Hi folks, been away and just back so apologies for lack of posts, so far. I see the BBC have managed to take the puerile action of a young Conservative and use media saints, Gerry and Kate McCann, to ensure that the world is reminded just how nasty those Tories are. Ever been young and done something stupid? Ever expect to see it blasted across the world care of the BBC?
NAILING THE TORIES.
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I imagine it would be impossible to find an example of a ‘comedian’ on the BBC making a joke about the McCanns. One rule when a small-fry Tory is involved…
Blatant, obvious bias. A ‘top story’! Laughable!
Yes – I wonder what other “important” news items they had to drop to fit this one in – are they planning on a HYS “Do you think the Tories can do whatever they like?”
Err..this was on Sky News too, and expect it to be in all tomorrows papers. Hardly unique to BBC is it? If all the media are covering this story then wheres the bias?
A tasteless Tory toff offends the amoral mccanns. All nicely stirred up by the hate filled BBC.
A triumvirate that deserve each other.
Actually I think the bloke is a tosspot. Having said that I notice that as others have pointed out when there is bad news about Labour people the BBC feels the need not to report anything.
You only have to look at how that c**t Michael Prick went on and on about Caroline Spelman to see that.
Funny, there was a BBC show featuring a wannabe Lib Dem being jailed for benefit fraud.
You’d think fraudulently claiming might be higher than an inappropriate costume; but I guess they’re not a Tory, so it can’t be highlighted.
Video here
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SswCrXe-sM8
Actually is it relevant that he is a “Tory activist”? Would he have done this if he wasn’t? I think that is the implication here.
If all the media are covering this story then wheres the bias?
There IS no story, babe. And bias from other sources, for which we don’t pay tax, does not excuse bias from the state broadcaster that gorges itself on our tax money.
A tasteless Tory toff offends the amoral mccanns. All nicely stirred up by the hate filled BBC.
It is one thing to half steal my name. It is another to also start stealing my comments as well.
“hate filled BBC,” whatever next?
You are right of course the BBC is more full of hate towards everything but the BBC itself, then any other government sponsored criminal conspiracy, political party, or religion. Therefore more hate filled then even respectively the Inland Revenue, The BNP, or The Roman Empires Church.
The bloke is just a tasteless tosser,but it should be noted that he is an EX Tory,he is a Tory no more,he has been booted out of the party,defrocked,had his framed Picture of Margaret Thatcher repossessed,struck off the Christmas card list rendered free to join the Limp Dems or the Neue Arbeit Jungend of Gordon Brown.
The fact that there are pictures of Ed Balls in a Nazi uniform is irrelevant.
As a story this is not bias, at least not as now presented. The story is all over the British media and fairly so, in that normal meeja sensationalist-trivia context.
But this is not how it was first presented by the BBC. For its first incarnation it was resplendent with the sly headline:
McCanns’ anger over ‘Tory stunt’
Despite the quote marks in the headline there was not one person in the story saying that, and this presentation was entirely unique to the BBC. The headline, presented as a quote, was a complete fabrication by the BBC in order to slur the Conservative party as a whole.
It succeeded, even though the BBC has now quietly changed its tone. Don’t believe me? Just type the words Tory Stunt into Google and see what comes up. Note how many sites picked up the original BBC slur even though it was there for mere minutes.
It’s a biased BBC classic.
.
The original and very biased “Tory stunt” headline was also picked up by revisionista: http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/190011/diff/0/1
I believe the story was originally broken on the Torybear blog, so another headline could have been “Offensive Tory exposed and expelled by fellow Conservatives:
http://www.torybear.com/2009/01/sick.html
Even the Guardian has “Young Tory expelled for dressing up as Madeleine McCann”, describing the behaviour, then the Spelman’s quote and “The “swift and appropriate” decision to oust Lewis was welcomed by Clarence Mitchell, the spokesman for Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.” and then also the full quote “I know Gerry and Kate will be grateful that the Tory party has taken swift and appropriate action by ejecting him, he said.”
This is opposed to focussing on the “McCanns’ anger” which rather suggests they are angry at the Tories, following it with the Spelman quote, describing the behaviour, and the McCanns’ spokesman making clear their offence and hurt, while only mentioning towards the very end that the McCanns’ spokesman praised the Conservatives “swift and appropriate” action.
Note the Guardian, the BBC, and other media, make the link to other CF members rather than say, fellow students. Very different from the “but Russell Brand fans thought it was hilarious” defense.
Comparing this to the Brand incident the Conservative’s quick apology and action could be a lesson to the BBC the next time one of their highly paid superstars (rather than just a silly student) makes a mistake.
So how does this work – someone is offensive to someone who isn’t there – someone else takes offense for someone else and then tells the person who they know will be offended, although if they didn’t know they wouldn’t be offended.
Is this what happens in this country – a bit like school children telling tales – or is it more sinister than that, ie is there stasi -like people everywhere.
Bronco: you havn’t been paying attention, have you? The BBC-defenders, when presented with innumerable cases of stories “all the other media are carrying” BUT WHICH THE BBC ISN’T, such as poor labour showing in the polls, always reply with “that’s what special, the BBC don’t have to follow the herd”. But when the BBC ARE following the herd, they say “All the other media are going with it, why can’t the BBC?” Strangely, these latter stories always tend to be anti-USA/Tories/Israel. I wonder why that is?
A complete non-story, blown up as an excuse to do some weekend Tory-bashing.
Is this what happens in this country – a bit like school children telling tales
No, that’s what Australian cricketers do (viz. the Harbhajan case, when Brett Lee was not even offended but the tosser Ponting decided to blow it up into an ‘incident’ – typical 10-year old behaviour) … whereas
is it more sinister than that, ie is there stasi -like people everywhere
That’s the one. Under a fascist government, there is a national state broadcaster and ministry of truth, people inform on each other, you are under constant surveillance, and soon all your emails will be available to the Gesta … sorry … democratic departments of the state.
Ridiculous headline –typical of the the BBC, put up a headline until they are caught out, and then claim it was an “editorial mistake”.
Andy Parson last night ‘joked’ about where were the assassins when they wanted to get rid of Bush…..funny how such a disgusting comment is not reviled by the BBC…..this is the same’comedian’ who when asked in Mock the Week what the figure 30 was, declared ‘Number of yards head start an Iraqi kid gets given by the British Army’ Sick yet wholly acceptable to the BRITISH broadcasting clowns….
I can’t help thinking that Mr Clarence Mitchell, a man well-known to Biased BBC, has played a significant role in bringing this to the media’s attention.
Is Mr Mitchell, ‘a spokesman for Gerry and Kate McCann’ likely to return to his former role as a ‘civil servant’ in the Cabinet Office?
I mean, there is only so much spokesmanning a man can do.
What a load of rubbish….some Tory made a cock up, the BBC are reporting it, like all the media is, and you wimps find something to complain about. why not focus on any real bias that may exist, not a non-story like this.
And Dave T, we have a thing called ‘freedom of speech’ in the UK. I thought you guys loved freedom of speech when it allows you to spew anti-Islamic hatred, yet when someone insults good ol’George you kick up a fuss. no one will miss Bush, he’s ruined his country’s image for decades to come.
Time to ban this demented troll?
Why? Are my points not valid? There is no bias to this story. Daves point about the Bush jokes is just wrong, freedom of speech must include this material must it not?
Bill ‘the man’ Buchanan:
“Why? Are my points not valid?”
Because you are a frothing, raging loon one step shy of care in the community.
Kindly do us all a favour and cease to exist.
you can’t debate my points? why?
all you do is insult. ok, shows you have no argument, and shows i’m correct.
Bill the so called ‘the man’ Buchanan, get things into perspective, if anyone on the right had been talking about assassins and some of your presumed heroes then it woulddnt be free speech would it. It would be conspiracy, sinister, racist, homophobe etc etc, the usual unevidenced words that the left use to smear anything and anyone that they do not like or disagrees with them.
Wether you like or not Bill the BBC is biased and more importantly is perceived by a lot of people on this site as being biased and according to Nulieabour and the left to say something in perception without evidence is ok in the UK.
On the Tory McCann non story its just another example of the BBC trashing the tories at any and every opportunity. The BBC want to have the Champagne bottles rolling down the corridors of Pravda central if Nulieabour win the next election as they hope. I dont know your politics “Bill” but its my perception you see.
Nulieabour is not a word. And it is similar to a term that the BNP use. Do you want to be associated with them? Because a lot of people who come on to this site will assume it is populated mostly by those with extreme/racist views, mostly because a lot of racist/offensive posts are tolerated here.
And again, why do you think the BBC trash the tories at every chance? all the papers/tv news are covering this McCann story – the beebs coverage is the same as the others!
Ok, Bill, where did the quote “Tory Stunt” come from?
What a howler Bill associating somone with the BNP just because they use a “similar” word, what a classic left wing smear tactic straight out of Chapter One of the little red book. Are you to be carted off to the salt mines in Northern Scotland because you use certain words or non words that dont fit fashinable orthodoxy. To try and associate someone just because they use a word or non word is just hysterical and laughable. What did you say about freedom of speech.
The bias is in the prominance given to the story.
If it had been a new labour candidate dressing up and a Tory Council evicting old people to give cheap housing to council bosses who probably got their jobs through knowing the right people in the local labour party would the amount of coverage given to the two stories been very different.
One would have been ignored the other would have huge headlines ‘Evil Tories…’
Oh and by the way “Bill” just in case you got a bit confused the BNP are a disgusting organisation just as the likes of Sinn Fein are and I have no love for either party.
Bill ‘the man’ Buchanan
“Are my points not valid?”
They are more inaccurate like this one,
” Bill ‘the man’ Buchanan”.
That is pushing it in anyone’s language.
the beebs coverage is the same as the others
Which proves? Nothing.
Other than the herd mentality of the media.
No, I don’t think the article as a whole smacks of egregious bias, though it is interesting to compare this headline with that of the Labour Party’s fund-raising auction in which they included a signed copy of the Hutton report; and the respective reactions of the two families are intriguing as well.
“Labour MPs regret Hutton auction”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5012280.stm
[…]
“Solicitor Peter Jacobsen told BBC News that Dr Kelly’s family was not going to comment on the controversy over the auctioning of the report, or Mrs Blair’s signing of it.
“He said the family viewed the affair as a matter outside their control.”
“McCanns’ anger at Tory activist”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7820727.stm
[…]
‘A spokesman for the McCanns said his actions were “offensive almost beyond belief”.
‘Kate and Gerry McCann are demanding an apology.
‘His actions are not only disgraceful in themselves, they will also cause great hurt to Kate and Gerry,” he said.
‘It is a complete disgrace that Madeleine’s name and image should be made fun of in this way.”
But the spokesman praised the “swift and appropriate” action taken by the Conservatives against Mr Lewis.’
Hmmm. I wonder who has been driving this Madeleine story? And how has this rather trivial incident become such a major news item?
Maybe Clarence Mitchell or someone at the Madeleine McCann Appeal knows?
No, I don’t think the article as a whole smacks of egregious bias
Well, most fair-minded people here disagree with you.
It is a non-story, and has been pushed for one reason, and one reason only.
One excuse we keep hearing from beeboids is that ‘balance’ is provided over a period of time. Well, over a long period of time the BBC has been doing the propaganda of ‘Labour’, with no balance whatsoever.
Cf.
Spelman
Spelman
Spelman
Spelman
…
Mandelson
.. oops, no Mandelson.
I don’t disagree with you, NO.
Michael Crick’s heckling; his rather-too-determined pursuit of Spelman and his ridiculous ‘cripple’ story that was deemed to be so important that it ousted the Cash for Honours arrest of Ruth Turner; the frenzied Osborne/Deripaska coverage after which you might have been forgiven for thinking Peter Mandelson didn’t even know the aluminium magnate; the ‘selective’ reporting of polls; the appallingly biased conference reports; government press releases reproduced verbatim and passed off as news; the absurd ramping of Gordon Brown; Jug-Ears’ sycophancy (he is obviously hankering for a ‘K’, etc., etc., etc.
Nope. BBC News is both crap and appallingly skewed.
In the case of this story, if I were using BBC-speak to describe BBC News’s coverage, I would say something like:
“Some BBC journalists might say that Young Conservatives are amoral, heartless toffs. This story is arguably a godsend for BBC hacks because it fits in with what certain commentators might regard as the BBC’s world-view.”
With the removal of the Tory stunt headline the article is less obviously biased, and being in the US I can’t tell how prominent this has been carried by the BBC compare to other media, but let’s compare the structure to some other coverage.
BBC: “McCanns’ anger at Tory activist”
Times: “Tory activist Matthew Lewis expelled for dressing as Madeleine McCann”
Telegraph: “Young Tory dressed up as Madeleine McCann for New Year bad taste bash”
Guardian: “Young Tory expelled for dressing up as Madeleine McCann”
Looking at the current articles the main difference is the focus by the BBC (and only the BBC) on the McCanns’ anger. So what is the problem with this? Firstly it means that the fact that the activist has been kicked out of the Conservative membership is far less prominent; it is not even mentioned in the BBC’s first paragraph. Secondly, the praise from the McCanns’ spokesman for the Conservative party’s action is relegated to almost the very bottom of the BBC’s coverage; strange indeed for an article focussing on the McCanns’ reaction.
Interestingly only the Telegraph points out that the student’s fancy dress party was a “bad taste” party, where many people were wearing similarly offensive costumes. A stupid idea, yes, but vital to point out that it was not heartless Tory toffs shocking people at a ‘normal’ fancy dress party.
No matter how much you hate the BBC, it’s not as much as me.
However, what this twat did, deserves all the airing it can get by whatever means. I don’t care who he is or what he belongs to.
Commondog:
“No matter how much you hate the BBC, it’s not as much as me.”
Oh yeah, to join our gang you’d have to REALLY hate the BBC. How much do you hate them?
However, what this twat did, deserves all the airing it can get by whatever means
No, it sodding doesn’t. You’ll tell us next that it was worse than murdering 10,000 innocent militants in Gaza.
Get a grip.
Bit OT but Number ten have accepted a petition to get rid of Gordon.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Fianance/?signed=dce5a05.30d450
Seemed just possible that a few good citizens here might be interested in joining.
Wrong link – should be:-
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Fianance/
What sort of thought process goes through a young man’s mind when considering his outfit for a ‘bad taste bash’, that makes him think going as Maddy MaCain is a good idea? Waht sort of person do you have to be to find that funny? That in itself is interesting enough for a news item.
In that light it does matter that this guy was acceptable to the Tory party and it is news that the BBC should cover. After ‘by your friends shall you be known.’
Did the BBC jump on this with a glee that they reserve for fuck-witted Tories. Yes. Would they have covered this in the same way if it had been a Labour student activist dressed up as Stalin? No.
“Would they have covered this in the same way if it had been a Labour student activist dressed up as Stalin?”
Anymore than they would cover Ed Balls wearing a Nazi uniform. Pictures now scrubbed.
BTW the operative word is ex Tory.Very important since he was kicked out of the party for his quirk.
That surely,says something about the Tory party which the BBC glosses over.
I saw Frankie Boyle at the Hammersmith Apollo. Coincidently, he was also featured on the BBC recently.
He made jokes about the paedophile, that kidnapped Shannon Matthews, placing a Madeleine McCann mask on her before he fucked her (the joke being that Shannon is too ugly for even a depraved paedo to fuck).
Strange how the BBC feels they can employ comedians telling those jokes, but the ‘crime’ of dressing as Madeleine is screamed from the rooftops…
Knock Knock,
Who’s There?
Not Madeline.
Well this jape was on the front page of the Sun. So presumably next time the Sun produces a rabble rousing front page on “Broken Britain”, some Euromeddling or the like we can presumably expect the new populist Beeb to steam in afterwards with all guns blazing.