Gavin Esler - Comedy Genius

Gavin Esler - Comedy Genius

>> WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2011

Sorry, did I say "comedy genius"? What I meant was "intellectually insecure BBC tosser fishing for anti-Palin sentiment from like-minded unfunny condescending arseholes on Twitter": Bovril! Brilliant, eh? Orwell wrote a couple of classic books highlighting the dangers of overbearing government, he despised the snobbishness and anti-patriotism of the intellectual left, and he spoke out against the incessant lies of the press. Not much there to appeal to Sarah Palin, eh? The fact that Esler even mentions Palin in his plug for the Dubai literary festival shows just how deeply embedded she is within the media luvvie psyche. Her very existence is screwing with their heads, God bless her. More of Esler's smug disdain for Palin can be heard on this week's London Dateline (15 mins in, available on iPlayer for 5 more days). A senior BBC journalist laughing along to childish insults - it's all part of the superior political discourse we in the UK get thanks to our impartiality rules.

BEYOND BELIEF

>> TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011

Following Five Guys Named Mohammed, broadcast over 5 days at the start of the year, last night Radio 4 gave us Young, Muslim and Black: Dotun Adebayo looks at why Islam is providing an attractive religious alternative to Christianity for Black Britons seeking answers. Next Monday you can tune in for It's My Story: The Imam of Peace: Nadene Ghouri profiles the work of John Butt, an English Muslim convert who became an imam and is trying to spread a message of peace and tolerance across Pakistan and Afghanistan. And Face the Facts on 27th Jan will be devoted to the issue of "whether sections of the British press are increasing tensions within communities by publishing negative stories about Muslims." Across the first four weeks of 2011, no programmes or series on BBC Radio 4 will have been wholly devoted to any of the other non-Christian religious communities of the U.K. Yes, Hindus, Jews, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists have all gone uncatered for by the allegedly diversity-loving BBC. Only Islam seems to interest the channel's programme makers. Though nowhere near as obsessive, even its regular religious affairs programme Beyond Belief is guilty of weighting its discussions with an excess of Muslims. Each programme has a trio of guests. There have been 27 programmes since the start of 2010. Here's how the religious identity of the believing non-Christians breaks down in terms of number of guests: Muslims - 15 Jews - 9 Hindus - 2 Sikhs - 2 Buddhists - 1 Jains - 1 Or Muslims = 15 All the rest = 15 Is that fair, BBC?