Redefining "ordinary" for the 21st Century

Redefining "ordinary" for the 21st Century

>> FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009

"On the surface Naseebah Bibi did not appear to be an out-of-the-ordinary figure", according to BBC correspondent Ruth Clegg. We'll let you be the judge of that :

Selected targets

Anyone know why Bill Cash MP has been splashed all over the BBC websitefrontpage for most of the day? As someone who gets most of his news online, I have to say I wonder. I can't see it now but I am certain earlier today that there was a reference to him as an "arch-Eurosceptic". I know many might just be happy to see an MP in the stocks for a day, but the way all this has been conducted very much suggests to me a studied campaign. Yes, this originated from the Telegraph, but the BBC has very much played ball- very much the old footballing one-two. Yes, there is an extremely serious point about MPs' abuse, but there was also (as with most jobs) a legitimate need for an expenses program in pursuit of the goals of the job (ie. constiuency representation). Not defending MPs who trough here, but raising the question about the legitimacy of this broad based campaign against MPs, and asking qui bono? It certainly might seem a matter of luck whether an MP is targeted or not (disturbing enough, as it's so inefficient)- but the BBC has seemed determined to focus on backbench Tory MPs- Cash, Kirkbride, McKenzie; seems to me Blears, Smith, Balls and what'serface have got off more than lightly... given their frontbench Government status and all. So I would raise a question about which discredited and miserably failed party stands to gain from spreading the blame across the whole House of Commons for the indulgence combined with ineffectiveness of the chamber and its leadership during the last ten years (plus)?

OPEN THREAD

This is where you can discuss any BBC-related issue that concerns you. Please use it sensibly, no abuse and no trolls!

HAGUE VERSUS MR BEAN

Anyone catch this discussion on the BBC between William Hague and David Miliband this morning? It seemed to me that Hague was given significantly less air-time that Milipede who was allowed to keep interrupting him and was also granted the final say. Oh to be a Labour luvvie..