IT’S TOUGH UP NORTH

IT’S TOUGH, UP NORTH,

I see that intrepid BBC journalist Andrew North has gone off to Baghdad to gather information to show us that jails their are dangerously overcrowded and living conditions are far from ideal for the residents. (Apparently there are no aromatherapy practitioners on call to relieve the stress of the in-mates.) North repeats allegations of torture and in general paints as bleak a picture of life in prison as possible and in this way, he continues the BBC essential narrative that things in Iraq just go from bad to worse. Perhaps the Howard League for the abolition of prisons could fly over and do a follow-up?

(SOCIAL)WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE.

The irony must have escaped the BBC. Earlier this morning they read a news report on the jailing for life of the monster who fathered seven children by his two daughters despite doctors, nurses and social workers remaining oblivious to the abuse going on over decades in front of their very eyes. This then segued into an interview with Margaret Eaton, Chair (sic) of the Local Government Association whose primary concern was for those poor at risk…social workers – following the public outcry at the death of Baby P. She got a very sympathetic hearing from the BBC as she waffled on about putting in place best process and having urgent reviews, joined up multi-agency thinking and other gems from the lexicon of the bureaucratically anaesthetised. What struck me most was that Margaret Eaton fails to understand that social workers have a fundamental responsibility to exercise best judgement and so you can perhaps understand why the Jonathan Ross loving BBC is so sympathetic to Ms Eaton and her comrades in the LGA.

General BBC-related Comment Thread

General BBC-related comment thread! Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.

FORCED MARRIAGES.

Hats off to the BBC. It manages to run this item today on the subject of new laws aimed at outlawing forced marriages without ever once mentioning Islam. Well done BBC – consummate skill. Forced marriages, along with “honour murder” is just part of the rich cultural heritage that Islam has been bringing into the UK but you would be hard-pressed to figure that from the BBC’s coverage.

OBAMA WORSHIP.

Even as Gordon Brown digs the UK into ever deeper recession, BBC coverageof Obama’s unfolding administration continues to put the fawn into fawning. His newly announced treasury team, replete with Harvard and Berkeley professors, appears to offer little different in substance to the current Bush/Paulson endless bail-out approach – other than they will bail even more out! This is “the jolt” that Obama promises and which the BBC uncritically lets pass without deeper economic analysis. It seems to me that the BBC gets excited when politicians extend the malign tendrils of government into every part of private business, and so Brown and Obama can expect an easy ride in the time ahead.

DON’T MENTION THE PUBLIC FINANCES

Had to laugh at BBC1 Morning News today. There was an item on how wonderful Alistair “Spend Spend Spend!” Darling’s pre-meltdown mini-budget was, with a spokesman from accountants Ernest & Young. It all started well but then – gasp horror – the E&Y man pointed out the shocking state of UK public finances prior to the current financial troubles. This was met with a rapid “moving along quickly” response from the BBC presenter – since the Beeb narrative does not allow for a recognition that Prudence never actually existed and that Public finances were recklessly managed over the past 11 years. There is also a general BBC acceptance that taxing “the rich” till the pips squeak is a socially responsible act from the tax thieves in power. I also noted that the BBC is constantly stating that the Government is “being honest” with us all. What rubbish – the Government has been lying through its teeth and the farcical notion that we are now entering an era of truthfulness shows just how detached the BBC is.

Brown’s Darling to the rescue

Here’s a thread to discuss BBC coverage of the Government’s pre-budget statement. Worth saying I think that it was Labour who introduced the pre-budget statement. This junket that nowadays occurs is in many ways midwife to valuable pro-Government spin. Thanks to Paul S for highlighting Fraser Nelson’s helpful list of Gordon’s spin – how many of these points will the BBC promote in its coverage? Look out for action contrasted with passivity (Gordon v Dave)- especially how Gordon is leading the world in action- and the recession that “came from America”, as well as plenty of party politicals harking back to the “heartless Tories” using false or misleading comparisons with previous recessions. Maybe you’d like to consider counterpunches, since the BBC probably won’t allow for any or properly cover any Conservative rebuttal…

Sunday Matinee

Sunday Matinee: starring Marr, two Labour stooges, and a Tory punchbag.

(Courtesy of dodgy reception, using clips from last week’s Marr show. My highlight? John Reid’s incredulous chuckle at Marr’s simply splendid intro for him)

It’s always there.

The bias I mean. I’ve just watched Andrew Marr’s interview with David Cameron for his regular Sunday mornng show. The first minute or two of Cameron’s performance were used in correcting Marr’s premise that the Conservative position was just to let the recession “take its course”. Isn’t this so typical? The Conservative always placed on the defensive by the casual distrust of the BBC man? If you listen or watch carefully (painful I know) it’s always there.

Earlier on I heard the news report say that Icelanders were rioting over the handling af the credit crisis. This is an interpretation that the BBC prefers. Surely demonstrators are protesting at the occurrence of the crisis itself, and the economic management which brought it about? Cameron was under fire from Marr for not ‘getting the scale’ of things. No mention of Gordon’s not getting the entire economic management “thing” which could have mitigated or averted it. I would say that- given British banking’s swollen role compared with the British economy- Gordon’s management of gold, regulation, taxation and interest rates should very much be on the table as a cause of the world’s crisis. Instead we have Marr lamenting the lack of a positive Conservative response. Where’s the room for positive responses? It’s only damage limitation thanks to Gordon.

The last part of the interview, patiently fielded by Cameron, was Marr’s questioning of Osborne’s position. Prior to that we had “Business Secretary” Peter Mandelson spinning the economy for Gordon. No questioning of his suspicious reintroduction into UK politics, or his ability to take the flak that Darling or Brown should be facing.

It makes me sick listening to the skewed BBC coverage. But whether I listen or not, it’s always there.

General BBC-related Comment Thread

General BBC-related comment thread!

Please use this thread for comments about the BBC’s current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog – scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It’s your space, use it wisely.