Category Archives: pro EU

You would need a heart of stone not to laugh at the BBC’s slavish spin on the latest attempt by “EU Leaders” to try and salvage their crumbling “project”. Yes, it looks like Mr Personality Von Rompuy and the gang have saved the day after another tense summit “running right the right through the night” – as an open mouthed reporter tells us. If you read the BBC report, you can see that Hollande isthe new hero for the BBC, as he uses his unbridled Socialist power to force Merkel to..erm…gain financial control over all European Banks! The BBC and the EU have much in common. Both are removed from fiscal reality; both are determined to spin a specious agenda; and both are dedicated to the further whittling away of the Nation State, or what is left of it. It’s perfectly obvious that the BBC is incapable of allowing a balanced analysis of the epic failure of the Eurozone and the economies therein. Instead it operates as Brussels little echo chamber, relentlessly pushing out the EU press releases as IF they were news. Who knows, maybe they even help write them…

Douglas Carswell also gets the hectoring treatment this morning when he has the temerity to suggest that the British people must get to have a say on future EU treaty arrangements. Contrast the interruptions that characterise the Carswell interview with the studied silence that accompanies the evasive waffle from the foaming at the mouth Europhile Simon Hughes. That said, Carswell does his best although if you notice, Hughes actually gets to have the last word.

Meant to cover this yesterday, I refer to BBC coverage of the latest European diktat bestowing additional rights and benefits on Agency workers. This has been presented by the BBC as a further instance of Euro benevolence and anyone arguing against it is treated as if they are the enemies if the enlightenment. It seems to have escaped the attention of BBC editors that legislation which puts extra pressure and cost on business in a recession will only lead to jobs being lost. On Today the other morning there was a harpy from the Trade Unions on bleating that this did not really go far enough but at least it was a step in the right direction. When the market adjusts for this imposition, and fewer agency workers are employed, the BBC will then bleat about the awful unemployment. This is how the BBC operates its pro-EU policy; it cheer-leads for the legislation from Brussels and then attacks the Government when the inevitable chaos ensues.

It’s the cringing selectivity of BBC news coverage that so enrages; Take this, sent in to me;


“Democracy undermined,
treaty violations…lack of democratic legitimacy…legally and politically
questionable actions…..not a BBC journalist in sight when you need one….too
busy investigating a self serving story on Murdoch that none of the public are
interested in no doubt.
“Germany fires cannon shot across Europe’s bows”

German President Christian Wulff has accused the European Central Bank of
violating its treaty mandate with the mass purchase of southern European bonds.
In a cannon shot across Europe’s bows, he warned that Germany is reaching
bailout exhaustion and cannot allow its own democracy to be undermined by EU
mayhem.  “I regard the huge buy-up of bonds of individual states by the ECB as legally
and politically questionable. Article 123 of the Treaty on the EU’s workings
prohibits the ECB from directly purchasing debt instruments, in order to
safeguard the central bank’s independence,” he said.  The blistering attack follows equally harsh words by the Bundesbank in its
monthly report. The bank slammed the ECB’s bond purchases and also warned that
the EU’s broader bail-out machinery violates EU treaties and lacks “democratic
legitimacy”. 

But the BBC seems less than intrigued by these MAJOR issues. I suppose it’s own pro-EU enthusiasm immunises it from having to analyse the rising voices in Germany who seem no longer prepared to go along with what Merkel and co have been doing, so it simply blanks this as a non-story and instead elevates attacks on the Murdoch empire as being the more important.  In this way it debases its own integrity, a point that Mark Thompson might do well to reflect upon.

Well then, the BBC has a problem. Despite Obama’s heroic raising of the Debt Ceiling and despite the best efforts of our wise rulers in the EU, financial markets decided yesterday that they no longer can trust the hollow promises from Washington and Brussels.Markets are in free fall – how to deal with? Well, this morning they wheeled on that old fraud Romani Prodi to try and explain things. He was dreadful and despite softball questions I imagine his comments will probably have further spooked markets. Next up was Olli Rehn, given a big drum roll by the BBC. He was only marginally better than Prodi and I think even the BBC were a bit rattled that their preferred snakeoil salesmen no longer even sound slick. That said, I suspect that the subtle agenda the BBC are getting behind is that the solution to EU failure is….MORE EU. The central planners in Brussels seek to use this crisis to further the design for complete control over the remnant of the Nation States within the EU bowl and you can be certain the BBC will do everything possible to help advance it.

The BBC has done everything possible to relegate focus on the ongoing meltdown of their beloved eurozone but they are quick out of the traps this morning to join in the faux celebration now that the “leaders” have come up with a brand new package that solves all fiscal problems. I was entertained by this interview with Sir John Gieve, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, as he considers whether changes to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) will prevent further crises. Sir John, a mild mannered chap, had the temerity to suggest that this is a short term fix that may not solve the problems that afflict Greece et al.  Sarah Montague instantly suggests he is being “negative” ensuring he instantly puts a more positive spin on the ludicrous antics of Merkel, Sarkozy and co. It is perfectly obvious that a Nation mired in debt will not recover from such debt be giving it even more debt and yet this is the big idea of the Eurocrats keep pushing and the BBC keeps propagandising.

Anyone catch the odd interview here with Irish PM Enda Kenny on BBC “Today” this morning? The line being taken by Evan Davies was that Ireland should follow Iceland and choose to default on its massive debt. Enda, being a good little European, insisted that Ireland was 100% committed to “colleagues” in the EU. Wonder why the BBC were wanting him to suggest he might follow Iceland? – one way to get him to admit unswerving to the EU? Give it a listen if you get a moment…

With apologies to the late Minne Ripperton! The Boiling Frog spotted an excellent example of the BBC eulogising the wonders of the EU here.

Prominent on BBC News earlier today was a report that Dutch airline KLM is refusing to pay out compensation to its passengers delayed by the volcanic ash cloud earlier this year.

And throughout the report the BBC just couldn’t stop mentioning the EU. It was liberally sprinkled with phrases such as; “protected by EU rules”, “under EU rules passengers are entitled to compensation”, “the EU Commission promises to get tough” and so on. The obligatory ‘financially hit family’ were featured, who were facing poor treatment from the airline. The tone of the report was very clear; nasty airlines, but at least the nice EU is on your side. They even interviewed a European Commission spokesman in front of the Berlaymont which must be a first (The BBC do know where it is then?), but no-one from the airline was interviewed or any hint that the airlines were grounded because of an EU decision in first place.

Influential public relations agency BBC EU PR has just produced a puff piece for one of its top clients.

“Need some helpful spin?
BBC EU PR
Best in the business.”
(Herman Van Rompuy)

Update 16.20 – just noticed that Roland Deschain mentioned this on the open thread earlier, so tip of the hat to him. Beeb Bias Craig spotted it before me too.

Comments on this thread in haiku please. Starting from… now.