OPEN THREAD...

OPEN THREAD...

>> MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2011

Welcome to the working week! Monday morning dawns and a new Open Thread for your edification. Got something to say about the BBC? Say it here!

DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN...

A B-BBC reader observes;

"The BBC's pro Islam, pro radical Islam, stance has been notice by numerous people, even Harry's Place:

'Anyone looking for proof that Britain is being ‘Islamised’ and that we’re all doomed need frankly look no further than the murky world of Tower Hamlets politics of which Rahman is the central figure. Yet the BBC presented Rahman as the voice of moderation. This is really poor on the part of the BBC. I have to admit to being frankly embarrassed to have been part of the programme.'

and from 'The Commentator':

'To assist them in the momentous task of analysing the life of such an important historical figure the BBC called upon the services of one "Abdur Raheem Green".Abdur Raheem Green throughout his career as a preacher has launched attacks on many of the prized values of liberal society. He has lambasted the idea of sexual equality stating that society “pressures our daughters to get degrees, to be doctors or engineers” describing this as “sick”. Green also states that both homosexuality and adultery are “crimes” which should be dealt with “by a slow and painful death from stoning”. Most shockingly Green appears to sing the praises of violent jihad opining that “dying while fighting Jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise and Allah’s good pleasure”.....When institutions which have such a large influence on our society find no issue with these individuals they fail in their societal duty to challenge them.'

On the same programme the BBC also give a platform to the likes of Tariq Ramadan (‘one of the most influential voices on young Muslims’) the slippery Islamist…the one who claimed it was justifiable to kill Jewish children in a ‘war’, and Ikrima Sabri who justs loves Jews and the West…and is happy, like Ramadan to send children to be Martyrs for Islam...the man who wants to wipe out Israel…and the BBC think both he and Ramadan are suitable as respected commentators on the life of Muhammed...never mind the ever present Mehdi Hasan. If an all too powerful and influential media organistaion such as the BBC is promoting extremists as 'moderates' (whatever moderate Islam is) the future is very bleak indeed.

UNDERMINING EDUCATION POLICY

During the Labour years,our universities were turned into third rate academic factories as more and more young people were lured into participating in the chase for next to useless degrees. Sensibly, the Coalition has tried to tackle this problem and this was always going to provoke the ire of the BBC. On Today, 7.50am the BBC does everything possible to get the head of UCAS to criticise government policy. The BBC idea is that there should be no cap to the numbers going to Uni, The UCAS lady does very well by maintaining her professional neutrality - something the rancid BBC could learn to do rather better.

THE MORAL COLLAPSE AT THE BBC

You just KNEW the second that David Cameron had the temerity to talk of the "moral collapse" that afflicts our society BBC knives would be getting sharpened. So when Iain Duncan Smith appears on the main prime time slot on Today this morning, the interviewers key objective was to see if he could get IDS to deny Cameron's assertion. In the BBC world view of moral relativism one must never be judgmental (unless, of course, Rupert Murdoch, Conservatives, Sarah Palin, Christianity is involved) and so it is determined to make Cameron appear extreme because he points out the obvious - namely that after decades of toxic liberal corruption more than a few people care about the difference between right and wrong.

I Make No Comment - I Merely Report ...

Kaye Adams, the BBC broadcaster, has been accused of being unfit to present a top current affairs programme after she tweeted in response to Boris Johnson's suggestion that rioters should face tough punishments, "P*** off back to boarding school, Boris".

Hmm.

The former presenter of Loose Women, the ITV talk show, who presents a popular Radio Scotland show, was on holiday in Tuscany when she made a series of expletive-filled Tweets about London's mayor.

UPDATE - Adams attended St. George's School for Girls in Edinburgh - boarding £5,800 a term!

STARKEY FOR THE NEWS QUIZ!

>> SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2011

Is the staid cosy world of Radio 4 topical comedy really being forced into a tokenistic gesture to fend off criticism of its blatant political bias?



I don't know how truthful that tweet is but it would be amusing to think that, after all these years, Hardy and pals suddenly found that even their smug little lefty enclave was not beyond the reach of the BBC's Diversity Strategy with its commitment "to reflect the diversity of the nation accurately and authentically".

If the "decree" is genuine, it will no doubt be good news for a handful of moderate centre-ground media types who are deemed acceptable enough to fill the role of "right-wing guest" each week (keep your Thursday evenings free, Hugo).

How much more fun to have somebody who really would shake things up. David Starkey, for example. I wonder what Jeremy would have to say aboutthat?



Like most of Hardy's material - not very original:

From fine upstanding citizen Piers Morgan to lefty R4 Front Row presenterJohn Wilson, people are queuing up to declare Starkey's TV career over. A return to radio could be just the thing. The News Quiz should snap him up now. What's more, Jeremy Hardy would probably boycott the programme. I believe that's known as win-win.

Let the campaign begin - Starkey for the News Quiz!

Balen Report

Today’s Telegraph reports that Steven Sugar’s widow is to take on his battle with the BBC over the Balen report.
In the article a BBC spokesman is quoted as saying:
“If we are not able to pursue our journalism freely and have honest debate and analysis over how we are covering important issues, then how effectively we can serve the public will be diminished.”
I’m not entirely sure whether this argument supports or attacks the BBC for spending £270,000 worth of licence-fee money on keeping the contents of the Balen report a secret.

ACPO ATTACK OVER BRATTON

BBC running with the story that " UK police chiefs have reacted sceptically to plans for US "supercop" Bill Bratton to advise the government. David Cameron has called for the former New York police chief to help address violence in English cities. Can you guess who is leading the charge against Cameron?

Association of Chief Police Officers' head Sir Hugh Orde said: "I am not sure I want to learn about gangs from an area of America that has 400 of them."

Good old Sir Hugh, so ready to attack the Coalition and so lionised by the State Broadcaster for doing so.

Quote Of The Day

>> SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2011

Blogger Dumb Jon, commenting below on David Starkey :

I could almost put up with the whole BBC collapsing with a fit of the vapours over Starkey's comments, except that in almost any other context these guys are desperate to tell us how 'edgy' they are and how much they like pushing boundaries.

Hell, if Starkey had just dropped his trousers and called for the age of consent to be abolished, they'd probably have signed him up for his own show right then and there.

Relevant to Starkeygate - this Guardian piece from 2006.



I always enjoyed him on the Moral Maze, even when I disagreed, which was often. He said what he thought. But that's the last thing that's wanted on the BBC. As that school sneak Owen Jones said in the Guardian : "I fear that some people will now say that David Starkey is right".

Incidentally, don't think that suppressio veri about the riots is restricted to national BBC news. I was in Birmingham on Tuesday night, which was quiet as could be because of the anger and threatened backlash after the deaths of three Asian men. I don't know who was presenting the evening show on Radio WM which replaced the sports, but he kept talking about the tragedy of the men who died after "a collision" or "after a road traffic accident"! You'd think they'd hit a truck on the M42.