Weekend Open Thread

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Climate Change has brought freezing cold rain dripping down the back of my neck so I recommend you stay indoors and fill this up…

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  1. Leha says:
    February 9, 2014 at 11:13 pm

    This is the sort of stuff Saturday afternoons are made for bBC, not repeats of fecking Flog It.

       5 likes

  2. George R says:
    February 9, 2014 at 11:32 pm

    For INBBC: Sharia and Business.

    “UK: Islamic bank to open at Oxford”

    By Robert Spencer.

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2014/02/uk-islamic-bank-to-open-at-oxford

       4 likes

  3. F*** the Beeb says:
    February 9, 2014 at 11:34 pm

    Popular definitions of a troll:

    1) Someone who deliberately takes the opposing standpoint in order to get attention.
    2) Someone who calls people names or insinuates things about their character, usually without evidence to back it up.
    3) Someone who spends hours out of every day doing this despite constantly trying to make people believe that they have no time for the site or the people who use it.

    All of these things describe Scott TO A TEE. And yet he has the audacity to call other people trolls despite these same ‘trolls’ getting far more approval than his bland, uninformed and repetitive pseudo-offerings that never make it past four or five likes at the very most.

    It would be funny if I even thought he was just doing it to wind people up, but it actually seems like he believes in it, making it an unbearably tragic case of someone wasting their life to the point where they might as well be dead.

       14 likes

  4. Reed says:
    February 10, 2014 at 4:23 am

    Jo Brand and Sandi Toksvig are probably celebrating…

    BBC to ban ‘sexist’ all male comedy panel shows in a bid to get more funny women on the television

    -BBC bosses say there’s ‘no excuse’ for all male guests on shows
    -Report showed QI and Mock The Week ‘rarely’ included women
    -BBC comedy has come under fire in the past for being ‘a male preserve’
    -Lee Mack: ‘There aren’t enough women in comedy in general’

    So, ‘There aren’t enough women in comedy in general’. And this lack of women will be remedied by forcing the few women in comedy into these panel shows…how exactly? And who is to say that there ‘aren’t enough women in comedy’ anyway? What is the right amount?

    Standards set to plunge even further. Quotas for BBC ‘comedy’ now. Kill this beast already.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555111/All-male-comedy-panels-BANNED-BBC-pledges-include-women-shows.html

       14 likes

    • AsISeeIt says:
      February 10, 2014 at 8:25 am

      Who told the BBC that apart from ‘inform educate and entertain’, their job was to campaign on social and political issues?

         14 likes

    • Dave666 says:
      February 10, 2014 at 8:37 am

      Ahh male dominated “comedy” shows that’s a major issue for me….not. Fact is I gave up watching QI, Mock the week & never mind the buzzcocks some time ago as they are either shite, are blatantly running an agenda or they are as funny as drinking bleach. Wonder if this policy will be applied to other areas? Should woman’s hour be launched as women & blokes hour.

         15 likes

    • Frank Words says:
      February 10, 2014 at 9:17 am

      It’s box ticking tokenism. It’s what the progressive (sic) left do.

      So there must be:
      A woman
      A homosexual/lesbian
      An Afro-Caribbean
      A muslim
      A disabled person
      (cont p89….)

      It will end up with some very big panels.

      Reminds me of the Not the Nine O’clock News sketch in which Company Director Mel Smith wanted to recruit a gay black disabled single parent with learning disabilities.

      Of course that was when the BBC could make a joke about this sort of thing.

         20 likes

    • Old Goat says:
      February 10, 2014 at 11:40 am

      More “funny” women? Were there some to start with, then?

         8 likes

    • DICK R says:
      February 10, 2014 at 2:33 pm

      There is nothing more excruciating than watching women trying to be funny !

         4 likes

  5. AsISeeIt says:
    February 10, 2014 at 8:57 am

    Christmas, Easter and Birthdays all come together for the BBC this morning….

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26084748

    ‘England women’s captain Casey Stoney has spoken publicly about being gay for the first time.’

    Is it really important that we know this?

    ‘Stoney, 31, told BBC Sport she decided to come out after the positive reaction to diver Tom Daley saying he was in a relationship with a man, and because of the “loving relationship” she is in. ‘

    What next….? Premiership footballer on how he has just admitted to a preference to blondes? Tennis ace comes out as a leg man? Test cricketer talks about how he likes a little bondage and role play?

    Where are we going with this?

       21 likes

    • Guest Who says:
      February 10, 2014 at 9:23 am

      Got there.
      http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/cristinaodone/100258850/bright-women-wont-be-lured-on-to-tv-by-bbc-quotas/#disqus_thread
      Frankly Ms. O has cunningly managed to add a bunch of her own irony-failure prejudices to those the BBC high command has, so the comments are perhaps a better source of rational input.
      Like the one mentioning how totally comfortable Chris Patten, Tony Hall, Danny Cohen, James Purnell, James Harding, Ian Katz, etc are with the levels of laydeedom just a smidge below their elevated perches.
      And the BBC, whose editorial they clearly do not influence, not passing comment on Labour packing its front front row with what passes for political babes, like the launch of a new Hooters.
      Political and media representation of such calibre must make women feel truly proud.
      And if not, there’s always the ballot or market forces. Well, except with the BBC.
      With the BBC it’s Chris & Tone & Danny & James & James and Ian and Bob and Ted… No matter what. And not Carol or Alice in sight. Maybe a Helen or a Caroline or Lucy, but really they didn’t know anything either.

         7 likes

    • IsItMe? says:
      February 10, 2014 at 9:27 am

      From what I know of women’s football, it would have been more of a “story” had Ms Stoney revealed she was actually straight.

         15 likes

      • stewart says:
        February 10, 2014 at 9:39 am

        Indeed ‘some might say’ that the perception of women’s football, as the preserve of masculine lesbians, is the reason it has not gained wider popularity.

           8 likes

    • DICK R says:
      February 10, 2014 at 2:34 pm

      SURPRISE SURPRISE a football playing carpet muncher!

         1 likes

  6. Thoughtful says:
    February 10, 2014 at 8:59 am

    Just a note for those who haven’t heard about this:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-26100883

    A man has been charged after tearing up a copy of the Qur’an. I wonder how different this country is from Pakistan or other Muslim countries which criminalise damaging the Qur’an.

    This is Sharia by the back door. It isn’t called Sharia, but the law is the same regardless of the law. I have little doubt that had someone torn up a bible the useless brigade would not have reacted.

       16 likes

  7. AsISeeIt says:
    February 10, 2014 at 9:29 am

    Credit where credits jew….

    The BBC on line c/o Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent carries a positive report about Israel

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-26071818

    Praise for the small nation’s hi tech industries and for her well educated population. Blow me down with a feather…. some of the reason for success is due to high military spending. Look out – Israel ‘is surrounded by enemies’

    Phew!

       9 likes

  8. DickMart says:
    February 10, 2014 at 9:46 am

    BBC really having their cake and eating it now. Their headlines yesterday reported Eric Pickles as apologising on behalf of the Government for the lack of protection for the Somerset floods. It was only in the body of the report that it became clear that Pickles had said that the Government was resting on expert advice from the Environment Agency.

    They now have Roger Harrabin parroting Lord Smith’s complaints about the EA being used as a political football. It is all very well Smith squealing to the BBC/Guardian now, but if last summer he was concerned about the level of resources available for flood protection, why did he not squeal then? After all, he is no friend to this Government.

    Is it so unreasonable for the Government to rest on expert advice from the EA? After all Ministers and their immediate officials will not have the expertise to decide on adequate levels of flood protection?

    Harrabin’s report suggests that the Government was making mischief about Smith setting town against country; yet only on 3 February in a Telegraph article Smith himself had posited the question of “town or country, front rooms or farmland?”

    Of course one has to recognise the exceptional nature of the floods, but the BBC might fruitfully ask why the Government has left someone of the evident incompetence of Lord Smith in charge of the EA. (They might also question the impartiality of their Environment analyst.)

       19 likes

  9. Beeboidal says:
    February 10, 2014 at 10:56 am

    Is it so unreasonable for the Government to rest on expert advice from the EA?

    No, it shouldn’t be unreasonble, but I think the EA has been largely captured by environmentalists. Take a look at their South West liaison panel. I can’t help thinking that these people are more interested in environmental matters than people. Even the one who is a Chartered Engineer is also described as a ‘Chartered Environmentalist’, whatever that is.

       11 likes

  10. George R says:
    February 10, 2014 at 11:05 am

    BBC-NUJ plugs Labour’s E.Miliband on a nothing speech before he makes it!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26114419

       10 likes

  11. AsISeeIt says:
    February 10, 2014 at 11:13 am

    After giving the BBC their ‘credit where credit is jew’…

    It’s goodness gracious me!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26024375

    ‘Student visa system fraud exposed in BBC investigation’

    ‘Director Varinder Bajarh said: “Someone else will sit the exam for you. But you will have to have your photo taken there to prove you were present.”‘

    If the BBC carry on like this and I might start to think the Licence Fee was almost worth it.

       10 likes

  12. Dave666 says:
    February 10, 2014 at 11:33 am

    Just been down to my brother in laws house. It’s empty at the moment. I pick up the mail and check it’s ok a couple of times a week. It does of course receive it’s fair share of letters threatening legal and court action. Yes the good old friendly TV licensing scum. Last month they were giving advice on how to avoid being taken to court, how nice of them. this month they have “been left with no alternative but to proceed with the final stages of their investigation”. Now if any other company was involved in this type of sales technique the BBc would be setting up a fake house with a bloke being ridden on the back of a bike, what they don’t have the bike rider bloke any more, to jump out disguised as a nun. They have been snooping round the property before as there was a we visited letter and the front garden had been trampled. As it is there is no TV or furniture in the property and at the moment no electricity as it’s on a key that I haven’t got round to topping up. Absolutely outrageous way these people run their business. Talking of post my MP still has to respond too my question about the most vulnerable Syrian migrants coming here. Has the BBc mentioned it since or have I just missed it with my ever diminishing viewing of the BBc empire?

       13 likes

  13. Chris says:
    February 10, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    Some time back, I made the following complaint to the BBC regarding video report narrated by Jeremy Paxman about the violence in CAR —
    ” With regard to this statement – “arbitrary borders drawn on maps failed to create a unified nation state. In the absence of national unity people sense of identity came instead from their religion, or their family. That has meant bitter struggles between the Muslim minority and the Christian majority” I believe that the BBC is demonstrating casual racism.
    It is my understanding that for the past 13 years, the BBC has staunchly supported multiculturalism in the United Kingdom. However, with this statement, I can only infer that you believe that black people, and black societies, are unable to operate as multicultural entities, as the capture of a diversity of cultures, peoples and races within a society due to the borders in question, has in your view been a cause of bitter struggles between Muslims and non Muslims! I am working under the assumption that you assuredly do not believe that multiculturalism is in any way destructive and
    malign, due to tensions which may arise as a result of conflicting values, given the vast and unconditional support the BBC has for multiculturalism.
    As such, I must infer that you believe that African people are not civilized enough to operate a multicultural and diverse society. If this is not casual racism against black people, then it would seem that you do in fact endorse nations which are ethnically, religiously and culturally homogenous, which would be puzzling given your support for multiculturalism.
    I await your response.”

    Today, I got this email response from Marc Williams, assistant editor of newsnight –

    “I’m writing in reply to your complaint (which I have copied and pasted below). First of all, please forgive the slow response. I would strongly deny that there was any casual racism in the piece you mention. The point being made was that there are many factors that contribute to a successful nation state. In the case of the CAR, the fact that its borders were drawn with little or no regard for national self-determination meant that those cohesive forces were intrinsically weak from the start. When such national cohesion is lacking, it is often the case that other identities (be it local, ethnic, religious or whatever) should predominate. In contrast, the UK has well-established and agreed borders. On the multiculturalism point, I would disagree that Newsnight has ever taken an editorial position on it. Indeed, I could cite many examples of where we have investigated its impact in an impartial way: for example, our coverage of the Oldham riots (see here). (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9496386.stm)
    Thank you for expressing your views about the programme. It’s very important for us to get feedback from our audience. I hope that you will continue to watch.

    Best wishes,
    Marc Williams

    Assistant Editor
    BBC Newsnight

       8 likes

  14. noggin says:
    February 10, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    OT – BBC Bias
    however bad, or wrong anyone s views are, it can do no harm to read them, and challenge them, if you are wrong yourself you ll learn something, if not it will be evident quickly and, your position will only be made stronger.

       3 likes

  15. Colonel Blimp says:
    February 10, 2014 at 1:03 pm

    As I understand it Baroness Young, the Chief Exec of Diabetes UK, was on the Today prog this morning talking about her current job. As mentioned on here she was head of the Environment Agency when it took a decision to stop dredging the Somerset rivers and let the Levels flood to promote biodiversity.

    Was this mentioned to her AT ALL and was she challenged on it, or was she given an easy ride to talk about her pet topic?

       4 likes

    • DickMart says:
      February 10, 2014 at 2:16 pm

      It was raised at the end, but she was given a very easy ride.

         4 likes

      • Roland Deschain says:
        February 10, 2014 at 3:33 pm

        Indeed it was. She waffled meaninglessly, but Evan Davies wasn’t having any of it and challenged her robustly.

        Actually, I made up that last bit. He seemed totally unconcerned that she hadn’t answered the question, in such a manner that, to my ear anyway, confirmed that there WAS a policy to stop dredging and flood land.

           4 likes

  16. Aerfen says:
    February 10, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Those wicked ‘far right’ Swiss!

    http://www.thecommentator.com/article/4711/eu_bbc_go_ballistic_after_swiss_immigration_vote

    Democracy is a great thing in the Ukraine but not apprently in Switzerland!
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/swiss-referendum-immigration-quotas

    Meanwhile the Guardian are busy slurring sensible Swiss voters as ‘anti immigrant’ and all sensible parties opposing mass uncontrolled immigration as ‘far right’.

       9 likes

  17. Aerfen says:
    February 10, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    Oops I posted this in the wrong spot on the thread!

    Those wicked ‘far right’ Swiss!

    http://www.thecommentator.com/article/4711/eu_bbc_go_ballistic_after_swiss_immigration_vote

    Democracy is a great thing in the Ukraine but not apprently in Switzerland!
    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/swiss-referendum-immigration-quotas

    Meanwhile the Guardian are busy slurring sensible Swiss voters as ‘anti immigrant’ and all sensible parties opposing mass uncontrolled immigration as ‘far right’.

       5 likes

  18. Llareggub says:
    February 10, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    It seems that the Swiss electorate have disappointed the BBC and EU leaders by voting in favour of immigration curbs.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26116648

       8 likes

    • stewart says:
      February 10, 2014 at 2:34 pm

      From article
      “In addition, cities with higher than average numbers of foreigners – Basel, Geneva and Zurich – voted against the quota proposal, while rural areas mostly voted for it.”
      Really aunty,immigrants vote for immigration, you dont say

         10 likes

  19. Thoughtful says:
    February 10, 2014 at 2:06 pm

    Driving back from dropping a friend at the station there was the radio 4 news on with a report of a far left leaning professor who opposed Fatcher and called BLiar ‘the son of Fatcher.

    I must admit I’d never heard of this man and his only newsworthy attribute appeared to be his loathing of Fatcher!

       9 likes

  20. Llareggub says:
    February 10, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    Dismay in Europe. Swiss vote for curbs on immigration, upsetting the EU leaders and BBC.

    . http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26116648

       3 likes

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    February 15, 2014 at 12:18 am

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