335 Responses to Start the Week Thread 4 November 2019

  1. Guest Who says:

    The BBC does like collecting the normal ones.

    Jane Fonda: ‘I worry about climate activist Greta Thunberg’ – BBC News

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50264547?

    Nothing to worry about at all.

       18 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Nice to see the North Vietnamese Army’s favourite pin up girl is still about … another traitor …

      Anyway … Sir Lindsey Hoyle is the new speaker . Dragged to the chair by two Brexiters – which is good .
      I think after a while Bercow will be seen as just a – rat . He has signed up to an after dinner speaker firm which also employs Alistair Campbell . Par for the course

      More concerning is that Jacob Rees Mogg didn’t rule out Bercow to get a peerage .

         37 likes

  2. StewGreen says:

    Hang on – The gay dads item, that I mentioned above
    The gay dad is actually the beeboid

    He had another item on last week
    about Monbiot’s favourite thing : Rewilding the countryside
    There’s a new BBC web story
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-50169027

       12 likes

  3. Thoughtful says:

    british-memes-are-a-history-buffs-cup-of-tea-10.jpg?quality=100&strip=info&w=641&zoom=2

       19 likes

  4. Guest Who says:

    Honour amongst….

       17 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      I’m sure it would be easy to find previous occasions where QT got caught red handed making errors against the non-metroliberals .. and then KGMdidn’t make a fuss.

         13 likes

  5. Lucy Pevensey says:

    Remember children, there is no such thing as The Great Replacement despite the media promotion of it.
    Your grandparents were all NAZIs who deserved to die for the good of diversity.
    Covers from 2016/17

    CtSRHweW8AAxwlS.jpg

       23 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      FAKE :
      The left one is genuine from 2016
      The right one is not 2017, nor genuine cos it appears in a 2016 tweet

      The person who makes an an extraordinary claim, must show extraordinary evidence.

         17 likes

      • Lucy Pevensey says:

        Thank you Stew.
        I found them together as one image. I should have checked the source out. The left one is bad enough on it’s own.

        Fedup can delete the post if he wants. (If he sees it)

           8 likes

  6. Burgsey says:

    Is it me, or do the BBC seem to spending a lot of time on The Brexit Party at the moment, perhaps to encourage a split in the Brexit vote so that Jezza will stand a better chance of winning?!

       25 likes

    • smoogie7 says:

      Yes that has not gone unnoticed.

      I guess that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’

      It is the same with remain parties. Unionists such as the Lib Dems banding with nationalists such as SNP and Plaid who both want to leave another union to rejoin another…

         15 likes

  7. taffman says:

    “Care children sexually abused or exploited while missing from homes”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50241711
    Nothing new there then ? What amazes me is what is the highly funded NSPCC doing about it ?
    What exactly do they do for their money ?…………….
    https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/make-a-donation?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuMPPu93R5QIVWODtCh2fiQoeEAAYASAAEgJZJ_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

       19 likes

  8. taffman says:

    “General election 2019: Labour pledges to save free TV licences”
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50284737
    How about getting rid of the thing altogether ?
    Don’t watch don’t pay.
    Simples

       23 likes

  9. Philip_2 says:

    Zoe’s dropped the ball (Zoe Ball Breakfast Show results are in).
    The new model BBC army of largely female (diversity) presenters and producers soldiers on. According to RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) latest quarterly figures for across the UK came out in October. (According to The Times supplement). Whilst we know from last week that LBC gained a million listeners, the BBC lost a million or so listeners and according to latest figures, the worst BBC performance was BBC radio 2 (Zoe Ball) followed by BBC Radio 4. Radio 2 has 7.92 million for its ‘Breakfast show’, Radio 1 has 5.049 million (which is a slight increase of 169,0000) under Greg James (me neither). The BBC stated that this was its target audience aged 10 to 29. (I guess they could include seven years olds eating Weetabix at a push and push that up a bit further).
    https://www.pressgazette.co.uk/rajar-lbc-grows-to-record-2-2m-audience-while-bbc-radio-4-sheds-770000-listeners/

    Meanwhile commercial radio is powering on ahead, year by year. Chris Evans has robbed the BBC of 1.114 million listeners with his New Virgin Radio show. Heart radio has attracted 4.559 million listeners daily with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden on Air. That also competes with LBC and Classic FM mopping up the more discerning (cough) listener, although I am no fan of John Humphries. LBC and Classic FM are in rude health and I have heard many on LBC over the past few weeks stating that they now listening to LBC (and coming from Radio 4). They are not going back, they say, ever to Radio 4. So overall the BBC figures are not good and can only get worse.

    The BBC policy may mean they gain seven year old listeners pre-schoolers and convince then to remain, but in the more grown up world, we stil believe in choice, quality and debate without resorting to chanting, insults and left wing extremists, then complaining they are not paid enough compared to Jeremy Vine @ £3,000 per hour (true) whilst working at the BBC..

    Ten years ago. MPS warned about inflated BBC salaries.
    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/jun/04/bbc-radio-presenters-pay-mps

    It puts the collective under a different light when they go on strike for a minmum wage of no less than £345 per hour (basic) to mid £800 middle TV presenter to £3,000 (for Jeremy Vine). Only Terry Wogan earned more, commanding more than £20,000 plus per TV episode. And then we have the Gary Linekar who tops the charts with multiple millions for his good looks and charm! (maybe). They all have one thing in common, well several, They will all vote Labour and are all very needy, small minded, groomed by the BBC, think of themselves as celebrities, (they celebrate each other), believe in the minimum wage (so they can afford servants), claim the NHS is vital (whilst they all go to BUPA) and then without any doubt at all will vote against BREXIT. There’s not a lot to like about the BBC. Communal living at its most exclusive. Trots, Marxists and Anarchists. The lot of them don’t deserve any more than a P45.

    Ten year later (2019)
    Claire Balding dares ask ’How much do BBC stars earn per hour…?’
    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tell-us-how-much-bbc-stars-earn-per-hour-says-clare-balding-starting-with-gary-lineker-97sgjdnzb

       27 likes

    • taffman says:

      Philip_2
      Robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

         14 likes

      • Ian Rushlow says:

        ‘Robbing from the poor to give to the rich.’
        Socialists have always believed in the redistribution of wealth…

           17 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Phillip
      Thanks for the information . Unfortunately the state broadcaster still has a monopoly all over the shop so people only get one political message .

      Also – there is too much invest between the public and private sphere with the ‘ better ‘ people going private to avoid fair questions about how much public money they get .

      Claire balding will do us a public service as will samira with their avaricious play for money by either getting more to be equal to make presenters or reducing the male fees .

      Anything which undermines the state broadcaster can only be good .

         8 likes

    • Rob in Cheshire says:

      “Claire Balding dares ask ’How much do BBC stars earn per hour…?”

      If it’s more than £7.50, we’ve been robbed.

      Many Polish people are intelligent and speak excellent English. If they can take the jobs of the white working class, why should the jobs of the left wing middle class be safe?

      Indeed, given that continuity announcers on all channels now seem to be recruited from amongst ragamuffins and street urchins, a well spoken Polish person would make a refreshing change, innit?

         5 likes

  10. taffman says:

    \\Smart meters will reach a “Star Trek phase” – when the technology works to the financial benefit of consumers, a minister has promised.//
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50232763
    In three little words ………………
    Male Bovine Excrement.

       19 likes

  11. StewGreen says:

    BBC works in partnership with Extinction Rebellion
    So it is no surprise , that this week’s lunchtime thinkers bit is a series called The Extinction Tapes
    Ostensibly about 5 species going extinct it allows him to stick ijn a lot of agenda pushing
    #1 He said W-Africans enslaved on the Clotilde [crew of 12] were *kidnapped*,
    A listener called him out
    ” In fact they were bought by the ship’s captain from the King of Dahomy, sold from his ‘stock’ of c.4k prisoners of war”

    Someone else tweets ” thank you for sharing the tragic tale of the Alabama Pink Toe Mussel & how the #UK is no better at protecting our #rivers or #wildlife like European eel.”

    Friday’s episode is about White Tailed Eagle
    which despite the series title is NOT extinct and has returned to the UK
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009yxd

    https://twitter.com/man_thinking/status/1191362089878614017

       17 likes

  12. StewGreen says:

    Tuesday 12:18pm Radio 4
    Call You And Yours: Are you struggling to keep up with action on the environment?
    Do you think that small actions will help the planet or are we unlikely to make a difference at a personal level?
    A new survey suggests that climate change is leading to rows, as younger people pressure others in their households to do more.

    They’re inspired by environmental campaigners and television programmes like Seven Worlds: One Planet.
    They want their families to fly less, use less plastic, abandon the car and increase recycling.

    But research from Friends of the Earth suggests there’s a disconnect between the behaviours people think will have a positive impact on the planet and the ones that will actually make the biggest difference.
    (Wow FoE are right there)
    Are the small actions we’re being urged to take for the environment having any effect?
    Are they worth falling out over?

    Let us know what your experiences have been. Are you struggling to keep up with action on the environment?
    Email us: youandyours@bbc.co.uk include a phone number so we can call you back.
    Or call us on 03700 100 444 after 1100 on Tuesday.

       8 likes

  13. StewGreen says:

    Church fires

       36 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      It’s just the RoPers way of clearing redundant buildings for their mosques. Although they occasionally repurpose such old buildings they prefer a brown field site if possible.

         17 likes

      • G says:

        DT,
        No, no. Use of existing, ‘Churches’ is a ploy against any planning objections for mosques: a mere change of use from one place of worship to another will not violate and take that form of objection off the table. What about the call to prayer? Comparable to bell ringing?
        Question is, when the property of a Church is acquired with an adjoining graveyard, what will the muslims (sooner or later) do with the graveyard and its occupants? Watch this space………

           12 likes

  14. Celtic_Mist says:

    I can’t find this (yet) on BBC?

       20 likes

    • Doublethinker says:

      It’s the Olympics next year . I can’t wait to see how the BBC handles the winning of all the women’s strength and endurance events by ‘women ‘ who were once men. If I was a woman athlete I would refuse to take part. It might be a good laugh to see the wokists impaled on the horns of such a dilemma but some biological women are seeing years of hard training being sacrificed to some lunatic modern nonsense.

         36 likes

      • AnneG says:

        As someone who the MSM used to call a ‘sex-change; may I offer an easy rule to follow in sport.
        NO individual who went through male puberty is allowed to compete in womens sport. Full stop, end of story.
        I despise all those so called ‘Trans; activists. They are mainly transvestites indulging in some form of fantasy.
        Love to all

           20 likes

        • Rob in Cheshire says:

          Right back at you Anne. It is refreshing to see someone with common sense. We can all get along if we want to, it is the trans activists who cause problems by trying to bend society to fit them, rather than the other way round.

             10 likes

          • Banania says:

            trying to bend society to fit them: These people are a kind of immigrants, like certain others.

               2 likes

  15. LastChanceSaloon says:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-50297501
    2019-11-05 05:40
    BBC NEWS Entertainment & Arts
    “Smuggled: Channel 4 defends itself after Home Office criticism”
    “Channel 4 has defended itself over the broadcast of its new reality series Smuggled, 11 days after the deaths of 39 people in a lorry in Essex.
    The start of the series, which sets eight British citizens the task of entering the UK using illegal means, was dropped from schedules last week.
    But it aired on Monday evening and the Home Office said it was “insensitive and irresponsible” to show it so soon.”

    BBC NEWS
    The BBC announced that its new programme, called Dead Invaders, had the highest viewing figures ever recorded.

    In Dead Invaders 200,000 British soldiers are shown manning the UK borders 24/7/365 and summarily shooting all non indigenes discovered trying to enter the UK illegally with the intention of raping and killing UK citizens.

    An aditional paramiltary force of 50,000 volunteers is shown searching all non Europeans suspected of illegal entry, all such illegals are summarily shot as required by international law.

    The BBC expects that such action will, by 2022, reduce the UK population by 3 million, reduce serious crime by 95% and release 1 million homes for the use of genuine British people.

       18 likes

    • Banania says:

      The BBC should send some investigative reporters to buy a passage into England in a refrigerated container. I am willing to suggest names.

         2 likes

  16. andyjsnape says:

    the mouth on Jo Swinson, it puts me off my breakfast

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50297164

    Anyone remembers the movie Jaws

       17 likes

    • LastChanceSaloon says:

      ajs
      One wit in Guido comments suggested that Swinson be investigated for horseicide.
      Alleging that the teeth originally belonged to Shergar.

         15 likes

  17. LastChanceSaloon says:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/04/the-guardian-view-on-the-age-of-criminal-responsibility-raise-it-now

    “By criminalising children at a lower age than any other EU country, the UK shows itself to be stuck in the past”

    “and the rising proportion of children convicted of crimes who are from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. From 14% in 2010, that figure has almost doubled to 27%.

    Meanwhile, the youth reoffending rate has risen, and at 40.9% in 2017 was more than 10 percentage points higher than for adult criminals over 21.”

    Quelle surprise, non British organisms not behaving as Romans in Rome.
    Who could have forecast this most unexpected, unpredictable and unusual statistic? Anybody really.

    Also in the Guardian, women more than three months pregnant are allowed two votes for the Labour Party.

    No comments allowed.

       27 likes

    • Demon says:

      The same people who want the voting age lowered to 16. If you are old enough to vote then you must be old enough to take responsibility for your actions.

         19 likes

  18. Fedup2 says:

    Press Gazette Daily logo
    4 November 2019
    Headline image
    BBC seeks funding to expand local democracy reporting service to cover magistrates’ courts
    The BBC has laid out “ambitious” new plans to expand its local democracy reporting service, recruiting new reporters to cover local councils as well as extending coverage to magistrates’ and sheriffs’ courts. But the expansion is entirely dependent on the BBC-run scheme finding new sources of financial support from outside the corporation.

    State broadcaster continues its mad expansion policy – reminds me of the ReichEU.

       18 likes

  19. LastChanceSaloon says:

    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/11/04/uk-national-health-service-to-deny-treatment-for-racist-or-sexist-language-gestures-behaviour/

    “UK: National Health Service to Deny Treatment for ‘Racist or Sexist Language, Gestures, Behaviour’”

    I Expect a new crime, called Hate Breathing, to be introduced in the near future.
    Hate Breathing will be a Caucasian only crime.

       26 likes

    • Ian Rushlow says:

      There is already provision in UK law for Hate Breathing. Any activity whatsoever can be tagged as ‘hateful’; for instance, some years ago a driver was jailed for 2 nights after ‘revving his car in a racist manner’. It is not difficult to imagine somone with a ‘Protected Characteristic’ or who is a professional offendee making a complaint e.g. ‘He did not say anything but I could tell by his heavy breathing and sighing that he was a racist/sexist/islamophobe/homophobe/transphobe/climate denier/Brexiteer and I felt threatened’.
      https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/scottish-law-enforcement-andrew-stuttaford/

      The only difficulty with this is that it has long been the ambition of politicians to tax the air we breathe, so there could be a slight conflict of interest. Coming soon on the BBC: “When we breathe we exhale CO2, causing Global Warming. Should people be taxed for breathing? We ask Jeremy and Greta”.

         18 likes

  20. smoogie7 says:

    Recently the BBC have mentioned that a Conservative candidate has had to apologise for a tweet she made some 5 years ago… She apoligised and that should be the end of it.

    What about Labour’s Ali Milani who posted some antisemtic tweets when he was 16? Anything about that from the BBC? The party that is still under investigation from the Equality and Human Rights Commission?

    We have to rely on the much feared Daily Mail of course!

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7648257/Labour-candidate-trying-oust-Boris-Johnson-election-apologises-anti-Semitic-tweets.html

       29 likes

  21. Fedup2 says:

    Smoog,
    I haven’t got much regard for those putting themselves forward to tell us how to live and make laws over us . So for me the threshold for disqualification from standing as a party candidate should be very high . Both these should be thrown out of their party at least for being ‘dumb’ – yet alone for the contents of their internet behaviour . Would be interesting what the exact anti Semitic comments were and whether he should be prosecuted .
    I often repeat here – there’s never a shortage of politicians .

    As for comments made by prospective politicians – it’s clear that the state broadcaster won’t be fair in publication of details with non white candidates being positively discriminated .

       12 likes

  22. Deborah says:

    Not the BBC but dear Moira on Classic FM via Global (We can no longer stand Today in a morning). She reports that Corbyn is warning about selling off the NHS and the opening up of the drugs market. Wasn’t it only yesterday that they were reporting that during the campaign the NHS shouldn’t be politiced? But no criticism from Global for Labour doing it today, with nonsense spouted from Corbyn’s side kick Barry Gardener allowed to be portrayed as truth.

       21 likes

    • Sluff says:

      I believe the drugs market is already open.
      Companies invent, develop, test laboriously, and bring to market at a cost of approximately £1 bn per product and at no cost to taxpayers new drugs. The scale requires global companies and the UK punches well above its weight.
      Corbyn wants to nationalise this.
      Goodbye innovators. Goodbye researchers. Hello very old, initially cheap but then ever more expensive through inefficiencies drugs doled out by apparatchiks.

      Got cancer? If Corbyn gets his way, try paracetomol. It won’t work of course but it will be cheap, be ‘for the many, not the few’, and safeguard new public sector jobs. What’s not to like ?

         30 likes

      • Woolwich says:

        Absolutely hitting the nail square on the head there Sluff. Zero cost to the taxpayer. Take it or not. It’s also worth mentioning “the gift of pharma”. This is the process whereby after having the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell the drug they’ve invented, this protection ends after somewhere between 8-12 years (roughly, and depends upon how long it took to get the drug to market) at which point any generics company can manufacture and sell the drug at a much lower cost. This isn’t because the original company was ripping people off “for the few and not the many”, it’s because the generics companies just have to mix the ingredients because they haven’t spent the billion pounds/dollars on creating, testing and adhering to the myriad safety systems and laws in place that the original company did to get the drug out there.
        Corbyn’s sub sixth form drum beating on this idea shows he absolutely doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about, not a clue. He probably doesn’t know that often there are medics and other personnel from these awful drug companies on the ground amongst the first responders when there are natural disasters around the globe, that more than one company create and give specific drugs away for free to treat conditions that are only found in the “third world”, that drugs such as those to treat HIV are sold for much less to parts of the third world (which is by its very definition socialism in action, good positive action not spiteful politics of envy action) and there’s the little matter of the millions if not hundreds or even thousands of millions that go to the Inland Revenue in the form of taxes paid by the pharmaceutical companies and their employees. All far too nuanced for an idiot Marxist to grasp, and sadly a lot of my post comes as the result of a rather heated discussion I had with a labour voting friend who listens and agrees with Corbyn without researching or thinking. Short sighted.

           21 likes

        • Sluff says:

          Woolwich.
          At the risk of a love-in, totally agree.
          But this being biased BBC, where we sometimes provide a useful line of research/thought/record of facts absent from the BBC itself, I’ll close by posing this additional question.
          Given that many generic pharma. companies are Indian, how does Corbyn suppose his ‘National Pharmaceutical Corporation’, with a higher cost base, operating presumably just in the UK with minimal economy of scale, will be able to compete?
          It won’t of course so we’ll end up with state subsidies for a currently viable industry – and the fact that a certain number of voters will be suckered in to this economically illiterate nonsense is rather a sad state of affairs.

             13 likes

          • Banania says:

            How should we be “at the mercy” of American pharmaceutical companies if their drugs are more expensive? Surely we would not buy them. And if they are cheaper, then we ought to buy them for the benefit of the NHS. Am I missing something?

               3 likes

  23. StewGreen says:

    “Canada’s Green Party leader steps down”
    ..which BBC “news page” is that featured on ?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment

    We know the “science & environment” page is really
    * the Green Politics agenda pushing PR page*
    Out of about 20 items on the page only 2 or 3 are not about green issues

    Same on Facebook
    : http://www.facebook.com/BBCScienceNews

       12 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      Here have a tweeted screenshot

         2 likes

    • StewGreen says:

      And it’s worse
      cos although the BBC page is titled Science and Environment
      You only see that title in the UK
      The international version omits the word “Environment”
      The page headline is just “SCIENCE”
      (I tweeted a screenshot)

         2 likes

  24. LastChanceSaloon says:

    I was out early today.
    Listened to Radio 4 c7:50 – 7:58, in the car.
    Starmer allowed uninterrupted time to explain the Labour (second) referendum process
    Neither Starmer or the BBC “interviewer” (name unknown to me) mentioned the 2016 vote; perhaps it did not happen.

       25 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      Meanwhile via a broadcaster not explicitly guaranteed existence if supporting Labour:

         9 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        Here’s the bbc, holding aspiring power to account. Apparently.

           8 likes

        • Guest Who says:

          Here’s Norm excited about the bbc holding politicians to account.

             9 likes

        • Fedup2 says:

          Almost bad enough for traffic to avoid the area because of a car crash interview – starmer might as well done a yeah but no but job .unlike the thick ohs like ‘Becky wrong daily’ he will have know how dumb he sounded . I bet there is a lot of blood split around the shadow cabinet table as sane types bite their tongues .

             15 likes

      • Guest Who says:

        More forensic bbc subbing…

           11 likes

      • theisland says:

        Starmer makes sure he is always several steps removed from the ‘crime’.

        From the many Guido comments:

        Jingleballix The Last Quango in Paris • 2 hours ago
        …….2016-19 Keir Starmer was almost constantly shuttling back-and-forth to Brussels……..why was he doing this – he has no official capacity? So who was he talking to, and what were they talking about?

        I’d like journalists to ask him these questions.

        Yossarian • an hour ago
        The duplicitous snake Starmer was excessively paid as an ineffectual head of the hopeless CPS. He retired with a knighthood taken off a Christmas tree and a mind boggling pension fund.
        And his snout is buried even deeper into the public sector, Common Purpose trough after being parachuted as an MP into another Labour rotten borough in order for him to spit into the face of democracy.
        Any wonder politics is broken and politicians are mostly loathed?

           24 likes

    • Up2snuff says:

      LCS, it was JustRemainIn Webb who did the Starmer interview.

         11 likes

      • LastChanceSaloon says:

        U2s
        Thank you, the first time I have listened to BBC radio for years.
        It is still lying rubbish.

           12 likes

    • EmptyingDadsShed says:

      That’s a “Hate Memory”

         8 likes

  25. Guest Who says:

    BBC Moaning emoles… Justin on an editorial integrity roll today…
    ***
    By Justin Parkinson

    Promised starter homes ‘not built yet’

    Housing

    In 2014 the government promised to build 200,000 “starter homes” for people under the age of 40, sold at a 20% discount. But the National Audit Office (NAO) finds this has not resulted in any being constructed.

    The reason? The legislation needed to push the project forward was never passed, it says. This means that sites at places including Plymouth, Bury, Basildon, Stockport, Bridgwater, Cinderford and Bristol are now being used for housing more generally, rather than all of it being affordable.

    Labour says ministers have wasted years and millions of pounds. But the government says it has a “great track record” on housing and has delivered more than 430,000 affordable homes since 2010.

    Here are the numbers on the housing crisis in England. And try our calculator, showing where you can afford to live or rent in the UK.
    ***

    I wonder if the bbc has a calculator for all sorts of other occasions when ‘affordability’ comes from money being taken by state operatives from people who have it to give to people who do not? Like, say, Jeremy, Carrie, Samira and the rest of the girls using some of their £1k/hr wedge to allow pensioners to still watch them whinge.

    ***

    General Election 2019: Swinson promises public services boost

    The Liberal Democrats officially launch their election campaign today. Leader Jo Swinson is saying there will be a £50bn boost for public services over five years if her party wins and, as it promises, stops Brexit. This, she argues, would be the result of a larger economy than if the UK leaves the EU.

    Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will pledge to “get Brexit sorted” within six months if he becomes prime minister. This follows criticism from Conservative leader Boris Johnson that his opponent needs to “come clean” on his policy regarding the UK leaving the EU. Read here to remind yourself where the parties stand on Brexit.

    And, with 37 days until the election, we explain how it all works.

    ***

    The irony of the bbc only talking about what Labour and Limps are ‘promising’, whilst vague on who ‘affords’ this, whilst criticising the government on promised misdelivery, is not lost.

       17 likes

  26. Guest Who says:

    Good use of her time. I wonder who pays?

       19 likes

    • JamesArthur says:

      what a load of tosh….men and women of all ages and backgrounds…if that isn’t just a virtue made up tweet..how many people exactly stopped her..I wouldn’t recognise she if she walked past me…

         12 likes

  27. Guest Who says:

    Hugh’s Masterclass In bbc whaterboutery has already been derided by anyone who knows bbc editorial integrity to be a stitch up.

    So here is Laura trying to sell it as a must se… get suckered by:

       23 likes

    • JimS says:

      Given all the Project Fear stories that we won’t have any drugs post-Brexit can we assume that the NHS has already been ‘sold’ to the EU?

         21 likes

      • Demon says:

        JimS – A very good point, well said.

        Amazing that the Left call Kuenssberg right-wing! She is showing her alt-left bias by saying that this should be shown every day. Despite it being a blatant lie.

           24 likes

    • tarien says:

      Overly provocative a susual-sadly seems that this journalist has all but informed us as to who will win the General Election, she has X ray vision into the future you know.

         2 likes

  28. Emmanuel Goldstein says:

    Earlier on someone mentioned that there is no shortage of politicians/MPs.

    Supply and demand controls wages for normal people so I suggest halving all MPs pay.
    If there is still a huge amount of people wanting to be MP’s then pay them the UK average wage, said to be about £27,000 or so.

    This supply and demand remuneration works in all other employment so why not the honourables as well.
    You would also get better people applying, instead of greedy ones who want to lord it up over everyone you would get genuine applicants who want to do the job for the right reasons.

    Reduce the 650 to about 280.
    Also, bin the lords, the lot of them.

       29 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      EG
      That was me on the number of politicians . I’ve been challenged here that MPs should get more money so that higher calibre people would be attracted . I d not heard such nonsense. Today – apparently – on the last day of term outgoing MPs can make a farewell speech .
      How self indulgent of the swamp is that ? No value apart to the MSM to get a sound bite or betting on who is going to get a gong for so called ‘ public service ‘ when in fact all they do is serve themselves .
      Drain the swamp

         7 likes

  29. Fedup2 says:

    The samira show – the tribunal ( a musical ?) must be nearly finished by now and whatever the outcome it will be a ‘victory ‘ with the state broadcaster reporting on it as though it is not ‘it’ which is the subject of the action .

    Being a punter – when it was revealed that a male presenter was paid the same rate as dear samira – I would have thought it sort of blew her discrimination case out of the water – with fans of J Vine pleased that he gets a paltry £3k per show – no wonder he didn’t criticise his employer … pays the piper ..tune …
    But I think many journos in the state broadcaster know they are earning well so go with the editorial flow ….

    … I caught a little bit of some bint going on about mixed snooker before I could get to the ‘off ‘ switch ….

       14 likes

  30. Lucy Pevensey says:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-50289553
    Bideford’s ‘Little White Town’ signs set to be changed

    _109522259_bideford_little_white_town_1.jpg

    ” there have been complaints the signs are racist, prompting the town council to debate the issue.”

    The article doesn’t indicate who the complainants are.

       38 likes

    • smoogie7 says:

      Sounds like Blackburn and Blackpool are due for a name change as well then!

         20 likes

    • andyjsnape says:

      oww no i live in the black country in the West Midlands.

      The region dates back to the industrial revolution with all the smog created from the factory chimneys in the area.

      Racist name change on the cards soon?

         18 likes

  31. Sluff says:

    Emmanuel above
    On the subject of committing suicide, I thought Cameron was going to reduce the MPs to 600 and alter the boundaries to more fairly reflect constituency size. Currently Labour have an inbuilt majority of around 20 on an all-square reflecting de-populated inner city places. Compare the 1992 and 2007 election results.
    What happened to that?

       28 likes

  32. Up2snuff says:

    TOADY Watch #1 – Ladies bits, unpleasant bits

    Awake late, radio on 7.43a.m. to find some wimmin talking about wimmins’ health and health checks. All very worthy, I am sure.

    Then came the really unpleasant bit. Keir Starmer was on to explain that, of course, under a Labour Government from 13 December, Bojo’s Bad Deal for the UK’s EU departure could be renegotiated in fifteen minutes flat and legislation for a new EU Referendum passed through the two Houses of Parliament, checked by the Electoral Commission and campaigning done and dusted for the People to Have Their Say within another forty to forty-five minutes. Labour will have you out in an hour.

    WARNING: THE REALLY NASTY, UNPLEASANT, BIT – readers of a nervous disposition may want to look away now.

    We find in the course of that interview with Keir Starmer, that the questions for a Peoples Vote have changed from a three-way split, Leave (no Deal) versus Leave with Bojo’s Deal versus Remain, to a new one under a future Labour Government, which will be a two-way choice between Remain Mostly versus Remain Entirely.

    There you have it.

    The All Hallow’s Leave Nightmare will definitely continue under Labour.

       34 likes

  33. Thoughtful says:

    Would this ever happen on the BBC?

       19 likes

  34. Thoughtful says:

    https://twitter.com/hashtag/exposecnn?vertical=default&src=hash

    Donald Trump now threatening to sue CNN over their political bias. This is a conservative President of the USA actually doing what Socialist Leftie Boris is utter failing to do in the UK.

    When (and if ) you see the Tory canvassers come around ask them why their party is so cowardly useless and incompetent, and why it is that anyone should vote for them when Labour are clearly the better choice.

    When they say that Labour is not the better choice then ask them if that is true why have they not reversed a single piece of Labour policy since Gordon Brown, and have in fact reinforced many of the appalling leftist policy regarding oppression censorship and anti White race hate?

       32 likes

  35. Cassandra says:

    Talking about ‘Ladies Bits’, can’t find this on BBC websites but its only a matter of time I expect…

    It concerns Maxine Blythin, a transgender cricket player who is over 6ft tall, has batting average of 124 and hit four 100s. ‘She’ is 2019 Kent Women Player of the Year.

    Guess which player is maxine?

    17422688-7369619-image-a-2_1566160415567.jpg

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7369619/Kent-transgender-cricketer-reignites-row-allowed-play-womens-sports.html#comments

    Seriously, if women’s sport does not address this problem directly, it has had it and I’m not the only one who has concerns…

    “Tennis legend Martina Navratilova stoked controversy when she said trans women competing in sport was ‘insane’ and amounted to ‘cheating’.
    Former British swimmer Sharron Davies has said transgender athletes could ‘potentially game the system’ by competing in women’s sports when they have a male sex advantage.”

    “Kent Cricket chief Simon Storey said the club was ‘committed to promoting diversity and inclusion’ within the sport.”

    The altar of ‘diversity and inclusion’ where no sacrifice is too small.

       55 likes

    • Guest Who says:

      The trackie folds are a nice touch (see what I might have done there, missus)?

         7 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Who says comedy is dead ?

         8 likes

      • Cassandra says:

        Maxine will need to be dressed appropriately to pick up ‘her’ award.

        This might be part of the script that ended up on the cutting room floor:
        “I only asked if you hankered after the older woman sir, not if you wanted to identify as one!”

           14 likes

    • Thoughtful says:

      Equality and those who preach it should accept that there should not be any division between the sexes, there should just be ‘sport’ and if women can’t compete then hard luck.

      When it comes to other aspects of life women want to be equal but only when it suits. They don’t want men to give up seats on public transport – until they do and then there’s hell to pay.

      It’s a tiny number of noisy people driving this supported by the media and certain web companies, alas the cowardly useless incompetent Tories pay attention to them and are to scared of their own shadows to do something about it.

         18 likes

    • Rob in Cheshire says:

      Is “she” the only female player who needs to wear a box?

         11 likes

      • Oldspeaker says:

        Made me think about how far the madness could go, boxing for instance where even very evenly matched individuals risk fatality.

           2 likes

    • BRISSLES says:

      I’m waiting to see a hefty and muscly Helga (aka Harry) become a member of a womens rugby team. OR a hefty and muscly Harry (aka Helga) becoming part of a mens rugby team 🙂

         3 likes

    • tarien says:

      Agree with Matina’s comment- this trans looks too masculine-I can see she has a couple of bumps under her shirt, but if she still has what a male has between the legs (penis/testicles) then she/he is not a full transvestite. Are we to suppose that Maxine so called, has had a full medical examination to ascertain her sexualitygender? Promoting diversity ! Trust we shan’t be subjected in county cricket to such diversity. The club houses would all have to be altered to accom Female as well as male loos, let alone showers. Thank goodness male rugby players are still all male!

         5 likes

      • Cassandra says:

        “The bowler’s Holding, the batsman’s Willey.”
        Brian Johnston – (Johnners) 1976.

        Bollocks to the PC brigade.

           9 likes

  36. Guest Who says:

    Bit of soft power punting from one of the BBC’s favourite Remain propaganda sheets.

       16 likes

  37. Up2snuff says:

    TOADY Watch #2 – Mishal humbled

    Yesterday, I couldn’t quite bring myself to a TOADY Watch but the subject would have been – cannot now remember full context – the point where (on radio!) you could see Mishal looking down her nose at the population of the UK. On radio! It was obvious that she appeared to hold the UK population in contempt.

    Today, the programme content was not going her way. She did the Prime Slot interview and was up against a determined Govey who used the interesting tactic of talking over Mishal before she could interrupt and talk over him.

    Mishal came off second best.

    Then there was an item about heroic photographer, Shahidul Alam, from Bangladesh. Mishal had to sit and listen while Shahidul told of his treatment by the Bangla Police and Court system.

    It was notable how quiet Mishal was thereafter.

    I wonder why?

       28 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      Up2
      I heard the Gove as well and was thinking that before he became a politician he was a journo . His tactic worked we of talking over and easier to do from ‘ the radio car ‘ than face to face me thinks .

      In the GEcampaig. There’s no room for nuance -just get the message right and stick with it .
      Get it wrong and it becomes a strong and stable joke

      I think meeshal might have been in head’s office after 9amfor a meeting without coffee.

         17 likes

  38. Old Goat says:

    You will NOT be permitted to have fireworks. They are anti-social, too loud, and frighten animals and people.

    Thankfully, I’m a bit past it now, but they were jolly good fun when I was younger – and louder, and there were jumping Jacks and Aeroplanes, 3-2-1-Zero bangers, and tuppeny Cannons.

    All the fun is going out of life. Although I loved fireworks on and around Bonfire night (you can’t have those, now, either in some areas) when younger, I admit to having become heartily sick of them in later years, because they are everywhere and continuous.

    Here, in France, November 5th, Diwali and New Years Eve are refreshingly silent. We can put up with July 14th, and the odd birthday party.

    What’s more disheartening is that it’s yet another freedom that Big Brother want to curtail because, well, because they said so.

       28 likes

    • JamesArthur says:

      Old
      Too right…I know kids get injured but they always do no matter what the activity – at this rate we will be banning anything except laying down…
      Also agree too many bloody public virtue celebrations – all we need is Christmas and Easter…..

         14 likes

      • Up2snuff says:

        When I was a youngster, JA, the adults handled all the fireworks. No chance of kiddy injury. I came from a family that considered them a waste of money but preferred a community show, if you like, a giant party. These would often be free to attend but with collections made for a chosen charity.

        What I find strange is that this has suddenly become a big issue.

        I wonder why now?

           20 likes

        • G says:

          Up2,
          “What I find strange is that this has suddenly become a big issue.
          I wonder why now?”
          Brings us all fond memories of one, Guy Fawkes who tried to blow Parliament to Kingdom Come.

             14 likes

          • Up2snuff says:

            A few years back, G, there was an attempt to stop the burning of effigies – think it must have been around the Reformation Quincentenary – on the basis that it was offensive to Roman Catholics.

            Maybe you are right, it might give some people wrong ideas, so a blanket ban is the solution. Just think of the Global Warming saved.

               2 likes

            • Fedup2 says:

              Up2 – I’ve never heard an RC moan about Guy Fawkes and I of the Faith . I have heard people moan about the often suicidal use of fire works in urban environments . They make a Big Bang on tube trains and the kidults seems to want to find more ways of setting fire to things year on year .

              I write in exclusion to Northern Ireland where pope burning is a ‘ cultural tradition ‘ inunderstand .

              We will also be treated to someone ‘doing a grenfell ‘ or contributing to the excellent Darwin awards with that traditional petrol , Vaseline mixture …

              I wouldn’t ban them but I would tax the granny out of them – 90% ? For retail sales to over 21s ?

                 2 likes

              • Up2snuff says:

                Fed, I remember the BBC carried coverage on the w-s and on R4 about the Lewes Bonfire Night celebrations a couple of years back. OK, that one place is a bit more pointedly anti-Catholic for historical reasons. The Beeb, of course, jumped on that with glee.

                   2 likes

    • JimS says:

      There was a time when it was only legal to set of a firework in a two(?) week period around November 5th. The loudest sounds came from the penny banger, that was hardly used for home displays.

      Now we have fireworks going off all year around and extremely loud bangs seem to be the most common. Midnight is a favourite time for setting them off.

      Near me they sometimes have ‘proms in the park’ events in the summer, ‘for the good weather’. They then put on a firework display which, because it is summer, has to be near midnight to get the dark. If the summer is particularly ‘good’ one is struggling to get to sleep in the heat with the windows open when BANG! BANG!

      The traditional home firework event was usually over by 7 p.m. so as to get the kids to bed.

         12 likes

  39. Guest Who says:

    George might not be on Newsnight for a while.

       11 likes

  40. MarkyMark says:

    Hold on just a minute … Far Right on the UP and Hate Crimes on the UP but MI5 Security Threat Level DOWN?

    https://www.mi5.gov.uk/threat-levels

       24 likes

  41. john in cheshire says:

    The Daily Express is telling us that Emilie Mateless thinks she and the racist far-left bbc ” do news”. Apparently she had a rant at Piers Morgan, telling him he does entertainment but they do news:

    https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1200147/BBC-News-Emily-Maitlis-Piers-Morgan-ITV-Good-Morning-Britain-equal-pay-video-latest

    Talk about delusional, I actually burst out laughing when I read the headline.

    This idiotic woman hasn’t yet grasped that they are all entertainers it’s just that some are better at it than others. And she’s not one of them.

       37 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      The other point of course is that she tries to be about 20? Years younger than she really is and that the state broadcaster tries to make the Newsnight set as glossy as it can be ( I’m guessing here as I only see the dumb bits on twitter or youtube ) and haven’t watched it for decades .

      Apart from ‘ dry ‘ stuff TV is entertainment .
      Dry stuff means a talk or one to one brian Walden type stuff . Marr wouldn’t count coz they always have a vibrant steel band or vibrant cello player at the end to make everyone feel ‘ right on’ .

         15 likes

  42. Up2snuff says:

    Non-TWatO Watch

    Decided to forgo the pleasure of Sarah’s “HELLOowh” in return for peace and quiet. Trouble is, during the P&Q there is the possibility of extra thinking. I realised to my horror what follows the Great Manifesto Reveal – if that is not bad enough – for the start of a General Election ….
    …. the Great Sleb Endorsement.

    Oh no, oh thrice woe!

       6 likes

  43. smoogie7 says:

    Just had a glance at the BBC website and they really are slipping up today. Anti Tory but pro Labour stories all over the place and something about positive Swinson.

    Just ridiculous now!

       15 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      I’m still trying to work out why the brexit Party and Tories haven’t done a deal . If things stay as they are there will be a labour/ sweater coalition which will withdraw A50 . The Tory brexit Party is splitting constituencies all around the country as twitter is showing every day .

      I can’t figure it out . Is it Farage megalomania or something more clever ? Just seems obvious that there is no choice if a ‘ national ‘ government is to return on the referendum .

         9 likes

      • Lucy Pevensey says:

        Fedup,
        It’s the Tories that don’t want to compromise. They are a remain party. TBP is a leave party. The Conservatives are afraid of a coalition with TBP, it would mean they have to leave the EU without a deal and they aren’t willing to do that.

           28 likes

        • Fedup2 says:

          Lucy
          Thank you – their conducts seems so obviously odd that it is as though they want Corbyn and sweater to stand in the number 10 garden looking lovingly into one another’s eyes .

          I fear tribal as well as tactical voting will have a bigger effect than people think – for those who can be bothered to vote . There might be something good on the TV.

          We are apparently to be deprived of a Dimbleby PLC on our election night coverage and instead have the undertaker like Huw Edwards running the show . Bitter pill for the likes of Maitliss who must be gagging for such an ego trip .

             12 likes

          • digg says:

            Careful FedUp2, if the BBC get wind of your thoughts they might just run a 6 hour special edition of East Enders on election night in the hope that the great unwashed enemies of the right way of thinking will stay home to watch rather than go out to vote!

               2 likes

  44. Up2snuff says:

    Not strictly the BBC but still brought to me via the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-50297484

    Promo for an ITV show, featuring a botoxed and siliconed presenter who appears to be within a centimetre or two of a serious explosion.

    And two more Slebs who are having birthdays. Maybe if Snuffy had an agent then the birthday would be much more important.

    “Am I bovvered?”

    M/s Watson appears to be desperate for a boyfriend.

       3 likes

  45. Up2snuff says:

    This one appears to be the BBC behaving in a very divisive way:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3Vy6qz91Njh6fVL32PDxYnd/get-involved-with-bbc-sesh

    I thought the BBC did not like divisiveness?

       2 likes

    • digg says:

      Up2snuff, I cannot help but notice that the new BBC Yoof segment “Sesh” is a bit Welsh, the videos they feature include…

      People you meet in Monmouthshire

      Peaky Blinders go to Swansea

      Welsh and living in England?

      Being Welsh and Arabic

      What it means to be a Welsh rugby fan

      Wales, that most patriotic Country on Earth?

      Types of Welsh Rugby fan

      Things only Welsh speakers know

      Why Wales has the best Flag ever

      Can you spell that please? Life with a Welsh name

      Getting that Pen y Fan Selfie

      A swift guide to Swansea

      When Welsh people See the bridge

      Do you suspect that the probably youngish BBC-ophile producer tasked with this venture might just be a bit Welsh or maybe they couldn’t be arsed to get out of the Swansea studio?

      It reads like a spoof VIZ article.

      Footnote; sign off line reads…

      Ry’n ni’n croesawu negeseuon yn Gymraeg neu Saesneg. We welcome correspondence in Welsh and in English.

      (Not Irish, Scottish, Bangladeshi, Arabic, or anything else of course!)

         3 likes

      • Fedup2 says:

        Digg my Pen Y Fan ‘selfies’ usually amounted to a complete ‘grey out ‘ but it’s nice to imagine the view…

           2 likes

      • Up2snuff says:

        digg, this brilliant line, I think, sums up that page and the BBC of the present time very well: “It reads like a spoof VIZ article.”

        You hit the nail on the head there, although you might think about deleting the word spoof. 😉

           2 likes

  46. digg says:

    I see the 3 usual suspects, BBC, Guardian and Independent are all mysteriously bigging up Jo Swinson on the front pages.

    Is it last-gasp desperation because they can see that Corbyn is a hole in their Labour ship, or could it be wishful thinking or do they know something?

    Lefty political “journalists” sure move in mysterious ways!

       20 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      They’ll be trying to humanise Swinson soon – my cat and me – why I never miss the Archers – how I cried after Grenfell / shuttle explode/ game of thrones ended ….

         12 likes

    • G.W.F. says:

      BBC bigging up Swinson.
      Suppose there is a combined Lib Dem Labour majority and a deal is to be made. Corbyn, terrorists friend cannot be leader, cannot be allowed in the US , but our sweater girl might be worth considering if the BBC can shape her up.

         4 likes

  47. Lucy Pevensey says:

    Anything on BBC yet?

       16 likes

  48. MarkyMark says:

    2017 … “Italy woman marries herself in ‘fairytale without prince’
    27 September 2017”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41413297

    2019 … “Emma Watson: ‘I’m happy to be single, I call it being self-partnered'”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-50299642

       12 likes

  49. The General says:

    Labour’s General Election strategy :

    Keep Corbyn away from interviews.
    Keep Abbopotimus away from interviews
    Keep John McDonnell away from interviews.

    Brilliant !!! might just work.

       21 likes

    • Fedup2 says:

      More bad news
      Phillip Traitor Hammond has decided not to face his electorate at thr Election . More swamp draining

         24 likes