Britannia Radio

Biased BBC

Tuesday, September 02, 2008 Hugh # What crisis? The comments at Guido have picked up well on the bias in Paul Mason's "analysis" of the economic crisis the UK faces, compounded in his bloghere. It's headlined "What the worst downturn in 60 years really looked like", and you'll not be surprised that he's referring to the Thatcher recession in the early 80s. As one Guido fan notes, in his piece on Newsnight, he managed to analyse previous economic downturns by going from Barber (Tory) to Howe (Tory) but skipping Callaghan (Labour) when Britain had to get an emergency bailout from the IMF. The real bias, though, is in the comparison of data from 2007 and 2008 to 1983. In 1983 the recession was in full swing, but now, as Darling pointed out, we're facing the worst crisis for 60 years - much of the real pain is yet to come. But, then, what do you expect from a supporter of the Trotskyist groupWorkers Power? Labels: save gordon Comments: 0 - Biased BBC Home David Vance # GROWING THE STATE. Have you caught the BBC's coverage of Heathcliffe Brown's alleged "rescue" package for the housing market? This reduces down to little more than an extension of council housing schemes that once so blighted this country along with Nanny State generously offering to take on shared ownership of your property. None of this goes anywhere near dealing with the central problem of a vastly over-priced property market but it does provide Brown with cover as he mendaciously uses the economic crisis he has helped create to now extend the size and reach of the State into private property. That is something of which the State Broadcaster heartily approves of and you can be sure that Brown's re-launch is given a warm unthinking welcome. Comments: 1 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # SARAH MONTAGUE. I was wondering which of the Today presenters is the most venomous in their left-wing bias and I suggest it is the not so fragrant Sarah Montague. Don't know if you caught her this morning introducing a (brief) item on the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis by stating that the news that Sarah Palin's "17 year old unmarried daughter was pregnant may dismay some people" James Naughtie to whom she addressed the remark instantly contradicted her and in fairness he provided a balanced commentary on the issue. So when even Naughtie sounds reasoned what does THAT say about Montague? Comments: 5 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # PORRIDGE. One of the BBC's favourite themes is that no one should go to prison (apart perhaps from those who won't recycle or those who drive "gas guzzlers) and so one can imagine the delight with which they have welcomed the news that the liberal lobbying group NACRO is bidding toactually run two prisons. On the Today programme this morning the main BBC concern was that NACRO's bid was in conjunction with a private security company and we all know that the private sector can't really be trusted, right? There was no examination of the liberal NACRO agenda and how this relates to public concerns that prison regimes are already far too soft. It strikes me that the BBC keeps running stories themed around the thesis that the UK needs fewer prisons and less prisoners and those that we do retain should have liberalised regimes to help the convicts feel better about themselves. Comments: 3 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Monday, September 01, 2008 David Vance # THE NEWS YOU WON'T READ ON THE BBC. It's so touching, isn't it? I refer to this article on the BBC portal concerning the news that GOP starSarah Palin's family is human after all and that her 17 year old daughter is ..gasp horror...pregnant. B-BBC favourite Justin Webb weighs in pointing out that this news "may" not hurt her politically although this isimmediately followed by the suggestion that there may be other skeletons in the Palin closet. But here's the thing; why does the BBC not compare the Palins reaction to the news that their daughter is pregnant (They call the pregnancy a blessing) with what Obama thinks such a pregnancy would mean to him (He calls such a pregnancy a punishment).Here is the link. Surely THAT is a story? Also, when we are at it, where is the BBC when it comes to the news reported elsewhere that Dem V-P nominee Joe Biden reckons Israel better get used to a nuclear Iran? It seems to me that the BBC is so preoccupied with its own toxic narrative (The US must elect a black democrat to the White House) that many more interesting stories get dropped. On purpose. Comments: 58 (unread) - Biased BBC Home David Vance # THANK GOD FOR GUSTAV. Well, Hurricane Gustav has hit target ...which in the eyes of the BBC is the Republican Party Convention due this week. I caught the BBC news this morning and it was a question ofhow many references to Hurricane Katrina could be squeezed in along with the outrageous accusation that President Bush failed the people of New Orleans. This was all aimed at providing collateral damage to McCain of course. Naturally every mention of McCain was balanced with a favourable reference to the Chosen One and all in all I think the BBC were delighted that they have gotten away for another day without affording McCain the rapture afforded to Obama last week. Now that it is obvious that the "mother of all hurricanes" - indeed "the worst of the past 100 years"..(If not all time? - Nagin does love to exaggerate and no-one at the BBC sees fit to challenge him) - has, erm, missed New Orleans, can we now please move to providing some balance to the euphoria of last week, please? That said, my concerns remain with the residents of Louisiana and Texas, hope the BBC will be providing them with the same concern lavished on the residents of New Orleans.... Comments: 56 (unread) - Biased BBC Home