THE WORLD AT ONE, AT ONE, AT ONE

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After its abysmal performance last week The World at One has a lot of ground to make up this week if it's not to be judged irredeemably biased.
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Its coverage of the manifesto launches has been carefully choreographed. Each programme begins with a report on the launch followed by short reaction clips from the opposing parties. Then Martha Kearney considers some key policy areas and interviews some experts who are critical of the party's plans. A leading politician from the party concerned is then interviewed. Finally, the BBC's anti-Tory correspondent Norman Smith delivers his judgement.
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Prior to discussing Labour's manifesto with Lord Mandelson on Monday, Martha talked to two critics - firstly Labour-supporting businessman and candid friend Sir Gerry Robinson, who is not keen on foundation hospitals, then Tony Butler, the former chief constable of Gloucestershire, who had some concerns about Labour's policing agenda. Peter Mandelson followed. This nigh-on-seven-minute-long interview concentrated nearly all of its interruptions during a short spell towards the end when Martha question his Lordship about the part-privatisation of Royal Mail. Other than that he got an easy ride. Norman Smith also gave Labour an easy ride in his assessment of their manifesto, using very measured language rather than his usual hyperbole.

The only breach of the programme's carefully choreography came later in this edition when another Labour pledge was assessed - on the national minimum wage and the idea of a 'living wage'. Ray Furlong explored the question "What difference will it make?" He talked to Diego, an immigrant Columbian cleaner, who described how much his life would improve if Labour's plan were widened to embrace the likes of him - point echoed by those "campaigners" who "see it as at least a small step in the right direction". One such, Matthew Bolton from London Citizens, who had "lobbied Labour on the manifesto pledge", was flushed with success but also wanted more. No voices against the idea were canvassed by Mr Furlong. Lord Digby Jones, former trade minister under Gordon Brown and ex-director of the CBI, was then interviewed by Martha. He loved the idea and wants it to become "aspirational" but he warned, reasonably enough, that we have no money left to keep promising this sort of thing.

This programme, incidentally, closed with a panel discussion, chaired by Martha, that featured Lord Digby, along with two Guardian-reading types - Josephine Fairly, who founded an "organic chocolate factory" and is a leading light in the Soil Association, and - from the far-Left - Marina Warner, a cut-glass-voiced "expert on fairy tales" (and a believer in one of them, written by a certain Mr K. Marx, by the sounds of it.) Ms Fairly attacked Liam Fox over Tory foreign policy while Ms Warner described the expenses scandal as a "skirmish to prevent us looking at the more serious problems which is basically the inequality of distribution of wealth and that fact that we no longer think there can be a philosophy of politics because we're being run by the finance economy that we actually think is irrevocable". She defended Labour, praised Europe and talked of "the others, on the Right" with their "dangerous" stuff about immigration.


The following day's programme turned to the Tories. Prior to Martha's interview with George Osborne, not two but three critics appeared. Why the extra critic?
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There were no candid friends here. Conservative education plans were criticised by Emma Knights of the National Governors' Association, then their policing policy was rejected by Gloria Laycock, "a professor of crime science at UCL and a former advisor to the Home Office", and finally their plans to involve people in politics were rubbished by Andrew Russell, "a senior lecturer in politics at Manchester University". Well might George Osborne have said the following: "You did manage to choose three people who were pretty cynical about the public being involved in anything, as far as I could tell, the three interviews I've just listened to. It was all about Whitehall knows best how to police communities, and Whitehall knows best how to run schools and Whitehall knows best how to take decisions over your life and..." At which point Martha interrupted him. Despite a dodgy phone-line, Martha managed to interrupt him more consistently than she did Lord Mandelson. Norman Smith was back to his usual self afterwards (with hyperbole everywhere). There were difficulties for the Tories, they had nothing new to say on policy, their strategy on tackling the deficit is "already compromised", etc.
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Shaun Ley was in Preston. It's one of many key marginals here in the North West (including the fair seaside resort of Morecambe). Jonathan Tonge, prof of politics at Liverpool University, talked of "Ashcroft money", a phrase Shaun picked up on, saying "and both those issues, Ashcroft money and immigration, we'll be talking about tomorrow..."


Today it was the Lib Dem manifesto launch. Vince Cable was preceded by two critics (note, not three): David Buik, "a market analyst with BGC Partners. He's also a supporter of the Conservative Party", said Martha (just to make sure we know where he's coming from), and John Whiting of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. Mr Whiting was measured in his criticism. Not so Mr Buik, who went in all guns blazing (good man!) The interview with Vince was, surprisingly, the toughest of the lot. Martha interrupted him more than either of the others. (Has she been watching Andrew Neil?) Norman Smith's assessment was certainly less reverential than his assessment of Labour but not as loaded as his assessment of the Tories.
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Two ordinary voters appeared later in the programme. What had appealed to them so far? One said said Labour's pledge to get young people back to work, the other said "Labour are the only ones who have said actually there is going to be a national insurance rise which in my eyes just scores points for honesty." The BBC's plan is clearly working, if those reactions are typical.
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HOT AIR BLOWS IN FROM THE LEFT

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Today's World at One saw the return of Shaun Ley (after a long absence). With him came a deluge of left-liberal opinion.
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Eurostar's difficulties with the snow were discussed with Tunde Olatunji of the government's subsidy-supporting rail watchdog Passenger Focus and critical Labour MP Louise Ellman (I.C. of 0.3).
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MI5's robust defence of itself over allegations of collusion in torture was discussed with the government's terrorism tsar and Lib Dem lord Alex Carlile, who said exactly what you'd expect him to say (I.C. of 0).
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The row over elderly care (see previous post) was discussed with Dame Joan Bakewell, who Shaun said "was appointed by ministers to champion the interests of older people, but stresses she's independent of government". (The whole programme was full of people of whom that could also have been said!). Joan is, of course, about as left-liberal as left-liberals get. She attacked the Tory R.I.P. poster as "grotesque" and "an insult to everybody".
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The final slab of the programme turned to the issue of the 'recovery' and announced its intention of looking at the topic of growth areas for jobs over the coming months. On the day that the 0.5% growth figure came out I noted that both Michael Buchanon on the World at One and Jonty Bloom on The World Tonight concentrated on renewable energy companies, especially wind turbines, in their respective reports on the 'recovery'. The BBC's pushing of wind turbines is relentless. Today, when the topic re-surfaced (after going quiet for a while), guess what? Sometime-Tory-basher Ray Furlong trotted northwards to look at how wind-turbine companies could lead us out of recovery. We heard from various directors of various wind-turbine companies and just one other person..."Chris Goodall, writer, environmentalist and Green Party candidate for parliament."
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SMEARING IT ALL OVER

The BBC is presently engaged in a smear campaign against some of the new allies of the British Conservative Party in the European parliament. This is part of a larger smear campaign against the Conservative Party - and conservative parties in general. This is ongoing.

This new front began long before June's European election, but grew in intensity as June 4th approached, peaking in the days after after the election results emerged. It has not gone away since, but the withdrawal of the Tory whip from Edward McMillan-Scott - following his successful challenge to the Conservative's preferred candidate for a vice-presidential post in the new parliament, the Pole Michal Kaminski - provoked a new flare-up this week, a flare-up of even greater intensity. The BBC are still in a post-Coulson frenzy.

Michal Kaminski himself has been the main target of the BBC.

APPLYING THE PEDAL

Last night's 'PM' fixed on some remarks of Kaminski's, a leading member of Poland's Law and Justice Party, made 9 years ago. The reporter, Ray Furlong, admitted that the context for the interview was not clear but, regardless of the risk of taking them out of context, presented them to his listeners in an English translation that rendered the Polish word 'pedal' as 'fag'. 'Fag' is surely the worst of all derogatory terms for homosexuals. Had the translation offered by the BBC used the word 'queer' or the word 'poof', would it have sounded anywhere near as offensive? Online Polish-English dictionaries suggest that 'pedal' can be translated as 'queer, poof, fag'. By choosing to use the latter, the BBC ensures that Mr Kaminski's (context-free) remarks are cast in the worst possible light. The accusation of committing the sin of homophobia is, thereby, made an open-and-shut case.

EASTON EUROPE

Furlong said that he had been ringing Michal Kaminski's office all day, requesting an interview. He had also been talking to gay-rights groups. But it's not just one BBC reporter who is on Kaminski's case. The BBC News website shows that two of its reporters (at least) are now working flat out on this story - a story that can only harm the Conservative Party and the European Right in general. Adam Easton is also in Poland and has talked to lots of people about Kaminski, including the 'Campaign Against Homophobia' (KPH). http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8154670.stm

GAY FURLONG

Today's 'World at One' continued the war with another anti-Kaminski report by Ray Furlong. This one concentrated first on cases of homophobia in Poland & then interviewed Marta Abramowicz, president of (guess what?) the 'Campaign Against Homophobia'. Furlong told us that Marta was "incredulous" that the British Conservatives were now in alliance with the Law and Justice Party. The link is being made, the link is being made...

Next we heard a radio broadcast over which Furlong said, "This is one of the many sources of homophobia in Poland - Radio Maria, where prayers are broadcast before the news & 'Thought for the Day' is usually anti-abortion, anti-Europe and anti-gay. It is closely linked to Law and Justice, the party which David Cameron has forged an alliance with in Europe."

(Isn't this anti-Catholic?)

Furlong went on, "Law and Justice themselves insist they're not homophobes but social conservatives opposed to civil partnerships or gay adoptions, but how can it sit with the more socially liberal message of Mr Cameron's party?"

Now, aren't there some British Labour MPs (my own MP, Geraldine Smith, included) who are closer to Law and Justice on these issues than David Cameron? Why doesn't the BBC point that out, or question the Labour Party about it? Why only investigate the Tories?

In another instance of bias by labelling, the BBC presents the 'Campaign Against Homophobia' (KPH) as a non-partisan organisation, neglecting to mention that it has, according to Wikipedia, "several links" with "post-communist or socialist political parties". Had Furlong made this clear to his listeners, they might have seen the comments of Marta Abramowicz in a different, maybe less positive light.

SHAUN GAY

The edition of 'The World at One' was presented by this blog's old friend, the serially-biased Shaun Ley, who followed Furlong's shameful report with a hostile interview with Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the British Conservatives MEPs. Ley's opening question was: "Michal Kaminski's remarks - the translation was 'queers' and 'fags' - may be a reflection of social attitudes in Poland, but is there a danger that you're going to be judged by your friends?" (Isn't that just what you want, Ley?).

Mr Kirkhope was interrupted four times in an interview that lasted 3 minutes 31 seconds, giving it an I.C. of 1.2. Contrast this with the two other politician-based interviews on the programme:
Lord Gilbert (Labour), 3 minutes 32 seconds, 0 interruptions, I.C. of 0.
Lord Peter Mandelson (Labour), 6 minutes 32 seconds, 1 interruption, I.C. of 0.2.

If this doesn't show bias, what does?

LITH AND LET LIE

As a side-dish on last night's 'PM', Ray Furlong served up another nasty 'right-winger':

"But Mr Kaminski is not the only embarrassment for the new Conservative group. A Lithuanian MEP, Waldemar Tomaszewski, who has also joined Mr Cameron's group, belongs to the party which voted two days ago in the Lithuanian parliament to pass a law banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools - rather reminiscent of Clause 28 in this country which, of course, Mr Cameron has just apologised for."

Wikipedia, however, describes this party - 'Election Action of Poles in Lithuania' - as "centrist."

And elsewhere the BBC let's the cat out of the bag, admitting that only 6 out of 141 Lithuanian parliamentarians voted against the bill. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8150616.stm
That is worth further investigating. Which parties supported the bill? Which voted against? In which grouping of the European parliament do they sit? And with which British parties do they sit?

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Each grouping within the European Parliament has dodgy elements. Labour, the Lib Dem, the EPP all contain people that the BBC could easilly make controversial. There are homophobes and anti-abortionists across the European Parliament. There are people who oppose civil partnerships and gay adoption across the European political spectrum. More than this, there are ex-fascists and ex-communists and supporters of terrorism, and all manner of ripe targets for investigation and/or smear. Why are they not put in the spotlight by the BBC? Why only the Conservatives?

This is in-your-face BBC bias at its most shameless.