Britannia Radio

Biased BBC

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 Hugh # General BBC-related comment thread! Please use this thread for comments about the BBC's current programming and activities. This post will remain at or near the top of the blog - scroll down for new topic-specific posts. N.B. This is not an invitation for general off-topic comments, rants or chit-chat. Thoughtful comments are encouraged. Comments may also be moderated. Any suggestions for stories that you might like covered would be appreciated! It's your space, use it wisely. Comments: 157 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Hugh # BBC blog round-up If only the English weren’t such chavs, says Mardell, “with no intention of censure and certainly not moral superiority”, as he reports on a tantalising and – to me – baffling and pointless curry-house conversation. England’s crowded: so what(’s new), says Easton – just in case anyone was a little misled by his earlier blog entry which, er, seemed to suggest it wasn’t. Still, he remains “unpersuaded that we cannot cope with the extra people”. Whodathunkit. Paul Mason is hallucinating. He's amazed some people have never read Atlas Shrugged. I'm amazed he's economics editor but read music. Comments: 9 (unread) - Biased BBC Home Hugh # Aiming left Paul Mason has replied to a comment on his blog criticising it for being, well, a bit left wing. "Where the hell do the BBC actually find people as left wing as you?" asks the reader. Mason's response: If you are American you may not be used to this but the UK consensus is "liberal" and I am happy to be slap in the middle of it. On science, on the desirability of avoiding mass unemployment, on the world being older than 3,000 years. To start with, I'm not sure a Trot who - as an adult - is still fond of aping Che is really even in the middle of the left-wing. Surely he's closer to the Galloway fringe? But it's instructive that's where he's aiming, so let's have a look at that left-wing consensus in the UK: Support for the death penalty: 49% Global warming: 40% reckon it's not as bad as claimed, and most oppose green taxes EU: 74% favour a looser relationship with the EU or withdrawal Immigration: 60% reckon there are too many immigrants, and, er, 20% describe themselves as "racially prejudiced". Conservatives polling 46%; Labour 27% All positions, I'm sure, we can see are well reflected in the Beeb's coverage. Hat-tip to Libertarian in the comments UPDATE: Tories are now on 52%; Labour on 24%. Looking forward to the BBC reports reflecting this new consensus. Comments: 32 (unread) - Biased BBC Home ed thomas # Financial crisis: Is it time for stricter regulation? Not my question, the Beeb's. The reflex never fails, does it? These have your say things are a joke when the question more or less determines the whole structure of debate. One question, which some would consider moot, means that reasonable answers to that question will inevitably tend to fall within the BBC's comfort zone. Comments: 7 (unread) - Biased BBC Home