462 Responses to MID WEEK OPEN THREAD

  1. dave s says:

    You have a few problems. I suggest you take up fishing.
    Salmon season is going well.
    How about a trip to see the beavers on the River Otter.
    Happy little chaps. Some say they are illegal immigrants.
    I don’t think so. The beavers have always been there. A bit like us on here. Part of old England.

       3 likes

    • dave s says:

      This is out of place. Should be somewhere else. Where? Near our new friendly insulter in chief. Chipping Norton I think.

         3 likes

  2. Angrymanupnorth says:

    25.3.15 Newsnight. Emily Maitlis.

    1. “Clarkesongate”. BBC Naval gazing at its vomit generating best/worst. Steve Hewlett’s take. Emily and Alan Yentob in discourse. Revealing discourse. The column inches and airtime given to this matter of relative irrelevance is breath-taking.

    2. The ‘independent’ Institute for Fiscal Studies gets their subtle take on the tax announcements at PMQ’s today. Just for the record, the IFS are statist leftists and they know where their funding comes from. Independent my elbow. The Labcon Punch and Judy show extended by the bumbling Matthew Hancock and sly Chris Leslie (tonight’s Liblabcon puppets on a vote buying mission [fail]), but they are talking about who is going to filch more out of your wallet. Our politics is so depressing. Labour hasn’t a clue and the Tories won’t tell the truth about the name of the economic creek we are up and our current stocktake on paddles. But the narrative here, just in case you miss it is this. You plebs have a binary choice. Labour or Conservative. You have no other choice. Red or Blue, Labour or Con. Your choice.

    3. Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali . A brave lady. What a fantastic lady. Might I suggest – about time BBC. Perhaps they are getting on it, but how far behind the curve can one honestly be? I really hope anybody reading this humble blog offering, watches this interview. I will buy Ms Ali’s book to support her financially. I Hope Emily reads it too. Maybe she might learn something. One can but hope. [Plug here for ‘End of Faith’ by Prof.Sam Harris. Essential reading]

    4. Emotional interview with Clarke Carlisle. I wish him well and hope he finds a way to cherish what he has.

    5. Richard III. Was dug up. Then re-buried. And a museum / tourist opportunity presents itself to Leicester.

    6. Front pages of tomorrow’s papers, including Jezza on a Bike. Jezza? On a bike? Sack the honkey tw@t!

    Newsnight – worth a watch from the Ayaan Hirsi Ali interview onwards.

    Vote UKIP. Support Ali.

       23 likes

    • ID says:

      Although Hirsi Ali might be more acceptable to the BBC mindset than you think as in 2012 she did attack her former colleague Geert Wilders on Dutch TV as “having no solutions” in relation to Islamization. The BBC gives no idea of the extent of Muslim death threats being issued throghout Europe to people who have a low public profile. For example, a minor Swiss cabrettist who I happened to see on a German talk show. Only actual murders make the news. Wilders is still under death threats in Holland as indeed are many others who we will never hear about. At least Wilders has the courage to remain in Holland and continue the fight. As Wilders says therer is no difference between “moderate” and “extreme” Muslims. It would be just as ludicrous to distinguish between “moderate” and “extreme” Nazis. Within the context of Nazism jew murder is good. Within the context of Islam jew murder is also good. The left usually think “the thought is the deed” but in this case, Muslim thought crimes (e.g. believing that killing unbelievers is good as sanctioned by god) seem unimportant and actual crimes in the name of Islam must be “understood”.

         25 likes

      • Angrymanupnorth says:

        Geert Wilders. A brave man. I think you know why he couldn’t have been interviewed by Newsnight. Possibly to do with (i) institutionalised racism in the BBC and (ii) Geerts skin tone and genetics?

        If Geert Wilders had been the interviewee and given, verbatim, the same answers as Ali, Emily and her production team would have thought ‘racist’, lambasted him and confirmed that Islam is the Religion of Peace and whitey really is a nasty piece of work. Emily couldn’t say that to Ali though, though she tried to rubbish what she was saying by throwing ‘atheist’ at her.

           11 likes

        • ID says:

          The BBC’s apologia for the ROP is beyond ridiculous.
          Say Nigel Farage had had another near death experience and claimed a numinous voice had commanded him to include a “death to nonbelievers in UKIP” clause in the latest UKIP manifesto. Would the massive intellects at the BBC be taking Nigel as seriously as they do the deranged adherents of the ROP? If UKIP people went around beheading those who had insulted the Prophet Nigel would the BBC be bending over backwards to find mitigating circumstances and theories to explain away these grotesque happenings?

             8 likes

        • noggin says:

          That s really why Ms Ali is a trump card re Al BBC,
          Mr Wilders, is very direct and takes no prisoners, I recall
          him being on BBC5Live, believe it or not with VD the Drearybyshire herself.
          She tried the usual ploys with no result, even wheeling out fave Al BBC apologist Moh Shafiq too.
          It used to be on Youtube … well half of it, then it was removed

          ps
          Goodbye Mr “sadly lacking inferiority complex” Chip-ping Minton

             5 likes

    • Anne says:

      “Interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali . A brave lady. What a fantastic lady.”

      I don’t necessarily disagree with that, and I admit I haven’t read her book. However, it seems to me that she is only saying what others have been trying to get across for years. Being the wrong colour, they are still struggling to be heard. I seriously resent that.

         18 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      You mention the IFS.Interestingly a survey carried out by Manchester University demonstrated that most people dont know the difference between Government Debt and the deficit.If any body reading this doesnt I really suggest you go and find out,
      because this election isnt really about politics its about economic survival. The things people really ought to know are that Austerity economics,that is the stuff you are listening to at the moment,has NEVER been shown to cause growth PERIOD.
      Government DEBT has demonstably shown to GROW an economy PERIOD. If this sounds weird its because there is a BIG difference good debt and bad debt. Gilts are at an alltime low so Government can at the moment get money and make money by doing it.Its like borrowing 10 quid and making 15. This money should NOT go into services but in spade ready projects.That puts money in real peoples pockets with significant multiplier effects. Conversley QE was a disaster because the 395 billion went to the 5% at the top and had an estimated multiplier of 0.08 ie pretty much nothing.
      If anyone diagrees with this then fine but if anyone doesnt understand then I suggest you look some of it up on the web. Its the basis of the election although ,like the last one, noone is really telling you whats going on.

         1 likes

      • I Can See Clearly Now says:

           3 likes

      • Angrymanupnorth says:

        To ManBusOn. You really are the ideal farm animal. One of the sheeple. You are being farmed, but you either don’t realise, or don’t care. QE did exactly as intended (transfer wealth from the poor masses to the rich). “QE was a disaster”. You ignorance and naivity make me laugh.

        Human cattle. Farmed for Tax. Manonbus is an enthusiastic tax slave and defender of the farm managers. Who’d a thunk it.

        And you still haven’t looked up the word ‘austerity’ in the dictionary.

           6 likes

      • Inveterate Austrian says:

        There is another side to it that you might not have heard, moco – certainly not from the Beeb anyhow. There have been many studies showing that high levels of government indebtedness massively decrease economic growth. This may be Japan’s problem these past 20 years.
        Also when Keynes invented Keynesianism government indebtedness was a tiny fraction of what it is today. The US is almost up to $20 trillion, for example. So Keynes could have been correct at that time and dead wrong now because government debt is now so enormous it is slowing down growth.

           4 likes

        • outsider says:

          Also JMK was speaking of a different era ie pre globalisation.

          There are many more leakages in the globalised system such that government spending may not have the intended effect on aggregate demand.

             2 likes

      • pah says:

        As the Tories said in 2010 it may well take 15 years to sort out the mess Labour left us in, again.

           4 likes

  3. Captain Panick says:

    The BBC shut down their comments about the ‘ we have decided not to renew his contract’ as we are using weasel words to avoid the usage of sacking at just gone 4PM, well before the average employed viewer will have got home and said hallo to his or her family. However, just before shutdown, this comment crept throughout.
    ‘Mr. Tymon went an awfully long way to see to a bad lip.
    The nearest A&E to Hawes North Yorkshire is nearly 50 miles away.100 mile round trip. Hope he took a Ferrari.’

       29 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      As HYS modding is an interest, especially consistent exclusion of the vast majority of the working public, do you have link?

      I’ll have a gander but by all accounts the new site is improved for navigation in ways only the BBC could concoct.

         5 likes

      • pah says:

        In my experience there are plenty of people surfing the web when they are supposed to be working, especially in the Public Sector.

           2 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Found it:

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32052736

      LAST 2117. Posted by Bill C on
      25 Mar 2015 16:10

      And scrolling 2000+ comments on a tablet configuration that does not offer any other options not going to happen for a while. Be interesting to see when it did kick off, as it were.

      Still many questions unanswered. And hence massive variation in comments depending on tribal lines drawn.

      The professional and selective treatment points raised by Guido seem nearly all ignored by the BBC and its outrage outriders.

      Also the precise circumstances remain shrouded in mystery. As it stands the lack of a waiting sirloin saw an unprovoked ‘blow’ being landed on a person who said or did nothing, who then engaged in quite the trek to seek medical attention unavailable at a hotel for a less than serious sounding ‘wound’.

      Anyway, they got their man, and he made it easy to do.

      And the sack of rats still get a guaranteed £4Bpa to play their social engineering and power games with, by compulsion, no matter what.

         13 likes

      • Roland Deschain says:

        Bloody hell. That’s the first time I’ve looked at the comments on the new design. It isn’t any easier to get to comment #1 on a PC, as you have to click “more comments” to reveal the next batch of earlier comments. No option to go to oldest. It’s taken 6 clicks just to get to #2000 so I’m afraid #1 will remain forever unread.

           2 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          ‘No option to go to oldest.’

          They have not exactly made it easy to see, but on my Mac at least it is via a rollover (which I must confess I only discovered by accident).

          Hence:

          1. Posted by Johnny_Ibanez
          on
          25 Mar 2015 14:11
          …and on that bombshell.

          Making this thread open for all of a few hours in the afternoon. Unique.

          No (easily) evident Editors’ Picks – maybe they didn’t get back from lunch in time?

             1 likes

        • pah says:

          The new web site is utterly rubbish. It looks like they got the unpaid intern to knock it out in his lunch time.

             1 likes

  4. Truthdoctor says:

    Hidden among BBC world news pages; Amnesty international report that Hamas committed war crimes by attacking Israel last summer.

    Hamas Also accidentally killed its own people with rouge rockets and blamed israel.

    BBC News – Amnesty: Hamas rocket attacks amounted to war crimes http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32053999

       17 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      I thought both sides were accused of war crimes.Israel for targeting Un hospitals and schools and dropping phosphorus bombs on kids.

         4 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Check this out for Bias!
      Chaired by Sir Quentin Thomas, the report said the BBC failed to “convey adequately the disparity in the Israeli and Palestinian experience, reflecting the fact that one side is in control and the other lives under occupation.”

         3 likes

      • I Can See Clearly Now says:

        Check this…

        Check what? You didn’t provide a link; maybe because it would have led to a nine-year-old report. Subsequent to that report, Hamas have effectively run Gaza since they threw their Fatah rivals off the tops of buildings in 2007. Statehood has always been on offer; it just required them to stop behaving like savages. But it suits their ends better to appear to ‘live under occupation’.

           5 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      Rouge rockets? Were they too busy looking in the mirror to put on their make up and caused an accident?

      Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

         4 likes

  5. Deborah(another) says:

    BBC back on the NHS trail this morning on news 24.Clarkson -old news ,collapsing NHS one of the main news stories .

    A report says the NHS has never been in such a bad state since the 1990’s and is deteriorating .Cue author of report emoting about how bad things are. To give him his due ,the presenter got him to agree the government has indeed ncreased spending but of course not by enough.

    No mention of the Health Select Commitee report which Labour has blocked from being published because it found no evidence of their scare stories about NHS.

    Any one who works in the NHS knows there are many many more people to treat since the 1990’s.Go figure!

       24 likes

      • Bob Nelson says:

        Kings Fund chief executive, Chris Ham, was an advisor to the last Labour government and is a regular contributor of NHS related articles to The Guardian.
        Clearly independent, then.

           9 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Its easy when you know how. Services need to grow in relation to anticipated need. Otherwise it is a cut. In the case of the 1990 Thatcher and Major allowed the NHS to crash and burn.Thats why Blair was elected and who subsequently invested heavily in order to undo the years of neglect. As soon as the new Tories came on board Lansley began disasterous cuts as well as the univesally condemned management changes.Hence the underfunded and mismanaged service is now in freefall. Sadly the Tories adhere to a version of reality that just doesnt exist and are vicious enough to push people through the cheese grater in a vain attempt to get it.

         3 likes

      • I Can See Clearly Now says:

        Services need to grow in relation to anticipated need… Hence the underfunded and mismanaged service is now in freefall.

        Anyone notice a massive bull elephant in the room? Since we’ve taken on to provide a health service for much of the world’s population, we’ll have to accept that there will be less available for ourselves. Simples!

           13 likes

      • pah says:

        All that investment and they could only manage to euthanize 20,000 English OAPs. You must be so disappointed.

        Still never mind if Bloody Hands Burnham gets back in he’ll be able to kill some more eh?

           6 likes

    • Arthur Penney says:

      I think you misread the report. It is saying that the NHS’s performance is decreasing like it was in the 1990s. Which is completely different from saying that the ACTUAL performance is worse. (It isn’t).

      The Mail has graphs – which I am sure have appeared on the BBC (ha ha) showing that the number of consultants, technicians, and ambulance drivers have gone up, those of managers have gone down a lot and there is not much of a change in GPs and Nurses.

      A far cry from the headlines.

         7 likes

  6. Truthdoctor says:

    In the light of today’s report by Amnesty which highlights hamas’s war crimes, a link to my animation on BBC bias made during the conflict last year.

    http://goo.gl/TK0qYy

       10 likes

  7. The Old Bloke says:

    We are waking up to the news that the recent air crash in the French Alps looks a good case of pilot suicide as rumours state that following initial investigation of the retrieved cockpit voice recorder, only one pilot was on the flight deck following the programmed decent to destruction. I wonder how long it will be before the names of the flight crew will be released (if ever) and do we have another Glasgow bin lorry event?

       18 likes

    • outsider says:

      agreed – murder suicide most likely at this stage.

      RIP.

         10 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      was the Glasgow bin lorry suicide? I thought he survived!

         5 likes

      • outsider says:

        dunno – neither the bbc nor anyone else appears to want to elucidate.

           8 likes

        • Roland Deschain says:

          Pretty sure details of the Glasgow lorry driver did emerge eventually, though initial silence given recent similar events at the time did appear odd. He did survive.

          But, at the moment, the odds on the pilot’s name being some version of Mohammed appear to have shortened. Time will tell, and the BBC probably doesn’t want to speculate as it would be the wrong sort of speculation.

             3 likes

          • outsider says:

            Details are remarkably slim on the ground for such an unusual and tragic event. The MSM has barely mentioned it in the last few months.

               2 likes

          • pah says:

            Sorry but that is complete bullshit. His name was released as soon as it became ‘known that he was alone in the cockpit and had ‘deliberately’ crashed the plane.

            And no he does not at first glance appear to be a Muslim.

               2 likes

  8. Guest Who says:

    http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/the-bbc-scrutiny-committee.html?m=0

    This one has been mentioned, but not as much as it warrants.

    The BBC article about itself was/is a masterpiece, starting with the new design that looks like a Labour press release attacking ‘the government’ to only vague mention of how the BBC fared.

    The cited inquiry paragraphs are pretty damning, so small wonder the BBC saw fit to not mention them. Editorial by omission at its best. But to not even link to the report takes a special commitment to ‘not news’ (c) A. Newsroom Tealady. It would be intetesting to discover what reports they do like, link to and why, as opposed to those the public really need not be bothered with.

    Such manipulations of course forming a part of the report.

    MP inquiries often seem toothless affairs, but I have tended to find those fighting hard to represent the public every few years take the powers they win very seriously. And do expect respect for democratic process.

    It would be nice to think a very patrician, unelected, in perpetuity BBC officer class blowing off accountability so often may have consequences down the line.

       9 likes

  9. AsISeeIt says:

    BBC man Gordon Corera has, apparently, – on our behalf – studied the backgrounds of hundreds of young ‘British’ Jihadis who left these shores to fight for ISIS.

    I think our Gordon may have been wasting his time. He comes back and would have us believe “there is no hard and fast rule” that predicts who it is that has been radicalised – he says this as he shows us pictures of hundreds of light-brown skinned young people of a uniformly Muslim persuasion.

    I would hazard a guess his former tutors at….

    ‘University College School, an independent school for boys in Hampstead in north west London, followed by St Peter’s College at the University of Oxford, where he studied Modern History, followed by graduate studies in US foreign policy at Harvard University’

    ….might be a tad concerned that despite his intensive research their star pupil had come up with no thesis whatsoever.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Corera

    And our Gordon ought to have been culturally awake to his subject matter:

    ‘Corera was born in London, and his father was from the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India’

    Ah but you see the Indian subcontinent may only be his heritage not his true cultural background.

    His expensive Western education into the transatlantic liberal elite sets our Gordon far apart from the offspring of recent immigrants to Coventry or Portsmouth or Tower Hamlets with their bog standard comps. And from us regular Brits.

    Why has he such a very BBC Common Purpose tale to tell?

    Well, you see, I’m going to speculate on his politics…. Pee Cee, Multiculty….

    ‘Corera worked on the re-election campaign of President Bill Clinton. He joined the BBC in 1997’

       20 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      and your research tells us what?? Oh no! you havent done any.
      I must say you are very good at idle speculation though. Very well done; kinda thing they use for building bridges,planes etc etc.

         5 likes

      • outsider says:

        you’re about as funny as the average bbc comedian.

           10 likes

      • AsISeeIt says:

        ‘your research tells us what?’
        My research? Your BBC man Gordon Corera was paid the public money to do journalistic research and has come up with some Pee Cee diddly squat. The only factors he has found are what we all know anyway and which he can’t say out loud. So I can see exactly why you as a BBC approving leftist can’t engage with the subject matter – so why bother? Oh, you’re basically a troll

           9 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      ‘‘Corera worked on the re-election campaign of President Bill Clinton. He joined the BBC in 1997′

      Not the Bush campaign then? Well, I am surprised.

      Nice factoid, though.

         4 likes

  10. Thoughtful says:

    This morning the news is reporting maybe prematurely that the one of the pilots of the crashed airbus was locked out of the cockpit, and could not regain access.
    Apparently he can be heard banging on the cabin door & shouting, but with no response from the person inside.
    It is highly unlikely that the remaining pilot was having a medical emergency as the angle of descent was too steep for a normal aircraft to make. There had to have been pilot input.
    It might normally have been expected that once cruising height had been reached the auto pilot would have been engaged, and it is unlikely that a pilot would have left the cockpit while the aircraft was under manual control.

    It would be strange indeed if these events do prove to be the case, and as inexplicable as flight MH370 – which even the BBC will accept as a possible ‘suicide’.

    If this does turn out to be a similar crash, with another Muslim pilot then I have no doubt what so ever that the authorities will attempt to hush it all up, and the fact that this has been leaked might well be someone attempting to get facts into the public domain before the authorities get the chance to control the news.

       18 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      If the media are reporting fact, that is what they are there to do. No more.

      Speculation at this early stage seems premature. Unlike MH the story lies broken but accessible in the mountains and will soon be uncovered. Too many people, from crew to passengers to business, have much motivation to not know what happened (OK, for the latter insurance claims can influence findings).

      The notion of faith-inspired suicide in these cases seems unlikely, as there is seldom any complementary claims. And profile usually is the aim.

      One thing that does amaze me is how often those who need the skills and personalities to be doctors or pilots seem able to rationalise taking others with them, whatever their reasons.

      Let the facts unfold, and if the BBC plays games with them then they warrant discussion.

         8 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        Its obviously the BBC wot dun it!

           4 likes

        • AsISeeIt says:

          ‘BBC wot dun it! ‘

          If you’re going to bother then at least make an effort.

             11 likes

          • Guest Who says:

            Seems to be vying with his new competition on the one,liners, in content and volume.

            Now, how do BBC HYS threads handle such things, but also including legitimate comment?

               4 likes

      • Thoughtful says:

        I agree with the last sentence, however there are complementary incidents, such as 9/11 and as for flight MH370 we simply don’t know.
        The point of my post however is to point out what is currently being reported – in itself highly unusual, and to draw readers attention to it.
        It’s often difficult to read between the lines of a news agenda unless you are at first aware of what they might be trying to hide.

        I am being careful not to prejudge events but here things are already starting to smell very unpleasant. Modern aircraft don’t just fall out of the sky, and this one had only just been inspected. Foul play cannot be ruled out, and indeed would appear prima facie to look likely, however we need to be alive for manipulation of the facts should that suit the powers that be.

           10 likes

        • outsider says:

          agree with Thoughtful.

          It is inevitable humans will speculate in the aftermath of such a terrible disaster, it’s not ambulance chasing as much as human compassion and a healthy scepticism of officialdom.

             3 likes

        • manonclaphamomnibus says:

          No what you are doing is idle speculation. And guess what ,its what the BBC painfully does all the time. Nothing looks likey at the moment.Some things might be more possible than others but until the flight recorder is obtained then you dont know. These areoplanes have sophisticated APs on them which can be partially disabled if you interfear,touch or drop dead on them. Classic case being the Russian piliot who let his grandchildren play with the controls of a passenger jet which ended up spiralling to the floor.
          Lets just wait and see shall we.

             4 likes

          • Essex Man says:

            Clapped out busman , the Russian aircraft was old school , with cables from cockpit, to control surfaces . Modern aircraft use fly by wire systems. The aircraft have computers in the the system, to control erratic pilot movements , which will smooth out those movements . I agree it may be possible to override ,but the black box would show that up. As a Bbc employee , you like the rest, know bugger all about anything, apart from lies & worshiping Labour & the ROP.

               3 likes

          • outsider says:

            Simple folk like you can wait and see. If you find it idle, why don’t you jog-on?

            And by the way the bbc doesn’t speculate all the time; it omits, bullshits and obfuscates, spending a lot of fucking money in the process.

               4 likes

          • Thoughtful says:

            I wouldn’t mind if before you put fingers to keys you at least had an idea of what you were discussing! The flight data recorders have both been recovered and the sound recording has shown exactly what I have written !
            The auto pilot thing is something of a joke, yes? It is engaged by the pilot and disengaged when he chooses, the only point it will disengage is if the sensors go outside parameters, as the Air France airbus did. Left alone it will simply carry on flying until the aircraft runs out of fuel, it will then descend in a glide path which is known.
            There is no dead mans handle on an aircraft for obvious reasons.

            You choose to ignore that the auto pilot had been deliberately disengaged, the security door interlocked against the absent co pilot, and that the dive was way too steep for an uncontrolled descent.

               0 likes

        • Arthur Penney says:

          It is inevitably a mistake to theorise before you have sufficient information. S Holmes

             1 likes

    • Old Goat says:

      Locked cockpit door policies were introduced post 9/11, with access via keypad locks (there is another way, known to the crew…). However, during most flights, a brief excursion by one of the cockpit crew invariably ended with him/her knocking on the door from the outside, to be let back in, which was more convenient than fumbling around with a code. Perhaps the code was either not known, or forgotten. Of course the weakness with that system, is the danger of a hijacker threatening a hostie, and making him/her give up the code.

      In any event, it DOES seem strange that in almost ten minutes of a fairly pronounced descent, no-one thought to take the situation seriously, and attempted to force the cockpit door earlier on.

      The spectacle must have been terrifying for the punters.

      Deliberate? Who knows. With no pertinent voices recorded, the mystery deepens.

         8 likes

      • Llareggub says:

        There is a mystery regarding the plane crash and we can only hope that there are enough among relatives and others who have an interest in the full facts being published.
        However, in opposition to our usual detractors who will denounce any speculation or discussion at this stage, there are two facts to consider.

        One – we are at war with an enemy that has shown a willingness to kill civilians, blow up planes and trains.

        Two, we have governments and a media that has an interest in suppressing information which may point a finger at certain organizations with a connection to the Koran.

        Anyone with respect for truth, scientific assessment of evidence, will find it plausible to embrace these two facts in the course of any deliberations about this tragic affair.

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11491587/Airbus-A320-crashes-in-French-Alps-with-148-people-on-board-live.html

           9 likes

      • D1004 says:

        For information, access to the flight deck to A320 is controlled by a panel which has a lock on it, ie the pilot can lock out the keypad and therefore access for up to 20 minutes, the plane crashed after departing its altitude after 8 minutes.

           10 likes

        • outsider says:

          Can these doors be broken by humans with sufficient force/time, do you know?

             2 likes

          • D1004 says:

            Not this time 🙁 sorry not trying to be sarcastic but there was 8 minutes between departure from normality and crash, if reports of taping and then knocking and then banging are true then what ? The pilot on the outside would need to quickly apprise the situation gather people and tools ( what would that be these days ? ) and go for it without raising a general panic. Apparently the only override for the time lock would be a cabin depressurisation such as smashing a window in the passenger cabin, was this attempted ? Probably never know. Note 8 minutes was not a quick decent, someone wanting to commit murder might push the plane on its nose and dive it like Silk Air 185,this apparently didn’t happen, more of a slow measured decent which did not set off alarms on the flight deck nor attract the attention of the auto pilot to try and bring the nose up, someone far more clued up then me looking at the open data on Flight 24 thought the speed of the decent very very strange in the first few hours after the event.
            I would point out the interested to the website PPrune.

               4 likes

            • I Can See Clearly Now says:

              The doors were introduced after ‘9/11’. They’re designed to prevent entry by a determined terrorist. A pilot shut outside has an override that works unless the pilot inside de-activates it. So it looks like one went to the toilet and the second one locked the door and took the plane down. It’s not likely that the active pilot had a heart attack just when the first one left the cockpit and, even if he did, the first one would have been able to re-enter. News conference coming up.

                 5 likes

              • I Can See Clearly Now says:

                French prosecutor: Pilot went to the toilet. Co-pilot locked him out and crashed the plane. Co-pilot is German national; religion not known.

                Co-pilot just names as Andreas Lubitz.

                No indication of terrorism.

                   4 likes

    • Dysgwr_Cymraeg says:

      Reports this morning discussing the security measures in place on the cockpit access door. From the outside it’s accessible by a security code, the mechanism for which can be over-ridden from within the cockpit. Therefore extremely unlikely it was some kind of medical issue for the pilot at the controls.
      Go figure…..

         1 likes

  11. Dave666 says:

    It’s another morning on breakfast. The BBc investigates young “Britons” going on jihad. Surprise two cult members on the sofa. Yes it’s a “small number” that have gone, “Nothing to do with islam” twice. Oh & it’s down to the constant attacks on the cult. Yep another balanced report. North West meanwhile carry on the parents on a crusade story from the sofa yesterday

       20 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Youre a religious man Dave,you must know what they are going through.Knowing they are right on their chosen path!

         4 likes

  12. Tony E says:

    Unbelievable interview on R4 just now – with Bercow’s only Conservative supporter -Julian Lewis.

    The attempt to discredit the move to secret ballot for Speaker elections is risible.

       14 likes

  13. outsider says:

    from wiki:
    ‘It is expected that Capita will earn £1.10bn – £1.55bn from its contract with the BBC if it runs its maximum 15 years from July 2012.[8]’

    The bbc is as good at channelling tax dollars to capita as it is to the grauniad.

       11 likes

  14. Dave666 says:

    And he’s back… http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32062579 (I assume if re booted Top Gear bombs)

       2 likes

  15. manonclaphamomnibus says:

    You have to accept that for many people Clarkson is no longer a cheeky maverick but a violent yob. He has the support of Cameron too, which is never a good thing

       6 likes

    • Old Goat says:

      “Yob” sums you up rather well, I think, nastydepositontheseatofanomnibussomewhere or other…

         9 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        Coming from you ,who clearly is cognitively disavantaged,I take that as a compliment. May you continue to be ignorant and happy!

           5 likes

        • Old Goat says:

          Ah, how the odd ad hom slides so easily down with the early Sauvignon on this beautiful Spring morning. Ignorant? Maybe. Happy? Deliriously so. No buses (with their snotty, irritating passengers) around here. Long may it remain so.

             5 likes

          • manonclaphamomnibus says:

            If you dont like ad hom attacks why do you engage in them. Thinking about it,I am not sure if youve said anything substantial on this ever.

               4 likes

            • Old Goat says:

              They don’t bother me, irate passenger, and as far as saying anything substantial is concerned, you hardly lead the field, other than in general unpopularity.

                 11 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      He’s either a violent yob, or a very clever manipulator of his career.

      I favour the latter, and I believe that Clarkson will greatly enrich himself as a result. It’s just too convenient that a man with no history of physical violence assaults someone with just a month to run on his contract. Plus the fact that this contract was the one which cold the rights to Top Gear to the BBC.
      Now he & his two colleagues could be in receipt of a multi million golden hello, plus the rights to a new global car program franchise.

      Clarkson et al has an awful lot to gain by leaving the BBC, don’t forget that.

         12 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        I think the idea his behaviour was staged is a bit far fetched personally.

           4 likes

    • Tony E says:

      Actually, whatever happened, Clarkson is a personal friend of the PM. What was said in his support was that he and his children were fans, not of the act of the assault.

         4 likes

  16. Odo Saunders says:

    Radio Five “gets much worse” Live, and I suspect the other news programmes of the Corporation, are maintaining a news blackout concerning the Scottish Question and Mr. Ed’s disastorous performance at yesterday’s PMQs. Five Live was very concerned this morning about a certain invididual leaving a boy band – I don’t know the deatails, as I am well past the age when I would be expected to take an interest in such matters!! Nevertheless, the Corporation’s failure to engage with these matters clearly indicates that they are concerned to cover Mr. Ed’s back as much as possible. When Mr. Ed failed to tell the House of Commons yesterday as to whether a future Labour Government would increase National Insurance, it was left up to Ed Balls at a later time to state that his party would not introduce any increase. The man is totally devoid of any economic competence and the BBC needs to investigate the matter further. Although Sky News did comment unfavourably on Mr. Ed’s performance yesterday, the ridiculous Joey Jones then immediately mentioned that he had made a good responding speech at last week’s Budget debate. Were you asleep in the House of Commons at that time, Joey? Mr. Ed’s speech on Budget day was again lacking in any economic content and was nothing more than a personal attack on the backgrounds of Cameron and Osborne. Playground politics? Joey, there goes your reputation as a political commentatoe, if you ever had one! However, this raises the deeper question as to whether Murdoch is about to take sides during the coming election campaign? This could have a significant impact on the result, particularly if News Corporation and the BBC back Mr. Ed. Murdoch has always been against institutions such as our Monarchy, and he may be reasoning that a minority Labour Government supported by the SNP will do the trick in ending the United Kingdom as we know it, and totally undermine the prestige and authority of the Monarch. Ah well, will the last person to leave this once proud and noble country after the May election please switch off the light!!

       10 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      Please don’t bully poor Mr Miliband. He probably forgot if Labour was or wasn’t, going to increase NI. We all know that he does have these mind blanks occasionally , usually in moments of stress, and I think it deeply unfair to criticise him for it. After all he only trying to land the job of leading the nation in an increasingly risky world.

         12 likes

  17. Thoughtful says:

    Now the Daily Mail is reporting on the Air crash

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3012053/Pilot-doomed-Germanwings-jet-locked-cockpit-crash.html

    “Disturbing questions were raised today over whether the pilot of the doomed Germanwings A320 Airbus deliberately locked his co-pilot and crew out of the cockpit minutes before it crashed into an Alpine mountainside killing 150 people”

    Experienced pilots today told MailOnline that under normal conditions crew have an emergency access code to enter the cockpit through the locked door.

    They can only be stopped from using it if whoever is inside the cockpit manually – and intentionally – disables it.

    “The revelation will heighten fears that suicide or a terror attack was the cause of the disaster.”

    The auto pilot switched off, door deliberately locked, pilot intervention to put the plane into a dive, computers over ridden.

    If that doesn’t point to a deliberate act then I don’t know what does !

       9 likes

    • outsider says:

      The co-incidence of various factors, as you say, suggests malice aforethought.

         3 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      But it did come from the Mail. So lets wait and see what the truth actually is shall we!

         3 likes

      • D1004 says:

        The Mail like most of Fleet St gets its inside info from reading Pprune, it’s an open site for professional pilots and workers in aviation. Trouble is the more the site is known the more loons are attracted to post daft theories about disasters, I’ve lurked on it for years I am not in any way qualified to post on it.

           8 likes

    • Pounce says:

      From the Guardian:
      “The co-pilot joined Germanwings in September 2013, directly after training, and had flown 630 hours, Lufthansa said.”

         5 likes

  18. I Can See Clearly Now says:

    BREAKING: Never mind that it’s a ‘busy news day’, it’s not too busy for the Beeb to announce the appointment of another female bishop for the Church Of England. Three now; still warrants ‘Breaking News’ fanfare.

    ‘Lots of response coming in, including from the Archbishop of Capetown, Desmond Tutu, in his usual irrepressible style, saying “Yippee”. ‘

    (No news yet of any female appointments within Islam.)

       14 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Have we got any female chiefs in this closed order?

         4 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      This is not a road you want to go down as there are women Imams – loads of them ! In fact Wikipedia has a whole page dedicated to them!

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_as_imams

      One of the biggest problems with Islam is its complete lack of structure and hierarchy. There is no equivalent to a bishop let alone a Pope or Cardinal, and almost anyone can become an Imam.

      Therefore there is no official doctrine, dogma, or set of beliefs, only the holy books, and as a result there can be no engagement with Islam as a whole as there is no individual or group which represents it.

         4 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        On that basis how can anyone suggest that all followers of Islam are evil which is a common theme on this site?

           3 likes

        • Thoughtful says:

          I don’t think anyone says that the followers are evil, but it is undeniable fact that the religion itself is evil and violent to boot.

             13 likes

          • manonclaphamomnibus says:

            Its totally deniable that the religion itself is evil. This is flawed thinking. All religions are baseless superstitious nonesense and have shown time and again to cause mayhem and destruction. Nothing special about Islam.

               3 likes

            • Eschatologist says:

              You can’t have it both ways.
              Either Islam is evil baseless superstitious nonsense that causes mayhem and destruction (according to you – like all religions) OR it is not evil and doesn’t do any of those things.
              Otherwise you are espousing two contradictory opinions at the same time. Choose one or the other.

                 5 likes

      • D1004 says:

        It’s strength and it’s weakness, no one to control it and take it where they want to without the consent of the faithful, no one in command to push through change to different circumstances and times. It simply is, it exists outside time, those that want to will always be able to say the faithful are departing from the chosen path, the chosen path goes round in a 7th C time loop.
        Solutions ?

           8 likes

        • manonclaphamomnibus says:

          ISIS are doing ok with taking it where they want it. As are every other flavour of Islam . Where is your evidence for you claim. The point about religion is that it easy to use politically.That is what is happening quite overtly with ISIS.Ok you get youre share of twats that go along in the la la bubble(like the 3 little girls trotting off to Syria) but you get those in all organisations including the British army.The real hard asses in ISIS are politicians. Chopping heads off is merely strategic thinking on their part.

             2 likes

          • dave s says:

            I wonder what Isis think of the extreme Shia belief in the hidden twelth Iman and the apocaplypse that he brings to the world.
            This seems to be the Iranian special belief and makes them a bit more dangerous even than Isis.
            I cannot see a future for Islam and the West living amicably side by side especially in Europe.
            There are no historical precedents .. In fact quite the opposite.

               7 likes

      • I Can See Clearly Now says:

        there are women Imams – loads of them !

        Interesting. It’s not clear from the Wiki link that a woman is afforded the same status as a man in any branch of Islam. Women only congregations, standing in the same row, etc. But even if there are some practising equality, as some Protestant churches have done, it’s significant that the Beeb never hound the mainstream like they do the Church Of England. I have never seen a woman act as a religious spokesperson for Islam anywhere; UK or anywhere else.

           11 likes

      • Ian Rushlow says:

        All religions are baseless superstitious nonesense and have shown time and again to cause mayhem and destruction. Nothing special about Islam.
        They may well be baseless superstitious nonsense but that does not prevent them giving comfort and meaning to people and motivating others to do evil in their name. Some religions have caused mayhem and destruction, but that is usually a historical aspect and they evolve out of it and learn to co-exist. Islam is different in that: (a) it merges faith with political ideology; (b) it has not evolved and has no obvious mechanisms by which it can do so; (c ) it is here and now and thus a current threat. One could possibly add (d) it enjoys the patronage of self-hating Western political elites and the media.

           12 likes

  19. Llareggub says:

    Is it technically possible to slide the wisdom posted by the bus man and friends into a separate category so that their opinions are not suppressed – as in left blogs – but separated from comments that try to engage in discussion, argument and expose BBC bias? Put them altogether a under a heading like – Supporters of the BBC. Occasionally, it might be fun to challenge them

       11 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Well just put that down to more Ad Hom on your part. I understand why anything you cant follow is automatically left wing but I can assure that there are right wing people that can not only think but engage in reasoned argument. You could maybe start by pointing out the flaws in my last comment if you think there are some.

         2 likes

      • Old Goat says:

        The fact that you commented at all, is a big enough flaw in itself. Why do you hate everybody? Go and find some other blog, I think you’ve run your course, here.

           15 likes

        • manonclaphamomnibus says:

          Thats brilliant coming from someone that rants all day about Muslims. I think youll find that I make some significant points on this site. It is sad but somewhat reflective of the state of things that actually trying to anaylse and present alternative veiws is considered left wing and obviously hateful in your case.
          It is a common defence mechanism to attempt to hold on to what you imagine to be true and I understand where you are coming from. I am reminded of Galileo attempting to show representatives of the Pope the moons of Jupiter through his newly created telescope. They refused to look through it. You more than anyone knows why dont you!

             4 likes

          • Old Goat says:

            Significant points? You? I hadn’t noticed. I had, however, noticed how unpopular you are – perhaps you are too thick-skinned to absorb that observation for yourself.

            Any road up, enough of my time has been wasted with a nonentity, this morning

            Good day to you – don’t forget to pay your fare…

               17 likes

            • johnnythefish says:

              Nice one, OG, best ignored. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s suffering from dementia (though I sincerely hope it’s not true). I can’t imagine any other reason for him trotting out the same old tripe day after day, acting as though he’s making his points for the first time and claiming we are ignoring his ‘facts’ when in fact they’ve been trashed time and time again.

              Alternatively it’s a lame attempt to obfuscate and frustrate in the hope that people will drift away from the site.

              The more he defends the BBC with his left wing views the more counter-productive he becomes. Let him continue with his shotgun until his feet are in tatters.

                 10 likes

          • Llareggub says:

            The papal representatives did look through his telescope and failed to see the moons because his piece of pipe with glass in it could not eliminate optical aberrations, did not have a necessary eyepiece that Huygens was to invent decades later. Some saw a reflection of their own eye, others saw nothing that they could identify. Reliable proof of the Moons of Jupiter came later. Not being familiar with relevant optical theory Galileo was in no position to substantiate his position at that time.

               8 likes

    • D1004 says:

      Would require a full time moderator or that posts were held until they could be moderated at a convent time thereby loosing the ability to react to events in seconds to a “heads up”.

         6 likes

    • Roland Deschain says:

      I think Disqus has an ignore function where you can hide any particular poster. I’m not sure I’d want to take the Disqus route – it really doesn’t seem to like Android tablets, whichever browser is used.

      “Disqus seems to be taking longer than usual – reload?” No, Disqus normally takes that long to load.

         5 likes

    • Some idiot says:

      There’s never any actual arguments to challenge. It’s all just bile.
      Easier to just scroll down and down and down and down and down and d…

         6 likes

  20. NISA says:

    Who’d have thunk it from BBC coverage of the subject (e.g. recently R5 “Up all Night” Rhod Sharp interviewing a person from Utah about their policy & referring to it offending our European sensibilities)

    “Support for the death penalty in Britain has dropped below 50% for the first time on record, an annual opinion survey says.
    The NatCen British Social Attitudes Report found 48% of the 2,878 people it surveyed were in favour of capital punishment.”

       9 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      ‘“Support for the death penalty in Britain has dropped below 50% for the first time on record, an annual opinion survey says.’

      To which I’d say, so effing what BBC? You ignored public opinion when a majority was in favour because, like, you and your ‘progressive’ mates always knew best, didn’t you?

         12 likes

  21. Thoughtful says:

    BBC reports that the British government has announced it’s support for Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen.

    What a surprise, they’ve paid enough to buy the British cabinet, and they always support what ever Saudi decides to do !

       12 likes

    • Pounce says:

      What a surprise, they’ve paid enough to buy the British cabinet,

      Actually, the situation inside Yemen concerns us all. Iran has enough on its plate with Bahrain , Syria and Lebanon. So the question we have to ask, is why have they upped their ante next door in Saudi Arabia, especially when the new king (former defence minister from 2011 to Jan 15) has form in taking military action.
      Its all to do with the price of Oil. Saudi Arabia last year increased the amount of Oil it pushed out and at a stroke the price of Oil has fallen and boy has it fallen. Every other Oil producing country in the world has seen fallen oil revenues (including Scotland) Iran which is embroiled in wars inside Syria, Lebanon and inside Iraq is feeling the pinch. The Shia community inside Yemen had being receiving Military aid from Iran for a while , but they were only strong inside their own areas, however of late they have gained the strength to conquer the whole country. The first thing the Shia did when they captured San’a was to openly invite the Iranians into the country . In turn they have gone from strength to strength. Now the Saudis weren’t going to allow their arch rivals in the region to set up shop next door and as of last night said enough is enough . Since then Oil prices have risen, at a stroke Iran gets the money it needs in which to fund its adventures, the thing is, Iran has already complained and if they start to slow down (not attack) oil Tankers in the Gulf the price of Oil will rise even further. However, if there are attacks on Saudi Oil terminals by so called Yemeni fighters, the price of Oil will go through the roof. Which will effect us all.
      I wonder why the bBC experts haven’t mentioned all of the above

         15 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        The whole of the middle east is about one thing and one thing alone; resources including oil. There is a large pipeline running from the Caspian through to Europe with the aim of supplying oil and freezing out Russian imports . All of what you read is about the declining West attempting to shore up their security and economies in the face of China and Russia.
        The middle east is where it is playing out.

           2 likes

      • Thoughtful says:

        Pounce All of what you say may be true, but it does not account for the British governments announcement of support which it did not need to publicly make.

           1 likes

  22. Pounce says:

    Has anybody else noticed how the Trolls, take it in turns to post here:
    Yesterday the gobby prick, today its mirror image when it comes to abuse. Its as if somebody is having a giraffe at this blogs expense. Of course the dilution of each and every thread only serves to turn people who wish to find information regards the bias the bBC pushes out away.
    In otherwords all the Troll wants to do is discredit this blog.

       28 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      more ad hom. Have you ever noticed how many people cant mount a reasoned argument on this site. You discredit this blog my friend. Why? because you dont contribute to finding any bias anywhere. You merely engage in a group hug over the latest gutter press headline. That only serves to discredit this site. Moreover it is laughable that you regard any of the efforts of this site do anything than reflect UKIP and Tory right veiws none of which stand the mildest scrutiny. So why instead of inflating your own importance dont you come up with something that can be discussed?

         5 likes

    • D1004 says:

      I would not get too upset, that’s what they want, I suggest a little pulling of the cats tail and then quietly ignoring pussies demands for attention. If they have something relevant to say then engage them whilst it suits. Two events are coming up, the BBCs request for another free hand in our pockets and an election which will allow a party more suited to its cause to be elected. All set against a rising dislike for the BBCs Poll tax whilst making more and more rubbish with it. Such times will always bring out their supporters both paid and unpaid.
      I would suggest largely ignoring them and just getting on, it’s a bit like walking down a back alley and having to watch out for the dog dirt. I would imagine after a time and definitely after the election things will die down.
      We must not rise to their insults and respond likewise, that shows us up. People who come here looking for an education for bad bbc behaviour are used to dealing with trolls, every site seems to grow them, if people are interested they will filter out the rubbish and the not interesting as much as I and all of us do. There is pure gold of found bias and deceit in these pages, keep uncovering the gold, don’t worry about a little shower.

         21 likes

      • Roland Deschain says:

        I’d agree. Outright porkies, of course, need to be challenged but generally speaking it’s best to ignore. Trolls live for the reaction. Although sometimes there’s an opportunity to say something you know will really wind them up which is just too good to miss.

           10 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Let them carry on shooting themselves in the foot.

      They come on here spouting their left wing views which they think is a defence of the BBC but only serves to confirm BBC bias e.g mass immigration = good, borrow and spend = good, Islam = RoP (and beyond criticism), global warming is happening and is man-made, Israel is to blame for the stand off and wars with the ‘Palestinians’ etc. etc.

      They cannot seem to get it into their thick skulls this site is campaigning for the BBC to honour its commitment to impartiality, that all we want to see is balance. So, for example, we might expect to see BBC staff disciplined for their biased, left wing tweets, but we don’t. We might expect to hear the occasional question or tweet from a right wing point of view e.g. ‘So Mr Balls, if Labour are re-elected will they abolish boom and bust again?’ but we don’t. We might expect the BBC to report on the resignation from the IPCC of one of the world’s leading experts on tropical diseases (see post above), with all its implications for the corruption of science and the discrediting of the IPCC, but we don’t. We might expect mass immigration to figure in the questioning when we hear of public services under strain, but we don’t.

      The list goes on and on and, thankfully, this site is here to expose the whole rotten, stinking, left wing mess that the BBC dishes up as public service broadcasting.

         14 likes

  23. manonclaphamomnibus says:

    Why wouldnt it. This exporter of radical Islam has been our best friend ever since they discovered oil. They take bribes too god willing!

       5 likes

  24. Dave666 says:

    Don’t forget the Saudis are also major buyers from UK death & destruction PLC. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Saudi_Air_Force
    They even bought the BAC Lightning F.53 probably not the best ever multi role combat aircraft.

       5 likes

    • Pounce says:

      The Saudi Airforce operates the Typhoon and Tornado, both are European and not British manufactured. The British made Hawk trainer is a trainer.

         5 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        Whatever you do dont mention BAE will you!

           2 likes

      • Dave666 says:

        The Typhoon is more based on BAE projects (like P.112 & EAP) than similar German projects and is partly built in the UK. Likewise the Panavia Tornado was partly built in the UK.

           3 likes

        • Pounce says:

          I believe the discussion was on how evil the UK was for selling weapons to SA not who started the ball rolling in designing them. The fact remains both the Eurofighter and the MRCA were/are European collaborations as such, their sales are dependent on the Nations which contributed to their: Design and manufacture. Now the reason i know this is because I used to be a frequent visitor to the MRCA office in Munchen .

          This can be perfectly exemplified, by how Argentina tried to jump into the sale of the Saab Grippen to Brazil last month. This was vetoed by the UK as the Grippen not only has British parts, but BAE is part of the consortium which manages Saab international.

             6 likes

      • Thoughtful says:

        Careful or the Fib Dems and their interplanetary leader will be accusing you of dodgy dealings !

           0 likes

    • Pounce says:

      They even bought the BAC Lightning F.53 probably not the best ever multi role combat aircraft.

      Wasn’t it a pocket rocket of a fighter? When it was designed, produced and in service the RAF didn’t subscribe to to notion of MRCA aircraft, which is why during the Lightnings tenure they used in the ground attack role the following:
      Canberra
      Hunter
      Harrier
      Jaguar
      Phantom
      Tornado
      and also explains why the RAFs Lightning only ever carried air to air ordnance. There was nothing Multirole about it, that was down primarily due to its limited endurance

         8 likes

      • Rob in Cheshire says:

        For Saudi use the Lightning was modified to give it ground attack capability. The RAF only ever used it as an interceptor.

           0 likes

  25. Dysgwr_Cymraeg says:

    As said previously:
    Time for some sensible moderation.

       8 likes

    • GCooper says:

      Hear! Hear! Life is too busy to waste wading through this junior common room tripe. It’s the same off-topic disruption tactic we’ve seen before. There is an answer. It’s time to use it.

         12 likes

      • manonclaphamomnibus says:

        Quite agree. Why dont we have some sensible discussions that arrive at a conclusion instead of starting with a conclusion and then trying to substantiate it with spurious ‘facts’.

           5 likes

  26. Dover Sentry says:

    The Trolls are here to cause disruption and wreck threads.

    That is their purpose.

    They don’t want to discuss or contribute.

    (They contribute to the sites from where they came in no doubt a sensible manner!)

    Ignore them. They hate to be ignored. It can of course be difficult to ignore them because they are intentionally provocative. I’ve fallen into the trap several times but won’t do so again.

    We could do with an ‘ignore’ button here.

    ..

       26 likes

    • manonclaphamomnibus says:

      It seems that the biggest thread here is about Trolls. Perahaps we need more trolls to contribute.

         5 likes

  27. Dazed & Confused says:

    Here we go, the BBC busted for their outright stupidity in kowtowing to Islam and sucking up to Muslims whatever they do….

    @ “Abase Hussen said: “We cannot stop crying. Don’t go to Syria.” – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31575908

    And yet at 4:50 in this violent radical Islamist video below in central London, featuring the most extreme Muslims in Britain, who do we see, but Abase Hussen himself, joining in with a pure hatred for this Country…

    I’m sick of this I really am….Everyone else must do the BBCs digging for their alleged reporters, and if it’s not “on politically correct message” they’ll simply ignore it anyway..

       26 likes

    • noggin says:

      I d have been much happier to see peace loving Islam respecting,
      how people wish to dress, even when its a burkha 😀

      ps a great scoop on Abase Hussen

         10 likes

    • Mark says:

      Time to deport this column of filth.

         8 likes

  28. Dave666 says:

    North west continues with the parents crusade story. Now they have added footage of the supporting demonstration outside the court. Yea it consisted of around about 6 people. Nice to see that BBc can send a camera crew to film a demonstration so small they can’t even use camera angles to make it look bigger. Funny they can’t send cameras out to film things like for example the muslim demo in Downing Street. Question of public interest I assume.

       27 likes

  29. Guest Who says:

    http://conservativewoman.co.uk/kathy-gyngell-in-the-bbcs-alice-in-wonderland-world-criticism-by-mps-compromises-its-impartiality/

    ‘I wonder which Propaganda (sorry Press) Officer there dreamed this excuse up as he pondered the embargoed document before publication?’

    Bet he* was anonymous, so who can check? *Or she, pointlessly, as sexing a BBC PR spokesperson seems a pointless exercise.

    ‘Boaden refused to consider the consistently logged, timed, comprehensive transcript evidence and analysis, that we (Minotaur Media Tracking) sent her, as evidence. In her thinking no external monitoring of BBC output could or would ever constitute evidence – however objective or impartial – because the BBC editorial process meant that the BBC was always impartial – and therefore above criticism.

    She is on record as a chief proponent of ‘belief’ that the BBc saying it is right makes it right.

    ‘Today devoted 8 minutes to a Mark Knopfler record plug but nothing to the EU Scutiny Committee’s report that just happened to criticise the BBC on a subject of fundamental importance to every British citizen!’

    Ah, ‘not news’ ((c) A. Newsroom Tealady) see. No space for just any old thing.

    ‘In the words of Guido Fawkes yesterday when presented with the Beeb’s statement of being a broad church encompassing all views, “No one believes that.”‘

    It was rather stark. I did like the look he gave the stunned peroxide sink across the table, whose gabbling defences of the bosses earned her few credibility points.

       12 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      ‘Today devoted 8 minutes to a Mark Knopfler record plug but nothing to the EU Scutiny Committee’s report that just happened to criticise the BBC on a subject of fundamental importance to every British citizen!’

      Perhaps that’s because they covered it yesterday, and if you look at the first post on this thread you will see the proof of that !

         6 likes

  30. johnnythefish says:

    This morning’s Today covered the ‘trap’ set by Osborne/Cameron for Miliband at yesterday’s PM Questions.

    They played part of an interview with a Tory spokesman on last night’s Newsnight – sounded like Maitliss. From her indignant tone and the ferocity of the questioning you might have believed the ‘plot’ was about blowing up Parliament.

    Compare and contrast with their failure to get exercised over Brown’s ‘trap’ for the Tories when he introduced the 50p tax rate with 1 month to go to the 2010 election. Far more serious in its implications for the country and a sad indictment of a party more interested in playing politics than looking after the country’s interests. Even now, when Labour talk about re-introducing it, they are never challenged by the BBC as to why it took them 13 years to bring it in in the first place.

       14 likes

  31. noggin says:

    Ms Aayan Hirsi Ali on Newsnight.

    BBC repeated .. perversion of Islam on 3 occasions
    informs us intensified debate has already gone on in Islam
    over reformation, and that educated Muslims are incredibly
    offended by her already.
    That’s before the interview :-D, and equates her work with ISIS
    “on the same page” during it, deliberately inferring that her views are extremist.

    Similarly the “Today” show host, although not as Islamophile
    … just can t help himself, can t stop continually bringing Christianity into the discussion

       9 likes

  32. AsISeeIt says:

    Bond, Janice Bond?

    And here, 007, is a new gadget – do be careful with it, it’s primed to go off – it’s a breast milk expressor pump, disguised as a grenade. Lippy and mascara set – looks just like a Walther PPK. Don’t use it in public. This is your Aston Martin DB5… washable baby safety seat… every possible parking aid included… a new feature this – plenty of space in the boot for your shopping.

    Gordon Corera @gordoncorera · Mar 5
    concerns at MI6 – implied restrictions on jobs for working mothers, says testimony in ISC report. 15% senior staff female

    PS. Don’t tell the BBC but I think the Russians may have got there long before us. However, unhindered as they are by fears of sexism they know exactly how to employ their female spies.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11102237/How-to-set-a-honey-trap.html

       7 likes

  33. JimS says:

    Angela Starkey, from Liverpool, socks Jeremy Vine between the eyes [22:20] and all the women, both with and without willies, that populate the BBC!

    Essentially she says that Top Gear was the last remaining ‘man’ space on TV and probably, for that matter, society in general.

    Poor Jeremy didn’t know what to think! Pity Beatrix Campbell wasn’t on hand to tell him how to respond!

       13 likes

    • Mr Glodstone says:

      I listened to that today, Vine flailing around for some way to respond. I don’t think Clarkson’s sacking should have been the lead item on the show, not in light of the emerging story of the murder-suicide through the crashing of the Lufthansa flight; it just confirmed how self-obsessed the Beeb is.

         9 likes

  34. George R says:

    “BBC hypocrisy over Jeremy Clarkson claims lead ‘Bring Back Clarkson’ petitioner Paul Staines in BBC interview”

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/bbc-hypocrisy-over-jeremy-clarkson-5406654?

       6 likes

  35. George R says:

    INBBC fails to identify Islam* as the motivating force for these Muslims*

    (*words censored by Beeboid CORERA)-

    “British jihadists in Syria and Iraq tracked by database”
    (1 min:30 video.)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32063869
    6 hours ago

       6 likes

    • George R says:

      As INBBC knows, such Muslim Islamic jihadists, who give their lives to the Islamofascist enemy, Islamic State, have no loyalty to Britain, but to Islam; so the phrase ‘British jihadists’ is obfuscating.

         6 likes

  36. Dave666 says:

    North West tonight continues on it’s latest parents crusade story. They changed the format slightly to telling us that the subjects “were flanked by supports”. These being the around 6 people shown on the earlier report. This time they show a zoomed in shot on a poster, returning to the “gathering” later on in the report. Another parent complains about increased costs. Well what happens to any family when your child goes into hospital? Yes I had to pay to visit my daughter during her brief and fortunately non serious stay. Was I getting benefit? No same as when my Father had to be airlifted out of Europe and we had to drive over 100 mile round trip to visit him on life support for a period of months. Did you hear me whine about how much it cost and how Mr Taxpayer should subsidise my lifestyle? No. In fact although they of course omitted this you can claim help for travel on the grounds of low income. In my experience the hospital will waive parking costs as well. The man bringing the action, sorry didn’t get his name and I can’t find the local news bit on the new BBc web page, tells us obviously the costs go up when there child was hospitalised. Of course the interviewer doesn’t press him to elaborate. So someone goes into hospital and their costs reduce food, care and in the case of adults heating and lighting. But no Mr Taxpayer should just carry on handing over the same amount of money. Sorry I don’t see the argument and I don’t see how North West can devote so much time for these types of story but avoid other stories like the plague. http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/hospital-travel-costs-scheme

       5 likes

  37. Dave666 says:

    Oh found the local news http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-32066078
    It appears a charity has turned up as well. The bottom picture demonstrates the massive public support for this

       4 likes

  38. I Can See Clearly Now says:

    Article on Louis Theroux in the Guardian.

    I’m still wondering how he does it, though; like the show he made with a little fascist child who was calling people faggots. I’d want to sit the kid down and try to change him, to intervene. “No, I go in to tell stories, to reveal the truth and to try to understand. Not to set people straight,” he says. “I don’t go into this with the agenda of saving the world.”

    There you have it – the reason Theroux makes quality TV. Virtually everyone on TV these days thinks like the Guardianista.

       8 likes

    • chrisH says:

      His show on Savile gave us all the earliest signs that this creep was a danger.
      Who could forget him trawling around his Duchess mums old frocks and furbelows?…as well as his washing his undies in any hotel sink he could find?
      Theroux let it all speak for itself-which is why he can get the truth, on a good day.

         5 likes

  39. Thoughtful says:

    Big Explosion on 2nd Avenue & East 7th Street Manhattan Building destroyed. Nothing in the news as yet Bomb squad in attendance.

    http://evgrieve.com/

       2 likes

  40. chrisH says:

    Heard John Mann getting a puff pice from the Today Show this morning.
    Apparently, it wasn`t fair for Osborne not to tell him and his committee on Tuesday that the Tories would not be raising VAT…and then Cameron saying that he would not be raising VAT in answer to poor Ed Milibands question yesterday in Parliament.
    This “brought Parliament and the checks and balances into disrepute as the executive are held to account”…apparently.
    Yet wasn`t Mann himself waving a cornish pasty at Osborne as he repeatedly embarrassed himself in asking the same old question about the 2012 Pasty Tax, as he
    was “holding the executive to account” and “ensuring the dignity and probity of the House”…or suchlike.
    In short-a venal politicking old hypocrite whose boss fell for an old trick…and his boss was shown up for the leaden, cloven thick showpony of uselessness that we all know him to be.
    Yet Radio 4 too thought it unfair-so Mann was allowed to get away with his grab bag of humbuggery bollox.
    Labour always do…hoping May 7th puts a tinner steak though the dead black heart of what once was Labour.

       9 likes

    • johnnythefish says:

      Compare and contrast with the BBC’s reluctance to cover the Falkirk Labour candidate selection scandal, a massively significant abuse of democratic procedure.

      http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/10480602/The-Falkirk-scandal-15-facts-you-need-to-know.html

      ‘ Under intense union pressure, Ed Miliband quietly ordered that Labour’s investigation into the Falkirk vote-rigging scandal should be dropped. Labour tried to sneak this embarrassing announcement out late on a Friday afternoon, claiming that key witnesses had mysteriously withdrawn their statements. This allowed Ed Miliband to make the far-fetched claim there was nothing going on, we should all move along, nothing to see here. Details are thin on the ground.

      When questioned, Ed Miliband insisted that his screeching U-turn had nothing to do with Unite’s boycott threats. ‘

      Had it been the Tories the BBC would have kept it in the headlines for days, with regular dissections on Today featuring ‘interviews’ with speed-dialled Labour attack dogs.

      But as it was Labour all we got was…….tumbleweed.

         8 likes

  41. Thoughtful says:

    The biased bunch have put up a list of Clarkson replacements some of which are just about as crass as some jokes posted here !

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-32064440

    Adrian Chiles FFS ! It was the politically correct little shit who got Carole Thatcher sacked although apparently he’s not above a little racism (whatever it means) himself having been reprimanded for it.

    Can you imagine how boring & dull it would be? The show would be better with the Last of the Summer Wine cast & most of them are dead !

       13 likes

  42. Llareggub says:

    Pamela Geller has an interesting piece on the plane crash. Nothing definite yet, but I am posting the link to add to a reasoned discussion. I assume Manon has gone to bed and won’t be upset.

    http://pamelageller.com/2015/03/germanwings-co-pilot-andreas-lubitz-praised-on-facebook-our-holy-martyr-lubitz-died-for-our-prophet.html/

       4 likes

  43. George R says:

    Islamic jihadists in American military.

    INBBC report-

    “US soldier* arrested over ‘plotting to support IS'”

    (* word censored by INBBC:- ‘Muslim’)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-32072501

    Robert Spencer, ‘Jihadwatch’:-

    “But remember: if you think there should be any scrutiny at all of Muslims in the U.S. military, you’re a greasy Islamophobe.”

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/03/illinois-muslim-soldier-arrested-for-jihad-plot-on-military-base-for-islamic-state

       7 likes

  44. George R says:

    YENTOB.

    “BBC creative director Alan Yentob insults nearly half the country as he says ‘C2DEs still catered for’ by corporation.

    “Alan Yentob was appearing on Newsnight over Jeremy Clarkson row.

    “Denied BBC was elitist as programmes attract audiences that are ‘C2, Ds.’

    “Twitter users said use of the terms showed that Yentob was elitist.

    “Terms are used in marketing to describe working class consumers .”

    By LUCY CROSSLEY

    FOR MAILONLINE.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3013289/BBC-creative-director-Alan-Yentob-insults-nearly-half-country-says-C2DEs-catered-corporation-defending-Clarkson-sacking.html#ixzz3VWpHYqm8

       10 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      I think that the past tense should be applied here as the old income bands are well out of date and they used to describe the population as a whole not just the working class.

      C2 was ‘skilled working class’
      D manual workers
      E Unemployed students pensioners.

      It was crude at the time it was developed and things are much more sophisticated now. It does show that Yentob needs to brush up his management skills and get some new education though!

         4 likes

    • outsider says:

      Yentob’s pension pot is worth around £200,000 per annum.

         2 likes

  45. Dover Sentry says:

    Test Message. Ignore please.

       2 likes

  46. Wild says:

    BBC Newsnight tonight began by asking its political editor Allegra Stratton for a summary of the two debates, and she was so pro-Labour it verged on the hilarious. They forgot that most of its audience had just watched it for themselves.

       12 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      It is possible that who the BBC consider their audience to be is different to those actually eking out a crust on planet Earth.

      Alan Yentob likely thinks they are trying to appeal to R2-D2’s.

         8 likes

  47. Kenneth says:

    What we get from the BBC is extremism. That is, views that are a long way from mainstream opinion.

    The BBC’s propaganda is an attempt to radicalise our population.

    BBC staff aren’t aware of what they are doing to us as they were radicalised a long time ago and they can’t see what the fuss is about.

       14 likes

    • outsider says:

      You’re right, blatant propagandising through bias and omission by such a dominant media organisation – to which most of the country is forced to subscribe – is subversion of democracy.

         4 likes

    • Manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Or it could be you have such entrenched views you merely look through a different lens. Why are the BBC trying to radicalise the population . Maybe you could give a concrete example with a comprehensive argument.
      Moreover if what you are saying is correct and they are far from mainstream opinion,whatever that is, then they aren’t really doing a good job are they. I’d also like to know what mainstream opinion is and how you know what it is.

         1 likes

      • outsider says:

        EU – a radical departure from queen in parliament sovereignty. BBC strongly in favour. Thus the latter might be said to be ‘radicalising’.

           5 likes

      • IsItMe? says:

        manon – you are the one constantly asserting that you are right and everyone else here is wrong. So why don’t you provide the proof to substantiate your arguments?

        As for mainstream public opinion – well, opinion polls are one way of measuring this. The British Social Attitudes survey shows, for example, that the UK public are broadly eurosceptic, in favour of lower benefits, and happy with the NHS.
        http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/latest-report/british-social-attitudes-32/key-findings/muted-reaction-to-reform.aspx
        BBC coverage on these matters tends to europhilia, horror at any cuts in benefits and complaints about how the NHS is suffering under the coalition, to mention just three topic.

           2 likes

        • I Can See Clearly Now says:

          Sadly, maybe Manon has a point. The brainwashing was done by leftist educationalists and the Beeb over the last thirty years. It’s pretty well entrenched by now. Emergency legislation for same-sex marriage was mostly welcomed. And even though polls show 70% ‘concerned’ over immigration, the propagandists have managed to make huge numbers feel guilty when they see ‘disadvantage’ anywhere in the world.

          But Manon, in common with similar dreamers through the ages, deludes himself that ‘having the numbers’ makes you right. Great companies and great empires have collapsed due to deluded thinking. The UK is headed for disaster. Ultimate success for the Beeb in brainwashing the majority will just guarantee that disaster rather than establishing the Utopia they desire.

             3 likes

          • Manonclaphamomnibus says:

            I don’t understand the dreamer charge particularly since you appear to reject numerical analysis and seem to be speaking in medieval terms!Please explain. What I have said on this site is mainly just basic economics where numbers actually indicate a particular state of wellbeing.
            You my well think that intuitive thinking is the order of the day but everyday examples show you that this really isn’t the case. Check your sat nav for starters and think Albert!

               0 likes

            • I Can See Clearly Now says:

              Guilty as charged of trusting my intuition over numbers selectively presented by politicians or the BBC.

              ‘Britain has more jobs than ever before’ is the classic. Mandy Rice Davis would have spotted the connection with having more people than ever before, but that is never mentioned. Or ‘Record number of A* exam passes’. ‘Girls have once again beaten boys’. Plenty of numbers available. ‘Longest period of sustained growth blah blah’.

              But as I watch clips of Romanians, or Somalis, or whatever preparing to leave home, as I watch the circus at Calais, my intuition tells me that immigration is out of control, that hordes are invading to get what’s in it for themselves. My intuition tells me humans don’t evolve rapidly in intelligence over a generation so exam standards have slipped. It tells me that gender differences are probably down to abandonment of exams with blind marking in favour of teacher assessed course work. And it told me Brown was inflating a bubble when others were worshipping genius.

              When I hear numbers from the Beeb, I employ the Jeremy Paxman approach and ask myself ‘Why are these lying bastards lying to me?’.

              You would have done well in Ukraine under the Soviets, writing speeches about the success of tractor production. Think of the numbers you could have quoted!

                 2 likes

        • Manonclaphamomnibus says:

          What proof do you want and on what topic?

             0 likes

        • Manonclaphamomnibus says:

          Tends to suggest that the BBC aren’t inculcating the plebs with their fancy ideas

             0 likes

  48. Merched Becca says:

    Silent Night ?
    No Al Beeb duty officer on watch – nothing for at least half an hour . He / she must be asleep on the job .

       3 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Maybe more Danny Cohen mandatory magic required?

      Yasmin AB shoehorned into the line up… sorted. Every box ticked. No money, but boxes ticked.

         2 likes

    • Manonclaphamomnibus says:

      Anyone with a brain calls the daily mail trash

         0 likes

  49. AsISeeIt says:

    TV insider confirms BBC QT audience is unrepresentative and biased to the left.

    Janet Street Porter boldly stated last night that despite what the invited audience may think in the wider public welfare cutbacks were popular.

    Any BBC fanboys want to deny that happened? Want to do an ad hom on Janet? On me?

    No?

    Well then I guess that’s QED for the proposition that the BBC is biased to the left.

       14 likes