82 Responses to OPEN THREAD…

  1. Manfred VR says:

    As a follower of this blog, I rarely have occasion to post a comment, as usualy, someone more clever and eloquent than me has written what I was thinking.
    One thing, however, that has not been touched on, but I feel ought to be, is the BBC’s remarkable talent for making me (and I suspect, others) feel depressed.
    As a follower of this blog, I do feel obliged to listen to the output of news and current affairs from the BBC more often than I feel is good for me.
    It’s not just WHAT they report, although that is obviously biased to all but the least tuned in ear; It’s HOW it is reported. It’s as if the end of the World is nigh.
    With that magic word “Cuts”, you know the announcer is cueing the muffled bell tolling mournfuly in the background, the Dickensian scene of a family in rags being thrown onto the street, the Victorian fog with Marleys ghost; This is all counjured up by the tone and inflection of the announcers voice, the sad, lowered eyes, followed by the shrill hectoring voice when speaking to the inflictor of this tragedy, the Tory/LibDem spokesman stupid enough to stray into the gun sight of the announcer/interviewer (think Kirsty Wark as a good example).
    The point I am making is this. I firmly believe that the BBC have a policy of spreading doom and gloom for as long as this Government is in. I am not by any means defending this lot, to me they are little better than the last lot, but I believe the BBC sees it as it’s duty to sap moral and undermine at every opportunity ANYTHING this Government proposes, whether good or bad.
    Yes there is bias by omission, mis-representation, lying and the like, but the one uniting factor is the TONE of the reporting.
    My blood pressure goes up when I hear the lies and distortions being made; But the one insidious, subliminal thing that is so hard to detect, is the depression that can ensue from too much exposure to the BBC.
    For those viewers whose attention span is no longer than thirty minutes, there is, the quick fix of your daily dose of BBC depression. It is, of course, Eastenders.

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    • cjhartnett says:

      Understandable Manfred, and yet…
      It`s all comedy gold. If Wark says “something will be a problem” I know that it`s likely to be part of the salvation of the nation.

      BBC world is Narnia, Utopia, Ambrosia, Nirvana,-but unfortunately we less enlightened, progressive, reactionary types make it difficult for them to fly to Cancun, get to Klosters or get nannys visa from West Ken easily.So we`re stuck here on planet earth.

      All I do is look at every story-reverse the importance as they see it-discern the degree of sorrow, venom,interruptions, squauks alongside accompanying pictures and suitably unsubtle cues from the music-and then go at 180 degrees to whatever direction their compass bearings are after calculations!
      I know then that I`m right-if it bothers Jeremys,Justins, Kirstys then that is going to be exactly the direction of travel needed for we the people.
      There are some clever people here on this site…people who know the tactics and quantify them as you like-and I learn every day.

      Today was MENCAP, yesterday it was OXFAM…it`s fun to guess on who is next throught the revolving door with a begging bowl and some soapbox the BBC has issued at reception.
      Thursday was Yasmin, Friday was Polly…etc..etc.

      In short, enjoy it all…their sad cow eyes remind me of the great Bernie Winters and Schnorbits…Little and Large,Lenny and Jerry, Hope and Keen…which makes me feel like a Chuckle Brother on nodding terms with Vic and Bob!
      AS I say Manfred, its just comedy 24/7 as they`d say if they hadn`t had their senses removed and an air of entitlement grafted in its place!

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      • Roland Deschain says:

        Narnia?  Didn’t that suffer abrupt (but decidedly not catastrophic) global warming?

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    • Backwoodsman says:

      I believe the bbc are actively reviewing the case for cutting out the middle man and having their staff stand directly against the Tories in the next election, rather than just supporting the labour party.

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    • Charlie says:

      Hit the nail on the head.

      The BBC is anti-Christian and ageist – according to a survey it carried out itself.
      Viewers also felt that minority groups were over-represented by the Corporation.

      Christians are badly treated with ‘derogatory stereotypes’ which portray them as ‘weak’ or ‘bigoted’.

      Last year the BBC was accused of bias against Christianity in  EastEnders over its portrayal of murderous pastor Lucas Johnson, who was obsessed with the Bible.

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    • Grant says:

      Well said, Manfred. And contast it with the BBC’s upbeat reporting under the Labour government when everything in the garden was rosy.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        True, Grant.  What happened to all those green shoots Robert Peston used to see when his biography subject was in charge?

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    • cjhartnett says:

      You got me thinking Manfred!
      Reasons to be cheerful at the BBC
      1. Stewart Lee
      2. Peter Day
      3. Danny Baker
      4. Series One of Coast
      5. More or Less on a good day!
      That seems to be it..but at least it`s something!

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    • Jon S says:

      as well as Eastenders providing a ‘daily dose of BBC depression’, i would like to add The One Show is just as depressing

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    • Deborah says:

      BBC staff are being offered reduced price tickets at a West End Theatre.  The magic word to get the discount is C*Ts.  Please note this is not the swear word which is one letter longer but the BBC’s favourite word used as a harbinger of doom.  I wonder who chose it?

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      • Andrew Cramb says:

        No cuts at West End Theatres though. Luvvies and Beeboids are exempt.

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  2. cjhartnett says:

    Note on the World At One that someone has unearthed a few minutes of unseen silent footage of Charlie Chaplin.
    What`s the betting that Paul Mertons taxi is already booked and he is already gargling the mouthwash?
    That`s an illustration of the predictability of the Beebs lazy approach to spinning its own news-not as “important” as Panorama, but still it says something.
    Hope that helps Manfred-and happy to be wrong too!

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  3. Grant says:

    BBC 1 News at One reported a Gurkha and a British soldier being awarded the second and third highest medals for bravery. Even intereviewed the Gurkha and second soldier, although cut off the second one.
    We even saw their medals.  But the BBC couldn’t be bothered to find out the names of the medals, so the viewer is none the wiser. How much “research” would it have taken  ?

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    • Grant says:

      Day 4 and the FIFA scandel is still the BBC’s main story. Pathetic.

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    • Barry says:

      Just boring old relics of Empire.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        I thought that was international cricket?

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        • Grant says:

          David P,
          Tread carefully, David, or try telling that to the Indians. But, to be fair, it is a bit much to expect a Yank to understand the greatest sport on earth. Stick to rounders, it is simpler. ( Apologies, I think you call it “baseball”, the one with the funny shaped bat  ? ).

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          • David Preiser (USA) says:

            I don’t need to understand the rules of the game to know how it got spread to the subcontinent.

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            • Barry says:

              “I don’t need to understand the rules of the game to know how it got spread to the subcontinent.”

              But they chose to continue playing it, nevertheless.

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              • David Preiser (USA) says:

                Yes, of course.  I wasn’t passing judgment on colonialism, just making a joke.

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                • Grant says:

                  David P,
                  And now these damn uppity wogs have the nerve to beat England now and again.
                  No sign of gratitude there.

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                • Barry says:

                  DP – I know you were joking. 🙂

                  I was just thinking that cricket is one of those things, like the Commonwealth, that undermines the BBC view that Britain is universally hated by its former colonies. A bit like all those alleged America haters who copy everything American.

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    • 1327 says:

      Indeed Grant. If I ran things each time a medal of that level was awarded we would have a few minutes report on the action that led to the medal , interview with the recipiant , an explanation of the importance and history behind the medal and finally pictures of the recipiants proud family.

      Its not like these awards occur very often and lets face it 20 minutes of every 25 minute Beeb newscast is filler so there is plenty to cut.

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  4. David Preiser (USA) says:

    The News Channel’s live coverage of the all-important FIFA vote is a joke.  They know it’s a joke, but do it anyway, and Sopel makes the occasional sarcastic remark making fun of what his producers are putting up on the screen.  If it’s not that important and the newsreaders can make fun of it as it’s going on, why does it deserve the full live coverage treatment, including the droning of some mandarin calling people to vote?  Especially since there’s only one real candidate and the outcome isn’t in doubt.

    I know this sport is massively important to the fans and the general public, and am not saying it’s not newsworthy at all.  But how is this blatant dichotomy between what’s playing out on the screen and the sneering at it by Sopel and the others considered quality journalism?  The children have the run of the shop and just don’t care how they come across because they are untouchable and unaccountable.  What a disgraceful hour.

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    • Grant says:

      David,
      Yes, it is amazing overkill by the BBC and not obvious why. Nice place for Beeboids to holiday this time of year , maybe ?

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    • Roland Deschain says:

      Perhaps the BBC wishes to get us used to elections in which there’s only one candidate?  The approved one.

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  5. cjhartnett says:

    You`d have thought so David wouldn`t you?
    Yet you`ve maybe forgotten this one thing in all the nail biting excitement.
    It`s an election.
    As such,Beeboids are preprogrammed to rush for a passport and a wad from petty cash…they get on that plane…near enough anywhere(as long as the dress is exotic and there isn`t undue danger of getting killed or hurt-that`s what Orla is for!) and they pass some inane comments about the democratic process being either adhered to, or being a work in progress!
    Whether Sepp gets the necessary mandate from his people will keep them occupied for days yet.As long as Zurichs bars and headshops have WiFi we`re likely to hear plenty more now that Prince William and Becks are still names for the dropping!
    As for who runs the BBC-who let Patten in-that E.U Referendum…well that`s the small stuff and so we`ll move on…and you need to move on too!

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    • Grant says:

      Did my post before I read yours, cj.  Switzerland, vigorously independent and neutral, not in the EU, famous for banking secrecy, allows the corrupt parasites of FIFA reside tax-free. I thought it would be hell on earth for Beeboids.  Am I missing something ?

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      • John Horne Tooke says:

        Peter Allen was also in Zurich to report on FIFA. Why? It seems that the BBC just need to go places en masse on licence payers money. You can bet he didn’t get there by train.

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  6. ltwf1964 says:

    one from Breakfast “news” and expectant autocue reader Kate Silvertongue reading the latest BBC missive about shale gas  
     
    according to kate it’s “controversial” and may even be responsible for an earthquake near Blackpool no less!!  
     
    could we have a genuine report into how so called renewable energy sources have no chance of supplying our needs-instead leaving us an ndustrial wasteland with power outages galore and people having to go back to cold fires to keep warm?  
     
    no  
     
    thought not Kate

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  7. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Female Beeboid reading the business news just now is wearing what looks like a very large Jewish Star around her neck.  It’s filled in, not the standardized lines, but is six-pointed and proportioned exactly as the religious symbol.  If it’s supposed to be non-demoninational jewelry, it’s treading a very thin line.  Maybe I’m seeing something that isn’t there, but it’s hard not to see the unmistakable shape.

    Wasn’t there an outcry over Fiona Bruce or someone wearing a little cross once?

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  8. Biodegradable says:

    What a surprise to see this!

    Farhud memories: Baghdad’s 1941 slaughter of the Jews

    On 1 June 1941, a Nazi-inspired pogrom erupted in Baghdad, bringing to an end more than two millennia of peaceful existence for the city’s Jewish minority. Some Jewish children witnessed the bloodshed, and retain vivid memories 70 years later.

    Just one thing missing:

    In 1950, Jews were finally allowed to leave, on condition they give up all their property and assets, including their bank accounts. By 1952, only 2,000 of 150,000 were left.

    Where did they go?

    Could it be that most went to Israel?

    These are among the refugees that nobody wants to hear about while everybody weeps for the “Palestinians”.

    More on the Farhud here:
    http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/

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    • RGH says:

      I noticed the article and it is almost identical to Sarah Ehrlich’s piece in the Jewish Chronicle of the 26th May.

      Good to read but two points would have made it better.

      The first was mentioned by Biodegradable (above). Where did the Iraqi Jews go after they were finally allowed to leave in 1950 (minus all possessions)….Israel ….where the survivors, their chidren, great-grandchildren still are with nowhere else to go.

      The other is more of a historical point but is crucial as it gives the hint why the BBC could accept the ‘Kill the Jews’ and ‘Allah’.

      1. The assumption that prior to Hitler all was well. It was not. Every 80 years or so from the 16th Century there were pogroms iniatiated in the mosques of Baghdasd of varying severity by Muslims against Jews. Baghdad was no Eden.

      2. The assumption that all was well until Hitler corrupted Muslims who suddenly went through a personality change. The fact is that Hitler spoke a language that Muslims inderstood. Hitler was impressed by Islam and says so in Mein Kampf (still popular in Hamasland).

      The Nazi message found ferile ground.

      3. The role of the British. No time but it is not clear cut at all. London issued orders from the top to act decisively against the Luftwaffe units and German weoponry floodind in from Vichy Syria and Lebanon. The events moved very quickly around the 1 and 2nd.

      Suggest more research.

      A good article but defanged.

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  9. The Cattle Prod of Destiny says:

    I’m surprised there is no mention here of the disgraceful racism displayed by Humpreys and McNaughty on Today.  A full five miunutes of how awful it would be if Naughty turned out to be English – he’d had a DNA test you see.

    Lo’ and behold he was, but after 900 years the taint had been washed away, apparently. 

    Imagine the reaction if he’d turned out to be an Arab!

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  10. cjhartnett says:

    I heard it too Mr Destiny!
    Amidst the self-indulgent “is Jim a Jock?” nonsense the anti-black,Welsh stuff was flying-and John did fear us referring him to the agency of the day, albeit wrongly! I don`t care about these two knockabouts-they`re both Hampstead Celts now!

    Trouble is these two are just Waldorf and Stadler without the personalities…and the tartan shortbread tin caricature was just predictable and weary…|God I`m sounding like one of Mark Lawsons footstools aren`t I?
    Maybe we should majot on Jims “anti Welsh” bit…Trevor Philips might be more interested…long after us at least!
    If it moved Peter Day up the chain I`d do it!

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  11. George R says:

    BBC-EU.

    Will BBC-EU’s Mr Hewitt in Brussels  get around to this?:

    “The European Union’s spending: a guide”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8548497/The-European-Unions-spending-a-guide.html

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  12. My Site (click to edit) says:

    The BBC want your views on their news channel:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/news/press_releases/may/news_parliament.shtml

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    • John says:

      My God that was the most enjoyable 10 minutes I’ve had for a long time.

      They really did get both barrels. It pleases me greatly that some beeboid will have to trawl through the rage I have just left on there.

      I’d recommend you all have a go, it’s great therapy.

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    • Davieboy says:

      Thanks for that link! Spleen-venting is fun….

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  13. Paddy says:

    I effin hate Stewart Lee. How warped and revisionist do you have to be to portray Churchill as a pig.

    Stewart Lee is a treasonous tin tin headed scumbag

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    • cjhartnett says:

      Didn`t like this either.
      Have therefore put him on gardening leave in my top 5 Beeboids…he has been replaced by Melvyn Bragg who did a good “in Our Time” this morning.
      Lee is scheduled to do the same skit at the Balsall Heath Mosque tomorrow before prayers, with Churchill being replaced with Mohammad.
      My obituary for him is a fair one I like to think!

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      • Grant says:

        cj,
        Melvyn is the acceptable face of Beeboidism and gets 2 cheers from me for being one of the few arty-farties to take a serious interest in science. I am surprised the BBC haven’t sacked him yet.

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  14. My Site (click to edit) says:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/8550074/Hay-Festival-2011-Jo-Brand-on-Jeremy-Clarkson.html

    This was simply funny in a pot/kettle way:

    who says things for effect to wind people up’

    However, I must say i felt a slight chill at this, even if ‘in jest’:

    ‘says she has suggested to the BBC that they would be better off without him.’

    The outcome will probably boil down to who sucks more dosh into the BBC coffers. Even worship at the agenda altar seems to have its limits at market rate level,

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  15. North Northwester says:

    Hey kids, what if a US congressman got a photo of his private parts linked to from Twitter?
    Would the BBC cover the scandal as part of its coverage of the man? You betcha!

    Oh, wait….

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/?q=Anthony%20Weiner

    Would anyone out there care to venture a guess as to which side of the political spectrum Mister Softie inhabits?
    Huh?

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  16. deegee says:

    Is it just me or has the BBC notched up their shilling for Cuba in the last few days?

    Cuba encouraging small businesses

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    • Grant says:

      deegee,
      Funny, I thought the BBC were against small businesses ?

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      • cjhartnett says:

        Offshore ones are OK though Grant!
        Have the BBC told Fidel about the smoking ban thay support…and has Fidel any plans to make his torture centres smoke free by 2014 to satisfy the E.U/Eurovision applications for membership?

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  17. jarwill101 says:

    Tuesday evening’s London Evening Standard led with the news that 1 in 6 adult Londoners is functionally illiterate – 1 million adults. 1 in 4 children leaves primary school unable to read, so the situation can only worsen. Out of interest, did any of you eagle-eyed, bat-eared people see/hear the BBC make any mention of it? I was unable to monitor the Corporation’s output. Given that Nu Labour is the Beeboid party of choice, & is responsible for this appalling scandal, I presume they were not trumpeting the news too loudly. I may be wrong, or perhaps they managed to blame the Tories, or excessive carbon emissions on the Old Kent Road.
    The prospects for our capital are dire. We’re not going backwards, we’re going down. This should be an issue of urgent national debate, with the BBC, that great ‘educator’, taking the lead; never mind the shenanigans at FIFA. As the consequences of the ‘Frankfurt’ Tony/McBigot years become more & more apparent in our riven, dysfunctional land the relentless BBC drive to get Nu Labour back intensifies. Just another 5 years of them & the job will be done. A flawed, but once great nation state, buried in an unmarked grave, in the perpetual shadow of a super mosque. Tears to the eyes.

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    • John Anderson says:

      Just like the NHS,  the state education system is a sacred cow to the BBC,  and needs to be protected,  not analysed in depth and criticised for the monumental failure it is becoming.   Massive increases in spending,  dangerous falls in standards.  

      Hey – who cares if London becomes like a third-world city,  with large zones tending to ignorant peasant in capability and outlook,  and therefore largely dependent on welfare or crime – or both.   The BBC certainly does not appear to care.

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      • George R says:

        -and, British students frozen out by E.U. students.


        BBC-EU could have, but doesn’t mention this:

        “EU students add to university squeeze”

        [Extract]:

        “Figures show demand among students from European Union member states has hit a new high so far this year.
        According to official data, applications from these students were up by 5.8 per cent at the end of May, with almost 46,000 applying in total. By comparison, applications from home candidates increased by 0.8 per cent, it emerged.
        This raises the prospect that British students may face even more competition in the race for degree courses this summer as applicants rush for places before a rise in tuition fees next year.
        Students from the European Union are subsidised by the taxpayer and are eligible for the same low-interest government loans as those taken out by British undergraduates.
        They also count towards the strict cap on university places — putting them in direct competition with applicants from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

        http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/8551631/EU-students-add-to-university-squeeze.html

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    • Roland Deschain says:

      Wot ar yoo tokking abowt?  Exam pass rait’s ar improoving evry yeer.  Wot mowr proof is needed that edyukashun standerds hav never been beter?

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      • Millie Tant says:

        Wat u one abaht? Yew cude rede ‘n’ unnerstan it, cude’nt ya? janowo’ i meen? And annywais, Sheikspeer coode’nt spel himself eytheir.  Sum pepole r to up themself.

        / stock response when anyone dares to propose that children should be taught how to write and spell properly.

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    • dave s says:

      State education exists to provide the teaching unions with jobs,pensions and perks.
      The coalition is scared to confront the system. Imagine the whining and howling from the liberal media.
      My children worry all the time about the education for their children. It is their main pre occupation. I would imagine this is general.
      If you are lucky and rich you can afford to buy an education. Most of us cannot do so. This is the reality.
      The left’s destruction of the grammar schools was not about social mobility but about entrenching an elite in power and keeping the uppity clever working and lower middle classes in their place.
      The unintended consequence of this dereliction of duty to the nation will be a population so ill led and educated that it will never be able to compete with the countries of East Asia and South America.
      Find the best children and give them the best education. It is that simple. Test ,select and stream. It is the only way this nation will survive.

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      • cjhartnett says:

        But they don`t want it to survive Dave.
        It`s all going nicely at the moment…an ill educated ,thieving grunting processing plant for Waynes and Cheryls is all that school has to “deliver” these days.
        Whether they mule drugs, do rap or be pet projects for the Dolittles at the LSE or Sorbonne is neither here nor there-the capucchinos come gratis whether the Euro will exist or not by then.
        This will be Manche Nord 2 and will require a vote for Kinnocks son or Lagardes niece..not chippy educated knowing types that might kick off without FIFAS say so!
        It will change-but it`s going to stay nasty for some time yet!

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      • jarwill101 says:

        An excellent post, dave s. ‘Imagine the whining and howling from the liberal media.’ Yes, indeed: the very people who will fight tooth & nail to place their offspring in the ‘flagship’ comprehensives, really crypto-grammar schools, because they don’t want the little darlings going anywhere near the bog-standard comps of the system they claim to so fervently support. All that ‘equality of opportunity’. Oh, yes? If the media luvvies had any real guts, any real social conscience, they’d still be hounding rich old Communists like Shirley Williams, who led the assault on our grammars, instead of making eyes at the sweet old bird. They should also be demanding that Cameron/Gove stop tinkering, & start getting stuck into the colossal systemic problems at the root of education: discipline, the ludicrous multicultural syllabus in which kids celebrate Eid, but can’t READ, & the quality, & commitment of certain groups of teachers.
        You’re not going to hear it from the caring, sharing Beeboids. They’ve got their nice little earner, & the white lower classes can just fade away. Beeboids? Guardianistas? All mouth & fairtrade trousers.

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      • Grant says:

        dave s,
        I quite agree. The other reason the Left want to dumb down is because the less well-educated people are ,the more likely they are to vote Labour and be dependent on the State. Cynical and inhumane, but that sums up the Leftie-Liberals.

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      • David Preiser (USA) says:

        Instead, the BBC pushes for a Harrison Bergeron world.

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    • Davieboy says:

      Super post – well said.

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    • Grant says:

      jarwill,
      I am surprised the illiteracy rates are so low and don’t believe it. What is their definition of illiterate ?  Unable to spell a four-lettered word beginning with “F”  ?

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  18. George R says:

    Unlike Islam Not BBC (INBBC), which supports Muslim Brotherhood, Glenn Beck, ‘Fox News’ has:

    “Beck: Exposing Evil: History of The Muslim Brotherhood”


    Glenn Beck TV show (June 1, 40 min video)

    http://thedailybeck.com/2011/06/01/glenn-beck-tv-show-june-1-2011/


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  19. Grant says:

    Poor old Beeboids.
    One of their favourite dictatorships, Russia, bans all imports of fresh vegetables from another of their favourite dictatorships, the EU.
    How inconvenient. Which side can the BBC take ?
    Obviously they won’t ask the question why are the Russkies not self-sufficient in vegetables ?

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  20. NotaSheep says:

    3 hours ago I Tweeted ‘Ken Livingstone speaks out and offends many; yes, again! http://t.co/htYceGM‘ – Since then I have seen comments about Ken Livingstone calling Boris’s new Chief of Staff, Eddie Lister “the Mladic of local government”. Oddly not a word anywhere on the BBC news website yet; it’s almost as though the BBC were trying to protect Ken Livingstone from criticism.

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    • Andrew Cramb says:

      Nota,
      Not only proves Ken is a nasty piece of work but quite mad also.
      But, what can we expect from a rabid anti-semite ? No wonder the BBC love that piece of pond life. 

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  21. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Iain Watson just betrayed a hint of BBC self-awareness.  While talking about the report on the new MP expenses system, he mentioned a Lib-Dem MP who had a foolish expense claim rejected.  But he followed this immediately by sayin, “In the interests of impartiality,” he had to also point out a Labour figure doing the same thing.

    Now, why would he say something like that?  It’s almost a deliberate response to a specific, constant charge from this blog (and other places, yes, I know).

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    • Andrew Cramb says:

      But when are the BBC going to apologise for giving the impression the Tories are the worst offenders when, by a large margin, it is Labour and the Lib Dems  ?

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  22. George R says:

    The reality of ‘multicultural’ Britain which INBBC censors, but which Paul Weston doesn’t:
    One Week in the Death of Britain

    [Extract, from Paul Weston’s essay]:

    “And so ends the week of May 23-30 in the year 2011. Although it just a snapshot, it outlines a country, a government and a people whose civilisational timeline is now measured in years rather than decades or centuries. We are no longer serious about the serious matter of survival. We have nowhere to turn and no one to realistically represent us. Britain, as Lawrence Auster constantly reminds us, is a nation of the living dead.

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  23. George R says:

    Censored by INBBC:

     GEERT WILDERS’ speech –

    “Geert Wilders’ closing speech at his trial for inciting hatred against Muslims ”

    (11 min video)


    http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2011/06/geert-wilders-closing-speech-at-his.html



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    • cjhartnett says:

      Thanks for this George…an absolute masterclass in oratory!
      Never heard so well crafted a defence of freedom-or such a slating for those who presumed to bring this showtrial to court.
      If he doesn`t get a load of support-worldwide on this display-I`ll be amazed.
      He clearly learned alot in Israel way back! 

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  24. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Mark Mardell is settling into his comfort zone.  Now that his latest crisis of faith has passed, he can shuffle off to New Hampshire to have a good laugh at Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin, confident in his mind that nobody can touch his beloved Obamessiah.

    All the polls show Romney as the top candidate?  Depends on which polls one looks at.  Romney is the establishment favorite.  He’s a big-government type, and even Mardell admits that there’s a problem there.  Romney is at the bottom of the list for the Tea Party movement and independents, and I think we all know who is going to have more influence next year.

    And we all also know that nobody but nobody is going to “excite” Mardell quite like The Obamessiah.  Hell, his expectations of the President’s ability to excite him are too high for reality, and he goes all to pieces when He fails to live up to Mardell’s spiritual needs.

    Naturally, Sarah Palin has given Mardell an opportunity for a few good sneers.  The first biased editorial comment is the “magical mystery tour” gag.  An impartial journalist wouldn’t denigrate.  It’s Mardell’s personal opinion that she and her supporters are a joke, but he has no right to express it so openly.

    By openly, I mean the way he then describes the reactions of her supporters and opponents:

    To those who are fans already, the text in their heads will be word perfect for Palin.

    For those who suspect patriotic pictures are intended to disguise a vacuum, it will confirm their fears.

    So Mardell insults the “fans” by saying they’re as vacuous as he thinks she is.  And then confirms that opinion by saying her opponents think she’s vacuous.

    Aside from that, it seems that Mardell is still living inside the Beltway/HuffPo bubble because Chris Christie has just said yet again that he will not run in 2012.  I suppose it’s the lazy reporter’s job to speculate anyway to fill out a story.  But I suspect that Christie is smarter than Palin and has decided not to quit in the middle of his job as Governor.  In fact, I think he’s just beginning to save New Jersey from the fate of California’s Greek (economic) tragedy, and any further career development would benefit immensely from his finishing the job. Not that you’ve ever heard about any of this from the BBC, mind.  The name must seem to appear out of the blue to those who trust the BBC for their US news.

    If the President gets re-elected, you can bet Christie will run.  If not, he’s not too old to wait another ten years.

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  25. George R says:

    INBBC’s Donnison was embedded with Fatah-Hamas in Ramallah all last week, but seems to have missed the central importance of this:

    Fatah Central Committee member: We have never recognized Israel and never will

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  26. George R says:

    INBBC’s Donnison was embedded with Fatah-Hamas in Ramallah all last week, but seems to have missed the central importance of this:

    Fatah Central Committee member: We have never recognized Israel and never will

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  27. George R says:

    BBC-NUJ ‘Newsnight’ has nothing meaningful to say.


    This is the best it can come up with on its blog for tonight:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/fromthewebteam/2011/06/thursday_2_june_2011.html

    ‘Newsnight’ must be a candidate for ‘cuts’.

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  28. David Preiser (USA) says:

    Compare and contrast this piece from the Telegraph’s Nile Gardiner with Mark Mardell’s output, which I mentioned above:

    Why Barack Obama may be heading for electoral disaster in 2012

    On a recent visit to London I was struck by how much faith many British politicians, journalists and political advisers have in Barack Obama being re-elected in 2012. In the aftermath of the hugely successful Special Forces operation that took out Osama Bin Laden and a modest spike in the polls for the president, the conventional wisdom among political elites in Britain is overwhelmingly that Obama will win another four years in the Oval Office. Add to this a widespread perception of continuing disarray in the Republican race, as well as a State Visit to London that had the chattering classes worshipping at the feet of the US president, and you can easily see why Obama’s prospects look a lot rosier from across the Atlantic.

    This perception matches exactly what Mardell and the rest of the Beeboids have been telling you so far, no?  Yet they’re all in the US and not the UK.  Gardiner, on the other hand, lives in the UK and just made a visit to the US.


    But back in the United States, the reality looks a lot different. Many political leaders in Britain fail to understand the degree to which the American people are deeply unhappy with their president’s poor handling of the economy. Nor have they grasped the epic scale of the defeat suffered by the president in the November mid-terms, and the emphatic rejection by a clear majority of Americans of the Big Government Obama agenda.

    Just seven months ago, the United States was swept by a conservative revolution that fundamentally transformed the political landscape on Capitol Hill, and gravely weakened the ability of the president to pass legislation. This revolution is not in retreat but gaining ground, led by charismatic figures such as Paul Ryan, the Reaganite chairman of the House Budget Committee, entrusted with reining in out of control government spending. And as a Gallup poll showed, America is unquestionably a conservative country ideologically, but one that is ironically led by the most left-wing president in the nation’s history.

    Paul Ryan?  Who he?  The partisan hacks at the BBC don’t even mention him in their news brief about the very issue it’s about.  They do find plenty of space – quelle suprise! – for a few words from Katty Kay’s personal friend and husband of her business partner, White House mouthpiece Jay Carney.

    Don’t trust the BBC on US issues.

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  29. Llew says:

    Had to laugh at the predictability of a minor story line in the BBC’s Waterloo Road episode last night. A councilor visiting the school approaches one of the teachers and after a bit of banter says “so how’s the young conservative candidate of the year getting on at Waterloo Road?” It might be just me but I’d swear “conservative” was spoken slightly louder or clearer than the rest of the sentence! (about 37:30 into I-player if anyone’s really desperate to watch this lefty bilge)

     

    Immediately my bias antenna wake up and sure enough within 10 minutes the “young conservative” is going to do some spying on the other teachers and is going to feed back all the bad management decisions made by the “hardworking & socially caring” headmistress to the councilor. There is a hint that the school is then up for closure. The school is all about the poor and the vulnerable in society of course.

     

    No doubt there will be a “cuts” storyline somewhere but 10/10 to the writers for cleverly linking the bad and sinister actions to the Conservative Party! Bingo. Tick box.

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    • cjhartnett says:

      This soft indoctrination using their soaps is pretty creepy.
      I only looked at the website showing the characters of this show-and you get all you need to know about their whole agenda.
      Complete waste of that fine bloke out of Early Doors and the Nationwide adverts way back-definely a school that needs closing.
      Certainly the Drama department there is excuse to close it!
      Typical BBC slurry to meet its own “inclusion agenda”…I thought Lenny Henry was the head…is he an OFSTED inspector now then?

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  30. Jon S says:

    it made me laugh when at the end of Andrew Marr’s Megacity thingy, when he said how lucky we are to have a city like London, a diverse, multi cultural shit hole

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