Making History

Making History

>> MONDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2010

It seems like only yesterday that we were lamenting the BBC’s distorted history lessons designed to beguile children with short attention spans. Horrible Histories I believe their child-friendly series is called. I think they intended the title as an anarchic, anti-authoritarian way of ingratiating themselves with the kiddies in a ‘Roald Dahl / we hate adults’ kinda way. But the title makes more sense as a straightforward description of their version of history, which is horrible in a ‘blame-our-ancestors for everything bad-that-ever-happened’ kinda way. Now, on a website from down-under called J-Wire, the BBC and the History Channel have been taken apart by David Singer for gross misrepresentation of the history of you-know-where. Major omissions abound. You can read about it here, here and learn something relevanthere. Is it really surprising that we are where we are?

GREENIE POISON

After my posting about Mark Thompson's cod confession about past bias, it seems that the BBC College of Journalism (CoJo to its illustrious students)is continuing the tradition of inviting nice, unbiased speakers to address the future and current stars of the airwaves. Following the appearance back in September of biodiversity zealot Jonathan Baillie (whom Richard Black introduced by saying that a third of the species on earth had died over the last 30 years), we now have someone else who can provide a balanced perspective on matters to do with the environment. Step forward...er, John Sauven, the UK director of Greenpeace. Of course, Greenpeace is deeply revered by all at the BBC, and is seldom off the airwaves. No matter, CoJo students need to be told why these appearances muct continue. Mr Sauven therefore explains in his specially-edited feature lecture with cold, humourless precision how he completely ignores democracy and the needs of local farmers (whom he chillingly describes as collectively "out to lunch" because they want to earn a living) in deprived areas of the world in order to pressure multinationals into doing his unstoppable will as part of his saintly mission to Save the World. Essentially, all thirty minutes come across to me as an activist's guide to forcing the green creed on the world. It's nothing to do with journalism, other than a chilling insight to a form of political bludgeoning. I am sure that back in the 1640s, Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins talked in much the same coldly logical way about the need to rid East Anglia of witches. I've checked the past list of CoJo speakers, and I don't see a single person who is anything to do with climate scepticism or who holds different views of economic development. It seems to me that the aim of this so-called college is therefore simple: to invite speakers who are experts in aiding the BBC mission to spread greenie poison.

Hallelujah, For The Lord God Omnipotent Reigneth

>> SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2010

It's that time of year when Handel's Messiah is performed all over the place, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to look at how the BBC has been reporting on their beloved Obamessiah. After the kicking He and the Democrats got in the mid-term election, there was much worrying in certain quarters about whether or not He would be able to rise again after the stinging defeat of the Democrats in the recent mid-term election. Matt Frei was concerned about whether He would be able to rekindle the connection with the masses, and continue to promote His agenda against a Republican-led House of Representatives and a tiny Democrat majority in the Senate. There's been quite a bit of activity in Congress during this lame-duck session, so naturally the British Public must be informed of every detail of the domestic agenda of a foreign country. So, how is He doing? Unhappy about extending Bush's tax cuts for the evil rich? Not to worry, this is His Plan For Us now. The President worked out a compromise with the Republican leadership and extended the tax cuts, as well as giving businesses a break in payroll taxes, while getting in return some extension of unemployment benefits and more subsidies of green energy boondoggles. Most people view this as an overall victory for the voters who let their elected representatives know that they needed to drop the ideology and get fiscally responsible. Even departing Treasury guru (and Keynesian former boss of BBC economics editor, Stephanie Flanders) Larry Summers told the President this needed to happen. The President who spent months attacking the evil rich and declaring how He would never accept what He called tax cuts for "millionaires and billionaires" caved, yet somehow the BBC sees this as a triumph for Him. The report is full of the Democrat talking points, but nothing from a voice discussing how this would actually help the economy recover. In fact, the one time the BBC does mention that businesses think this will help, it comes from a Democrat who shrugs his shoulders and acts as if this is a gamble. According to the BBC, it's all about tax cuts for the wealthiest. Class warfare is the Narrative, as usual. At no time in their coverage of this issue has the BBC given time to the point of view that the Democrats wanted to hold the middle classes and small businesses hostage over the ideological point of attacking the wealthy. If the Dems had gotten their way, taxes would have gone up for everybody, not only the evil rich, simply to score an ideological point which has nothing to do with economic necessity - unless one is a pure tax-and-spend ideologue. Which is the viewpoint through which BBC reporting on this issue is filtered. Mark Mardell, of course, sees this as a success for Him, a shrewd political move of which he approves. He also shows his personal, blind bias about his Obamessiah when he says this:

True, Obama has greatly angered the left of his own party. In the House, 112 Democrats voted against the package. Some say he's a bad negotiator and has betrayed his principles. Well, annoying the left may be a cheap trick for leaders of left-of-centre parties (cf Tony Blair) but it often goes down well with voters in the middle ground. Or even on the right. Time and time again, even at Tea Party meetings, I've heard that President Obama has not governed as he was elected, that he's been captured by the "Pelosi-Reid agenda". This is his answer.

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MARR ON A SUNDAY

It's just one big leftie love-in with no pretence to balance views! I refer to Andrew Marr's programme this morning. We have - in the studio - Charles Kennedy (lefty), Rory Bremner (luvvie lefty), Suzanna Reid (Gorgeous and pouting lefty), plus Neil Kinnock (Has-been lefty) and Vince Cable.(Once much loved lefty but now hated since he joined the evil coalition) My, all that's missing is Julian Assange and Moazzem Beggs and it's the perfect balanced programme!.

Daily Dose

It occurred to me that we could have a permanent thread called `Israel-Bashing for the day.’ But it would soon fill up and cause congestion. You know the one about paranoia? “Just because I’m paranoid, it doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get me” That one. Well it must go down well in Israel, because everyone will be aware that Israelis have good reason to always be on their mettle. They’re in a state of war with some very hostile neighbours don’t you know. Some people don’t seem able to understand that. They think any signs of suspicion or discrimination against the Arab population in Israel is racist, while similar behaviour the other way round is understandable and legitimate. On the Sunday Programme this morning an English lady reform rabbi was given a slot to complain about a controversial demand that some of her Israeli counterparts have made recently. Their idea is that Israelis must not rent properties to Arabs. Many Israelis including PM Netanyahu have denounced this idea, but our rabbi still needed to air the view, apparently shared by many diaspora Jews, that such racism reflects badly on themselves. She managed to include comparisons with apartheid, and 1930s Germany, and neither she nor her interviewer mentioned the openly and proudly proclaimed announcement by Arab leaders to the effect that no Jew will ever be allowed to set foot in the new Palestinian state. There are quite a few ‘AsaJews’ around these days who have the knack of publicising their criticisms and denouncements of Israel, seemingly having swallowed the BBC’s version of the situation hook line and sinker. One of the things this English lady rabbi was bothered about was that because of Israel her Muslim neighbours might hate her for being a Jew. Lady, many of them would hate you for that no matter what Israel decided to do, and if this is indeed anything like the 1930s, let’s hope you never have good reason to call on Israel, if it still exists, as a safe haven. I digress. There’s nothing wrong with these views being aired on the radio. I welcome them in fact. But please, let’s have some counterbalance. If the presenters of these programmes don’t know how to do it, and they obviously don’t, they must know a man (or a lady) who can. That was Israel-Bashing for The Day.