THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

“Today”  had a few golden quotes I thought I might share with you.

Abu Bowen was on to discuss the Egyptian situation and proclaimed with what I assume was a straight face that the Muslim Brotherhood was “moderate” and “religious but not extreme”. (8.10am interview). My my, I had no idea that Islamic supremacists were so meek and mild but I guess Bowen knows best.

Then Harold Evans, that BBC mainstay, was brought on to comment on the implications for Murdoch of the phone tapping scandal. Dame Harold calmly announced that “Glenn Beck is a lunatic” (8.43am interview)

 To think that we have to fund this trash, as leftists talk back to themselves

HARRABIN – RESIGNATION TIME?

Richard Black unblushingly brings you “news” from those who spray cash around to peddle their warmist business interests. Now, as a result of a FoI request, it has been established that Roger Harrabin, his colleague in reporting BBC climate alarmism, not only hires himself out to warmist causes as “chair” but is also prepared to go to extraordinary prestidigitating lengths to back up the Met Office in their blatant spinning about the recent brutally cold spell. Autonomous Mind brilliantly tells the full saga here. I agree with him that it’s time that Roger (and Richard) got the chop, but chances of that happening at the weather-zealot infested BBC? Zero.

If anything, they are heading in the opposite direction. Here’s their colleague David Shukman outlining the patently lunatic plans by civil servants to deal with the warming that they (and Mr Shukman) so fervently believe is happening, despite the evidence. Fishes by moved from lakes in the Lake District to Scotland? Network rail worrying about heatwaves (when the grim reality is that one cold snap and they are on the knees?). It’s all recorded without a note of contrasting opinion, caution or common sense, and (straight from the BBC website textbook of scare techniques) illustrated with a train on a viaduct being splashed by a wave to ram home the alarmist homily-of-the-day. I weep.

CHUKA-TIME…

Those who toodled along to the Question Time liveblog last evening were all suitably impressed by the deference shown by Chairman David Dimbleby to Labour MP Chuka Umunna. Good ol’ Chuka got to talk sans interruption – not that he was worth listening to. So, perhaps it is not that surprising that on Today this morning, who pops up to share their thoughts on the future of the Northern Rock but…yes, Chuka. Naturally no opposing voices were permitted.I think Mr Umunna has what it takes for BBC elevation…..don’t you?

Porn Again

You can’t make this stuff up:

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is to cash in on her dodgy expenses claims by presenting a documentary about pornography.
The ex-MP was one of the most high profile casualties of the expenses scandal after she mistakenly charged taxpayers for the cost of hiring two blue movies.
Now she is to present a documentary for BBC Radio 5 Live, entitled ‘Porn Again’, to be aired on 3 March.
The programme will investigate the pornography industry in the UK – meeting those who make, watch and comment on porn.

How much are we paying this expenses cheat (she lied to fiddle £116,000, remember?) to trade on her husband’s sleazy escapades and front this? It’s the unique way that…

New White House Press Secretary

The BBC reports:

The US vice president’s communications director Jay Carney has been named as the next White House press secretary, to replace Robert Gibbs.

With unusual modesty the BBC doesn’t report that Jay Carney is married to ABC correspondent Claire Shipman, co-author of a blog and book with BBC US correspondent Katty Kay.

How many negative stories have you seen or heard about Joe Biden on the BBC while Carney has been his director of communications for the past two years?

Not many, I bet.

Just sayin’, is all.

Update 10.30pm: Mention of Shipman now added to BBC report, the Kay link not so much.

Update January 28, 3.50pm: Katie Connolly has added a glowing profile of Jay Carney, and Katty gets a mention in the penultimate paragraph (h/t Craig):

Mr Carney’s wife is also a celebrated journalist, ABC correspondent Claire Shipman. Ms Shipman is the co-author of Womenomics, an examination of the economic contributions of working women, with the BBC’s Katty Kay.

The Connolly article includes this insight:

Journalists who once sniggered over gaffes made by the garrulous Mr Biden have, at Mr Carney’s encouragement, focused more on his contributions to the Obama administration.

And the BBC has been more obedient than most.

As A Dog Returneth To His Vomit…

Splendid use of licence tax money again, with news that Nick Robinson is fronting a scaremongering programme dedicated to showing us how we’re all doomed. Returning the country to 2006 spending levels, as the Government is only doing, risks taking us back to a time when libraries were forced to open and the dead were  left buried. Or not, it seems….

A pack of 20 dogs were encouraged to foul a residential street for a TV programme about the potential impact of council cuts. Film producers brought the pets – complete with their owners – onto the cul-de-sac and filmed them walking a circuit for at least 30 minutes.
The programme, called The Street That Cut Everything, charts how residents would manage if council services – including street cleaning – were withdrawn.

A road in Fulwood in Preston, Lancashire, was chosen for the filming of the prime time BBC series, which will be presented by the Corporation’s political editor Nick Robinson.
One dog owner at the filming confirmed that her pets were there to foul the street. It is understood the exercise was aimed at highlighting what would happen if council staff stopped cleaning the streets.

The article focuses on the dog-fouling aspect of the story whilst missing the bigger picture…why are we paying for this sort of partisan broadcast?

Instead, how about a programme about how Britain would cope without the BBC?

HAVE I GOT BIAS FOR YOU!

This was drawn to my attention. It’s “Have I Got News for you” presented by Chris Addison.

On showing a picture of the 2 George Bushs, father and son, together on a golf cart, Addison asks ‘Where’s a Yemeni printer cartridge when you need one?’.Ian Hislop’s reaction is surprise that Addison should be suggesting double murder. Not sure why he showed surprise as the BBC has been happy in the past for it’s employees to suggest shooting BNP members in the back of the head or shooting Jewish settlers.

Just being “edgy”, right?

Question Time LiveBlog 27th January 2011


Tonight Question Time comes from Cambridge; represented in the House of Commons by LibDem Julian Huppert who is Treasurer of the Parliamentary CND group. Cambridge is without a single Conservative on the local council.

On the panel tonight we have Edwina Currie, Chris Huhne MP, Chuka Umunna MP, Kate Hopkins (no, me neither) and Will Self.

The LiveBlog will also cover the surreal This Week, with Andrew Neil and Michael Portillo.

Your friendly moderators David Vance, TheEye and David Mosque will be keeping order here from 10:30pm.

The New Jew

BBC R4 “Thought For The Day.” (Holocaust Memorial Day 2011)
The artist formerly known as Richard Harries is now Lord Harries of Pentrgarth, Gresham Professor of Divinity. I’m sure he’s well meaning. He looks nice in his outfit.

Far be it from me to express ingratitude, on behalf of myself and others, for his kindly thoughts about the Jews that perished at the hands of Hitler. Mentioning that the demonisation of Jews was wholly undeserved was much appreciated, as was his sensitive reminder that it led to murder and betrayal, even by former friends colleagues and neighbours.

Then he went and spoiled it all by saying something stupid, like…….
“so, don’t demonise the Muslims.”

Antisemitism is a very light sleeper, indeed.

On R4 now. Face the Facts. Islamophobia.