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Following Jon Sopel's discussion with the delicious Miranda Green and Sarah Sands, The Politics Show went rift-hunting in Birmingham, sniffing out a disgruntled Lib Dem. This particular Lib Dem, interviewed by beebette Susana Mendonca, was so disgruntled he had just resigned from his party and joined the ultra-left Greens - which kind-of (as they say in Beebland) suggests where he's coming from (as did all of his subsequent remarks).
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Susana didn't neglect to mention Charles Kennedy's disquiet and added that "we know that around a hundred Lib Dem supporters have actually left the party since that deal was made last week. I'm joined by one of those people..." Wow, a whole one hundred people!!!!
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The beebette then asked the disgruntled Lib Dem, Eddie Hartley "You must be furious to take that course of action?" The jackass (a Labour chief whip Nick Brown lookalike) was.
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Susana was wholly on his side, echoing and pre-echoing his words over PR and Trident. She went on to ask him "Now you're not the only one who's..er..basically left the party (no, there are around a surprisingly insignificant number of others, or so you keep telling us!). Do you think this will be a sign of things to come? What do you think's going to happen to the party?"
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The jackass, prompted by the beebette (and I really do mean 'prompted'), then ripped up his Lib Dem membership card on camera. The beebette then, shamelessly, stood in front of the camera and said "And there we have it. One Liberal Democrat member there ripping up his card live on air. I suppose the message to the Liberal Democrat leadership couldn't be any clearer here." Nor could the message from the BBC be any clearer.
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I hope the Liberal Democrat leadership is taking notes.
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The utter stupidity and sheer brazenness of this report were made clear by Susana's final comments, which have to be transcribed in full to be believed: "I spoke to the party about how many people have actually left. They told me that a hundred or so have actually left the party." How many times does that need repeating? Well, maybe plenty of times because this, astonishingly, is what she had to say next: "But around 400 people have actually joined the party since that coalition was formed last week." Get that: 100 people have left the party, providing the BBC with its story, but 400 people have joined the party since the coalition was formed - a fact to be mentioned, just in passing, at the very end of a very biased report!
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So, surely then the story isn't that Lib Dems are leaving the party because of the leadership's decision to team up with the wicked Tories but that the Lib Dems have had a net gain of 300 members as a result of that decision!!! That extremely fleeting concession to honest reporting having been given, what did biased Susana say next? Steel yourselves for some real BBC gall here: "So clearly keeping a positive gloss on it Jon." As opposed to the BBC, which was glossing it as negatively as it could, burying the facts in the process.
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The BBC are beyond incorrigible and this report was beyond a joke.
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CODA: Sopel called this travesty of a report "very interesting" and started his interview with Danny Alexander with the question "Well, we've just seen another membership card ripped up. What have you got to say to disaffected members?"
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Incorrigible.
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Sopel's interview with Mr Alexander was an absolute disgrace, which pursued all the angles the BBC have been pursuing in recent days with little subtlely and a little dishonesty. Sopel is not happy about this new government. For example, when Mr Alexander tried to state why the alternative options were not feasible Sopel stopped him dead and then overplayed his hand when he said that "all your former leaders seem to be holding their noses over the agreement". At one stage Mr Alexander accused him of "playing games". Sopel denied it of course, but it was the truth nonetheless.
I do not consider myself a jackass I am furious and yes I am coming from a left of centre position. The ripping up of my card was symbolic of the split i feel being caused in the party and its electorate. Beeb bias maybe on the rest of the show but my own interview was 100% me. Leading questions based on a researchers work indeed but not biased by the BBC
ReplyDeleteVery politely put Ed, which given the way I expressed myself was more than I deserved! Thank you for that, and sorry for that...
ReplyDeleteI must not be gratuitously insulting...
I must not be gratuitously insulting...
I must not be gratuitously insulting...
I must not be gratuitously insulting...
I must not be gratuitously insulting...
Many on the Conservative side are doubtless feeling exactly the same way, worried that their voters are being betrayed by their party leadership's startling bolt to the centre/centre-left. You may feel that the Libs are being swallowed up by the Cons. They feel that the Cons are being swallowed up by the Libs.(This angle is not being given much attention by the BBC).
As an emphatically centre-right chap (or, more accurately put, right-centre chap!), I feel this too, as well as the ever-present urge to fully decamp to UKIP! - but I'll going to give the ConLibs a chance to prove me wrong.
On the 'Politics Show', I know you were 100% sincere. That was clear to see. I think the BBC reporter and the programme's producers were no less sincere in their urge to find someone to back up their dodgy case - that people are leaving your party in droves as a result of dismay at the new coalition.
Many at the BBC have it in for the Conservatives (however liberal they become) and there is plently of evidence already that they will go a long way to discredit this new government (and defend the reputation of the last government). The reporter's handling on the interview leaves a lot to be desired though and 'The Politics Show' is repeatedly guilty of acts of polical bias.
You may have used them (completely fairly) to get your message across, but they surely used you to get their message across - a win-win situation for both sides maybe, but not necessarily fair reporting.
Ed , nice to have you here and that political activists are following this blog.
ReplyDeleteAs one of Craig's earliest fans, I can tell you that it is very out of character for Craig to use insulting language. He is usually polite and very amusing.
I do hope you will follow this blog as it is the most devastating analysis of the appalling bias at the BBC , which we all have to pay for.
PS Craig, on more important matters, do you have a photo of Susan Mendonca ? By her name , her family should be Portuguese or Brazilian, both of whose ladies I am great admirer of.
ReplyDeleteAlso it will wind up Hippie, sitting out there in bustling Barcelona !
Ed, I'd be more upset being compared to Labour bully boy Nick Brown.
ReplyDeleteSeems you have quite a wide readership now Craig. Well done, even if this one was a little off mark.
Andy C
Grant - Know exactly where you are coming from. Not a fan of Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66 are you? Or are they Brazil 77 or 88 now?
ReplyDeleteAndy C
Andy,
ReplyDeleteI had to google it, I thought you were talking about football, but it is music. Oops !
I must admit I had to google it too. I put Brazil and 66 (1966) together and got...the need to google!!
ReplyDeleteAlas Grant, there's no picture I can find of Susan Mendonca. Google her name and, within five frames, you come to Susan Boyle. She looks nothing like Susan Boyle!
ReplyDeleteThere's no excuse for what what I wrote about Ed Hartley here. His response shows what a jackass I was to write like that! It will not happen again.
ReplyDeleteThe BBC's dire election coverage in particular turned me into something I don't want to be - an angry blogger. Last weekend I crossed the line and became an intemperate blogger.
As I say, it won't happen again.
If you guys are having to google it then I MUST be old.
ReplyDeleteJust thought I'd mention it for Grant as I used to fantasise about the two Brazilian girl singers who fronted the group. (We're talking late 60's here when I was in the Air Force!!)
Now just to educate you two Philistines, here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U1v01SGtGE
With regard to your slip with Ed Hartley, yeah I'd agree with you, but goodness Craig one slip in what has been a prodigious output of exceptionally high standard coverage of BBC bias. Don't lose any sleep over it.
Andy C
I shall be dreaming of those singers!!
ReplyDeleteCraig,
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is a reason Susan Mendonca is on radio and not TV. Maybe better not to pursue it !