Just four regular voters…

A selection of BBC News website readers have been telling us what they thought of his speech, says the Beeb’s vox pop on Gordon’s speech. “Selection” is the right word. There’s Denise Curtis, who thought the speech “fantastic”; Pat Morris, “born and bred Labour” (and her verdict is the most critical); Garry McNulty, who has voted Tory only once in his life – so the typical floating voter, then; and Catherine Couston, a teacher from Glasgow – oh, and she’s “worried that the Conservatives might get in”. The verdict? All but one supportive. Here, on the other hand, is what BBC New website readers have really been telling them. Spot the difference.

Bookmark the permalink.

90 Responses to Just four regular voters…

  1. David Preiser (USA) says:

    whitewineliberal | 24.09.08 – 5:10 pm |

    The Hannity Palin interview was quite staggering.

    I assume you mean that as a pejorative. With that in mind, what did you think about the moment when Hannity asked her about how important her faith was to you? Did you notice that he didn’t go on about how important religion was to the US, although he was obviously sympathetic to those with religious beliefs. She said very clearly that, while it was very important, she would never force it down anyone’s throat. This tracks with her record as Governor of Alaska. (Please don’t bring up the book banning story as that has been thoroughly debunked, just one of many unsubstantiated lies the BBC has tried to peddle.) Did her statement stagger you, or do you think she was lying?

    Now, consider Andrew Marr (wasn’t it?) sniggering at Tony Blair – a sitting Prime Minister – when he asked him if he “prayed” with President Bush. While you’re at it, consider that just two weeks ago, Justin Webb stated on the radio his opinion that Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs should preclude her from holding public office. Also consider just how much effort the BBC has made recently to portray her as an über-Christian nutter, even going so far as to completely misrepresent her actual beliefs about Creation and a Creator.

    See the difference? See the bias? Still staggered?

       1 likes

  2. Bob says:

    Is this the same whitewineliberal who praised the journalistic standards of an organisation that collaborated with terrorists to make a “humorous” documentary, shielding them from the police, that is calling to stress the Taliban’s “human side”, that attacked America for the September 11 atrocity and blames the same country for the recent Marriot/Pakistan mass-murder?

       1 likes

  3. Martin says:

    Whitewineliberal: If you don’t like Fox, don’t watch it. No one forces you to pay for it, unlike the BBC that I’m forced to fund to the tune of £140 a year.

    You’re obviously a newbie here. If I had a pound for every time some liberal has come on here and pointed their Vegan finger at Fox News I’d be richer than Tony Blair.

    Why do my taxes keep the Guardian afloat? If leftie’s had to fund the Daily Mail, they’d be up in arms.

    When Fox covered the Democrat and Republican conventions they gave BOTH views at each convention.

    With the BBC there have been no Tory voices this week, but I bet that NEXT week at the Tory conference we see Tony benn, Ken Livingstone and slapper shagger Prescott wheeled out to diss Cameron.

    Where is fair and balanced at the BBC?

       1 likes

  4. John Bosworth says:

    David Preisser:(USA)

    The interviewer who smirked as he asked about the possibility of Blair and Bush praying together was Jeremy Paxman on a Newsnight Election Special.

    I wrote to the BBC at the time objecting to the question and the manner in which it was asked. The reply was something to the effect that “some people liked and it and some people didn’t – so it was a balanced approach.”

    But religion is fair game to the BBC…religion is what Justin Webb would call “rational”

       1 likes

  5. Jack Bauer says:

    This is my reality. My ‘Fox’ is the BBC. Not so nice huh?
    Libertarian | 24.09.08 – 7:17 pm | #

    A rather neat analogy, that doesn’t even require one to support Fox, to see the that the BBC TV tax is morally unsustainable in a country that still thinks it’s a “democracy.”

       1 likes

  6. Jack Bauer says:

    The interviewer who smirked as he asked about the possibility of Blair and Bush praying together was Jeremy Paxman on a Newsnight Election Special.

    Paxman’s a secular (and probably self-loathing) Jew. Maybe he need to read the Old testament, I believe it has something to do with his ancestors. Amen.

       1 likes

  7. Martin says:

    O’Reilly did one of the best interviews with Obama so far. At least O’Reilly finally got him to admit he was wrong about the surge. Although this was ignored by most of the MSM.

    Best Thing I saw today was that woman at a McCain rally who laid into the MSM for sending teams of reporters to Alaska to try to dig up the dirt on Palin, but not sending anyone to investigate Obama and his links to a convicted Terrorist.

       1 likes

  8. John Bosworth says:

    Correction: “religion is what Justin Webb would call NOT ‘rational’

       1 likes

  9. Martin says:

    I wonder if Paxo would ever ask Ruth Kelly is she was a chain on her leg to inflict pain to remind her of the suffering of Jesus and would he take the piss out of her if she said yes?

    Me thinks not.

       1 likes

  10. Gibby Haynes says:

    But religion is fair game to the BBC

    But some religions are more equal than others.

       1 likes

  11. John Bosworth says:

    The awful Blair-Paxman moment is on YOUTUBE

       1 likes

  12. Martin says:

    Anyone noticed just how little coverage the BBC has given to yet another massacre in Finland?

    Compare that to the last couple of US shootings.

    Why might that be? Because the BBC is embarassed that liberal white Europeans would tolerate guns in their Country?

       1 likes

  13. Tom FD says:

    This interview:

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwlsd8RAoqI

    is known well as a great personal embarrassment to Michael Howard. (Furthermore Paxman later admitted that his repetition of the question was specifically to stretch the interview rather than any expectation of an answer.)

    So why, ten years on, has it been uploaded to Youtube by the BBC? (I notice it was uploaded the same week Gordon Brown was attempting to “destroy the Tories”… so nice of you to help, BBC…)

       1 likes

  14. Gerald Brown says:

    I am still plodding through the BBC complaints process, third round at the moment, trying to get them to justify Justin Webb calling Sarah Palin a “creationist”. No evidence supplied so far bar her support for teaching creation alongside evolution. But of course if you say it often enough in the media 90% of people believe it to be true. I wonder where the Labour Party have learned that from.

    Can anybody give a run down of those who have left the BBC to work for the Labour Party since the infamous champagne bottles in the cooridors episode.

       0 likes

  15. John Bosworth says:

    Here’s the way to deal with Paxman. I love Ann Coulter for this exchange.

    Does anyone remember James Goldsmith vs Dimbleby on the Money Programme? Goldsmith just destroyed Dimbleby.

    Maybe we should disseminate information about how to take these pricks down a peg. (Sorry I didn’t mean pricks I meant…..)

       0 likes

  16. Kuffar says:

    Jack Bauer: Paxman’s a secular (and probably self-loathing) Jew.

    Not true. Paxman is a Gentile.

    http://clublet.com/why?JeremyPaxman

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/events/newsnight/257721.stm

       0 likes

  17. David Vance says:

    John Bosworth,

    Coulter was on goof form during that exchange. I have always thought Paxman over-rated and in my only exchange with him – off-camera – thought him quite average. We can all play the aggressive game if we want.

       0 likes

  18. Andy says:

    John Bosworth | 24.09.08 – 8:13 pm | #

    Very impressive. She is a very bright person. She crushed Paxman like the jumped-up pseudo-intellectual that he is. He had absolutely no comeback.

    Would love to see her on QT, it would certainly liven the usual stiffs up a bit!

       0 likes

  19. Sutekh says:

    Very bright person. Right…

    This must be a new definition of bright I’d previously been unaware of…

       0 likes

  20. Martin says:

    You could also ask how many BBC employees are members of the Labour party or campaign on their behalf.

    That is more disturbing.

       0 likes

  21. Andy says:

    Sutekh,

    Like I said very bight person:

    About 30,000 Canadians volunteered to fight in southeast Asia.

    Among the volunteers were fifty Mohawks from the Kahnawake reservation near Montreal.

    One-hundred-and-ten Canadians died in Vietnam, and seven remain listed as Missing in Action.

    Canadian Peter C. Lemon won the U.S. Medal of Honor for his valour in the conflict.

    It’s unsurprising that liberal media types like to do a Michael Moore on her or take potshots in some way…

       0 likes

  22. TPO says:

    Andy | 24.09.08 – 9:09 pm |

    The BBC and their love of Michael Moore.
    Well here’s one film that that will not be mentioned on the BBC.
    From the maker of Airplane and Naked Gun comes ‘An American Carol’.
    Getting massive coverage here but not overthere (UK).

    preview here:

       0 likes

  23. Andy says:

    TPO

    Looks a hoot.

    Is that the little guy from Diff’rent Strokes ( “Wha’choo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?” )???

    I haven’t seen him for years!

       0 likes

  24. TPO says:

    Couldn’t resist this.

       0 likes

  25. Martin says:

    Yes funny that the BBC played down Moore’s last piece of shite ‘Sicko’ when he wanked on and on about the NHS and how great it was that it’s totally free.

    Except of course it isn’t. Well MRSA is free, you can’t get a Dentist, Doctors won’t do evening calls and if you buy your own drugs because the NHS won’t funds them (unless you’re living in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) you then get denied all treatment.

    Even the rent boy lovers at the BBC knew we’d see through that pile of steaming shite, so they played it down.

    I wonder if Moore will do a Bowling for Finland movie or how centre left Scandanavian Countries are so depressing to live in everyone is either topping themsleves or blowing each other away?

    Hmm. I guess not. Only rednecks in America do that sort of thing, don’t they?

       0 likes

  26. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Jack Bauer | Homepage | 24.09.08 – 6:26 pm |

    I can go through all Fox News opinion contributors and name at least as many leftists than conservatives.

    Totally irrelevant. They have the American Flag all over the place. May as well have a swastika on everyone’s arm, right? All any emotional Leftoid needs to see is that flag, and the mind closes. All that warmongering, jingoistic, phony patriotism is just unbearable. That’s what the flag represents to them.

       0 likes

  27. large hadron says:

    justin webb just stated the obama line regarding mccain suspending his campaign.

    no mention whatsoever of the congressional committee who were seriously “spooked” by what Paulson said to them…

    no mention that even Warren Buffett is spooked – he just ploughed $5 billion into Goldman Sachs!

    http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080924/D93D71R80.html

    and Buffett isnt known to do risky deals.

       0 likes

  28. Martin says:

    More Horseshit from wanker Webb on Newsnight. In speaking about McCain’s decision to call off the debate on Friday as nothing more than a political stunt because McCain is up to 9 points behind in some of the polls.

    Yet again, the deformed mouth idiot spouts shite. When Osama was behind in the polls the BBC didn’t bother to mention them and in many polls they are still neck and neck.

    The debate on Friday was supposed to be about foreign policy. I’m sure many Americans might wonder why the two of them would be arguing about foreign policy when the financial markets are in a mess.

       0 likes

  29. Gaz says:

    Listening to the BBC all day, not one mention of the R word.
    Not once have any of the presenters used the word ‘resign’ in reference to Ruth Kelly.

       0 likes

  30. archduke says:

    that republican on newsnight is on fine fighting form….

    thank god. about time they went into attack mode.

    although – i hazard a guess that the economic meltdown has focussed their minds somewhat.

       0 likes

  31. David says:

    Just a warning folks, a poll in the Sun tomorrow is going to show Labour up 7 points in the polls and the Tories down 3. A split of 41/31/16. It’s the usual post-conference bounce, but we should expect Pollwatch to suddenly click back into gear again in the coming weeks.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/3074796/Labour-conference-Gordon-Browns-fightback-threatened-by-Ruth-Kelly-resignation-chaos.html

       0 likes

  32. archduke says:

    David | 24.09.08 – 10:59 pm |

    after wall to wall labour for the past week thats not surprising.

    when was the last time you saw david cameron on the BBC?

       0 likes

  33. Anon says:

    Gaz:
    “Listening to the BBC all day, not one mention of the R word.
    Not once have any of the presenters used the word ‘resign’ in reference to Ruth Kelly.”

    Maybe because she hasn’t formally resigned. In fact, my understanding is that she will not ‘resign’ but will simply be left out of the Cabinet at the next reshuffle and revert to being a backbench MP.

       0 likes

  34. archduke says:

    newsnight mentioned the R word tonight.

    albeit just the once.

       0 likes

  35. Mullah says:

    Overnight (10.50pm in New York where I work, 3.50am in the UK) and this:
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/default.stm
    is the only reference I can find on the BBC website to the Ruth Kelly story. Not on the front page, not even on the UK page, but on the UK politics page and superceded by a two-day old story about Harman’s speech and even older stuff from the Labour conference.
    The Kelly story is still number 3 on the Guardian’s website, and no. 4 on the Independent’s.
    Both newspaper stories say Brown’s relaunch has been derailed by the Kelly furore.
    Is it me or is this a determined attempt by the BBC to ignore the story?
    Am I missing something here? Is
    it in front of my eyes, and I just can’t see it, or something?
    I can’t believe the BBC would be so blatant. Seriously, could it be a simple editing mistake?

       0 likes

  36. Mullah says:

    Re my last post: for accuracy’s sake, I wrote it earlier and posted it around midnight my time, i.e 5am in the UK. No intent to mislead. Apologies.

       0 likes

  37. Hugh says:

    whitewineliberal: “Another poll, pre the speech, showing a large tory lead is news of the dog bites man variety.”

    Biggest Tory lead since Thatcher; breaking 50%; reported everywhere. Do you actually believe that or was it just the only argument you could think up?

       0 likes

  38. whitewineliberal says:

    polls confirming a trend aren’t newsworthy, although the trend is. ruth kelly is news, which is why the bbc led with it, including on their web. and stop knocking michael moore, he’s with you on the license fee. I remember an anti fee skit he did many years ago.

       0 likes

  39. Hugh says:

    whitewineliberal: polls confirming a trend aren’t newsworthy, although the trend is.

    My argument for suggesting the Tory poll lead was newsworthy is based on the fact that every other paper, newswire and broadcaster gave it coverage. What’s yours based on?

       0 likes

  40. Peter says:

    Maybe because she hasn’t formally resigned. In fact, my understanding is that she will not ‘resign’ but will simply be left out of the Cabinet at the next reshuffle and revert to being a backbench MP.
    Anon | 24.09.08 – 11:13 pm

    Ruth Kelly resigns
    Snowmail – Channel 4 News – 24 September 2008 17:42:15 BST
    Ruth Kelly is to resign from the cabinet next week when it gets reshuffled.

    It’s easy to see how the poor old public get confused. I guess the BBC is waiting, as any good broadcaster would, not just for any old announcement, but actual confirmation that it has taken place. I look forward to this applying to all other gossip and allegations that pass their way.

       0 likes