domjg
Member
Posts: 5,123
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Post by domjg on May 9, 2022 15:41:44 GMT
The BBC does some great stuff and I'm especially grateful to the extra parent that is the CBeebies channel and to Radio 3 but the news organisation in recent years has gone to a very bad place imho. I was an avid, trusting consumer of BBC current affairs output until the referendum from which point on they both stretched the concept of balance beyond breaking point and have tried to reframe their output as more 'friendly' to what they think the 'patriotic' WWC wants to hear as well as simultaneously becoming terrified of this populist gvt. I listened to the R4 Today programme almost every day from the age of about 15 up to 2018 or thereabouts when it finally dawned on me that the reason I was arriving at work every morning feeling enraged was that the programme was slowly transmogrifying into the Mail on Radio, esp when presented by Mr 'why doesn't Ireland leave the EU with us' Humphries. I understand I'm not alone in feeling this way with listener numbers having plummeted. PM went the same way shortly afterwards with the departure of Eddie Mair who it seemd to me was the last of the fearless BBC news presenters/interviewers. R3 only from then on. I haven't watched Newsnight in years despite having always had a crush on Kirsty Wark! "I started to become politically aware in the dog days of the Thatcher regime and between then and the time of the coalition I never thought that BBC news kowtowed to the govt (deferential to Brenda and her family yes)" - That mirrors my experience exactly. I think the fact I'd grown up instinctively expecting better of them makes it all the more depressing as does the quality of the government that they are being so craven towards. |
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Post by peterbell on May 9, 2022 15:42:39 GMT
Starmer has held a news conference and repeated that he has always believed in integrity, was not prepared to allow some people to imply all politicians are the same. He reiterated that no rules have bèn broken but if he is issued with a fan then he will step down. Angela Raynor has also issued a similar statement.
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Post by alec on May 9, 2022 16:21:28 GMT
@danny - "I am puzzled where all these sick children really are, because we heard nothing of them in 2020."
You probably didn't. That's because sometimes you need to look for evidence, rather than base everything on preconceived assumptions.
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Post by alec on May 9, 2022 16:23:42 GMT
johntel - "I haven't read the article but I can't believe that. Pretty much all the children in the country must have had covid by now. It would mean that 1 child in every two classrooms has been in hospital with covid. That seems very unlikely." It wasn't very widely reported, but during the Omicron wave we had 500 children a week being admitted to hospital with covid, virtually all of them because of covid. The fact you don't hear about this isn't particularly your fault, but more a result of a nation collectively sticking it's fingers in it's ears and singing 'la la la'.
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Post by steamdrivenandy on May 9, 2022 16:33:09 GMT
alec
For the avoidance of doubt and to provide a proper context for the '500', is your 'we' a UK 'we' or a Scottish 'we'?
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Post by crossbat11 on May 9, 2022 16:36:02 GMT
Starmer has held a news conference and repeated that he has always believed in integrity, was not prepared to allow some people to imply all politicians are the same. He reiterated that no rules have bèn broken but if he is issued with a fan then he will step down. Angela Raynor has also issued a similar statement. The strategy appears twofold. Claim the moral high ground, less vacated more never occupied by Johnson, and calculate that no FPN will be forthcoming. It's a big personal gamble by Starmer because if his calculation his wrong, then he was in effect signing his own political death certificate this afternoon. Rayner too. They're either high stake rollers (Starmer???) or pretty confident that no laws were broken and Durham Police will exonerate them. I'd say the latter. What might be quite cute about the strategy is that it allows Starmer to put on a virtual virtue demonstration. Look at me, he's saying, I'm committing to you all that I will do the decent thing in the very unlikely event of me being found to have done something wrong. Which I haven't. Just saying, that's all. A sort of pain free non-resignation, contrasting himself to Johnson. It'll be interesting to see the next few polls, particularly Starmer's personal ratings. |
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Post by davwel on May 9, 2022 16:40:06 GMT
@ mark 16.17 pm
Thanks for that message.
I have had no problems today, but yesterday got told that UKPR2 was infected with a virus by Avast. So I couldn`t reach it - I tried my normal route, and later put the full address into my Google search box. Strange that nobody else has reported this
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steve
Member
Posts: 12,639
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Post by steve on May 9, 2022 16:40:14 GMT
Student who shot Keir Starmer Beergate video is Breitbart writer’s son
Ivo Delingpole, son of James Delingpole, filmed footage from his Durham digs
Breitbart where the truth goes to die.
Media Bias has this to say about Breitbart
QUESTIONABLE SOURCE
A questionable source exhibits one or more of the following: extreme bias, consistent promotion of propaganda/conspiracies, poor or no sourcing to credible information, a complete lack of transparency, and/or is fake news. Fake News is the deliberate attempt to publish hoaxes and/or disinformation for profit or influence (Learn More). Sources listed in the Questionable Category may be very untrustworthy and should be fact-checked on a per-article basis.
On 9 July 2017, Breitbart News ran a story written by chart enthusiast James Delingpole, which carried a characteristically provocative and demonstrably false headline:
‘Nearly All’ Recent Global Warming Is Fabricated, Study Finds
In it, Delingpole alleges that a “peer-reviewed” study (first “exclusively” highlighted by the Daily Caller), written by “two scientists and a veteran statistician” found evidence that “much of global warming has been fabricated by climate scientists”:
There was no peer review study .
This report, published on a WordPress blog run by co-author Joseph D’Aleo — a meteorologist who did not complete a PhD, but who prominently advertises his honorary doctorate on the document’s cover page — is not published in a scientific journal.
In other words it was fabricated bollocks
Like father like son.
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Post by steamdrivenandy on May 9, 2022 16:45:51 GMT
Starmer has held a news conference and repeated that he has always believed in integrity, was not prepared to allow some people to imply all politicians are the same. He reiterated that no rules have bèn broken but if he is issued with a fan then he will step down. Angela Raynor has also issued a similar statement. The strategy appears twofold. Claim the moral high ground, less vacated more never occupied by Johnson, and calculate that no FPN will be forthcoming. It's a big personal gamble by Starmer because if his calculation his wrong, then he was in effect signing his own political death certificate this afternoon. Rayner too. They're either high stake rollers (Starmer???) or pretty confident that no laws were broken and Durham Police will exonerate them. I'd say the latter. What might be quite cute about the strategy is that it allows Starmer to put on a virtual virtue demonstration. Look at me, he's saying, I'm committing to you all that I will do the decent thing in the very unlikely event of me being found to have done something wrong. Which I haven't. Just saying, that's all. A sort of pain free non-resignation, contrasting himself to Johnson. It'll be interesting to see the next few polls, particularly Starmer's personal ratings. To a degree it also puts some pressure on Durham Police. Do they want to be responsible for the leadership of the Labour Party and Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition leaving the stage? I'm wondering whether there'll be phone calls to Durham from the Home Office trying to ensure that no FPN's are issued, on the basis that it would look bad for Johnson. |
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Post by Mark on May 9, 2022 16:57:13 GMT
@ mark 16.17 pm Thanks for that message. I have had no problems today, but yesterday got told that UKPR2 was infected with a virus by Avast. So I couldn`t reach it - I tried my normal route, and later put the full address into my Google search box. Strange that nobody else has reported this Proboards are aware of this and say that it's a false positive. They also say it has now been dealt with. support.proboards.com/thread/670572/virus-thing |
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Post by Mark on May 9, 2022 17:08:39 GMT
Someone on Twitter saying that at Wednesday's PMQ's, Starmer's first question to Johnson should be "Do you think I should resign if I get fined?"
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steve
Member
Posts: 12,639
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Post by steve on May 9, 2022 17:10:25 GMT
Spare a thought for the Tory media mouthpieces trying desperately to make the headline " man promises to do the honourable thing " into a bad news story.
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steve
Member
Posts: 12,639
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Post by steve on May 9, 2022 17:25:27 GMT
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Post by jimjam on May 9, 2022 17:28:22 GMT
Westminster Voting Intention (8 May):
Labour 39% (-2)
Conservative 33% (–)
Liberal Democrat 12% (–)
Green 7% (+2)
Scottish National Party 5% (+1)
Reform UK 2% (-1)
Other 1% (-2)
Changes +/- 1 May
redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-gb-voti… pic.twitter.com/mXLGdUUk1D
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Post by jimjam on May 9, 2022 17:33:32 GMT
Anent ''Someone on Twitter saying that at Wednesday's PMQ's, Starmer's first question to Johnson should be "Do you think I should resign if I get fined?"
I saw that too but I think the speaker would rule that the PM is not responsible for the LOTO.
Doesn't mean the PM can't raise the LOTO in any answers which he often does but the speaker would rule the direct question above out.
He can word differently I guess.
''I have said I will resign if I get a FPN you haver already had one, loads of parties etc why are you not similarly honourable.
Might be better from a back bencher with Starmer going on cost of living.
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Post by hireton on May 9, 2022 17:39:47 GMT
Redfield & Wilton
At this moment, which of the following individuals do you think would be the better PM for the UK? (8 May)
Keir Starmer: 39% (+4)
Boris Johnson: 32% (-1)
Don't know: 29% (-2)
Changes +/- 1 May
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Post by johntel on May 9, 2022 17:41:22 GMT
The strategy appears twofold. Claim the moral high ground, less vacated more never occupied by Johnson, and calculate that no FPN will be forthcoming. It's a big personal gamble by Starmer because if his calculation his wrong, then he was in effect signing his own political death certificate this afternoon. Rayner too. They're either high stake rollers (Starmer???) or pretty confident that no laws were broken and Durham Police will exonerate them. I'd say the latter. What might be quite cute about the strategy is that it allows Starmer to put on a virtual virtue demonstration. Look at me, he's saying, I'm committing to you all that I will do the decent thing in the very unlikely event of me being found to have done something wrong. Which I haven't. Just saying, that's all. A sort of pain free non-resignation, contrasting himself to Johnson. It'll be interesting to see the next few polls, particularly Starmer's personal ratings. To a degree it also puts some pressure on Durham Police. Do they want to be responsible for the leadership of the Labour Party and Leader of Her Majesty's Opposition leaving the stage? I'm wondering whether there'll be phone calls to Durham from the Home Office trying to ensure that no FPN's are issued, on the basis that it would look bad for Johnson. It would be much better if Starmer was investigated by the same police department as investigated Sunak & Johnson so we could be sure the rules are being applied equally. Everything I've read so far implies that Starmer's culpability is greater than Sunak's. |
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Post by hireton on May 9, 2022 17:41:56 GMT
The Tory client journalists are now fulminating that Starmer is putting unfair pressure on the Durham Police and undermining their investigation.
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Post by shevii on May 9, 2022 17:45:59 GMT
@ mark 16.17 pm Thanks for that message. I have had no problems today, but yesterday got told that UKPR2 was infected with a virus by Avast. So I couldn`t reach it - I tried my normal route, and later put the full address into my Google search box. Strange that nobody else has reported this Happened to me too. Worked OK on my mobile though. |
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Post by peterbell on May 9, 2022 17:54:55 GMT
Jon tells wrote "Everything I've read so far implies that Starmer's culpability is greater than Sunak's. "
Please tell us what you have read!!!
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Post by hireton on May 9, 2022 17:55:52 GMT
johntel"It would be much better if Starmer was investigated by the same police as investigated Sunak & Johnson so we could be sure the rules are being applied equally." Intrestingly, you are taking the same line as Tory backbenchers such as Andrew Bridgen. I'm surprised that a Lib Dem is arguing for centralisation of police investigations (especially one partially under the control of an increasingly authoritarian government) and also unaware that a decision to issue a FPN would involve the CPS.
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Post by thylacine on May 9, 2022 18:06:12 GMT
Jon tells wrote "Everything I've read so far implies that Starmer's culpability is greater than Sunak's. " Please tell us what you have read!!! Sunak caught a bad break there, if he walked in on the governors birthday party it would take great moral strength to upset the boss and leave. Unfortunately moral strength is something he doesn't have oodles of. |
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Post by crossbat11 on May 9, 2022 18:10:48 GMT
Something tells me that Toryland is getting spooked. Its court press usually serve as a canary in the coalmine and their level of mendacity and viciousness usually rises and falls in direct proportion to Tory wellbeing and contentment.
Things are clearly not going to plan on Beergate. Johnson may soon order a change of direction. Expect Moore, Dacre, Guido Fawkes etc to be summoned to a not too friendly tea party at Chequers very soon.
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pjw1961
Member
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on May 9, 2022 18:12:44 GMT
pjw1961 What a pity they can't spell. Much as I hate to admit it, on this occasion our American cousins are actually correct (albeit probably by accident). The medical and scientific professions have agreed on "Fetus" as the correct spelling, not to please the US, but because it derives from the Latin word fetus, meaning bringing forth of young. |
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c-a-r-f-r-e-w
Member
A step on the way toward the demise of the liberal elite? Or just a blip…
Posts: 6,721
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on May 9, 2022 18:15:45 GMT
Amidst all the news about “Sir Beer” as they’re calling him, the Guardian has this:
“Emmanuel Macron has called for a new political organisation to unite democracies on the European continent, as he warned that Ukraine would probably not join the EU for several decades.”
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“He proposed “a European political community … a new European organisation [that] would enable democratic European nations who adhere to our values to find a new space for political cooperation”, listing security, energy, transport, infrastructure investment and movement across borders, especially for young people, as issues that body would tackle.
Being part of this organisation would not exclude a country from joining the EU, and the organisation could include “those who have left” the bloc, he said.”
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Post by lululemonmustdobetter on May 9, 2022 18:16:42 GMT
And who said Starmer isn't politically astute? Ok so he is taking a risk, but he and Rayner must be fairly confident that they were within the rules. But which ever way you look at this Starmer/Labour has turned the tables on the Tories.
He has established that Labour politicians are different and will act in line with what one should expect; he hasn't given the Durham police the easy option of just issuing a FPN to get the Tories and their press off their backs they will have to make sure the case against Starmer is watertight. Its put up or shut up. The police are going to have be very careful. They can't complain as they obviously bowed to Tory pressure to re-open the case and now find themselves in a bind.
If he does get a FPN Johnson is a gonna - in such a instance who ever replaces him (probably Nandy) would just be able to fling this at Johnson from now to the election (as well as getting the new kid on the block novelty bounce). I think a number of Tory backbenchers may see this as the last straw - if the LOTO has said he will do the decent/honourable thing and the PM doesn't that can only play badly, especially in the 'red wall'.
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pjw1961
Member
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on May 9, 2022 18:16:46 GMT
Something tells me that Toryland is getting spooked. Its court press usually serve as a canary in the coalmine and their level of mendacity and viciousness usually rises and falls in direct proportion to Tory wellbeing and contentment. Things are clearly not going to plan on Beergate. Johnson may soon order a change of direction. Expect Moore, Dacre, Guido Fawkes etc to be summoned to a not too friendly tea party at Chequers very soon. I read that the whips have been telling Tory MPs for a couple of days not to engage on this because of the risk to Johnson. The current attack line seems to be 'hypocrisy' rather than 'rule breaking'. |
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Post by shevii on May 9, 2022 18:23:47 GMT
The strategy appears twofold. Claim the moral high ground, less vacated more never occupied by Johnson, and calculate that no FPN will be forthcoming. It's a big personal gamble by Starmer because if his calculation his wrong, then he was in effect signing his own political death certificate this afternoon. Rayner too. They're either high stake rollers (Starmer???) or pretty confident that no laws were broken and Durham Police will exonerate them. I'd say the latter. What might be quite cute about the strategy is that it allows Starmer to put on a virtual virtue demonstration. Look at me, he's saying, I'm committing to you all that I will do the decent thing in the very unlikely event of me being found to have done something wrong. Which I haven't. Just saying, that's all. A sort of pain free non-resignation, contrasting himself to Johnson. It'll be interesting to see the next few polls, particularly Starmer's personal ratings. I said as much this morning that this was the right approach as I doubt he would survive long anyway if he did get an FPN . Also beyond whether Durham Police might feel it worthy of a fine we have the way they went easy on "Dom" and apparently have some policy not to issue retrospective fines so probably a no brainer given what Dom did was 10 times worse than even the worst allegations on Starmer (with the crucial one not directly involving him but Mary Foy). The only area he gets into trouble with is if they say that there might have been a minor breach (the politically compromise position for them) which then gets messy but he'd have been there anyway whether he'd promised to resign or not. |
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c-a-r-f-r-e-w
Member
A step on the way toward the demise of the liberal elite? Or just a blip…
Posts: 6,721
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on May 9, 2022 18:29:04 GMT
People on here have expressed understandable concerns before now about how it would be a good idea to move quickly to address a potentially sizeable shortfall in battery production given a switch to electric vehicles etc. And progress thus far hasn’t exactly been overwhelming. However, there’s one potential ray of light in the Times…
“Trafigura has taken a stake in a UK-based mineral processing start-up which is building Europe’s first commercial refinery capable of producing battery-grade lithium for the electric vehicle and energy storage industries.
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Green Lithium was founded four years ago and successfully produced its first battery-grade lithium hydroxide last July. It aims to provide the “missing link” in the supply chain and support the manufacture of batteries for more than a million electric vehicles a year using renewable energy.
At present, much of the light-weight lithium used in electric car batteries is extracted from brine deposits in Chile and Argentina, or open-cut mines in Australia, with the concentrate then processed in China.
Forecasts suggest that growing global demand for lithium will not be met by existing refining capacity, which Trafigura believes will leave Europe’s rapidly-expanding electric vehicle and sustainable energy storage sectors reliant on Beijing for critical battery metals.
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Socrates Economou, global head of battery metals for Trafigura, said: “This landmark project has the potential to revolutionise the European supply chain for EV production and sustainable energy storage at this critical time in the energy transition.””
They seem quite upbeat about it, though others might shed more light on how significant it really is.
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pjw1961
Member
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on May 9, 2022 18:30:28 GMT
Incidentally, those posters who said I was over-reacting by suggesting that in the wake of the forthcoming overturning of Roe v Wade the American Taliban (aka the Republican Party) would attack other women's and minority rights may care to note that when the Republican Governor of Mississippi was asked to rule out banning IUDs and the morning after pill, he declined to do so, merely saying “That is not what we’re focused on at this time". Hence even women's access to contraception is on the agenda.
Also the plan in Louisiana is to pass legislation so that any woman who obtains an abortion and the medical professionals undertaking it will be charged with homicide.
These people are just getting started.
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