Surveys of public opinion concerning the performance of the Main Stream Media – including the Biased BBC – are showing great levels of dissatisfaction with the way it is reporting the Chinese Virus . Let’s hope there is a reckoning afterward .
The Midweek Thread 15 April 2020
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I came onto this site to report an article in the Daily Mail with the headline that Medics were warning that virus numbers in the U.K. may go up when Ramadan starts. We have just had Jewish Passover and the Seder nights for many were held using Zoom. The British Jewish community had started this pandemic with a higher incidence than the general public and apparently are now no worse than the rest. Maybe it was a good warning to stay inside. Perhaps the Muslim community could see the sense.
I have a feeling that during Ram-a-dame (see what I did there?) we will see quite a few instances of:-
“Police”
“Turning a blind eye”
“Muslims”
Or “standard operating procedures” as it’s also known.
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
*breathe*
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Deb,
“…Perhaps the Muslim community could see the sense.”
If it ain’t in the quaran, well…………………….
D
“Perhaps the Muslim community could see the sense.”
If they had any sense they would not be Muslims.
Ditto for other believers.
I saw an item last week to do with Passover.
The BBC did a piece in Israel showing a Jewish community who’s faith is so strong that the Police and Army are having to use extreme measures to get them off the streets and get them to social distance.
It then struck me, why did the BBC go to Israel? If they were showing us how religious groups are greatly at risk for following traditions and faith that are at odds with the facts; why leave England to do so?
could have popped over to Luton
“Surveys of public opinion concerning the performance of the Main Stream Media – including the Biased BBC – are showing great levels of dissatisfaction with the way it is reporting the Chinese Virus”
Any links these surveys ?
Pure hearsay because I don’t do Twitter. A friend told me there is huge dissatisfaction there for the BBC and claiming people are switching off in droves. Like me they don’t listen to the MSM questions on the daily briefing.
I don’t do links – tonight UK press gazette has a 1000 plus survey with 48% dissatisfaction marker for the MSM and the Chinese virus . There was at least one more yesterday .
The UK press gazette survey is surprising because I think it is inhabited by bubble dwellers ,if I recall. 20% have a higher regard for the MSM because of the China virus – but I assess that those voters are Robert Preston and his harem .
There are people on twitter suggesting the questions which should be asked at these ‘briefings ‘ but the ****s asking the questions just wanna score points rather than doing a public service .
ITBB develops Mr. Gibb’s thoughts further.
http://isthebbcbiased.blogspot.com/2020/04/questions.html
Guest – isn’t that great ? Sadly I don’t have time to visit the excellent ITBB site very often but the Gibb twitter list reproduced there is exactly what I’m talking about with regard to MSM conduct . And for G – it cites another survey about public views of the MSM .
#1 The school magazine did a survey
.. it asked if readers liked the school magazine
Then it printed the results of the survey as NEWs
… Oh no , it was the JOURNALIST’s journal that did that. WTFF ?
In the same article it did report on a better survey
*WTF : the journalist’s journal uses numerical numbers and written numbers in the SAME sentence : That’s bad style
The byline of the article is “CT Chief reporter @pressgazette”.
The only below the line comment on the journalist’s journal article, is from a spam bot.
===================
There is a contradiction, cos 6 days earlier the PG used a headline
: UK broadcasters reaching record audiences during coronavirus crisis
“The BBC is reaching an audience of more than 20m a week across its evening news bulletins at 6pm and 10pm.”
.. yeh better than normal
.. BUT the UK has 66 million people
So 20m is juust 30% of pupulation
ie 70% of people don’t watch the 6pm news once in a week !
The journalist’s journal then has a non-functioning html link.
The ITV Evening News bulletin at 6.30pm reached an average audience of 4.2m a night in March, up by nearly a fifth year-on-year.
FFS that’s 6% of population
94% of people don’t watch any 6:30pm ITV news on average
.. “The audience is UP by X%”
FFS x% of nothing is NOTHING
Channel 4 News reached 14.7m people in March, three times higher than the same period last year.
FFS we have changed metric to MONTHLY REACH now !
(reach is a garbage metric anyway)
Sky News has been reaching an average TV audience of 4.2m a day, or 10.2m a week,
FFS DAILY REACH now
With digital the article also mixes metrics
“The BBC News website reached a peak of 84m UK unique browsers in a single week during the outbreak.”
Great except you realise the average person has multiple devices, with multiple browsers
84m is nowhere near the majority of UK browsers never mind the world.
“BBC Sounds is getting record figures of 3.5m weekly users
means 95% of UK people DO NOT use it.
The Sky News Youtube channel had its best ever month in March, with 131m video views by nearly 50m people.
BS ..most SkyNews videos are viewed by 20K, some by 200K, and Boris by 1M
However they did have a recent biggest ever with 11Mn for an Italy Covid report
but SkyNews-Australia beat Sky UK’s all time #2
with its recent 7mn viewers watching a report dissing China
And Australia popn is 1/3 that of the UK !
Stew – in summary – does that all mean that a lot of people are watching BBC news and not being impressed with the content and tone ?
I think the negative tone they used during brexit had carried through to covid – with far worse consequences .
People need reassurance that if they get it they won’t die in a crowded unsafe hospital . Personally it frightens the life out of me .
Instead they just get round the clock negative depressing streams of left wing anti government propaganda and lefty interested parties treated as though they have authority .
@Fed my take from that second article is that that journo, that publication and most journos
DO NOT have an understanding of maths principles
Most of our fruit/veg customer grannies have a better grip.
When this crisis is over lets not just have the government of the day but the whole Powers That Be not just working for themselves but working for us , the ordinary people of Britain .
For a start there should be a new civil service code / law .
No civil servant can work against the interests of Britain , the people of Britain or any one person of Britain .
No civil servant can put the interests of any foreign power , international organisation , ideology , creed , political thought , religion , self interest or select group that imperils , impoverishes , detracts or frustrates the well being of any one person or persons of the UK .
No civil servant can have any allegiance to any foreign power .
No civil servant can have any allegiance to any organisation , both in the UK or abroad , that is detrimental to the interests of the British people .
The civil service cannot put their own interest ( the civil service ) before the interest of the British people .
Except in cases of defence or police security , all correspondence , advice and information emanating from the civil service shall be open , free and available to anyone of the realm .
The above includes all advice given to ministers , secretaries of state , PPS , and anyone of the House of Parliament .
No civil servant can help enact , formulate , advise or help through legislation by action or inaction , delay or other means any policy that is contrary to any declared policy by any government whether that policy or desired outcome is in a manifesto or any other utterance made public anywhere .
THats just for a start I hope .
I think you will find that your wish list is pretty much covered by the existing civil service code.
Most issues are never ‘black and white’ so however good the intentions of a code it often comes down to a question of interpretation and clever people are very good at interpreting things in the way that is ‘best’, (there you are, a simple example!).
Jim .
I have never seen a senior civil servant act in our interests . Gus O Donnell admitted that he used all his powers to increase immigration into this country . He`s a BBC favourite at the moment .
The Yes Minister series is like a training video for them , and they`ve done more damage to Britain than any political party has or ever could , and that includes a Corbyn government .
My above post should be added to their code plus more , and ALL their correspondence , whether written , electronically sent or verbally given should be open and freely available to everyone in the UK . Why should a senior give “confidential ” advice ( for that read secret ) to a government minister , which affects anyone or all of us , and which can`t be seen let alone corrected ?
For example they use to issue National Insurance numbers to Romanians and Bulgarians and others before they were in the EU . Who issued those numbers , and who told them to issue those numbers ? And what did they tell the ministers ?
Or was it all “confidential ” (secret ) advice given to ministers in contravention to the declared policy about immigration ? Then passed down to the lower ranks to give away those NI like a fire sale ?
Remember all the secret (confidential ) advice given to the CON government when entering the EEC , now EU ?
Imagine if the general public was in the know about the shenanigans that those negotiators were doing , wouldnt the 1975 referendum have had a vastly different result ?
Pension the senior ones off ( or hang them ) and get some patriotic ones into Whitehall .
N
I believe this is useless.
The Commies will continue to behave like Commies.
They will continue to conspire.
The Commies murdered c100,000,000 people.
Anyone who believes this group will comply with written rules should never have been
allowed to leave infant school.
Temporary action.
All public sector workers must be subject to military law.
They leave a laptop in a gay bar*, they become the meat in a lead brick sandwich.
* or any other infraction.
Long term.
No Commies allowed in the military.
No Commies allowed anywhere near the public sector.
ASAP no Commies allowed to live in the UK.
Autarkey as permanent policy.
LCS ,
They can be Commie so long as they declare they are Commie and we see what advice they give to the ministers , we can correct that advice and we can sack them if they put their commie ideology , or any other ideology or interest , before the well being of the nation or British people .
Thoughtful – Regrettably, I don’t have the links, but it wouldn’t surprise me if your quote was true and correct.
I find the bbc briefings confusing, for one thing. For weeks we’ve only been given hospital death figures; today -for the first time- the figures have been revised sharply up, because deaths in care homes and the community have been included, backdated to 3 April.
Why has it taken so long to do this? Apparently the ONS collects these figures, but hasn’t been anxious to share them.
The three interchangeable briefers always have an answer for every question, never mind that the answer frequently is not the one matching the question asked.
I wonder what the (heavily overstaffed?) PHE set-up does, if anything? Does it not duplicate -to some considerable extent- the strategic work of the NHS?
In this public health crisis, the one thing in flourishing health seems to be our quangocracy! But, thumbs up to the frontline NHS and care home staff, who do the heavy lifting. It is they, rather than the smooth briefers, who impress on a daily basis.
Tonight’s 6:00pm ‘news’ was a good example of your observation, FNW – Mrs O’Blene and I thought the same.
It’s absolutely useless to crash through a load of statistics in one soundbite, nobody has a clue what they’re talking about, they could be quoting all sorts of rubbish and there’s nothing around to dispute whatever they’re saying.
If the general view of deaths in care homes is signal now, then it’s not rocket science to understand why – these people in the homes are old, sometimes ill and vulnerable! Their homes are usually well run, the staff are great as always but there’ll always be the maverick groups, out for a quick buck.
Yelling numbers down a microphone is lazy, uninformative, confusing, and generally sloppy autocue reading! Who can be arsed to go to their website for more explanation, it’s a giant cop-out!
I wasn’t exactly accurate in an earlier post, I usually turn off before the questions, but today having missed the briefing, I listened to the questions.
One was complaining because old people are being left in the care homes to die rather than take them to the Nightingale Hospital (which apparently has only 19 people there). For old people, suffering dementia or illnesses which have already sapped their strength, surely the kindest thing is to leave them in the care homes for their final hours. Even if family an unable to visit, the carers will know them. Dragging them off to die in a large field hospital rather than let them remain where they are cared for seems cruel. I think it was the guy from Politico that was trying to score points on this one, not realising how cruel he could be.
@FNW “Apparently the ONS collects these figures, but hasn’t been anxious to share them.”
You are mistaken .. there has been no stats cover up
There has always been 2 clear sets of stats
#1 Daily Reported Hospital Deaths .. (reported in the 24 hours , but people didn’t at first realise there can be days of delay before reporting)
#2 ONS Death Certificate stats which include ALL deaths ..including homes, care homes etc,
Yes it is strange that tally #1 misses off 10% of deaths
but that doesn’t matter for trend spotting
Channel 4 screening news reports from third World countries showing harsh government crackdowns to riots etc. caused by the pandemic and shortage of food etc.
They made damn sure to point out that this was in effect an example of autocratic authorities power-grabbing the opportunity to enslave their populations. There was an unsaid but very clear inference that the USA is heading this way under Trump with quite possibly the UK not too far behind!
I am now more convinced than ever that the Marxist Globalists are a major and dangerous influence within most of our national media including of course the BBC.
I believe that they are trying to build a narrative that the problems are beyond our current governments power to control and that a Global super-power must therefore take over the reins.
I smell Soros and his mates at the various unelected Global quangos like the UN and Common Purpose all over this!
Can the commentators on here with access to Twitter, Facebook etc all start to bombard the MSM, MPs, Conservative home, friends, family etc with messages, links and posts regarding the clear and present danger to our health, society and way of life that now exists with the hundreds of illegal immigrants arriving on our shores weekly, aided by a compliant Border Force and MSM.
As a country we are confined under house arrest and criminalised for shopping or sunbathing, yet the tide of filth washes in daily from France without so much as a sniff of a question asked by the AntiBBC or MSM.
Instead of asking questions about bloody PPE to the hapless 5oclock HMG stooge, the media should be banging the desks demanding when this madness is going to be halted, with force if necessary.
Spread the word friends, lets get this story some traction.
The WW – This is a good idea. Knowing that Border Force ‘intercept’ many ‘small boats’ and bring their occupants to Dover (from where very few -if any- are deported) I popped over to their website to get some figures. (What with nobody allowed on our beaches, to watch who comes sailing in!)
Complicated stuff: there is extensive documentation, none of it relevant to your question; every document seems very technical and seems to merely lead to a series of further documents. The language is designed for the specialist, and the latest immigration data is from February. It is anything but explicit! Needle. Haystack.
The focus on the virus and the NHS has let the Border Force off the hook. If few asked probing questions of them and their ‘migrant reception’ teams before, it seems absolutely nobody is doing it now. Certainly, their inadequate website suggests they are well aware of this, and couldn’t care less anyway. You do have to congratulate them for one thing, though: obfuscation.
Now, as to whether this could increase the danger of the virus coming into the UK, I recall the answer of one of the briefing team on a recent bbc afternoon session: when asked about flights from heavily infected countries being allowed to land freely in the UK, the bigwig said it “didn’t matter” since the virus was here already anyway.
What suckers we taxpayers are!
9pm BBC4 The Golden Age of Children’s TV
. Includes interviews with pioneers of children’s TV, such as Bernard Cribbins, Derek Griffiths, Janet Ellis, Johnny Ball and John Craven. Narrated by Nigel Planer.
Lots of talk today about including the death-rate figures from care homes and residential addresses, but this does raise the obvious question of how can the average care home (or whatever) actually do a scientific diagnosis and say 100% that the death is definitely from COVID-19?
We already know that the death figures from hospitals are very unreliable, due to a huge number of cases where a patient dies from something completely different but just happens to have the COVID-19 symptoms, and these patients therefore get added to the COVID-19 list.
Logically therefore, the death figures from care homes and residential addresses are *even more* unreliable. How do they do a proper scientific diagnosis? How do they know it wasn’t just Pneumonia or Flu, or just a random virus?
Did any readers watch the……..errrrrr………Channel 4 highlights of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2002?
Nope?
You’re forgiven. But it has come back to my attention.
Immediately before it, way back in March 2002 was a trailer for a following programme.
I quote.
‘The ‘Muslim and British’ season continues with ‘Dispatches – revealing the crisis in the organisation of British mosques. Tonight at 9 on 4’
What were the chances of that?
Yep, the attempted indoctrination has been under way for that long. But comforting to think that back in the day C4 would actually accept the possibility of such a thing in the first place, and then investigate it.
But a lot has changed. Eighteen years later, would they have the b**** to do the same? I doubt it.
And as for the Islamic Broadcasting Corporation. Not a chance. Far too infested with its multiculti agenda. Negatives are to be avoided at all times and at all costs. Such as the impact.on covid 19 of unchecked illegal boat landings at Dover and elsewhere.
About 5 years ago there was a live footie match on BBC1, and at half time they did a small feature on some football player (can’t remember who). The feature showed him in training, then going home, then in his house, then showed him opening a book, with the voice-over saying something like “I take my inspiration from the Quran”.
Just a completely random footballer……….
The BBC news from the US tonight was a disgrace.
President Trump has an enormous country to run, and carries a gigantic responsibility, but seeing the little squeals from the awful BBC’s lot, trying to be important, was just plain embarrassing.
Scroblene – ‘Twas our good friend and professional Trump-hater, Jon Sopel.
The naughty boy had an entire row of seats to himself, but this time that thing sticking from his back pocket was a facemask, rather than a catapult, I fancy…
The virus has even managed to all but shut Sopel up. The President, who is a good few years older than our Jon, hadn’t brought a facemask.
However, there was a mouthy blonde, from one of the US networks (obviously a lefty Democrat), who was really the most irritating.
Thanks, FNW.
Didn’t President Trump just give her some verbal about her fake news, and ignore her? Red kit sitting in the front?
Of course, it was Sopel – he always twitches as he asks a question – I bet he dribbled when he was a kid, trying to get attention and bouncing up and down…
Relax. Apparently he doesn’t take responsibility.
11pm R4 Sketchtopia
Sketchtopia sets out to find the next generation of white, black, Asian and minority ethnic satirical sketch comedy writers from a range of backgrounds across the UK – with a keen eye on finding the funny in a multicultural Britain.
FFS Radio4 actually set out to CONSTRUCT a diversity comedy show
.. I have previously listened but not found it that funny.
The white guy they allowed on is in Horrible Histories
… I don’t know what his special victimhood group is.
Oh look he is a true blue Tory and Brexit supporter …NOT
Is it me, Stew, or am I right in thinking that these Twitter ‘statements’ are just unintelligent twoddle, spouted by – er – unintelligent twods?
I suppose I should get out more, but I can’t as I’m self-insulating, and sharing a daily few single malts with the fragrant Senora O’Blene…
Another day and same old stuff on BBC/SKY and rest of MSM.Doom gloom and usual agenda,Tories bad,Trump bad,BAME people hardest hit by this virus.FFS getting totally p—–d off with the lot of them.What with the show off snowflakes acting like idiots in their homes,trying to show us how the lockdown can be fun.And where do all these “talking heads” find bookcases the size of a bus?On the subject of these people interviewed by video link,do they contact the media or do the media contact them?Maybe a media savvy one of this sites posters will know.
Lordy, thank you for the chuckle ! ……….What with the show off snowflakes acting like idiots in their homes ,trying to show us how the lockdown can be fun. And where do all these “talking heads” find bookcases the size of a bus………..
Yep, just wait until all the snowflakes are retired, and lets see them jumping up and down doing press-ups and making nuclear reactors out of toilet roll cardboard then ! Us ‘retireds’ are used to waking up and wondering whether a job can wait until tomorrow, and that every day is a Saturday, so whats the rush.
As for the bookcases, I thought everyone had a Kindle now ! but I think there’s a bit of competitiveness going on as to whose got the biggest bookcase on air.
Radio 4 11:00 am ‘The NHS Front Line’ week 4 on the Covid wards. I didn’t isten to weeks 1-3 but this one was from Bradford. I don’t know either if the first three had an emphasis on muslims as this one did. I turned off when the ‘muslim council of mosques’ was mentioned and the fact that Bradford is one THIRD muslim. Maybe after that it was plucky little islam against the world/virus whatever. Anyway, Iast time I took notice, Bradford was about 1 FIFTH muslim. You know how time flies etc so I can’t place that memory accurately but well, how depressing.
Then there was the program at 12 noon ‘American Dirt’, about ‘a mother and son on the migrant trail north’. The main protagonists have a valid reason to flee from Acapulco, Mexico. I think a crime/drug lord killed her husband. It’s an engaging tale and you really feel for Lydia and Luca and hope they succeed. The BBC don’t lose opportunities to make us feel sympathy for ‘migrants’ by making us identify with individuals, and this story wouldn’t count as an exception to them.
This activated a memory of watching the series ‘Das Boot’, the one about the german U Boat. You get to know the characters, and when they are in their damaged sub on the bottom of the sea, listening to the depth charges from British ships, I really wanted them to survive and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. No matter that if they do they will be off sinking Allied ships trying to deliver food to Blighty.
It’s interesting, isn’t it, that human sympathy, directed accurately or not, is often irrelevant to the bigger picture?
I can understand anyone watching Das Boot having some empathy with the crew. It can’t have been a pleasant experience even if one survived and 75% of the crews and 68% of the submarines didn’t survive, a tremendous rate of attrition.
The difference though is that Das Boot was produced by Germans, for Germans, (maybe they see it as their Dambusters?) whereas the BBC ‘migrant’ pieces are part of a war by the ‘British’ Broadcasting Corporation against the British people.
If the lot running the BBC now had been around in 1944 and Das Boot had been available, (along with TV!) you can bet your boots that it would have broadcast in prime time here.
Obama endorses Joe Biden. Who would have thought it? Nick Bryant R4, bbc, tells us. One of the many living it up in the US.
fnw – “Obama endorses Joe Biden.”
2016.
The US Commies select Hillary who cannot walk properly, ignores all security measures and had a sinister Muzziess pulling her strings.
Result Saint Donald 1 Commies 0.
2020.
The US Commies select Dementia Biden, the one with the whiter-than-the-driven-brown-envelope for a son.
Presumably Biden will select Michael Obama, husband of the former president, as the prospective VP.
Result – to be announced.
Because I hope Saint Donald will announce a postponement of the US presidential election until 2024 ish (for health reasons).
THE WAR AGAINST PENSIONERS. Who would we expect to lead this effort? To forget promises and remove the ‘triple lock’?
Yup, the Guardian, of course. This afternoon.
And -needless to say, the beeb (R4-Shaun Ley)
The Social Market Foundation’s report is used by both.
After a long anti-pensioner preamble, the nasal Ley does bring on a Professor, who points out that picking on pensioners won’t work -half of pensioners can’t afford to even pay any tax on their pensions. However, it’s the headline (suggestion) that will be most remembered.
But we know the hope that the elderly will die off quickly is not new; Remainers often expressed the hope during the Brexit issue. It now seems to be happening with the virus. That doesn’t embarrass Ley.
The usual suspects are at it again. They forget that they too, will one day be ‘elderly’/pensioners.
Unless, of course, they die off first.
Mr Ley isn’t done for the evening yet. He still has to do more to subvert President Trump. Competing with Bryant, Sopel, O Donahue et al in that task, as it were.
To show that the Lieutenant-Governors of the various States can decide key policy, not the President.
‘Mutiny on the Bounty’, as the President tweeted.
Fake – I think Sean ley was the last whitee to do the local London bbc propaganda news so he has a proven far left record hence his elevation to the national news
As for ‘ mutiny’ I keep reading it as ‘ mutiny on the buses’ – but that puts an age on me …,
There’s certainly a War going on, Al Beeb has declared war on the present government. If you look at their daily website. It is also trying to undermine the moral of the British people with its depressing propaganda. Quite a few of my associates are now beginning to notice it .
Never mind, the word is that the PM’s top aide, Dominic Cummings is back on the front line and will be dealing with Al Beeb.
Be afraid Al Beeb, be very afraid.
If you can get through the collagen advert Dr Turley has a great take on Trumps recent press conference. Really worth watching and heartening.
It came out about an hour ago.
‘The mainstream Marxist media’…..every clip of media coverage included in Trump’s video montage was Fox News.
‘The mainstream Marxist media’…..every clip of media coverage included in Trump’s video montage was Fox News.
\\Wales’ health minister has accepted criticism of the closure of Cardiff City Stadium testing centre on Bank Holiday Monday, saying it showed problems with the system itself//
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52279321
The Welsh Assembly and the Health Trusts are shambolic . We need to get back to a nationwide British National Health Service and be done with the so called ‘health trusts’ and their bureaucratic pen pushers that are waste money and valuable resources. Its time now to train and employ our own doctors and nurses instead of recruiting from abroad .
It’s like Brillo knows how media think.
Bit of OT MSM #CCBGB
Seems the more public money you get gifted uniquely, the less you deserve it.
Wasn’t he stopped by the police on the road?
BBC big headline…
Coronavirus: One in five deaths now linked to virus
No such alarming headline back in January when the death rate was almost the same from mere ‘respiratory disease’ at 1 in 5.6.
Shows how ‘normal’ stats can be sensationalised…if we’d put every death from flu up in the headlines every day as we do with coronavirus there’d be a ‘national emergency’ as well….every year almost.
@pugnazious “now” ..they are talking about data which is OLD
cos it only goes up to April 3rd
And I’d say for that week Week14 deaths were up 60% on the average week
35% directly due to Covid19 and 25% due to lockdown
This is week is Week 17 and deaths might be 100% up on the average week
The BBC getting it totally wrong again…failed on Brexit, failed on Trump, failed on 2019 election [and 2017, 2015, 2010], and is failing dismally on coronavirus as it tries relentlessly to undermine the government whilst paradoxically still pushing the lockdown narrative.
Confidence in Government has risen 40% whilst confidence in the Media has fallen 21%…and no wonder.
Take for example this morning’s effort on Today by the BBC to exploit what Eamon Holmes said about 5G and to spin it so that the BBC is presented as the only provider of news you can trust. Ironically the whole piece demonstrated the exact opposite…why no-one in their right mind should believe a word the BBC says.
Who did they bring on to talk Holmes and 5G? The BBC’s very own Rory Cellan-Jones, their Technology correspondent. Unfortunately he wasn’t asked, and wasn’t inclined, to actually provide any technical background to this story and instead resorted to mere insults and dismissive put-downs. Holmes himself wasn’t allowed on to defend himself and no-one with anything critical to say about 5G was given a chance to say anything…but wait….we did have an ex-BBC boss whose name totally escapes me right now…he was equally scathing and derisive and somewhat short on facts and actual information on the merits or otherwise of 5G.
Holmes said…
‘What I don’t accept is mainstream media immediately slapping that down as not true when they don’t know it’s not true.
“No-one should attack or damage or do anything like that, but it’s very easy to say it is not true because it suits the state narrative. That’s all I would say, as someone with an inquiring mind.”‘
The BBC has no idea if 5G is harmful in anyway whatsoever…the EU hasn’t produced any studies, hundreds of scientists have written to the EU to demand more research on 5G, scepticism is rife in many respected scientific journals and guidelines have been produced for the use of 5G telling us…if we keep to the guidelines we should be OK…
‘‘The ICNIRP first published its international guidelines for protection against harmful effects of radiofrequency fields in 1998. The main changes in the 2020 guidelines that are relevant to 5G exposures are for frequencies above 6 GHz. These include: the addition of a restriction for exposure to the whole body; the addition of a restriction for brief (less than 6‐minute) exposures to small regions of the body; and the reduction of the maximum exposure permitted over a small region of the body. ‘
All of which means there is some danger with 5G.
The BBC spent nearly 20 years telling us mobile phones would fry our brains and give us cancer…curiously Ofcom hasn’t been invited to investigate the BBC for spreading fake news and fear.
And Ofcom will investigate Holmes? The same Ofcom that told broadcasters not to criticise 5G, the same Ofcom that is the body charged with promoting and enabling 5G’s roll-out across Britain?
As the UK’s communications regulator, we have a role to play alongside Government and industry in enabling the development and rollout of 5G, and unlocking its benefits.’
Clearly 5G doesn’t transmit the virus as some claim…but what if it did harm the immune system in some way…you can’t dismiss that completely out of hand and say anyone who dares to mention it is a madman as the BBC tells us Holmes is.
Why are so many respectible and credible scientists concerned about the possible damage 5G might do? Why is the BBC so ready to attack and demonise anyone who dares to raise the issue?
The BBC reveals itself yet again not to be a news organisation but a mouthpiece for certain interests and worldviews, ready to shut down, censor and censure, ready to vilify anyone who upsets that worldview.
“Huawei: China warns of investment blow to UK over 5G ban”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48377235
Last year ?
But they did not warn us of the Covid Virus last year though .
Taffman,
Recently I watched a YT video on ‘Epoch Times’ which was totally, start to finish, anti-china. It was revealed that the meteoric rise of china as a global super-power was financed by Wall Street and the City of London with backing from ex Presidents like Bush (Mk.1) and their acolytes . Is china the main missing piece to the Globalist puzzle? Always lurking in the shadows, murderous, thieving.
But now exposed for everyone to see…………
I see a day of reckoning on the horizon, but concerned about the reaction of china when they ‘get it’ fully in the neck. Watch out Australia/Taiwan.
SkyNews has a video report of a Muslim mass grave for Covid19
.. 10 bodies cos of the need to bury them withim 24hrs per tradition
No connection between them was mentioned
.. One victim’s brother was interviewed and named
The victim looked 30s
The report didn’t say which UK town.
“Taiwan to donate 10m masks to Europe and US
Pledge to provide far more than China promised risks angering Beijing”
https://www.ft.com/content/e47a8cf4-786d-4367-a589-054a6a198840
Have Al Beeb covered this story yet ?
What’s 10m , about 30 mins supply for Europe ?
‘Gift-horses’ and all that.
pugnazious
Just like our neighbours, France ?
“Trump Halts U.S. Funding of World Health Organization”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/us/coronavirus-updates.html
What will the UK do ? What stance will Al Beeb put on it ?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52289056
Coronavirus: US to halt funding to WHO, says Trump
Kick the first domino down Saint Donald.
Tell the UN to move to BooHooWuhan.
All Western nations and our allies to leave the UN at once and form our own block.
All European states to leave the crumbling, corrupt EU enemy, PDQ.
IMF, World bank, anything global, kill them.
Time for the rise of the West.
Sorry Muzzies, you are leaving.
Al Beeb took a long time to react to that news , they must have been asleep? Anyway I am off.
Taffman,
I heard, “suspends”. But in the journalists lexicon that’s not sounding as harsh and final as, “halt”.
Daily death trends +778
(That makes you think the trend is FLAT)
but I think that it will step up for the next few days , as it reflects the trend in last weeks positives which also was flat then left up
Days with 1,200 deaths seem inevitable)
New positives +5252 (from testing 11879 people in 15K tests)
The curve for new positives is kinda flat
So next weeks deaths should hover around 1,200/day with some blips
Does anybody know if this source is reliable?
I mean she’s probably more reliable than the BBC but that’s nothing.
I mean is she genuine without an agenda?
Stew? Fed? Anyone?
Yasser Dasmibehbi
Did our GCHQ know about this. If not why not?
Good Question Taffman!
Yasser – I don’t know about the provision in the trade agreement and would inevitably be surprised that the MSM hasn’t said anything about it – if you couple that with the piece linked on here a couple of threads ago that the source was probably an idiot biochemist who screwed around in the lab in Wuhan because she could – and the virus escaped – bits of jigsaw come Together .
Thinking about human nature – it was a combination of time being wasted by every one covering their backs and not wanting to pass bad news up the chain – including China not wanting to look bad to outsiders . And WHO helped out with that .
The piece last week attempted to describe how the US intel industry found out there was a problem but didn’t work on it until January Feb as it wasn’t seen as a threat to the US .
Who knows if anyone will know for sure but the circumstantial facts will be enough I reckon .
As An aside
It’s great in the morning not doing a Toady Watch as I cannot stand listening to it any more – and reading someone else’s instead .
Have recently Yasser seen a report by Joshua Phillips of Epoch Times, on the Chinese Communist Governments intervention and development through their laboratories of the Coronavirus-supression of facts has surrounded the truth and a systamatic cover up for some years adopted. It seems credible that this Chinese Communist Government is out to control our world and what better way than to bring about a virus like no other to wreek havoc amongst us all. The UK should treat all Chinese investment as hostile and invoke a complete embargo on all goods coming in from China-let us not kid ourselves China is ramping up all its factories to produce 100% and no matter how they get the raw materials to accomplish this task and they will undercut every other supplier where possible-they have 1.2 billion people after all with which to achieve their goal.
On R4 beeb brings on Prof Lawrence Gostin, US Lawyer and DIRECTOR OF A WHO department to attack President Trump for cutting the US contribution to the WHO.
The WHO is part of the entire toxic UN bureaucracy, so I say well done!
I think China hid the truth of Covid for some time. Seems that all these viruses like SARS, COVID etc originate in China? China, currently colonising the South China Sea with artificial islands for military bases! Wonder if their ultimate target is Australia?!
I hope we will all join together in boycotting Chinese products!
BOYCOTT CHINESE PRODUCTS, PLEASE!
Send letters to the government, press etc. to expose Chinese duplicity and aggression (remember Hitler building up in the 30s and being appeased?)
Nick Robinson launches yet another attack on Trump, then brings on former UK ambassador Sawyer to attack the US cut-back. Sawyer recognises Chinese surveillance state/dictatorship, but seems to hate Trump.
Brillo redeems himself a bit.
Now, remind me, did the corporation of which he was part in any way offer a platform to yet another certifiable nutter simply because they proved at the time of value as an ideological club?
Guest -mr Neill has been outstanding in recent days . I read twitter but never engage as that’s a waste of effort . Better than the BBC though .
Fnw,
Boycott? Yes, avoid barcodes starting with 600 – 605 inclusive.
Noticed R4 leading at 7am news with a big push for Keir Starmer’s criticism of government over the ‘pandemic’. I predict that beeb will increasingly build up Starmer in the next few months and years. Politicising the virus and giving the Labour Party support to do it will, I predict, become a cornerstone of bbc policy. I can already hear Robinson, Webb, Ley, Shah et al hard at work, hammering the Tories. Together with Labour and The Guardian, the bbc will find many many reasons of how badly they handled the crisis, how many mistakes they made, how they damaged the economy etc. (There will also be help from the laughingly called ‘Independent’)
We will gradually hear this morph into how much better the Labour team would have handled everything. Starmer and co won’t be able to resist the temptation to make political capital out of the pandemic. Shot I (or probably 2) came from the “impartial” beeb this morning.
Can you see Diane Abbott handling the outbreak better? The unimpressive shadow Chancellor, Anneliese Dodds handle the economy better? Makes you laugh, doesn’t it? But beeb will put that right.
Hey, ho, Starmer is coming on in person.
Fake
The BBC have already cemented the Labour Cornerstone…my guess is that a Labour spokesperson will be on R4 every morning and Breakfast and supply lots of ‘sound bites’
Oh Kier S is on R4 as I write this….. now 🙂
I would actually have some time for Starmer if he genuinely supported the British worker, not the range of politically correct causes, he does.
I remember my astonishment at some of his poor decisions as head of the CPS. Then already, one could see the slick, Blair-like creature emerging into the Labour limelight. He was always going to beat Longbailey and co. to become leader.
Starmer starts off saying he would play a ‘constructive role’, but that there is no exit strategy, and that there was no planning. With his crystal ball, Starmer will naturally have the perfect exit strategy!
Robinson FEEDS HIM CAREFULLY STRUCTURED LEADING QUESTIONS, designed to promote Labour. The big thing, Robinson suggests, is going to be the economy. Starmer picks up that what really matters is ‘a vision of a better society’. No details about how wealth will be generated, or what this society would look like.. Only that key workers should be ‘paid more’, something we can all support.
All in all, very little from Sir Keir beyond the odd appealing and obvious recommendation. I can go with him a little way on “planning could have been better”, but I can hardly see him or Diane Abbott or Longbailey, Nandy etc doing that!! What a hoot!
Fake
Since the government briefings are largely a waste of air – I think it would be far better if Dawn Butler , angie Rayner or Jess Phillips ran then . The danger is that I’d choke on my popcorn laughing – which is not a good state of affairs when it’s about life and death .
Today the government is likely to announce another 3 week lock down – perhaps BoJo will announce it – show biz
Fedup2
They will have to loosen up on lockdown before Ramadamalinglong.
GWF
I don’t think so the Reich is 3 May – the French is 11 May . The moors will fully obey the lock down rules – well at least the MSM will portray it that way ….
When the BBC knows it is on dodgy ground, it goes deep into ‘accused of’ territory to avoid light but keep the heat up.
***
BBC News
US President Trump accused the World Health Organization of mismanaging the virus’ spread after it first emerged in China.
***
Why might that be, bbc?
Got in the Head of Comms from Amnesty yet?
Fed – Too true, but Dodds would have told you about how she will fix the economy, and that popcorn might have killed you!
(Especially since Gordon Brown already sold off all our gold reserves at rock bottom prices, just before he “saved the world”).
Fake
Having seen what Andrew Neil did to the new shadow chancellor – due to lack of being on top of her brief – I suppose she will blame ‘ work life balance ‘ ( I think it’s on youtube – no kid interupting To distract from her shambols )
As for Starmer QC – I’m not surprised he’d doing screaming kid act ( “are we there yet”(out?)) Instead of keeping his powder dry and supporting the HMG desperate attempt to look as though it knows what it’s doing …..
Maybe Cummings was away – or distracted by the BoJo drama – but a grip needs to be got .
One of the saddest things is that there isn’t any option apart from the government we have got to try and sort the mess that is the NHS out .
So, all of a sudden we have an opposition.
Sir KS is all over the BBC and MSM demanding an exit strategy from the corner this government now finds itself in.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52287920
However, when asked to comment on Trumps suspension of WHO funding, he praises the organisation stating, ‘we need now, more than ever, to be supporting our pan-national institutions not criticising them…’. Vis a Vis Nancy Pelosi…
There you have it. Her Majesty’s opposition. A blinkered internationalist who will never put you or your country first. A globalist metro-lackey, masquerading as a socialist. What a godsend for the BBC; they must be extra creaming the Nespresso’s this morning.
He epitomises everything the BBC stands for. He is their Christ child personified. Expect his every word to be megaphoned to you through their medium.
This is no political opposition, just an alternative ‘liberal world view’.
God help us.
As party leader Starmer is more exposed and it will become increasingly difficult for him to use his usual devious methods to obscure his duplicity. Hopefully more people will recognise him for the self-serving traitor that he is. He is in essence a jumped-up ‘civil servant’ pursuing a global-sized salary and pension by any means available.
TOADY Watch #1 – The Ghost of the Welsh Windbag Rises over Labour Again
Der Starmer talked for about 10 minutes and said pretty much nothing in all that time. Vat a vaffler! Oi vey!! The idea obviously was to prevent Nick Robinson asking any questions along the lines of “What would you do?” although he did get something like that in edgeways and received more waffle in response.
My main complaint for the BBC, though, is that I didn’t get my dose of Norman Smith. Part-time is away on her hols. If Norm is sick with the virus they could have got John Pienaar out of bed to say a) how limited was Labour’s request & policy offering, or, b) how Sir Keir is starting to make the running for Government, or, c) how Labour are making a dynamic start (even if they are not) under Sir Keir’s leadership, or, d) how Labour are increasingly looking like a Party of government following the disarray in Conservative ranks over handling of the Covid-19 virus. The BBC could have. But did not.
I feel deprived.
After all they always come out to correct Conservative Party Ministers, complain, mention problems and tell us what they ought to have said and done, after they have filled the prime 8.10 a.m. interview slot.
Following on from Starmer’s ‘Call for a discussion about lifting the lockdown’ ,used as a toady headline by Robinson, they had a Prof. from “Imperial” on later who was pressed to agree with Starmer – but it FAILED.
He said it was far too early to even start talking about lifting restrictions.
Ker-lang !
jazz, I had switched off by then. The Bee lady had been brought on so I guessed the next item would be ‘light-ish’ to ease the pain of having to listen to Der Starmer say nothing for ten minutes.
Germany.
170 plus private laboratories which have been doing lots of covid 19 testing since the beginning. Death rate consistently low. Can the magnitude of this really be explained away by demographics and differences in reporting?
UK
One central state laboratory being used.
Many private and independent laboratories ready, willing, and able to test. Not being used despite in some cases repeated requests by the laboratories themselves.
And who is responsible for the inaction?
Choose from the NHS, Public Health England, Department of Health.
Monolithic centralised bureaucratic nationalised industries are too unresponsive when imaginative, flexible thinking is required, and it is not good enough to have accountable only the here today gone tomorrow political minister of the day.
But I’m sure the National Testing Collective Committee will be holding its next meeting any time soon.
Sluff
You can’t say things like that….the NHS is the envy of……errr Africa?
My in-laws live in France and seem to have great health service My best friends are mostly German and Italian and have great health services. They pay for it differently but seem to have more choice and easier access to care.
The NHS was set up with the right idea..and if I needed surgery I would say it is world class but that is about all.
It is an inefficient monolith of times gone by (like the BBC) and needs a radical over haul – not what they keep doing which is recycle old models
Remember when NHS areas all got broken down into local PCT’s then CCGs and local units creating duplication of jobs and even more inefficiency ..well now they are joining them all back up again…so it just round and around.
Cummings needs to get one of his ‘ new thinkers’ to stop the merry go round…
Rant over…
Agree wholeheartedly. Rishi will need some ‘big ideas’ and you can bolt on institutional reform onto tax code reform – they are after all, ‘joined at the hip’.
Another Tony banging on about fake news and trust when no one believes him or his tosspot empire.
Antonio assures is will tell the truth because it’s funded by the Chinese …
A couple of random things from the BBC over the past couple of days.
Countryfile on Sunday had the presenters in their gardens introducing a favourite clip. Naturally they all lived in rural locations apart from one. Yes, Anita the BAME had a place in the city with a postage stamp sized patio. But she could do yoga, does that count.
According to Huw Edwards on the six o clock new last night ,he introduced the piece as President Trumps ‘performance’ at a press conference.
Bless
News then: “Hew close to the line; let the chips fall where they may”
‘News’ now: “Here’s Huw; telling us what they want us to think on narrative by reading a Teleprompter”
Two thumbs down, Bach.
I suspect that you couldn’t afford to even rent a paving slab area in Anita’s garden.
That is why they are paid such large salaries, so that they can shame the rest of us by walking or cycling to work.
Not BBC but adverts. I spotted a white couple on an advert for Uncle Ben rice, how did it get past the censors.
Also as we have left the EU, can we have Jif back and not Cif.
Also Oil of Ulay and not Oil of Olay.
There must be others,snickers for marathon etc.
love to all
Anne, Mars are an American Co. and they chose to re-name Snickers to tie in with the bar’s name in the US. Probably saved money on printing wrappers which can be inordinately expensive in proportion to the cost of the ingredients.
Keep well and keep posting.
This article by James Higham, one of many, throws some light on what is actually happening and what it might mean.
In the comments, James gives a link to an Amazing Polly video. She does excellent reporting and at 18 minutes, it’s well worth a watch, as are all of her videos:
https://4liberty.org.uk/2020/04/14/those-we-once-looked-up-to/
Has the BBC yet mentioned the record of the WHO, the organization that made the mass murderer Robert Mugabe its Goodwill Ambassador?
In January, 6 weeks after the virus was discovered, the WHO was repeating the Chinese claim that there was no human to human transmission.
In February it followed the Chinese line for not closing its borders to people coming from China and criticised the US for seeking to control flights from China. Oddly, the WHO praised China’s own travel ban in March.
In February the WHO was saying, “there does not appear to be widespread community transmission”
On March 11th the WHO finally declared a pandemic.
The WHO have praised China since the pandemic began.
The WHO had nothing to say about Taiwan’s warning of Covid 19 back in December 2019, was this because China doesn’t recognize Taiwan? The WHO had nothing at all to say about the Chinese doctors and scientists imprisoned for flagging up Covid 19 problems as far back as November.
On the plus side, the WHO campaigns tirelessly against Global Warming, e-cigarettes, vaping, sugar, alcohol and enjoys its time with famous pop stars like Lady Gaga. It employs unemployable politicians from failed states to run itself, rather than anyone who knows anything about science or medicine.
From my understanding and research the World Health Organisation has been greatly influenced by the Chinses Communist Government to supress as much real information concerning the Coronavirus for which they are most definitely responsible. Initially the Chinese Communist Party endeavoured to push the blame for the virus towards Fish-in their Fish markets-however after scientific trials conducted outside China and various investigative proceedures the link was established with Bats as the cause. Of course there is a mountain of scientific trials and developments that have taking place over some years since this virus was originally known by the Chinese. The main conculsion here is that China wants World domination and one can see quite clearly this is their intention. The UK and the other European countries must realise that they are at War and respecting the enormous consequential losses should halt all trade with China otherwise they will own more a major part of our country. Our Government if not should be well aware of what is going on and realise that the cause of this destructive virus has been without doubt laboratory designed and developed by the Chinese-Biological War fare ? What do you think? Horrid to contemplate but we should be aware.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that WHO said “the virus accelerates up quickly but declines slowly”. You cannot fault them for they quick analysis!
The numbers are coming through very late most days. They should be available sometime after 9 a.m. but after 9 p.m. is more usual. Kent Covid-19 cases (not everyone will have been tested)
383 +72 (1Apr) +76 +90 +83 +51 +36 +132 +110 +72 +147 +122 +116 +62 +137 (14Apr) = 1689
Meh! Bit neither here nor there. Not the largest jump but still a substantial one.
What I will be hoping and praying for is over the next two days the increase will be substantially less than 116 and substantially less than 62, then if the pattern is followed there will be an increase but it will be much lower than recent previous increases.
The Wikipedia –
“Timeline of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States”
Exposes how unreliable Wikipedia is because it is largely a collection of newspaper reports from NYT, WaPo and BBC etc
Even from a quick glance, it is obviously a very political write up having been created by the MSM
On the other hand, Wikipedia is cute enough to archive all the media reports on the Internet Archive so the MSM lies can eventually be exposed
Interestingly, the first BBC entry is Feb 15 and a total of two
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_the_United_States#Prior_to_January_15
My exposure to MSM output is limited, but is the DM not rather spoiling the narrative of others here?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8220591/Germany-suffers-deadliest-day-coronavirus-deaths-yet.html?
Celtic, what you say of Wiki is true but you can edit the entry. It’s a community thing, part of the Creative Commons.
That’s why it’s so unreliable at present – takes years to get an accurate version
C_M, that’s why I try to always add ‘Usual disclaimers’ when citing as source. 😉
I doubt the MSM ever thought Trump would have to guts to do the investigation
Well, fancy, I didn’t know that: There is a difference.
“While a goblin is traditionally regarded in folklore as a grotesque, evil, and malicious creature, a hobgoblin tends to be more about creating mischief. (The character of Puck from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream might be regarded as one.)”
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hobgoblin
So, on Toady earlier both were on plain view. In the case of Sopel, the ‘goblin’ referring to the POTUS ‘suspending’ payments to the WHO. In the case of Kier “we need transparency” Starmer we see the hobgoblin at work.
Of note, I have to say, Savid Javid has blotted his copybook with the BBC. Try as she might, the Bee could not persuade him to join with the BBC and question and condemn the Governments every chinese virus move.
Well done Savid Javid, you’ve shown your hand and we won’t hear much more of you on Toady!
The BBC loves its anniversaries . Today is the 75th anniversary of the British Army liberating Belsen . It is also the anniversary ( spoiler alert ) of the Titanic sinking
I truly hope the 75th anniversary gets attention it deserves and the boat , with which there seems a constant fixation, barely gets a mention . But that’s me .
The BBC is more likely to mention
15th April 1936, first day of the Arab revolt in Mandatory Palestine.
or
15th April 1563, brith of Guru Arjan Dev the fifth Sikh leader.
Have a Jewish friend, Fed, who had relatives sail on the Titanic and I think, one survived. It is one of his obsessions. Radio 4Ex have a dramatic reconstruction of the Inquiry: 11.15 a.m. yesterday, Part 1 of 2.
Up2 – I suppose ‘ a night to remember ‘ will be run again and I saw in the listings ‘ raise the titanic ‘ is resurfacing on a free channel ….
Human folly – boat can’t sink – planes can’t be used on tower blocks – there won’t really be a pandemic ….
I think it maybe the anniversary of the Islamic arson attack on a French cathedral
An aside re the WHO
The USA pays 58 of 247 million dollars For the WHO funding a year – UK wastes 10 million on it .
Would be good to kill off a few more of these snowflake global outfits ….
Fed, whatever it was …
“I think it maybe the anniversary of the Islamic arson attack on a French cathedral”
….. I wonder if the BBC will anniversary it and dig deep into what actually happened?
This what the BBC ‘experts’ were saying on Jan 22
One is Ferguson who went on to produce the ‘model’
(and become infected himself!)
https://archive.org/details/BBCNEWS_20200122_200000_BBC_News/start/240/end/300
Prof Neil Ferguson? He was expecting an exponential increase in cases, with the doubling occurring every three days. Fortunately, it looks like we have avoided that so far.
As for the Prof’s infection: I just hope he had a sample of his blood taken when he was healthy and that he’s had subsequent bloods done while ill and, I hope, recovering. They will be like gold dust to researchers.
Indeed, the model, even the mid-range results overestimated the number of ICU beds etc
However, as Trump says, ‘we had no choice’
NB
“The Economist further explained:
COVID-19 takes 20-25 days to kill victims. The [Silverman and Washburne] paper reckons that 7m Americans were infected from March 8th to 14th, and official data show 7,000 deaths three weeks later. The resulting fatality rate is 0.1%, similar to that of flu. That is amazingly low, just a tenth of some other estimates. Perhaps it is just wrong, possibly because the death toll has been under-reported. Perhaps, though, New York’s hospitals are overflowing because the virus is so contagious that it has crammed the equivalent of a year’s worth of flu cases into one week.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/04/13/study-coronavirus-fatality-rate-lower-than-expected-close-to-flus-0-1/
Prof Ferguson has form
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/04/the-ferguson-effect.php
We have now met the Imperial College London epidemiologist and professor of mathematical biology Neil Ferguson — the “gold standard” of disease modeling, according to the New York Times and Washington Post. Ferguson is of course the expert whose projections of huge death tolls from COVID-19 in the United States and the United Kingdom have supported the ongoing shutdowns. Ferguson projected as many as 2,200,000 deaths in the United States and 500,000 deaths in the United Kingdom.
Looking back at that Guardian article, Bill observes that Ferguson has a record of making stupid worst-case predictions about the threat of new viruses. Bill cites “what Prof. Gold Standard said in 2005 about the projected Bird Flu death toll to the Guardian”:
Last month Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, told Guardian Unlimited that up to 200 million people could be killed.
“Around 40 million people died in 1918 Spanish flu outbreak,” said Prof Ferguson. “There are six times more people on the planet now so you could scale it up to around 200 million people probably.”
A Department of Health contingency plan states anywhere that there could be between 21,500 and 709,000 deaths in Britain.”
The Bird Flu’s death toll from 2003 to 2020 is 455.
Dr. Ferguson was equally off with his death projections for mad cow disease. He made big headlines in the United Kingdom by predicting that mad cow disease could kill between 50 and 50,000. Bill writes: “Millions of cows were slaughtered. But to be fair, his scientific ‘model’ was right. The death toll [is 178 to date].”
‘In 2000, according to the New York Times, Dr. Ferguson published estimates predicting that the number of variant C.J.D. cases might reach 136,000 “in coming decades.” Twenty years later, it probably isn’t too early to conclude that Dr. Ferguson’s model erred on the high side of what “might” happen in subsequent decades.
A lot of credence is given to computer modelling. For finite, well understood physical systems such as designing bridges or nuclear reactors, it is a valuable tool. But for topics such as epidemiology, global warming, far less so. Conceptually, there is little difference between teenage boys playing simulation games on their XBoxes and PlayStations in their bedrooms, and highly paid academics playing with their computers in Imperial College London or John Hopkins University. An additional analogy: astrology does not become science because the positions of celestial bodies can be accurately calculated by computers rather than observed by eye and written down on parchment.
Thing to remember is that Prof Ferguson was probably being pushed by a BBC interviewer/Presenter to ramp up the fear and his projections would have been at the ‘worst case scenario’ end of things. The BBC like fear (think of Brexit!) and so does Satan.
Do celebrities still matter in a crisis?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-52272649/do-celebrities-still-matter-in-a-crisis
Psychologist Donna Rockwell is an expert on celebrity culture…
Due to the unique way the BBC is funded etc.
Oxford Union debate – damming for NYT etc
Contexts
Presentation “#CCP’S THINKING & THE NEW #CORONAVIRUS”
“This house will support a cold war with Ahina”
by Anastasia Lin at Oxford Union
Transcript : https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/china-consider-cold-war-west-anastasia-lin/
Ms. Lin is a Chinese-Canadian actress, model, beauty pageant titleholder and human rights advocate. Miss World Canada and was to represent Canada at Miss World 2015 pageant to be held in China but was refused a visa by Chinese authorities
……
As Lin points out in her remarks, the question is inherently flawed. She argues that China is already engaged in adversarial, aggressive behaviour; authorities in Beijing are already on a Cold War footing.
Lin warns that it is time for the world to come to terms with the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party and respond accordingly
Facebookpage in her name (not blue ticked)
Page with links to her articles
https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/anastasia-lin-new-cold-war-china-debate-speech-oxford-union-society/
If anybody knows how care homes are staffed and even at
the very best private ones which cost a fortune the XI JINGPING
virus was going to produce the “perfect storm”
At care homes you have frail mostly old, very old but some
older middle aged folk with varying illnesses . The are cared
for by a mixed group of mostly ethnic carers who may be
classified as Alfred Doolittle senior says in Pygmalion “the undeserving poor.”
They are on minimum wages. To be honest they are far worse off
than illegal immigrants who don’t pay any taxes. So whilst
the illegals are running around London spreading the virus because they have to work . They can’t phone 111. Mostly the
people they give the virus to will get over it being younger people
on the streets.
But these poor carers often live in cramped accommodation.
I don’t want to sound patronizing , honestly. They are good
caring folk. But understanding what terrible possible danger
to their old infirmed folk at the homes , without protection
when it’s possible they have been in contact with somebody with the virus., but they do not yet show any signs, is difficult for
them to comprehend. It’s difficult for most of us more affluent
living in our own fortresses.
These Care Homes are one of the most lucrative businesses .
Even some of the best of them are no better than 1* hotels.
I once heard a discussion when at one where my dad was in .
An administrator was talking to a food provider. The salesman
was saying that his firm could undercut the meals to less than a £1, These care homes are run by hedge fund firms. That says it all.
I am afraid that as we have reached or nearly reached the
peak of the epidemic the government is beginning to flounder.
Yesterday’s press conference for them was a disaster.
Laura Kuensberg sounds if she is in schadenfreud ecstacy
as she sarcastically says that the result of this XI JINPING
virus could be felt for a generation.
The only good news was Trump telling to WHO where they could go.
.