AM I (ROGER) HEARING THAT RIGHT?

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'Climategate' has been buried alive at the BBC & it's certainly back to business as usual at The World Tonight - though with an odd twist. Last night's edition featured a long closing section on the subject of global warming, beginning with a lengthy chat between BBC economics correspondent Jonty 'Tax and Spend' Bloom and Jonathan Porritt (no one at the Beeb asks him about his education at Eton and Oxford). Bloom sucked up to Porritt ("You came at this remarkably early"), invited him to join him in castigating the 'short-termism' of UK politicians, and wondered why, when the Thames is at such risk of severe flooding due to global warming, Westminster (which is on the river) is so inactive on the issue?
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On the Left-Right front, the following discussion (hosted by Roger Hearing) was unusual for the programme in featuring two right-of-centre panelists - historian Andrew Roberts and Europhile environmentalist Conservative MP John Gummer - as well as, much more typically, George Monbiot. (You wait days for a single right-of-centre guest to appear on The World Tonight, then two appear at once!). All, however, advocate action 'to tackle climate change', which (I presume) is why they were acceptable to the programme's left-liberal producers -and Mr Gummer wanted, not surprisingly for him, action at the EU level - which would make him doubly acceptable to them!
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Elsewhere, though, The World Tonight trod very familiar left-liberal pathways. On the execution of Mr Shaikh by the Communist Chinese, Roger Hearing talked first to a lady from the anti-death penalty organisation Reprieve Sally Rowan (director of their Death Penalty team), and then to the very-left-wing commentator/former World Tonight presenter Isabel Hilton of China dialogue (and the Guardian and Independent).
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The latest protests in Iran were then discussed with the man the BBC regularly chooses to discuss Iran with, Professor Ali Ansari of St Andrews University (and the Guardian, Independent, and New Statesman). Why not Amir Taheri? Why is he so rarely on the BBC? Is it 'cos he's a conservative?
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Next up for discussion was President Obama's reaction to the attempted Christmas mass-murder-on-board-a-plane by a Londonistan-educated Nigerian Muslim extremist. A bizarre BBC correspondent called Imtiaz Tyab called it a "Christmas Day scare", and contrasted the 'cool', 'calm' and 'very reassuring' way Mr Obama had handled it with the way the previous Bush administration might of handled it. (Ah, the BBC in America! You can always rely on them for biased reporting!)
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Finally, there was an interview with a lady from the Isle of Barra (Karen MacLean), who wants the government to step in and subsidize the air-link to the island, currently at risk.

THE CRUEL BARBARITY OF CAROLYN QUINN

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Tonight's PM with Carolyn Quinn began by exploring the story of Akmal Shaikh, the British drug smuggler facing execution in Communist China. The issue was discussed with someone who's "an expert in human rights", Saul Lehrfreund of The Death Penalty Project. This is not an organisation that campaigns for the death penalty, you won't be surprised to hear. Mr Lehrfreund and Carolyn got on like a house on fire.
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If you'd expect Carolyn to share Mr Lehhfreund's opposition to the death penalty, you'd also surely expect her not to be in favour of further 'profiling' of terrorist suspects - after all that might risk offending the Muslims (who, for some unfathomable reason, people suspect of being ever so slightly more likely to want to blow up aeroplanes, with people on them). Her line of questioning to Philip Baum, an airline security expert with Green Light Ltd showed that to be a very reasonable expectation.
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The ever-entertaining Eric Pickles was up next, love-bombing an unwooable Danny Alexander of the Liberal Democrats. Carolyn interrupted Eric to ask about...guess what?....inheritance tax, then, when the interview ended read out one e-mail from 'a listener' who said he'd never vote Tory because of the "the cruel barbarity of fox, deer and hare hunting".
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We then had yet another report about Gaza. Gaza, Gaza, Gaza, day in day out on the BBC. I couldn't care less about Gaza. I'd like to hear about Japan, or Mongolia, or New Zealand, or Tunisia, or Congo, or Canada, or Mexico...anywhere except Gaza. The BBC are obsessed about Israel and the Palestinians.
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Eddie Mair (my favourite BBC interviewer, unlike Carolyn Quinn) then continued his series of full-length interviews with retiring MPs. These have all been interesting, with Eddie extracting a fine confession from John Hutton last Tuesday. (Good man John Hutton. He characterised Gordon Brown's prospects as prime minister perfectly, and in the circumstances his swearing was understandable!!). So far though, he's talked to Labour's John Hutton (last Tuesday), Labour's Bob Marshall-Andrews (last Thursday) and Independent Labour MP Clare Short (today). Hopefully, PM's producers will set Eddie up with a few retiring Conservative MPs later. (If not, why not?)