Hasan
    Who needs T Robinson and the EDL when it is ahem … Islamo-faux-bia that has gone mainstream?

    http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/who-needs-tommy-robinson-and-edl-when-islamophobia-has-gone-mainstream

       20 likes

    • noggin says:

      Just goes to show, oxygen of publicity for the right narrative eh!.
      and Islams fanatics, (inc the UAF), will continue to attack with impunity.
      There is no point, in reason, the talk the dialogue, when behind it violence is right there waiting.

      The whole of the political establishment is to blame, along with the ene-media, their rank cowardice has allowed this, yet again their silence is deafening.

      The upshot … the public dissent WILL grow, and with no genuine outlet? with no outlet that isn t “veiled” in overbearing political correctness?
      ….. “there maybe trouble ahead, but while theres” …..

         16 likes

  23. AsISeeIt says:

    Three card trick

    BBC news reports have been standing the Lampedusa boat tradegy story on its head.

    Most of the victims we learn were Eritrean migrants but the BBC quickly switches attention onto the stories of potentially more sympathy endusing Syrian refugees.

    Bias, Agenda, Politicking

       22 likes

  24. Umbongo says:

    Admittedly I only listened to Today from about 8:00 am onwards this morning but I notice from the runtime schedule that comment on the Press Censorship Bill (OK “Royal Charter” to censor the press) was restricted to an “explanation” by BBC political correspondent Tim Reid and an “examination” of said charter by Jonathan Freedland a journalist from The Guardian, and Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour Party, examine the new deal.
    Freedland, to be fair, had some misgivings but no-one outside the left-leaning charmed circle of the political class and its mouthpieces got a look-in. Meanwhile the BBC enabled the listening millions to hear Harman doing her Divine Brown act vis-a-vis Hugh Grant on public radio.

       18 likes

  25. Deborah says:

    Was briefly listening to Jeremy Vine yesterday – all about ‘eat or heat’. Had a very distressed lady on – in work – in tears – all she could afford to eat was a slice of bread with ‘essential range’ margarine (isn’t that Waitrose?) with salt and pepper. To be fair she sounded very distressed – but she had a dog because someone had dumped it on her and she only put the heating on because of the dog – she would sit under the duvet in her bedroom to keep warm. Perhaps the lady was genuine – but if she was in work at a Local Authority as she said – I am not sure why she was listening to JV instead of working and who was paying for her phone call. In a real world she should not have been on as she was very upset and could hardly speak. But then she launched into a tirade about Mr Cameron. JV should have asked her whether she had made good choices – ie could she afford a dog if she couldn’t afford to eat, and why a dog with its own fur coat should need the heating on. He didn’t. She also admitted that she had a spare room so was hit by the wicked Tories bedroom tax although I am sure she had referred to ‘her own home’ – perhaps she could have let the spare bedroom to pay for her food (and the dog’s?) I am sure there are genuine people in this country who are hungry – and I am sure that there are many whose lack of food is due to being unable to manage their lives – but the BBC only seems to find the latter and blame it on the evil government who should provide endless money to provide for them.

       36 likes

    • Richard Pinder says:

      She sounded to posh to be genuine, probably one of those Labour activists and Islington guardianistas, on sick leave for mental illness.

         28 likes

    • pah says:

      I caught the end of this whilst driving. Vine said that they had been inundated with calls of support for her and offers of help, including money. She was grateful but no money thanks.

      Why no money I mused? Well that would involve an audit trail wouldn’t it and then we’d find out who she was and what her circumstances really are …

         8 likes

  26. Framer says:

    The BBC attitude to immigration is (a) lead on stories which cast the UK (and the rest of Europe – outside of Italy, Greece and Malta by implication) in a bad light and (b) pass quickly by the government’s legislative efforts (like Theresa May’s new bill) to diminish the flow (especially as Miliband won’t be saying much).
    The problem the coalition cannot address (and the BBC won’t even hint at) is the secondary wave of EU immigration. Every asylum seeker in Europe will get Dutch or Swedish nationality etc in due course. In certain cases this is done rapidly, within a year or two of arrival, for apparent ‘liberal’ reasons but also in the sure and certain knowledge once an EU passport is provided the by now extended family will make their way to Britain. This explains the one hundred thousand Dutch, Danish and Irish Somalis who have taken up residence here in the last three years.
    Without leaving the EU we cannot maintain Britain as a separate state. Fine if you are an international socialist or an Islamist or a rich metropolitan but should the BBC not let the people know?
    We could make it simpler and kinder and lay on planes to Rome and Athens and Madrid to take those migrants who are being driven north, in many cases literally, by being oppressed in deliberately crap conditions (i.e. tents)?
    Or send a liner to Lampedusa as the Beeb would have us do.

       20 likes

    • David Kay says:

      theres a way to deal with illegal activities on the high seas

         17 likes

      • Wild says:

        Insufficient evidence? Do they have to have a parrot called Polly and wear black T-shirts with a skull and cross bones on them?

           20 likes

        • David Kay says:

          the thing is with arresting criminals on the high sea’s, whether they are illegal immigrants or pirates, and prosecuting them in court, as the dutch have discovered, they cant be deported back to somalia becuase they might be treated badly, and they end up claiming assylum.

          no alternative but to let them go. thats why the EU should take any illegal immigrant found on their way to europe back to the port they left, after they have sunk their boat

          it might sound cruel, but its the will of god. praise be to allah

             21 likes

  27. George R says:

    Even in very brief Radio 5 ‘News’, today at 1 pm BBC-NUJ managed to get in 2 items of political bias:
    1.) it asserted, without evidence, BBC was not biased against ‘Daily Mail, and for ‘Guardian’.

    2.) in item on press and freedom, the only person on was H.Harman of Labour Party.

       30 likes

    • Umbongo says:

      Since the three major parties are agreed on censoring regulating the press, we might as well have Harman on as the frontman for the LibLabCon consensus as anybody else.

         16 likes

  28. George R says:

    Reporting Grangemouth refinery industrial relations conflict.

    1.)
    ‘Daily Mail’:-

    [Excerpt]:-

    .”..the future of Grangemouth has been held up by a dispute more political than it is financial.

    “It concerns Stephen Deans, the Unite union convenor who was accused of signing up union members to the Labour Party in Falkirk without their knowledge. While Deans has been cleared by the police and Labour, Ineos is still investigating whether he misused company facilities.

    “Unite members have rallied in support of Deans, beginning an industrial action that leaves the future of Grangemouth very much in limbo.”

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2449409/Bitter-stand-Grangemouth-Union-officials-head-crunch-talks-Ineos.html

    2.) BBC-NUJ:

    [Excerpt]:-

    “Workers began an overtime ban and a work to rule earlier this week in a dispute centring on union convener Stephen Deans, who was involved in the row over the selection of a Labour candidate in Falkirk.

    “Mr Deans, who is chairman of both Labour’s local constituency party and Unite in Scotland, was suspended by Ineos, then reinstated.”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-24501261

       7 likes

    • Albaman says:

      Seems to me that the DM is about 5 days behind:

      “Grangemouth dispute: Ineos says Unite is ‘fiddling while Rome burns'”
      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-24420533

         8 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        Maybe they were applying watertight oversight?
        Great to see a long-awaited return with what seems to you such a valuable contribution to a key matter of timing on topic, btw.
        Guessing a few other, more relevant areas of BBC shortfall are still a bit ‘no go’?

           17 likes

      • uncle bup says:

        i8DW3.jpg

           20 likes

        • Albaman says:

          Uncle bup shows his ignorance in suggesting that Scotland is a technological backwater. But hey, this site never lets the facts get in the way!!
          In reality the technology sector in Scotland is supported by a wide research base and excellent universities. There are over 900 Scottish-based technology companies and organisations with world leading businesses in sectors such as computer gaming and sub sea exploration.

             8 likes

          • Charlatans says:

            Good God, where is your sense of humour Albaman?

            Or do you seriously think those lovely pictures are a truism?

            Get a life man.

               14 likes

          • uncle bup says:

            It’s Technology, Eck, But Not As We Know it.

            An unused “white elephant” factory in Fife which was once the flagship for a £3bn investment in electronics now faces demolition.

            The former Hyundai factory beside the M90 near Dunfermline is being sold by its current owners Freescale to Tyneside firm Shepherd Offshore Group.

            It intends to re-develop the 150 acre industrial site as a centre for the energy sector.

            The huge factory has lain empty for 13 years since it was built.

            It was built by Hyundai to make semi-conductors but the firm never moved into the building and it was sold to Motorola.

            Motorola and subsequent owners Freescale, which had the building on the market for five years, also never used the site.

               7 likes

            • uncle bup says:

              ps and guess who provided the £3 billion.

              (Hint – it wasn’t the West Albanian taxpayers – all 270,000 of them)

                 10 likes

        • Buggy says:

          Tut, tut. That’s vastly amusing extremely naughty of you to post such a thing, now that dear Alby has kindly broken his hibernation through the long Caledonian winter (Mid-August to early June) to grace us once again with his presence.

             17 likes

          • Guest Who says:

            ‘kindly broken his hibernation’
            Certainly has, and on a ‘never mind the quality, bow down to the volume’ basis.
            Seems he got out the wrong side of the cave post hiber-dozing, as that renowned sense of humour that has so amused and entertained seems, well, absent.

               10 likes

      • George R says:

        Of course, ‘Daily Mail’ is up to date on Grangemouth strike plans; BBC-NUJ report is 5 days old.

        “Members of Unite vote in favour of strike action against Ineos as refinery row continues”

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2455232/Unite-votes-favour-strike-action-Ineos.html

           2 likes

    • George R says:

      Scotland: democracy in action-
      from Falkirk to Grangemouth, via Labour Party and Unite.

         13 likes

      • Albaman says:

        Democracy obviously works as we have an SNP led Scottish Parliament.
        No doubt you would prefer if everyone held your “Daily Mail Reader” views.

           7 likes

        • George R says:

          Who’s we?

             6 likes

          • Albaman says:

            “We” would be the people of Scotland GeorgeR. If you can’t understand that then it is no wonder that the Mail is your paper of choice!!

               7 likes

            • George R says:

              What happens politically in Scotland affects the rest of Britain:-
              1.) the Unite vote fixing for Labour Party in Falkirk,
              or 2.) the same political forces in strike action at Grangemouth, are NOT matters only affecting the Albamen of Scotland.
              1.) is a Labour Party corruption extended beyond Scotland;

              2.) is a strike threat from the same Unite, which could deprive the English and Scots of fuel.

                 15 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          “Daily Mail Reader” views.”
          Albaman… have you ever read the Daily Mail?
          If not, how do you know what the views of the Mail, or those who may read it, are?
          If you have, you are a Daily Mail reader, and hence your views are Daily Mail reader views too.
          Once your nurse has mopped whatever was left to explode off the monitor screen pondering that, your next pearls are eagerly awaited.

             17 likes

          • Conspiracy Theory Central says:

            Congratulations, you’ve just won the playground debating (age 4-6) prize for most puerile contribution of the week.

               9 likes

            • Chop says:

              “Boo-Hoo!….you right wingers are nasty, you use personal insults”

              This is something you sanctimonious tossers have used against posters on this forum many a time , yet here you are, popping up again to throw 2 verbal attacks at George.

              Hypocritical wankers, the lot of you.

                 2 likes

            • Guest Who says:

              ‘Congratulations, you’ve just won the playground debating (age 4-6) prize for most puerile contribution of the week.’
              Ah, but… who creates such prizes (did you all create categories above and below too?… that must have been a fun day-long meeting), and then adjudicates before making the award?
              All 8 (9 if you didn’t self like) of you?
              I also note the exploded brain in question had no answer, leaving it to you to ‘contribute’ in distraction in that special way of yours.
              Next you’ll be saying you didn’t read this and nothing here matters, before hitting the keyboards again.

                 0 likes

  29. Gunn says:

    Another BBC piece eulogising the adherents of the religion of peace, this time in contrast to hindus in India:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24492242

    The focus of the story is an abandoned baby girl who was rescued from dogs mauling her by a muslim woman. We’re told uncritically that the baby is hindu, on precisely no evidence whatsoever – except of course that such a narrative fits nicely with the BBC’s desire to portray muslims as saints of course. Don’t get me wrong – saving the child was very much the human thing to do, and to be lauded, but constructing a speculative narrative around the act seems tawdry.

    Suppose I was to conjecture (with about as much evidence as the claim that the baby is hindu) that the reason the child was found in the ditch was that her hindu mother had been viciously attacked and killed by a muslim mob, I’m sure the BBC journalists would howl at my brazen disregard for verifiable facts, and paint me as islamophobic.

    I’m coming to the conclusion that foreign governments should start to regard the BBC as a political NGO which aims to influence politics around the world in line with its marxist belief system. They abuse their journalistics credentials in order to construct narratives which are usually opposed to countries’ long-term interests.

       21 likes

    • David Kay says:

      how much is a non muslim child worth to sell to those “men”

         8 likes

    • Beness says:

      I listened to “from our own correspondent” (i think it’s called) on radio 4 this story was covered. It was a fawning piece, crowing about the muslim lady already having 8 children to feed but still took time to take in a hindu baby. The reporter said that she broke her own rules by secretly giving the lady some money to help.

      Then the reporter started getting hassle from the men around her and the little muslim lady stepped in putting her head on the reporters shoulder and leading her to safety. Ahh Bless.

         4 likes

  30. Guest Who says:

    Honouring the tombstone huimour of the unknown blog warrior, I did like one from this thread, inspired by the wafflings of a fortunately fully-clothed, well-respected party MP and BBC favourite:
    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/david-cameronsbaiting-of-the-bbcmay-betray-a-wider-strategy-8874803.html
    The BBC today repeated Labour’s claim that hundreds of thousands of people have been taken to court in England for non-payment of council tax owing to benefit changes with the ‘bedroom tax’ being highlighted. Fair enough. It’s a large number of people being dragged through the courts. But why do the BBC never report that about 200,000 people a year are dragged through the courts by the BBC for non-payment of the ‘BBC licence fee tax’?
    As, it appears, did a few other Indy readers.
    It seems some authoritarian legal impositions are viewed differently to others, possibly because of conflict of interest to a near unique extent.

       26 likes

  31. God says:

    From up here in the cloud I can see that it’s been a bad week for Noggin, Anal, Vance and the other nasties here.

    Tommy Robinson clearly didn’t want to lead loons such as yourselves. Vance and Anal love to confuse being a Muslim with being either a terrorist or child rapist (or even worse working for the BBC).

    The idea of ostracizing and hating distinct groups has long been popular with such luminaries as Tsarist Russia and Jews, Nazis on anyone who didn’t fit their stereotype and of course ‘commentators’ like Vance.

    Tommy was a useful figleaf except he wasn’t going to play ball anymore. He literally saw the light. Now he’s outed the bigots and racists here for what they are. Pitiful.

    Worse, he’s coming after you.

    A great week for the rest of us!

    RIP

       8 likes

    • Stewart says:

      Dear God you say
      “Tommy was a useful figleaf except he wasn’t going to play ball anymore. He literally saw the light. Now he’s outed the bigots and racists here for what they are. Pitiful.”
      A fig leaf for what or whom?
      And are you now going to make a public apology for any previous posts you may have made ,calling him a knuckle dragging racist or bigot or such like?
      Perhaps in your own name?
      I can see how recent events may have caused you some inconvenience ,who now will be your ‘ Emmanuel Goldstein’ who now will you hate?

         14 likes

      • noggin says:

        God? hmmm …
        sounds a lot like Scott on rag week to me
        :-D.
        come on are you the “God” of Jesus/Peace /Love and all that jazz.
        or?
        the “God” who hates Jews, doesn t mind child rape, gang rape, incest, mass murder, beheadings, terrorism, appears to have Alzheimer’s, and appears to bare a remarkable resemblance to Mohamheads sock puppet?

           19 likes

    • noggin says:

      calm down dear, you seem almost cock a hoop! … 😀
      is it because Mr Lennon was attacked?
      by the ahem! “righteous light seers”?
      in a “religious attack”? … hmm who could they be?
      erm did they confuse being muslim? …
      with immediate violence? (as he was only standing by a chicken shop!) … never heard that one before 😀

      God 😀 … forbid eh!

      if you would like to reply to my last comment …
      I ll give you a little help … have a point

      aloha snackbar to that

         10 likes

    • Anders Thomasson says:

      “God”,

      Now you know why I am atheist.

         4 likes

      • noggin says:

        I hope you re not the “God” of this imam, Scott … from 2 hours 20 mins.
        whose Mosque, according to the comments
        is a “hate-site” against gay people

           3 likes

    • Joshaw says:

      From your elevated position, it shouldn’t have been too difficult to figure out where the real violence has been coming from.

      Scan your creation, paying particular attention to Iraq, Dagestan, Pakistan, Yemen, Thailand, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Nigeria and Centrafique. And that’s just in October!

         14 likes

    • Wild says:

      I notice that even the foot soldiers of the BBC like Nicked Emus do not even try to defend the BBC anymore, they just attack anybody who challenges the Leftist narrative, merely confirming the charge that the television License Fee is a Guardian reader tax i.e. a tax on anybody who watches a television in the UK in order to fund a near monopoly television news and current affairs provider which seeks to undermine and subvert our democracy by pumping out left-wing crap 24/7 – and as if that is not enough for them is now engaged in a campaign against the freedom of the press.

      All for your benefit of course. That the tax payer funded BBC want you to vote for a political Party that is largely funded the public sector unions, which is keen to redistribute wealth into the public sector, is of course entirely coincidental.

      Even the defenders of the BBC have given up arguing that it is politically neutral.

      Increase Public Sector = Heart in the Right Place Angels

      Reduce Size Of The State = Racist Bigoted Lunatics

         31 likes

    • Andy S. says:

      GOD, I’m an atheist. You don’t exist! Are you Doris from last week posting under you new user name for this week?

         7 likes

  32. Jeff Waters says:

    BBC denies Daily Mail editor’s claim of bias over Miliband – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24508073

       10 likes

    • George R says:

      Ludicrous; and where’s its evidence to that effect?

         9 likes

    • DickMart says:

      This is just so brazen – the BBC are now becoming openly political. How can they possibly justify the disproportionate coverage of this item? Or the bear-pit of the Newsnight interview with Jon Steafel facing the finger-jabbing of Emily Maitlis and the aggressive Alastair Campbell?

         29 likes

      • Albaman says:

        “How can they possibly justify the disproportionate coverage of this item? ”

        Why not ask “Alan”. How many articles (if that is the term) did he pen on the same subject?

        Evidence of how the coverage was (is) disproportionate would be welcomed.

           8 likes

        • DickMart says:

          Read Dacre’s article. You don’t need to look at the Daily Mail: it’s in your beloved Guardian as well.

             24 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          ‘Why not ask “Alan”. How many articles (if that is the term) did he pen on the same subject?’
          And this has any bearing on what the BBC does how for the purposes of this discussion?
          Or is hall monitor also something you can switch off or on depending on how the mood takes you?
          If this is the calibre of effort the rest has resulted in, you really should have styed on station.

             10 likes

      • George R says:

        Is Cambell now employed by BBC-NUJ-Labour?

           13 likes

      • Jeff Waters says:

        The BBC’s response was entirely expected.

        It’s what happens when they police themselves.

        It’s interesting that they didn’t open this article up for reader comments.

           12 likes

      • Jeff Waters says:

        The BBC foists on us a skewed version of reality – http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/10374036/The-BBC-foists-on-us-a-skewed-version-of-reality.html

        ‘The BBC approach to news is aimed precisely at those people who read the papers that are hated by its staff. It is intended to offer an alternative vision of reality in which immigration is not a threat to anyone, patriotism is a joke, religious belief (as opposed to ethnic identity) is not taken seriously, conflicting cultural values never create social problems and government spending is inherently virtuous.’

           9 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      “Mandy Rice Davies, calling Mandy… the BBC has left another clear-up in aisle whine”.

         7 likes

    • Gunn says:

      The funniest part about that BBC article is that its putting the Daily Mail’s message out far farther than it would have otherwise reached.

      I suspect that the Beeboid who penned this piece assumed that readers would be shocked by the DM’s claims and instantly see them as ridiculous. Instead, anyone who isn’t a rabid leftist is likely to nod approvingly at the Daily Mail’s reasoning and applaud their brave decision to take on the BBC leviathon.

      Daily Mail 1 – BBC 0 (own goal)

         16 likes

  33. Thoughtful says:

    Hierarchy of isms alert !

    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/11/gulf-countries-medical-checks-transgender-expats

    So the A-rabs are considering testing for people they believe might be trans and banning them from the country and are quite unbelievably attempting to devise a test for gays so they can ban them from the countries too, and despite it being in the Grauniad there’s not a peep from the Biased Bunch.

    Of course why would there be? If it had been Russia, or Communist China, they’d have been all over it like a rash, but because it’s their brown eyed boys they won’t issue anything which might be regarded as criticism.

    After all in the words of the Labour activist ” Muslims must never be criticised no matter what they do” which appears to be party belief from top to bottom.

    It really does have me wondering though as to how they intend to test people for being gay !

       15 likes

  34. Andy S. says:

    I see the Beeb’s favourite “intellectual”, the ever boring and over-exposed Stephen Fry has a two part programme starting on Monday night on BBC2. It’s called “Stephen Fry – Out There”

    It’s basically about Fry travelling around Europe and Russia searching out homophobia. There’s no mention if he’s travelled to Iran, Saudi Arabia or any other Middle Eastern Islamic utopia to find out how gays are treated in those countries.

    Strange how Fry never dreams of criticising places like Iran for publicly hanging gays from cranes, yet is always happy to denigrate Western countries over this perceived transgression against a “persecuted minority”.

       44 likes

    • Scott says:

      There’s no mention if he’s travelled to Iran, Saudi Arabia or any other Middle Eastern Islamic utopia to find out how gays are treated in those countries.

      Strange how Fry never dreams of criticising places like Iran

      Except when, you know, the programme does exactly that. In the words of Mark Downie, the series’ executive producer:

      We sought specialist advice from the BBC and were told that if we wanted to film in Saudi Arabia, Iran or any of the five countries where there is a death penalty for being gay, we’d have to go undercover. Even then, we’d probably be followed by secret police who, after we’d left, would interrogate our interviewees, who could be tortured or imprisoned.

      We couldn’t risk the lives of our contributors, so we sought out gay Iranians in exile. We discovered a group living over the border in Turkey.

      But the Turkish Interior Ministry refused us filming permits. Trying to unpick the reasoning behind that decision, it seems that Turkey doesn’t want it to be widely known that it provides temporary refuge for gay Iranians fleeing persecution.

      In the end, we found a gay Iranian refugee closer than I ever expected: near my hometown of Glasgow.

      Or Fry himself, in a news piece which quotes from an interview with the PA that I can’t find directly:

      “Who would choose to be gay in Iraq or Iran where you could literally be thrown into a pit of fire? It’s just absurd”

      You can’t blame the programme makers for not doing something when the only bit of research you’ve done is make something up. It took a very simple google search to find those – quicker to execute than it took to read your fictions.

      Typical Biased BBC and typical Andy S, though – if the truth gets in the way of perpetuating your own nasty little bigotry, ignore it. It’s more important to talk yourself into perpetuating your own prejudice than it is to be honest. What a sorry little individual you repeatedly prove yourself to be.

         13 likes

      • noggin says:

        now come, come “God” I mean Scott,
        I look forward to Mr Fry waxing on, and on at great length over arguably the worst persecution of gentlemen of the pink persuasion today, in those Islamic countries it needs strong and concerted airtime relevant to its percentage of abuse.

           14 likes

        • Scott says:

          it needs strong and concerted airtime relevant to its percentage of abuse.

          Absolutely. And it sounds like this programme is a good start. But try telling the pathetic little Andy S that.

             12 likes

          • zoo keeper says:

            this guy scot, shes like a little Chihuahua always going yap yap yap yap all the time. all bark and no bite. you know the type of little dog i mean, one that you just want to kick to shut it up

            have you seen this “mans” photo, she even looks like a Chihuahua chewing a wasp.

               5 likes

      • chrisH says:

        Desperate stuff Scott-but nice to have you back!
        1. Given John Sweeney putting North Koreans and LSE students at risk when HE did his undercover bit on Panorama(which revealed absolutely nothing), I can only assume that the BBC is happy to put straight people at risk…but will not risk its precious talent like Fry in looking into the REAL elephant in this room…how Islam regards gays and what it does to them( as opposed to moaning about bed and breakfast rights, which seems easier to deal with than Islam eh?).
        2. I`m afraid you hang yourself with quoting Frys anodyne aimless musing…seems that being gay is a lifestyle choice according to Fry and not a compulsion…which rather scuppers a lot of the gay advocacy lobby in its oft-cited nostrum that gays can do no other than be so….Fry and Ahmadinajadh seem to be as one on this.
        You may need another gay spokesman in future Scott-Fry is maybe not the one to quote.
        3. We don`t need to watch Frys amblings-we just KNOW that Islam won`t be held to account for how it treats gays…the BBC wouldn`t dare…so your sideswipes at those of us who know the BBCs agenda (after many years) are pointless-take it all up with the BBC will you?
        This site is not worth your troubling…we`ve made up our minds and continue to be right on Islam and homosexuality…you and the BBC won`t be bothering your local imam to moan…too risky eh?

           23 likes

      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        In other words, Scott, the programme itself didn’t actually say it during the programme, did it? The fact that the producers made an effort and talked about it to an industry insider publication isn’t the same thing as mentioning this during the programme, is it? Nor is an interview with Fry elsewhere the same thing as the programme itself stating that there was a problem with him visiting certain countries.

        You can’t claim Andy S got any facts wrong at all. You’re simply adding other facts which are not relevant to Andy’s point. Or did they say something about it during the broadcast? Was there a disclaimer in the credits? What?

        Andy’s claim was that there was no mention of it in the programme. You claimed that he got his facts wrong because Fry and the producer talked about it elsewhere. Was this mentioned during the programme or not?

        PS: Please delete the personal insults after you type them and before you post your comment.

           17 likes

        • Scott says:

          In other words, Scott, the programme itself didn’t actually say it during the programme, did it?

          I don’t know. It’s not been broadcast yet and I haven’t seen it. Nor has Andy S, but that hasn’t stopped him deciding what isn’t in it and whining like the sad little man that he so often proves himself to be.

          Nor does it stop the site’s resident arrogant twerp of an American jumping in with little to no knowledge and making an idiot of himself.

          The fact that the producers made an effort and talked about it to an industry insider publication isn’t the same thing as mentioning this during the programme, is it?

          No, it’s talking to a respected industry publication about the making of the programme prior to transmission. Which is a million miles better than a pathetic little bigot making shit up on a backwater website, confident in the knowledge that wagons full of similarly prejudiced, fact-free morons will circle as soon as he’s challenged.

          Andy has not seen the programme. He has decided what the basis of the programme is based on his own prejudices. You have decided that he must be right because, well, facts have never exactly been your strong point.

          This is one of those times when your snide arrogance is most visible, most founded on nothing other than wanting to be thought of as important, and most able to show off what a fool you really are.

             12 likes

        • Scott says:

          “PS: Please delete the personal insults after you type them and before you post your comment.”

          And yet again – I know I’ve said this before – I get far worse flung at me and I’m told I need to grow a thicker skin. Who’d have thought men with such ugly souls insist in living in such fragile glass houses?

             12 likes

          • David Preiser (USA) says:

            Scott, I don’t do any of that. I do not live in that house, so your vitriol is misguided. Nothing I said can be considered snide or arrogant. Your extreme rage has made you forget yourself. Your words, on the other hand, show everyone just the kind of person you are.

            Aside from that, you still haven’t disproven a word Andy said, have you? You’ve provided other statements from Fry and the producer, but nothing to disprove Andy’s claim that there was no mention of their avoidance of Islamic countries in whatever it was he saw.

            You don’t know what he based his statement on. You made up a “fact”.

               13 likes

            • Scott says:

              Andy S has not seen the programme, as it has not yet been aired. What part of that are you incapable of understanding?

              Nothing I said can be considered snide or arrogant.

              I beg to differ. You’ve waded into a discussion with zero knowledge, and have taken the wrong side. But as ever, you cannot comprehend that you are utterly wrong. And you’re too proud, too stupid, to be honest enough to admit it.

              The programme has not aired. Andy S has seen nothing. He’s just a prejudiced little man who’s so desperate to feel that he’s better than others that he makes things up.

              But go ahead, back him up. The fact you can’t see just what a fool you’re making of yourself is very amusing.

                 10 likes

              • Flawedlogic says:

                Scott,

                Your attempt to attack other commentators does you no credit. I agree that some of the posts directed towards you were not particularly fair, however when you try and ridicule other peoples opinion it just makes you look childish.

                As you pointed out in one of your posts we don’t know anything about Fry’s series, so it would seem rather hypocritical of you to defend a programme that you have yet to view whilst attacking other commentators who have decided to question the BBC’s decision.

                In my opinion the programme will be hugely compromised if it fails to explore and highlight the massive human right abuses that gay people in the Middle East face.

                And one again I will point out that you have rightly mentioned that the programme has not been aired yet, however if you then accuse others of talking about things they have no knowledge than the same can be said of you as you have also not viewed the programme.

                   8 likes

                • Scott says:

                  As you pointed out in one of your posts we don’t know anything about Fry’s series, so it would seem rather hypocritical of you to defend a programme that you have yet to view whilst attacking other commentators who have decided to question the BBC’s decision.

                  Except that Andy stated that “Fry never dreams of criticising places like Iran”, while there’s documentary evidence out there already, prior to transmission, that that country’s practices, and how they affect gay people, will very much be covered.

                  But facts that get in the way of Biased BBC’s prejudices are dismissed out of hand. Truth is an inconvenience when it comes to perpetuating the myth that this site is anything other than riddled with bigotry.

                     6 likes

          • Andy S. says:

            Jesus!!!! Mention the subject of homosexuality and Scott’s there like a dog with a bone. What’s up Scott, touched a nerve have I?

            I haven’t made anything up. I read the programme content in my TV mag. If you’ve got a problem with the programme’s synopsis, I suggest you take it up with the Mag’s publishers.

            I, for one, couldn’t give a tinkers’ what you and your Lavender Mafia get up to in the privacy of your own homes. Normally I don’t give any thought to homosexuals in society – I just get on with my life. The only time I give the subject any thought is when I have it shoved in my face by militant gays on TV, usually on the BBC. What sickens me is the way gays like you offer your sexuality as a challenge to others in an obvious attempt to bring attention to yourself. You make homosexuality your raison detré. Anyway the Militant Gay lobby has shown itself to be one of the most intolerant pressure groups in existence to judge by their foul and disgusting persecution of people they see as opponents of their lifestyle. I draw your attention to the Christian B&B owners who declined to give a double room to a pair of gays obviously targetting the couple – even though they also refuse double rooms to unmarried straight couples. The abuse they endured was disgusting. There was also the long established U.S. cake making business whose proprietors declined, for religious reasons, to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple getting “married”. The stink the couple, aided and abetted by the gay lobby, raised and the resulting abuse and picketing of their premises, caused the owners to close their business down, thereby losing the jobs of their employees.

            It’s a pity people like Fry and yourself don’t live and let live instead of flaunting your gayness at every
            opportunity. Your sexuality is your business but you seem to make it the reason for your entire existence.

            Oh, and by the way, I’ll ignore your bitchy abuse. I know it’s probably hard for you, Scott, but just for once try to keep your claws retracted if you reply to this post. The abuse and bitchery you display says more about you than any regular contributor to this site.

               19 likes

            • Scott says:

              What’s up Scott, touched a nerve have I?

              As you know from all the other times your bigotry has led you to make things up, I don’t like nasty little bigots lying to try and justify their own prejudices. It’s something you and others on Biased BBC do on a regular basis.

              And for someone who claims to be “ignoring bitchy abuse”, you’re certainly dishing out a lot yourself.

              I haven’t made anything up. I read the programme content in my TV mag.

              Hilarious. You’ve decided that a series tackling a wide and complex issue doesn’t deal with one aspect of that issue because of a couple of sentences in a listings magazine.

              I’ve pointed to other material which illustrates that the series does, in fact, consider the situation in Iran. But you ignore that. You’re more interested in wailing about a “lavender Mafia” and “militant gays”.

              I don’t know what insecurity you have in your own life that leads you to try so desperately to prove you’re superior to gay people. All I know is it’s not working.

                 10 likes

              • CCE says:

                Scott,
                do you think the BBC will be able to cover the homophobia of places like Jamaica? [ without conflicting with its multi-cultural dogma that is]

                Jamaican homophobia is probably the worst in the non-islamic world and it has been exported to the UK. It infects the Jafaican faux west indian diaspora and the broader west indian community with its taste for ‘murder music’ such as “Boom bye bye batty man”. It is blatant and ignored by the media community. Why is that?

                I also wonder if Steve* will confronting Mad Bob Mugabe (like the heroic Tatchell?) or in fact any one of the black african rulers who maintain virulent homophobic laws

                Anyway, I am unlikely to watch this so I will never know. Nevetheless I am interested in who the BBC feels is the audience for this sort of thing – given that homosexuality is restricted to a very small minority of the population don’t we get enough gay interest material as it is?

                *convicted and time served ex con and general arse that he is.

                   13 likes

                • Scott says:

                  I am interested in who the BBC feels is the audience for this sort of thing

                  People who are interested in the welfare of others, perhaps? They do exist, you know. Maybe not among the self-obsessed sociopaths who congregate around this site in lieu of other meaningful human interaction, admittedly.

                  Out in the real world, there are people with compassion and empathy towards others. Try going outside and being nice to people instead of staying online around bigoted dickheads, and you might notice that a bit more.

                     6 likes

                  • Guest Who says:

                    ‘Try going outside and being nice to people’

                    From a person wedged inside all morning hurling out generic ad-hom gems to all site users, that really deserves an award for irony.
                    The BBC must be thrilled at the association.

                       20 likes

                  • zoo keeper says:

                    hey scott, how about you try hanging around with people that arent left wing wankers. you’re ignorant to whats happening in the real world

                       13 likes

                  • Dazed & Confused says:

                    So we’re “Sociopaths” now huh Scott?

                    I didn’t realise that you were also a psychologist in your spare time, away from treading the boards..

                    Is there anything that you can’t turn your amazing hand to?

                       19 likes

                    • Scott says:

                      CCE: “… engaged with people with perhaps less education”

                      You’re quite right, the better educated people are, the more they’re exposed to wider appreciations of history, culture and values, the less they find the have to fear.

                      Personally, I find that a good reason to support wider education and outreach. Whereas Biased BBC’s denizens fall into the “la la la, I’m not listening” mode, because they find comfort in ignorance. They want to be afraid all the time of what they don’t know. Because then there are bogeymen out there who they can blame for their lot in life.

                      Bigotry has its essence in fear and ignorance. If you WANT to be afraid, if you WANT to be ignorant, then this site will welcome you with open arms and reassure you that, yes, all those nasty people out there really are out to get you, the truth be damned.

                      Now, if you want to suggest that Biased BBC isn’t a hotbed of bigotry, perhaps you could turn some of what I’m sure you believe is earnestly meant analysis on your fellow travellers? Next time David Brims spouts his racist bollocks, stand up to him. Next time Andy S makes up nonsense to prop up his own beliefs, call him out on it. Next time Preiser weighs in on topics he knows nothing about while pretending that he does – not difficult, it basically encompasses every piece of bullshit he comes out with – challenge him.

                      Or, let the bigots win. Let their views go largely unchallenged, and save your bile up for those few who do. It’s easier to do. But it makes you less of a person.

                         4 likes

                  • CCE says:

                    Scott, I support you on this site and criticise the more rabid and offensive homophobes. I am not a homophobe by any stretch of the imagination and I get out a lot. That is why I know that
                    a) Homosexuality is perfectly normal behaviour and part of everyday life and has to be included in all programming – but it is not common.
                    b) Calling people self obsessed when you only ever engage in respect of your own special – minority – interest groups’ interest is ironic if not risible

                    I asked a genuine question – indirectly -about the BBC’s apparent inability to address the violent homophobia of the afro-caribbean community in Britain and in Africa. I didn’t invite a rant, I was not being offensive.

                    My second point was also a genuine one – why does the BBC feel the need to over represent gay interest material in its productions. This programme is specifically about oppression (apparently) but gay issues are represented throughout programming to a far greater extent than I find in the ‘real world’ – my narrow-minded tax-paying, bigoted, mail-reading, suburban not-going to gay clubs in Vauxhall type of life; which is typical of many millions of people. Compare the influence and coverage gained by the gay lobby with that of the elderly. There are millions more elderly than gay people. Name some non soap characters that are old. *

                    I now feel entitled to a bit of pompous lecturing of my own having been been in receipt of yours………….

                    It may surprise you that if you got out a bit more and engaged with people with perhaps less education and genuinely different interests in life than yourself then you might discover the truth – the Daily Mail and the Sun – however much decried by the media elite – really do reflect the views of modern Britain. ‘Compassion’ (or more accurately ‘mandatory appreciation of my point of view and support for my objectives’) is great in the abstract but in reality people, globally, when they would risk their life to save a child from a fire they would not give up a single meal or turn their heating down 1 degree in exchange for an abstraction – for releasing every gay person in Iranian jails or every inmate on death row in Texas or to save the whale or to educate every child in Africa or pretty much anything really.

                    This is not a good thing at all

                    *Oh damn, I had forgotten the never-ending misery of Last of the Summer Wine……..

                       6 likes

                  • pah says:

                    Out in the real world, there are people with compassion and empathy towards others

                    Yes, but it’s a pity you are not one of them. Your bigotry and intolerance is obvious from your posts on here and elsewhere. You may think you are a good guy but really you only have compassion for those who think and behave in the same way as you; and that saddens me because I honestly believe you could be a decent chap.

                    The road to hell would be paved with good intension if hell actually existed. Instead you are pissing on people in the real world just because someone somewhere has upset you and your upset is more important to you than their right to upset you.

                       8 likes

                    • Scott says:

                      Bless. There’s nothing quite so amusing as someone who gets irate when someone who isn’t going to confirm his own prejudices uses a similar tone as the one that exists day in, day out among the Biased BBC comments.

                      If you’re really against people not being nice to others on here, start with the frequent commenters. Or with the likes of Vance, Preiser, and “Alan”. Or with the countless other pseudonyms, however many people they actually belong to, that spout vile on here all day, every day.

                      Until you do that, you’ll be nothing but a shameful little hypocrite. And while you’ll certainly have plenty of company in that, it’s not empathy you’ll be getting from anyone else. At most, it’ll be pity.

                         5 likes

                    • Andy S. says:

                      Scott, you really are beyond parody! It’s obvious you are projecting your own prejudices – arrogant, pompous, bigoted, self-righteous, abusive, patronising and vicious – onto others who dare contradict your bigoted gay viewpoint.

                      If I didn’t know any better I would think YOU are the one who has problems with his own homosexuality.

                      You insist on accusing me of being a bigoted homophobe. That’s in your own mind. I’ve already told you I couldn’t give a tinker’s cuss about other people’s sexuality. I’m always a believer of living and let live. I only object when some militant gay insists on rubbing my nose in his gay lifestyle. I don’t go among a group of gay people in triumph at my heterosexuality and tell them my lifestyle is better than theirs. It’s a pity
                      militant gays like yourself don’t give straight people the same courtesy.

                      Your increasingly hysterical posts – “your all self-absorbed racists, homophobes, Islamophobes, liars, fascists” – whichever epithet comes to your febrile mind, shows you to be beyond reasonable debate. You certainly have an unhealthy contempt for a number of contributors to this site, myself included, bordering on the unhinged. It’s obvious some of us use trigger words which set you off on your hysterical correspondence. You are one sad person.

                      Feel free to let loose with insults, abuse, ad hominems, etc. You’ll just show yourself to be desperate. AND I don’t care being insulted by the likes of you. It proves that some of us can get under your skin (albeit mostly unintentionally).

                      Let your abuse begin………..Do your worst.

                         4 likes

                    • Scott says:

                      Andy S: I only object when some militant gay insists on rubbing my nose in his gay lifestyle.

                      Ah well, if you say you’re not homophobic, I guess we should take you at your word. I mean, describing gay people who don’t want to be abused, beaten up or even killed because of their sexuality as “militant gays” or the “lavender mafia” is the act of a well-balanced, mature individual.

                      You can mewl all you like: it won’t stop you being a sad little bigot. It won’t stop you ever being an immature adolescent. And you know this. That’s why you react so badly when somebody stands up to you.

                         3 likes

                    • zoo keeper says:

                      i think Scott protests too much. He’s a hetrosexual pretending to be a homosexual because he’s got no friends

                         1 likes

                    • pah says:

                      Wow! I take it all back; you really are a lost cause. What a sad, bitter little man you are.

                      Or is it PMT (Pathetic Matthewman Tantrums)? You can get pills for that.

                         1 likes

  35. DB says:

    BBC US online found space to report about a few hecklers at a Ted Cruz speech but chose not to mention Malala Yousafzai’s criticism of Obama’s drone policy in its report of her visit to the White House.

    The BBC usually can’t say enough about Malala but even her opinions are sometimes not deemed newsworthy.

    The primal instinct of the BBC Washington bureau is protection of Obama.

    BTW has anybody yet seen/heard a BBC report about the problems surrounding the Obamacare rollout?

       30 likes

    • John Anderson says:

      DB

      All the reports I saw about the hecklers of Ted Cruz said that re responded with a whole series of zinging one-liners, big applause from the crowd. Somehow the BBC must have missed that ?

      And no – I have heard nothing from the BBC about the disastrous rollout of ObamaCare, which even Democrat politicians are describing as a train-wreck. But I suppose that is just a detail, there have been only hundreds if not thousands of news reports in the US about how bad it all is – easily overlooked by the BBC.

         21 likes

    • David Preiser (USA) says:

      Based on previous explanations we’ve received from media professionals, DB, the journalist’s view would be that the criticism of His Drone War wasn’t relevant to the purpose of Malala’s speech and public appearance (they can’t be expected to report on every last detail, right?), while anger at and opposition to Ted Cruz is very relevant to any report about one of his public appearances.

      As for the predicted trainwreck of ObamaCare, the BBC is simply being wise and prudent in waiting until all the facts are out. They wouldn’t want to rush to report on something before the smoke cleared, before all the White House talking points were disseminated facts were in. You know how tricky it is to get it right on these disaster stories……

         17 likes

  36. noggin says:

    BBC 1 flagship faith programme
    “Sunday Muslim oops Morning Live”
    Does the English Defence League represent a view that needs to be heard?
    Samira Ahmed – Inayat Bungalawa – Esther,”lets all get offended” Rantzen – a number of usual suspect Skypee s and ……….. Tommy Robinson

    Which Bungalawa, the one who tried to defend the offence excuse for motoon riots/Koran burning on 5live?,

    “who in January 1993, wrote a letter to Private Eye, a satirical magazine, in which he called Omar Abdel-Rahman “courageous”.[citation needed] After Rahman’s arrest on charges of masterminding the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York in July that year, Mr Bunglawala guessed that it was only because of his “calling on Muslims to fulfil their duty to Allah and to fight against oppression and oppressors everywhere”. Five months before the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bunglawala also circulated writings of Osama bin Laden, whom he called a “freedom fighter” …
    “A member of the Muslim Council of Britain has insisted he would sit on a government task force aimed at tackling Islamic extremism and denied suggestions he was anti-Semitic. But Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman said the invitation should be withdrawn until Mr Bunglawala explained comments he made about Jewish influence in the British media”.
    yep, I think that might be the one

       25 likes

  37. George R says:

    Of interest to ‘end national security’ Guardianistas and Beeboids?:-

    “Jihadi media company releases Arabic translation of U.S. Department of Defense handbook on combating terrorism”

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/10/jihadi-media-company-releases-arabic-translation-of-us-department-of-defense-handbook-on-combating-t.html

       12 likes

  38. GCooper says:

    In answer to your last question, no. Don’t you realise The One can never do anything wrong? Shame on you!

       5 likes

  39. George R says:

    The tragedies of LAMPEDUSA:

    -and how E.U.’s elite (inc BBC-NUJ) uses them as propaganda for unending, unlimited mass immigration into, and colonisation of, Europe.

    “Ivan Rioufol*
    – On Lampedusa, Unmerited Guilt, And The Self-Destruction Of Europe”

    [Warning: the translation of the original French into English is not good.]

    http://www.newenglishreview.org/blog_display.cfm/blog_id/50661

    *Mr Rioufol is the French journalist whose freedom is threatening for criticising ‘Islamophobia’ – as ‘Daily Mail’ pointed out, but BBC-NUJ and ‘Guardian’ have censored out reporting of the case:

    “French journalist is prosecuted under 19th century press law for questioning Islam during a radio debate.
    “Ivan Rioufol was summoned to court under France’s strict press laws.
    “Objected to Collective Against Islamophobia** In France poster campaign.
    “Says law has been used to ‘penalise criticism and intimidate journalists'”
    By PETER ALLEN.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2451401/Ivan-Rioufol-prosecuted-19th-century-press-law-questioning-Islam-radio-debate.html

    **[This Islamic organisation is part financed by American leftist billionaire, George SOROS.]

       11 likes

  40. thoughtful says:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-24508066

    And what might these two be doing with their clenched fists?

       12 likes

  41. bendybus says:

    Watching ‘The 70s’ on BBC2.

    Amazingly honest and accurate about post-war Labour governments bankrupting the country and going cap in hand to the IMF and Dennis Healey joking about it all.

       22 likes

    • thoughtful says:

      And did they include the second wave of immigration as well?

         10 likes

    • Flawedlogic says:

      bendybus,

      Totally agree, it was a refreshing change to watch a programme that managed to explore the social – economic issues that caused so much misery in the UK without trying to downplay the massive damage caused by the Unions and the misguided Labour policies.

      It was surreal to watch the Labour conference and find out that Healey was only allowed 5 minutes to deliver his news that the IMF had agreed the emergency loan.

      What was even funnier was the faces of the “comrades / delegates” dropping when Healey stated that the cuts to the Public Sector would have to continue and that other austerity measures would have to continue, imagine how the BBC would report such news if the Conservatives were doing the same and their chancellor decided to go live on TV and turn the whole thing into a joke as Mr Healey did!

         11 likes

    • chrisH says:

      Not sure bendy!
      Yes, the Healey stuff got a few minutes-but way too much on feminism and the righeous struggles of the unions.
      Missed out on Grunwick, Stonehouse and the murder of Ross McWhirter(or the lead up to it)…Cecil King?Harold Wilson?
      That said, Sanbrook is good-but he didn`t live through it…still, it`s a cut above most BBC crap.
      Still too much on punk though-the Beeb love their safe rebellions don`t they? Jeremy Vine in his trenchcoat humming his Smiths songs…oh , so rebellious…and it pays very well too!

         8 likes

    • uncle bup says:

      The brightest possible future for west albania is a ‘yes’ vote followed by bankruptcy followed by IMF bailout followed by the benighted country actually living within its means.

         5 likes

  42. bendybus says:

    BBC reports more dead on ill fated Mediterranean crossing.

    This is an absolute tragedy, but what are we (the European nations) supposed to do exactly?

    Malta’s prime minister calls for ‘urgent action’ but what the hell can be done? Should we pay for flights for everyone from North Africa – or anywhere else for that matter – to come here?

    As more and more African countries become economic, ecological and social basket cases (as if they always haven’t been) they will expect to bail out into the West.

    What do we do about this and why doesn’t the BBC not raise awareness of this impending catastrophe?

       13 likes

    • George R says:

      BBC-NUJ’s ‘solution’: open borders into Europe; speed up the unending, unlimited colonisation of Europe.

      In contrast:-

      “Lifeboat Ethics”

      By Garrett Hardin.

      (pdf)-

      Click to access lifeboat.pdf

         8 likes

      • George R says:

        For unconcerned BBC-NUJ:-

        ‘Sunday Telegraph’ front page (£):-

        “True scale of European immigration”

        [Opening excerpt]:-

        “More than 600,000 unemployed European Union migrants are living in Britain at a cost of £1.5 billion to the NHS alone, according to an EU report.
        “The authoritative study, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph, shows the number of jobless European migrants coming to Britain has risen dramatically in the past five years, intensifying demands for the Government to renegotiate EU membership.
        “Opponents of the EU seized on the figures to suggest Britain could not afford to allow European migrants to come here at will while continuing to provide a universal benefits system.”

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/10375358/True-scale-of-European-immigration.html

           21 likes

  43. Strelnikov says:

    Not bias, but did anyone catch Five Live’s commentary of Edinburgh versus Munster this afternoon? It was really quite bizarre.

    Commentator Ian Robertson kept referring to the Edinburgh side as “Scotland”. Not once or twice, but repeatedly. His co-commentator told him, he also revealed his producer told him, but on he went. It was a very, very strange performance to the point I found myself having to turn it off.

       8 likes

    • Larry Dart says:

      Don’t listen to BBC Radio 5 Live sport – watched a bit of it on SKY sports. I rate Ian Robertson as a rugby correspondent. His reports are usually objective and unbiased. Perhaps on this occasion he got carried away by the rare success of a Scottish rugby club.

         4 likes

  44. George R says:

    ‘Telegraph’ (£)-

    “The BBC foists on us a skewed version of reality”

    By Janet Daley.

    [Excerpt]-

    “The BBC approach to news is aimed precisely at those people who read the papers that are hated by its staff. It is intended to offer an alternative vision of reality in which immigration is not a threat to anyone, patriotism is a joke, religious belief (as opposed to ethnic identity) is not taken seriously, conflicting cultural values never create social problems and government spending is inherently virtuous.
    “The unabashed dissemination of this highly political official viewpoint is justified on the grounds that it is needed to balance the influence of scurrilous newspapers. One might ask, of course, what would happen if the ‘Right-wing press’ really was extinguished: would the BBC then feel it could drop its social engineering function?”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/10374036/The-BBC-foists-on-us-a-skewed-version-of-reality.html

       29 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      That the BBC offers a skewed version of reality to suit social engineering aims is hardly news (what is is being forced to pay £4Bpa to fund a corrective that satisfies a minority to keep a majority on track that is anachronistic and clearly counter to the Charter.. about to be reviewed, maybe explaining desperate tactics) but recent events do seem to have girded the loins of a few in the print world to see this as a real threat to free speech and democratic process.
      Ms. Daley has listed a factual analysis of some coherence, and looking at a few comments from the team devoted to the Telegraph (at least not so dumb as to miss that in tackling what is written the Telegraph they are, also, readers) it appears they are rattled.
      At least that’s how it is coming across. Maybe the few recycled counters and justifications to ever pervasive examples of inaccuracy, lack of objectivity or zero integrity are simply worn out, persuading no one any more.
      Hence the resort seems to be towards attacking the person, or getting all excited about an ‘ism in attempted distraction.
      As here. After a brief period of absence, we again are being treated to a human wave of service denial clutter, the petty calibre of which is really noticeable by its lack of substance or value.
      If the BBC is this on the ropes, and sees this level of defence as any salvation, the ‘who will rid us’ troublesome conversations being held in the whispering market rate corridors must be taking a desperate, darker turn.

         4 likes

    • noggin says:

      well … we have the almighty one himself posting about this a little earlier (yep! Scott) … refresher
      “God? hmmm …
      sounds a lot like Scott on rag week to me
      😀 .
      come on are you the “God” of Jesus/Peace /Love and all that jazz.
      or?
      the “God” who hates Jews, doesn t mind child rape, gang rape, incest, mass murder, beheadings, terrorism, has Alzheimer’s, and appears to bare a remarkable resemblance to Mohamheads sock puppet?

      calm down dear, you seem almost cock a hoop! … 😀
      is it because Mr Lennon was attacked?
      by the ahem! “righteous light seers”?
      in a “religious attack”? … hmm who could they be?
      erm did they confuse being muslim? …
      with immediate violence? (as he was only standing by a chicken shop!) … never heard that one before 😀

      God 😀 … forbid eh!

         5 likes

  45. Pounce says:

    Just want to thank the bBC for handing over the location of Islamic terrorist ‘Latif Mehsud’ after they interviewed him the otherday. Armed with that information the US picked up Allah’s little helper. I’ll take back everything I’ve said about the bBC. (Please post the above on as many websites as possible,hopefully one of the faithful will see the light and see to it that the bBC pays the price for their betrayal of Islamic values)

       23 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      The BBC can’t really complain if that pans out poorly after their awesome contribution to Malala’s career path.

         4 likes

  46. Kelestarian says:

    Amidst all that is happening in the world, BBC world still sees fit to run a shock-horror expose on the availability of prostitutes in some top Chinese hotels. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24497577). Prostitutes in expensive Chinese hotels! Well fancy that! And some of the hotels, we are told, are owned by western companies; the implication being that somehow this is the West’s fault..

    Maybe the BBC could send its intrepid Bangkok correspondent, Jonathan Head, out to investigate whether a similar situation exists in the City of Angels. That is if he can pull himself away from the task of making the Buddhists in neighbouring Burma look as bad as possible whilst studiously ignoring the Islamist jihad against Buddhists in southern Thailand.

       28 likes

    • flexdream says:

      Maybe this prostitution has spread from China and can now be found in hotels in the West, even the UK, even London? Maybe the BBC could investigate and discover?

         11 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        “Maybe the BBC could investigate and discover?”

        If does, rushing around ‘has learning’ things, it may be best if they steered clear of the favour-based transaction versions, involving younger folk and camper vans in BBC car parks.
        At least until other media cover it first and it turns out they knew but decided it ‘wasn’t news’ (c) A. Selective Jounalist

           3 likes

  47. Thoughtful says:

    An early Halloween horror story which some might have seen.

    http://pro.moneyweek.com/myk-eob-tpr-cut/PMYKPA01/?utm_source=taboola&h=true

       2 likes

  48. George R says:

    “BBC secretly re-hires NINE top earners after handing them huge payoffs when they left.
    “91 high earners received payoffs between January 2010 and June 2013.
    “Nine now work for the corporation as freelances or on short-term contracts.”

    By MILES GOSLETT and PAUL CAHALAN

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456891/BBC-secretly-rehires-NINE-earners-handing-huge-payoffs-left.html

       19 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Golly, that seems an abuse of power by a small network cabal overseen by either complicit or clueless bosses who couldn’t learn a lesson if they tried.
      Maybe those who pride themselves on holding such to account will be all over it?
      The next set of inquiries already seem set to follow a predictable path if actual action is not taken.

         9 likes

  49. George R says:

    More BBC-NUJ social engineering- on ‘Entertainment & Arts,’
    – its top propaganda story:-

    “Pink List topped by Paris Lees, Clare Balding and Peter Tatchell”

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24508405

       8 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      In this day and age, the inherently exclusive nature of such lists seem anachronistic.
      However, they may offer value in highlighting who seem to have ‘power’ and are immune to the ironies of what criteria have seen it bestowed, to be so flaunted.

         3 likes

    • chrisH says:

      Suppose there`s no chance of a Top Fifty White heterosexual middle-aged blokes, who stood by his family, brought up some kids without them being celebrity druggies or fashion/pop tarts…and English.
      Not a chance-wrong agenda completely!
      And-isn`t picking up on people for their race or sexuality patronising, like the MOBO crap?
      Nah, not when the BBC and the liberal elite want to annoint their useful ciphers…speaking of which-Billy Bragg has been chosen on Desert Island Discs!…the barbarians are here already!

         21 likes

      • bendybus says:

        No. Not a chance.

        As one who falls into the demographic you describe in your first paragraph I can assure you we are only here to be kicked and spat upon.

        We are the lowest of the low.

           8 likes

        • lynette says:

          It would be so good to have a drama on the BBC about a hetrosexual couple in their 40’s and 50’s who are happy to work , rest and play together. It is about time this majority is represented fairly on the BBC .

             13 likes

          • Inky Splash says:

            There’s no drama without conflict.

            That’s the first thing they are taught on Oxbridge English courses. They never learn to question this.

               2 likes

          • chrisH says:

            Extraordinary idea!
            It would be astounding in its scale of imagination needed to create it though.
            And who in Labour luvvie land could imagine meeting such exotica?
            Would have to win an award would it not?…or at least the Margaret Mead Prize for Anthropological Endeavour!
            Now lynette…they`d not have a decent kid in there?… would they?
            Come see this treatment Quentin!…my vibe is buzzed darlings!

               1 likes

      • bendybus says:

        Oh and Biily Bragg

        What a tosser. My cousin played in a band with him in the early ’80s. Billy has just resigned from the army in a timely fashion before the Falklands war kicked off.

        My cousin described as “the biggest tosser you could ever wish to meet – I still cross the road to avoid the c*nt”

           15 likes

        • Albaman says:

          That’s not a very nice thing to say about your cousin!!

             5 likes

          • bendybus says:

            Yes. I missed out “him” in “my cousin described HIM as”.

            Bragg is a particulerly loathsome individual. All shouty and protesting and buying a £1mil estate in Devon to keep a clear distance from the plebs.

            A man of the people in the true Marxist way.

               19 likes

            • bendybus says:

              Sorry *particularly* before you pipe up again Albaman.

                 9 likes

            • chrisH says:

              Oh bendy.
              The trolls will hammer you for saying that it was in Devon that he bought his country seat.
              I`d have thought Albie would have pasted you for this-and Scott etc will no longer have to listen to a word you say.
              For ZIS IZ A MATERIAL ERROR!
              Achtung!
              For Lord William Bragg is of the Parish of Burton Bradstock… a mere 20 mins by chauffuer-driven Aeroflot limo from Tolpuddle.
              As the poor sods who, live there know.
              Bragg is an adopted son of DORSET…not Devon.
              Wessex Man maybe?

                 11 likes

              • bendybus says:

                Ah yes. My mistake – but they don’t seem to have picked up on that.

                Indeed, Dorset is where this hero of the republic resides.

                   4 likes

                • chrisH says:

                  No bendy-they`lre down below like koi carp raging at some other stuff.
                  I won`t tell if you don`t-they seem pretty annoyed down there…can`t imagine they`ll be back up here.
                  They have no reverse gear like their idol once said…mere joyriders at State expense…like the BBC they defend , no matter what we tell them….(what they believe is true…St Ronan of Keating, I recall!)

                     1 likes

        • GCooper says:

          The point about Bragg is that despite a following of microscopic proportions, he constantly receives doses of career-preserving publicity from the BBC.

          Hard to imagine why, isn’t it?

             16 likes

          • bendybus says:

            Indeed. How the hell does such a mediocre perfomer afford a massive house in a prime area of Devon.

            My aforementioned cousin reckons he came from a rather wealthy family and has inherited loads of wonga.

            I don’t know if this is true or not but he seems to live the live of the landed gentry nowadays, occasionally dusting off the six-string to conduct some musical class war.

               13 likes

            • Albaman says:

              “My aforementioned cousin reckons he came from a rather wealthy family and has inherited loads of wonga.”

              His father was an assistant sales manager and his mother was the daughter of an Italian ice cream vendor.

              Any other “facts” you want to make up?

                 6 likes

          • chrisH says:

            His “bellicose quack” (as brilliantly described by one of our own way back)…is-like the Guardian, Pauline Black…like Leveson and Owen Jones…something that BBC luvvies can afford to bilk us for…when we have no interest or affection, no respect for them and their yogic flying and levitations to “celebrity/iconic stature”.
            Bragg-like Mozza or Hardy-is a creature of lefty charities and a patron saint of pointless posturings.
            The BBC is a lefty charity…a pension pot for the likes of Savile and the f***in Dimblebys.
            When the Dimblebys claim their honeypots, parachuted and golden dawns of moolah…THAT might bankrupt the BBC if we`re lucky!
            Charmless chuggers the BBC…

               12 likes

        • Albaman says:

          “Billy has just resigned from the army in a timely fashion before the Falklands war kicked off.”

          Really?

          It was May 1981 when Bragg joined the British Army. After three months (upon completing basic training) he bought his way out of the army for £175.

          The Falklands War began on Friday 2 April 1982, almost a year after Bragg had left the Army.

             5 likes

          • bendybus says:

            I did not imply that he left the army because of the Faulklands war – how would he even know about it unless he had a crystal ball?

            The point is that he couldn’t hack it in the army and bought out.

               10 likes

            • Albaman says:

              You said: “Billy has just resigned from the army in a timely fashion before the Falklands war kicked off.”
              Seems to be a pretty clear implication “that he left the army because of the Faulklands war”!!

                 5 likes