CONTRIBUTORS
SPINNING FOR LABOUR
MAY DAY
>> TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2011
I'm sure you will have been following the BBC coverage of the "Open Borders" issue. Now like everyone else, I expect that UK borders are securely guarded and I have grave doubts regarding Theresa May's abilities anyway. HOWEVER, the BBC is clearly pursuing a conquer and divideapproach to this story, as is all too evident in this coverage;
The suspended UK Border Force chief Brodie Clark has been treated with "contempt" by Home Secretary Theresa May, his union officials have said. The First Division Association's Paul Whiteman said: "It is astonishing the home secretary [declared] him guilty before he had a chance of responding."
Gaffe
The open mic blunder has been reported variously as:
"I cannot stand him. He's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama. The US president responded by saying: "You're fed up with him? I have to deal with him every day." (Guardian)
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"I cannot bear Netanyahu, he's a liar," Sarkozy told Obama (Haaretz)
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"I can't stand him any more, he's a liar," Mr Sarkozy said in French.
"You may be sick of him, but me, I have to deal with him every day," Mr Obama replied.” (BBC)
( It doesn’t state the language in which Obama’s retort was uttered)
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Whether it’s ‘can’t stand’, or ‘can’t bear’, or whether the conversation began with:
“Mr Obama was taking Mr Sarkozy to task for voting in favour of the Palestinian bid....” (BBC)
or:
“for not warning the US that France would vote in favour of the Palestinians'”(Guardian)
is fairly immaterial, as is the extraneous “but me,” in the BBC’s report, (they probably stuck it in there just in case readers were too stupid to grasp Obama’s ironic self pity) it’s the exposure of the childish and trivial nature of these gossipy disrespectful playground-level remarks by supposedly two of the most important intellectual pigmies in the world that's so painful.
Memories of Daniel Bernard, the French Ambassador’s infamous remark made in 2001:"All the current troubles in the world are because of that shitty little country Israel."
The BBC will be feeling a warm glow of satisfaction that Obama agrees with them about Netanyahu, something that also implicitly confirms their assumption that Obama’s apparent support of Israel can be purely put down to electioneering.
Now they can get on with picking away at the scab of Iran’s nuclear threat, and hoping Israel will act alone so that after heaving a surreptitious sigh of relief (which I hope hope some mics inadvertently catch) the rest of the world can blame Israel for unnecessary aggression and for not waiting patiently for some non-existent diplomatic effort by the West to take effect
Not to mention the uncharacteristic but short-lived restraint by reporters.
OFF THE RAILS
Excellent dissection of BBC bias against Israel here.
Writing for the BBC, freelance travel writer Matthew Teller veered sharply off-course in his article, "Jerusalem Tram Offers View of Other Side of Tracks" about Jerusalem's light railway. The author demonstrates his shocking ignorance about the history of Jerusalem, about international law, and about present-day Jerusalem with passages that alternately suggest that Israel seized, settled and segregated Jerusalem.
ST. PAUL'S INSTITUTE REPORT
>> MONDAY, NOVEMBER 07, 2011
Wondering if any of you have had the chance to look at the report from St. Pauls Institute that has come out today? I am on BBC 5 Live later this evening on the Tony Livesey show. Any feedback is appreciated. The bit of the report that entertained me was that some 41% of those interviewed believed on God. So, more than in the COE! Comments/points?
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