It did not take me long to be proved right about this tweet, as the Funny Tinge Group Ltd was immediately promoted to a seat on BBC Question Time, and are going to be there next week too.
The BBC no longer has Westminster’s third party on QT every week, or given much airtime on other news and current affairs programmes, on the grounds the SNP are a “regional body” and thus not entitled to the consideration the Lib Dems got as third party in Westminster. The Funny Tinge Independent Integrity Initiative Group Ltd (Dir. Shai Masot) are of course not a party at all, they are a limited company, and they have no members. One thing they most certainly are is a “regional body”. Not a single vote in Scotland or Wales has ever been cast for them. Though I can think of a disused factory near Auchtermuchty that might vote for them.
What do we know of their policies? Well we know that are very much against criticism of Israel. We know they think the Cameron coalition government did a very good job on austerity. We know they are against renationalisation of utilities and against abolition of tuition fees and against higher taxes on the rich. I am sure something will eventually distinguish them from the Tories other than Brexit, but they haven’t thought of it yet.
At some stage they will have to form a political party. Once the unbounded bias of the MSM is moderately constrained by general election rules, they will need to be a party to get broadcast time. If they enter into an alliance with the Lib Dems, they will have to split the Lib Dems broadcast time; I do not see that happening.
Has anybody heard any of the “Independent Group” ever mention Scotland, once, in the vast tsunami of media coverage they have been given? I presume at some stage, somebody will alert them to the existence of Scotland, and possibly even tell them how to come here.
The political landscape of Scotland is very different to that in England and Wales. A large majority of the left-wingers who flocked to Corbyn are, in Scotland, unavailable as they are committed to the Independence movement, myself included. Scottish Labour has therefore been led by a rump of unreconstructed Blairite careerists lurking in the branch office (that may be slightly unfair on Richard Leonard, but as I still have no idea who he is I cannot be sure). With no deselection pressures, the Labour MPs have little career incentive to move, except perhaps Ian Murray, elected very largely on Tory votes and a right winger of limited intellectual grasp anyway. The Independent Group plc is both right wing and fashionable, and therefore a perfect fit for Morningside.
Scotland’s Tory MPs are mostly, aside from the Ross Thomson testicle grabbing tendency (allegedly), on the wet side, with pro-EU voters. But their voters are rural and traditionalist and unlikely to be thrilled by the appeal of a wholly new group. It should be remembered too that, contrary to incessant MSM propaganda, the media-induced Davison “surge” peaked at 28% and is now around 25% and falling faster than a Hebridean barometer.
The Funny Tinge Corporation is nonetheless going to need to insert itself into Scotland. This cannot but be great news for the SNP. It is really simple. A unionist vote split three ways will now be split four ways which, under FPTP, is a disaster for the Unionists. The corollary is that it is more important than ever that the Yes movement stay united behind the SNP. And the further corollary of that is that the SNP must listen to the voice of the Yes movement, forget the devolution settlement and push on towards early Independence.
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I don’t care if you are all Marxists here, We may have something in common.
But check out this battle in Venezuela between Richard Branson and Roger Waters.
Which side are you on? At least both sides are singing, so it can’t be that bad.
https://globalnews.ca/video/4979779/pink-floyds-roger-waters-says-richard-bransons-venezuela-concert-has-nothing-to-do-with-aid
http://thesaker.is/sticky-open-thread-on-venezuela/
Tony
Branson is a foul devil. Anyone that plays at that concert is beneath contempt.
I’m not happy about Branson’s presence either.
He is a well known tax evader. Only just avoided a long time in prison for a VAT fraud in the 1970s.
I like him, he’s a super fella 🙂
Mods – just following orders.
Branson was always the no talent small time canal boat living dweep petty dealer who got lucky and rich from actual geniuses.
Waters is a genius.
One thing you can be sure of, Branson wont be dipping his hands in his own pocket.
Tony .. You may have missed my comment –
BrianFujisan
February 22, 2019 at 03:47
Me on peter Gabriel Fbook –
” I Think Peter Should Explain. Re the Branson Sham Concert … ” Either he AGREED, or Branson used his Name. Peter should really be on the Side of Roger … Not Corporate Billionaires
I have seen Peter Live Four Times…I won’t say Branson cost this fan YET. “
I think the announcement about Peter Gabriel was another one of Branson’s cons Brian.
‘While the Guaidó/Branson concert will likely gain more views overtime, it still has quite a ways to go to match famous performances at other large concert events.
It remains unclear whether Gabriel was contacted about performing and turned the gig down, whether he was even approached at all or whether he backed out at the last minute after Roger Waters appealed to him to take a second look at what the concert was promoting. It is however noteworthy that at no time was the concert ever mentioned in any way on Gabriel’s website nor on his generally active Twitter account.
In this sense, neither Branson’s concert nor a rival concert staged in Venezuela with the blessing of the legitimate government featured globally renowned acts. Taken as a whole, Branson’s concert appears to have failed in its mission of galvanising global opinion against the legitimate government of Venezuela.’
‘Peter Gabriel a No-Show at Richard Branson’s “Concert For Regime Change”
2019-02-23
Prior to swearing himself in as “President of Venezuela” on the 23rd of January, the wider world had never heard of Juan Guaidó and even in Venezuela he was less than a household name prior to the events of last month. This all changed when the United States recognised the self-appointed “leader” as the real deal, even though the United Nations continues to only recognise the government led by President Nicolas Maduro.’
https://eurasiafuture.com/2019/02/23/peter-gabriel-a-no-show-at-richard-bransons-concert-for-regime-change/
Thanks Sharp Ears.. I hadn’t seen that one. I had a look on Fbook and the Official Gabriel Website.. and yes. Zero mention of this Branson upstart concert.
anyhoo .. Here is Mr Gabriel with my Fave song from him… I seen this tour live, brilliant artistry, and music – From the Secret World tour, ‘ San Jacinto ‘ –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1IxE6z1tjo
Branson was the subject of a local radio phone-in show back in the ’80s when his star was still rising. One old girl called in and said, “We used to have people like him during the war. Today they call them entrepreneurs but back then we called ’em spivs.”
He reminds me of Savile, weirdly. I feel history will look back on him in a similar way. I don’t mean for similar crimes (obviously!), just he has that “air” about him. The chiming of false bells, perhaps.
Richard Branson’s secretary used to live near me and we travelled to work on the same train each morning for a while. She said he was a great guy to work for. Some years later a close friend of mine, who had made it big in business, worked with him on fund raising for a big charity. My friend said he had been quite ready to dislike him but in fact they ended up being good friends.
Pathetic.
There is a story of a lawyer who did frequent legal work for Branson, apparently saving him lots of money in the process, and who’s son became seriously ill. Thankfully the son recovered and it spurred the lawyer into setting up a charity. One of the first people he thought of contacting was super-rich Branson, and based on their former business relationship thought it would be a formality to get a modest donation. All he received was a polite letter informing him that Branson was unable to offer any financial assistance but wishing him luck with his charity. That in a nutshell is Branson – polite, charming, charismatic and successful but completely devoid of basic humility or humanity, in short a sociopathic monster.
My friend who worked on a charity with Branson, he is super successful today, not as big as Branson but a household name. I have known him since we started work in our early 20s long before he had his big idea.
When he got famous, his whole life changed. He liked cars and driving, people found this out and started breaking into his office car park and trying to break into his car. One day some animal rights activists got in daubed his car and left death threats. He has to park in a secure car park overnight and employ a driver. His business has zero to do with animals. A letter bomb was sent to his offices. He cannot open his own post which all has to be screened first. I doubt he is even aware of many of the letters answered on his behalf the ese days.
And the begging letters, poured in by every post. Along with the hate mail. My friend has nothing to do with politics and his business, let’s pretend he is Mr Kipling and he makes cakes – it’s that innocuous. His staff are not exploited He does not exploit the public he is a decent guy. Sadly I have seen how when you become Uber famous and successful, you attract haters simply because you are famous and successful. You start living in a sort of sealed environment where your life is not your own. He would not bother for himself but he has employees and family to protect.
I am not putting in a plea for rich businessmen, there are plenty of ghastly ones. I am simply saying my close friend who knew Branson well, is a decent guy and told me Branson was an ok guy, so did Branson’s secretary.
Branson was a petty dealer from an early age who signed up some talent through his activities – from that to airlines, fast boats, balloons, private islands, celebfucking, space jets, Saudi Red Sea developments and global mercenary with a ‘seat at the table’ of the pathocracy.
These who work with shit end up stinking of it.
The Brexit sheepdip for both Labour and the Tories.
One quick dip and the fleas and ticks drop off.
And you emerge a bit lighter but healthier.
Unfortunately, sheepdip is no longer carried out… it’s individual injections nowadays. As a result, ticks abound.
How ironic: Those so desperate to ‘remain’ are the ones who have left.
Good riddance!
This is good news, isn’t it. The darkness lifts. These runaway MPs can return to Labour, safe in the knowledge that the adults have looked again and again in the cellar and can confirm there’s no bogey man there.
There should be rejoicing in the streets.
Continual updates on the BBC.
We’re OK. It’s safe.
Praise the Lord.
“Harvey Goldstein, Professor of Social Statistics, University of Bristol, and Professor of Statistics, University College London, writes about antisemitism on his blog, reproduced here with his permission:
Of the allegations that Labour is a potential ‘existential threat’ to the UK Jewish community, and suffers from ‘the scourge of antisemitism’ and ‘institutional racism’ he says: “Remarkably, or perhaps not so remarkably, there happens to be little sound evidence to back any of these claims.””
Where is the Antisemitism?
Harvey Goldstein, Bristol
20 February 2019
https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/blog/ther-is-no-sound-evidence-to-back-the-claims-of-labours-antisemitism/
Professors from Oxford are regularly used by the BBC . Why keep a retinue of privilege and not use to sustain your Fascist politics?
It’s just like the old days of my teenage years when foreign wars were truthfully analysed by journalists in the Sunday papers and academics
supported Labour.
The lack of sheep dip and rise of Alt right poly-ticks can all be blamed on one man Sir Nick Clegg who was missed on sheep dip day and shoe-horned these Tories in. All politicians should be made to wear dye on their tummies to identify the ram . Sir Nick”s is dark blue not orange
giyane
On the matter of colours, I believe if you mix red blue and yellow you get a kind of shitty Brown colour, but I may be wrong.
@SA
You can make brown by mixing primary with their complimentary colours – red and green, purple and yellow, blue and orange. I used to spray classic cars decades ago, and you would be left with lots of leftover cellulose paint, so could mix up various colours to fill stonechips etc.
Is that because Patten ended up, after the HoC, the EU, the BBC and then much money making, as Chancellor of Oxford University.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Patten
Just imagining a future SNP tagline:
The UK Establishment gave us The Independent Group; let’s show them an Independent Scotland.
It is time parliament addresses the question of the malfunctioning of representative democracy by voting to force a by election when someone elected on a certain ticket decides to instead represent their own views. This considerable change in the representation should not be tolerated.
It is also time for the BBC to treat such individuals only as individuals representing themselves and therefore treat them accordingly.
Merkel and Feinstein are having none of it. They think the kids are being silly.
Merkel blames ‘outside influence’ for kids’ climate change protest… but could it just be a protest?
https://www.rt.com/news/451807-children-protests-climate-influence/
Manipulation or mocking? Feinstein shamed after argument with climate change kids goes viral
https://www.rt.com/usa/452216-feinstein-children-climate-change/
Followed by a Twitter storm.
Me to The National – Scotland so called Independence Rag –
” Now, Lets Not beat about the Bush here.. This is FUCKING Disgusting from the national.. Just Sickening. Fuck you National ”
In regards showing Alesha’s Mother on front page / web..whatever
Brian The MSM, and especially the tabloids, have been full of this prurient and sordid content. The BBC too – no surprise there. They had a reporter, Lorna Gordon, outside the court.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47322658 There is also a photo of Alesha’s mother on the link.
https://twitter.com/bbclornag
They feed on it.
There were some truly awful comments in The Herald below an article ahead of Alesha’s killer being named. One poster repeatedly insisted he knew the boy was Syrian. His racist rants were left there until I complained. They were disgusting. And, as it turned out, they were lies too. Once upon a time The Herald would have removed bile like that immediately. These days, just about anything goes.
Names in the frame – the usual suspects
‘The government has agreed contracts worth £104m for outside help on Brexit, according to analysis for the BBC.
Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to do consultancy work to prepare for the UK’s EU exit.
Companies with the most valuable Brexit contracts include Boston Consulting Group, PWC and Deloitte, according to analysis firm Tussell.’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47338534
Gauke, Rudd and Clark say that the deadline should be extended if there is no deal by then. If not, they will rebel. Ooh er Missus.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47336501
What says Agent Cameron now? I read a piece in The Week saying how upset he was when the result came through, Craig Oliver consoled him.
Mr Oliver is still upset.
@CraigOliver100
Feb 20
My heart breaks seeing @Anna_Soubry, @sarahwollaston and @heidiallen75 leave @Conservatives – strong, One Nation, liberal Conservative MPs, who should fit easily into a truly broadchurch party.’
‘Craig Oliver
@CraigOliver100
Principal: Teneo. Author: Unleashing Demons. Trustee: Make a Wish. Former No10 Director of Politics & Comms and Editor, BBC News at 6 & 10. Views my own.’
Teneo is based in NY – ‘Teneo is an international C-suite advisory firm. Founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, Teneo currently has more than 700 employees and operates across four operating segments: Strategy & Communications Advisory, Capital Advisory, Risk Advisory, and Management Consulting.’
They have all gone off to more lucrative niches, mostly American – Gideon to BlackRock @£650k pa. Clegg to Facebook @ a £4m-7m package, Lansley to Bain & Co. What moral pygmies have been/are in charge.
We keep hearing from business that the main problem with Brexit is uncertainty. Now, some cabinet ministers want to prolong the uncertainty by delaying Brexit.
How about this one?
* Theresa May throws Jacob Rees-Mogg a carrot. He’s going to be prime minister soon, so it won’t need to be a big one.
* Almost all Tories back a rebranded deal.
* Sufficient Labourites back it to outweigh opposition from DUP “no surrenderists”.
* The DUP’s 10 MPs play Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” as they don their orange sashes and accuse the Tories of having betrayed the supply and confidence agreement as part of a plot to let
the PopeDublin extend its influence in Northern Ireland. (What Michael Gove does at this point is anybody’s guess.)* TIG – well, who cares what they do? Only 3 of them come from the Tories.
* DUP vote no confidence in the government. Someone will have to help them with parliamentary time, but that’s unlikely to be a problem because once the SNP and LibDems promise to, Labour will surely step in.
* At the end of the fortnight prescribed by the Fixed Term Parliaments Act,
either a) TIG wins welcomes 50 or 100 more MPs from the Tories and then forms a coalition with Labour, with Shai Masot as a kind of “Governor” figure (perhaps the site next to the Palace of Westminster currently earmarked for a Holocaust remembrance centre could be used for a Governor’s Palace);
or a general election is called, to be held after Brexit.
Note that b) allows the “natural party of government”, namely the Tory party, to include something coherent in its manifesto, even if it’s “We want to stay outside the EU and conclude a lovely set of trade agreements, including with those continental types from whose shackles we’re now free at last, in the glorious new epoch”. If there were a general election before Brexit, they wouldn’t be able to agree on anything much, other than here’s a regal looking picture of Theresa May, 100 words about how she loves you all, and a copy of her signature written with a thick pen.
John Pilger
The war on Venezuela is built on a lie
“The Guardian correspondent, Tom Phillips, has tweeted a picture of a cap on which the words in Spanish mean in local slang: “Make Venezuela fucking cool again.” The reporter as clown may be the final stage of much of mainstream journalism’s degeneration.
Should the CIA stooge Guaido and his white supremacists grab power, it will be the 68th overthrow of a sovereign government by the United States, most of them democracies. A fire sale of Venezuela’s utilities and mineral wealth will surely follow, along with the theft of the country’s oil, as outlined by John Bolton.
Under the last Washington-controlled government in Caracas, poverty reached historic proportions. There was no healthcare for those could not pay. There was no universal education; Mavis Mendez, and millions like her, could not read or write. How cool is that, Tom?”
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/51152.htm
Venezuela crisis: US threats, border tensions & humanitarian aid provocations
23 Feb, 2019
https://www.rt.com/news/452215-venezuela-crisis-aid-border-provocations/
On that link there’s a video of Guaido on the Branson prop fest.
‘Guaido sneaks into Colombia for ‘humanitarian aid concert’
In violation of the travel ban, Guaido arrived in Colombia to attend a fundraising concert bankrolled by the British billionaire Richard Branson. Besides massive cheers from the crowd, the 35-year-old opposition politician was greeted by the presidents of Colombia, Chile and Paraguay.’
https://youtu.be/zY4ALlqY98w
Branson is both crass and vile. Let alone his invasions into OUR NHS via Virgin Care Ltd.
http://www.nhsforsale.info/private-providers/virgin.html
A tax evader too.
‘Virgin Care runs hundreds of NHS services under several large contracts plus other NHS services under much smaller contracts, but despite the scale of its business the company shows no signs of making a profit. Indeed, according to its accounts, since 2010 the company has recorded an annual loss in the UK. As Virgin Care Ltd makes no profit in the UK, the company pays no tax in the UK. However, Virgin Care Ltd is a small entity in Richard Branson’s Virgin empire. Virgin Care’s ultimate parent company is Virgin Group Holdings Ltd registered in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands.
The ultimate owners of Virgin Care and Virgin Group Holdings Ltd include trusts registered in the British Virgin Islands whose beneficiaries are Richard Branson and his family. The British Virgin Islands are a tax haven and entities registered there pay no tax. As a result of the link with the British Virgin Islands, questions have been raised over whether tax would be paid in the UK if Virgin Care made a profit.
Only ONE name comes up on Bloomberg on the ‘Board Members’ button on Bloomberg’s entry for Virgin Group Holdings Ltd.
It is indeed a very private company which is registered in Tortola, one of the so called British Virgin Islands. Branson’s hideout is in Necker, in the far West of the island group.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GB_Virgin_Islands.png
The chairman of VGH Ltd is Peter Michael Norris. Ha! Goldman Sachs and Barings live where he made his start as one of the gangsters-in-charge.
https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=2000665&privcapId=597779
Richard Branson, will only be doing what is best for Richard Branson.
What is the involvement of British-linked oligarchic families in current events in Venezuela? (Rothschilds, Barings, Hambros, Vesteys.)
Good to see how Tom the allegedly highly educated Guardian journalist has learnt his lessons well.
Like his fellow journalists at the Guardian and the MSM.
Proving that there is difference between learning and understanding what you have learnt.
Of course if your teachers are crap then as night follows day you will be too.
You don’t need an education to ‘learn ‘ that ‘
Meanwhile the Queen, and the Estated gentry in Scotland are up in arms over paying their fair share in taxes in Scotland.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/17453979.revealed-scots-landowners-challenge-shooting-estates-tax-bills/
Its about time they were held accountable.
On Thursday last I was travelling by train & picked up a copy of ‘The National’ left in the carriage. There was a picture of ‘the Queen’ on ‘The National’s’ front page (looking her dour wee self) & someone had scribbled beside her rather unpleasant and unprepossessing coupon, the legend, “Crabbit Auld Bitch”.
I love Scotland. Keeping it real since 1707.
That is funny Bibbit.
P William is supposed to be outraged by his new sister-in-law’s extravagant behaviour in New York. Ooh er Missus! This is according to the blabbermouth ex butler of his mother’s and Murdoch’s Fox News.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/prince-william-will-be-angered-by-meghan-markles-lavish-baby-shower-says-princess-dianas-butler
Small US force to stay in Syria after troop withdrawal
https://www.france24.com/en/20190222-usa-leave-small-peacekeeping-force-syria-after-troop-withdrawal
This is terrible news.
Syria can rebuild its country if France, U.K., Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and America, let them get on with it, what they do not need is a permanent state of anxiety.
200 can’t do very much. They’ll be there to discourage the Turks, I imagine.
Its 200 up north and another 200 in the south at al-Tanf. There may not be many of them but they are force multipliers able to call in air support from Iraq.
The main impact will be to delay the Kurds facing reality, throwing their lot in with the Syrian Gov or getting squashed by the Turks. I can’t understand why they still believe a word the US says.
Matt Frei (Ch 4 News) on LBC this morning was trying to shut Chris Williamson down by endlessly interjecting with the ‘Labour is anti- semitic’ and ‘bullying’ memes. Even when Williamson quoted Asa Winstanley’s piece in the Electronic Intifada eight months ago, predicting this campaign against Corbyn’s leadership, Frei responded by saying ‘That’s just one voice against very many’. Unbelievable.
Thankfully, I missed Joan Ryan.
‘ ZedZed
33 minutes ago
I’ve just heard the most hilarious “non” party political broadcast from Joan Ryan on LBC facilitated by Matt Frei, hahahahahaha hahahahahaha no one believes your lies about Labour members or Corbyn. It reeks of desperation. Hatchet job.’
LBC is toxic.
Matt Frei is Jewish himself, so the antisemitism row is probably quite personal to him, whether that makes him objective or not is another matter?
Ditto. Nick Robinson,Jo Coburn, Laura Kuenssberg; Emily Maitlis, Robert Peston, Emma Barnett.
Given up on all MSM in the UK tbh .
Statement of the obvious; but it’s either privately owned by those hiring only like-minded people who’ll push their master’s opinions relentlessly. Or public broadcasting, that has been infiltrated by people of a similar mindset. You’ll only get real information(and admittedly some inaccurate information) , objectivity on places like this forum. Although, how long social media will be free is an open question . The politicians and MSM seem to be concentrating on, and intent on trying to close down all discussion other than their own.
I know some will think listing Jewish presenters and questioning objectivity isn’t the done thing. But let’s be honest, if there were that many Muslim presenters taking a pro-Palestine line, we’d never hear the end of ‘how biased ‘ they are from the Telegraph, Mail and Times.
Noticed there is next to zero coverage of Palestine, no reports or anything these days.
Just to add… None of us are truly objective about things we identify with. Craig is pro-SNP and will leap to their defence, we’d all defend our friends even if we agreed with the criticisms from an outsider. Stating, people belonging to the group being discussed, probably aren’t objective, is an opinion, not racism.
Unless, of course, you’re Tom Watson.
To give Peston and Robinson their due, I find them more honest in their reporting than some of their non-Jewish colleagues. I agree about the others you mention, though.
The pro-Israel bias seems to be coming from editors and producers as much as the presenters. I was listening to Yesterday in Parliament last Thursday and was appalled to hear that, even though Brexit is weeks away, the entire slot was taken up with MPs talking about anti-semitism they had allegedly suffered or had heard of.
That was followed by an item on anti-semitism in France.
I wrote to complain to the BBC – which I’d urge everyone to do, in moderate terms, when they experience this kind of bias. Unless British people, including Jewish people of course, call out this pro-Israeli bias, our political system and media wil be completely corrupted.
I agree, on every other matter they report on they are good journalists in most regards especially Matt Frei on Channel 4 News..
But take Politics Live’s Jo Coburn or Newsnight’s presenters for example; normally these are ferocious interviewers, but if someone appears making unsupported (by the evidence) accusations of endemic antisemitism within Labour eg. A Labour MP, they just nod along… all their usual interruptions and challenging of guests is dropped. Berger was allowed to speak at length unchallenged on Nick Robinson’s radio show too. As Craig pointed out , It’s never mentioned that the only people prosecuted for abuse so far were far-right fascists and that Labour have had only a handful of cases relative to the size of the membership. The public never get a fair picture.
I do not agree about Frei or Ch 4 News. It comes out of the same stable as ITV News from ITN so do not believe any of it.
Snow is called Six Pilgers on another blog. I think it was Michael White of the Guardian who said that Snow was worth six of John Pilger! Also Cathy Newman gets the title ‘Lost in a mosque’.
She lied by saying she had been evicted from a mosque when in fact she had mistaken the address and had gone to the wrong one.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31443076
“To give Peston and Robinson their due, I find them more honest in their reporting than some”
You mean Anne Robinson, right?
“I wrote to complain to the BBC ”
Pointless. Complaints go to Capita. They’ll send you back some boilerplate corporate gobbeydegook (your letter is important to us etc.).
https://bbcwatch.org/2017/11/16/how-the-bbc-outsources-its-complaints-system/
Latest lie I noticed on radio, is that the newsreaders keep saying Maduro wants to prevent aid being sent to Venezuela. This is a lie. Maduro accepts aid from the UN, he just doesn’t want Elliot Abrams establishing shipment lines for arms for a coup.
When Kuenssberg put out her lies about Corbyn and shoot to kill, even the BBC trust told her off. James Harding, the then head of news, said he would just ignore the BBC trusts findings.
Being Jewish is irrelevant; even if they are Jewish and not mere zionists or opportunists. Everyone knows that the “antisemitism” scandal is a fraud.
I have no idea who is jewish unless they dress accordingly or publicise their religion.
I do know Kuenssberg has a interesting family history that goes from nazi germany to the nazi school Gordonstone to the dodgy slavery of her fathers business including nazi South America to her own trajectory via US CIA connected private university ‘journalism school’, BBC scotland, to fast track to the top of the political propaganda pile with the help of Andrew Neil and familial contacts in the FCO…
The DS may be deep but it does not hide – it is in plain sight and we are supposed to demure and not give them the eye, which they are long used to ripping out – and they will do so again if we let them get away with it, again.
Anna Soubry was on The Last Leg Show last night.
She clearly loves all the luvvies’ attention but policies?
Anna Soubry is such an irritating extrovert. She and Andrew Bridgen make a good match. So they are MPs. They both seem to think that’s such a great achievement.
For some reason, Anna Soubry wears army boots as well.
She is also a stupid self publicist. I see she supports fracking. Tells porkies too. See ‘Royal Mail Privatisation’ on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Soubry
Cameron gave her a few jobs but none from Theresa.
I will have to stop doing any shopping at Morrisons. Her partner, Neil Davidson, is a non-executive director of the company. Their joint income must be A OK unlike the 99% of us. His biography is on here.
https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/about-us/board-members-biographies/
Partner of minister who wants to relax Sunday trading laws is on board of Morrisons
Morrisons is one of the companies which will benefit the most from the changes supported by Anna Soubry https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/12154668/Partner-of-minister-who-wants-to-relax-Sunday-trading-laws-is-on-board-of-Morrisons.html
Jeremy is in her den today, speaking at the moment to a large crowd in the open air. He is a natural speaker at ease, unlike Theresa.
Hang on – i have some shares in them. Grrr. I liked they were independent and had vertical integration with local producers and food manufacturing.
Time to get the shareholders to object to the non-exec toryboy.
Most of the pro-second referendum people cheering on anti-Brexit Soubry (London audience) have no clue of the sequencing, and how Corbyn is playing this correctly to to get the result they want.
Look at how much trouble May has with her ministers today, and with getting her preferred timing for the 2nd meaningful vote (Late March) while leaving no-deal on the table. It looks like the Tory ministers could resign this week to prevent her doing that, throwing her plans into chaos.
I’m suspicious of all the Tories, including the recently departed ones such as Soubry. I wouldn’t be surprised if May didn’t approve of them jumping ship to give herself more leverage with the ERG.
And remember how the only UKIP MP we ever had was a recently-departed Tory? Funny that. Not even Farage could wi a Parliamentary seat. Same with those Labour MPs who have spent several years trying to undermine Corbyn and Labour – they are most likely useful idiots for controllers who support Brexit and don’t want a meaningful Labour Party to win an election.
To understand British politics and the media, we really have to understand that much of it is controlled by the establishment, with the Tories as their PR wing, and a certain ‘controlled opposition’ in other parties. Corbyn is the real deal as are the SNP, which is why the Tories and their stooges in the media are so terrified of them, despite the fact their policies are fairly moderate.
So one labelled them the ‘Monster Raving Soubry Party’ … made me chuckle anyway. 😉
TIG yer oot!
Top rated comment on the Herald.
I preferred Soubry when she was always appearing on TV half pissed. Now she’s sobered up she’s become a bit of a bore.
‘Soviet vassal state’: Jeremy Hunt makes gaffe in Slovenia.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/23/soviet-vassal-state-jeremy-hunt-makes-gaffe-in-slovenia
Trump with slicker presentation.
It’s now a Nato vassal state.
Jim Naughtie had it right years back when he changed Hunt’s name.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jim-naughtie-gaffe-today-programme-267598
Hunt is a complete idiot. Didn’t he say publicly at an international meeting that his wife was Japanese when she is actually Chinese?
22.64% of viewers watch BBC1 for an average time of just 5:23 minutes.
How many of those watch QT and for how long?
There are so many channels now.
https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-viewing-summary/
Craig was in Pakistan, during the SNP haranguing by Billy Mitchell – ‘repeat guest & rhetorical question’ BBC Question Time Scandal.
Billy Mitchell says he could “blow the lid’ on the BBC. And it’s far , far worse than anyone imagines. Cryptic words eh?…and just the sort of thing Craig might d be interested in?
Wonder if he’s caught up with it? I’d imagine he has.
Amazing, Yellow Vest protesters are demonstrating in Paris for the 15th WEEK IN A ROW!
Live at https://www.rt.com/on-air/452230-yellow-vest-paris-protest/
Why arent the rest of europeans follow through?
They now being called antisemitic?
Smart tactic by the French State, no one likes or wants to be associated with racists. Divide and conquer.
Or maybe the Yellow Vests are being run from the US/Israel and the French government is subtly messing with their minds?
I don’t think that.
But Macron is clearly and understandably desperate to end these protests and dividing them, by infiltrating and painting some as extremists, will be the key strategy for doing that. Standard tactic.
Nobody’s desperate about 4000 demonstrators. People have lost all sense of proportion.
Because along with the Brexiters, they still fundamentally believe, against all rationality, that the EU is on the point of collapse, while nothing bad can ever happen to Great Brexit Britain.
Goose
Indeed, antisemitism is the new propaganda myth Macron use to smear his people.
Macron however wont survive next election.
Macron wants to make criticism of the expansionist, and often illegal, extreme right-wing political ideology of the Zionists classed as anti-Semitic hate speech.
4000 in Paris, 11600 in the whole of France, according to LeParisen. A few hundred had a nice picnic at the château de Chambord today. Not going to overturn anybody, as I’ve been saying for some weeks. The comments on the stories are nearly all spitting venom at the gilets jaunes these days, for the disturbance and destruction of property.
It is a good question why the violence has been so persistent (and no, it didn’t start with the flics). clear division between the popular participation, and the violent groups. I think there must be money behind the very persistent violence, which is very distinctive, not at all normal.
Yellow Peril
Some 11,600 people joined the protests nationwide, including 4,000 in the capital, the Interior Ministry said.
That was up from 10,200 last week, with 3,000 in Paris.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-protests/thousands-march-as-frances-yellow-vest-protests-rumble-on-idUKKCN1QC0O3?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Fourteen people were arrested in Paris, but protesters marched mostly peacefully through the capital’s wealthier neighbourhoods surrounded by a heavy police presence.
I expect President Macron is starting to get cheesed off by it all.
Notice how Blairite website Labourlist has removed comments?
You’d get est. 5-10 people astroturfing all day. Constant abuse about Corbyn and the left, many of those also post on the Telegraph(same names). Notice how the equivalent doesn’t happen on Conservative Home?
And the media claim the online abuse is from the ‘hard-left’. Wouldn’t be surprised if most of it is from the right, even including fake Corbyn supporters on twitter.
It does happen on ConHome
Really?
I don’t visit often, but the comments btl I’ve seen there, always seems reasonably civilised.
The Labourlist site, by way of contrast, was just flooded with hundreds of viciously anti-Labour, anti-Corbyn astroturfing trolls, Labour supporters could barely discuss anything for them. I don’t blame them for closing the comments completely.
(OT) Craig: A German court just ruled that malicious Wikipedia editors may be deanonymized and prosecuted. They call it one of the most important rulings in modern media law: https://swprs.org/der-wikipedia-prozess/ (in German)
What counts as “malicious”?
“De-anonymized”? Do you mean “named”?
Corbyn getting it in the neck.
https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck/factcheck-has-jeremy-corbyn-ever-voted-with-the-conservatives-in-parliament
https://mobile.twitter.com/haveigotnews/status/1098592894578057220
The date on that story is 4th September last year. Keep up the valuable work
At long last there is some hope in sight for Venezuela in the form of mutual co-operation with Russia to prevent another US “humanitarian” catastrophe.
https://www.fort-russ.com/2019/02/russia-helped-save-syria-and-now-moscow-will-save-venezuela-from-imperialists/
There is trouble at the border at the moment. BBC News loving it. They are carrying the clashes live.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-latin-america-47344348
Guessing Craig’s next output will be on developments.
The Guardian is fully backing the Trump/Bolton plan for regime change by the looks of things.
more support for Venezuela
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nicaragua-protests-taiwan/loan-of-100-million-from-taiwan-gives-lifeline-to-nicaraguas-ortega-idUSKCN1Q903T
That article is actually about Nicaragua
The clue is in the URL you posted.
Large Israeli flag displayed on stage during Branson’s Venezuela coup concert across the border in Colombia,
No wonder,
Venezuela’s Guaido says he’s working to restore ties with Israel, moving the embassy to Jerusalem
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/venezuela-guaido-working-restore-ties-israel-190213060829530.html
Netanhayu is very pally with Bolsonaro too. This from the Times of Israel, last December.
‘Netanyahu’s son Yair to join PM for inauguration of Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s eldest son will join the premier on his trip to Brazil for the presidential inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro.
The family puts out a statement stressing it will cover all of Yair Netanyahu’s expenses.
The prime minister will meet with Bolsonaro during his six-day visit to Brazil, the first ever by an Israeli premier.’
Keep out Bibi. There are enough snakes in South America already.
I met some Israeli crocodile farmers in Venezuela some decades ago, they have interests everywhere. At least they said they were crocodile farmers …
No problems with austerity’: Corbyn hits out at splitter MPs
At rally in Anna Soubry’s constituency, Labour leader says he will not change policies
23rd February, 2019
[..]
‘He went on to criticise the voting records of Soubry and the former Labour MP Chris Leslie. “When the media talk about the bravery of those who walked away, Anna Soubry voted for austerity and said it was a good thing. Almost immediately after leaving Chris Leslie tells us that we should not be ending university fees … and we should be cutting corporation tax and increasing the burden on others,” he said.
Labour’s prospective candidate for the constituency, Greg Marshall, called for a byelection, claiming Corbyn was in Broxtowe more often than Soubry, who now sits with the Independent Group after resigning from the Conservative party this week. She holds a slim majority of 863 votes.’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/feb/23/no-problems-austerity-jeremy-corbyn-hits-out-labour-splitter-mps
It’s reported the three Tories won’t vote against May’s govt in any confidence vote, and they seem to be implying that that is also true for the Labour people. If So ,how can Chuka Umunna , Chris Leslie and rest honestly claim with a straight face their constituents elected them to prop up a Tory govt? If once elected, MPs are going to drift around like they’re in Brownian motion. Where would that leave democracy?
This is pure electoral betrayal, cocking a snook at democracy. They are treating their Labour voting constituents with total contempt.
Many were asking, why now? When they split before the second meaningful vote or a vote on an extension to Art 50? It looks, given they won’t vote to bring May’s govt down, like the answer is, to offset the loss of 10 DUP votes should May’s deal pass. It looks as though whoever has talked them into doing this now, has been coordinating it possibly with senior Tories?
Forgot to add.
Watch out for an ‘ incident ‘ on the Columbian or Brazilian border with these alleged aid convoys.
This is the ‘ in ‘ for the US.
Ukraine is the blueprint and no doubt Victoria Newland will turn up with some cupcakes eventually.
Orla has beaten her to it – she has just turned up looking woeful with no cakes just her magnetic personality.
The BBC seems to be sure the aid convoys are going to get through but evasive about whether they actually have got through.
To younger viewers of the scenario.
Note very carefully.
Analyse the ‘ protesters ‘ trainers/sneaker as to whom is whom.
The poor don’t have these.
Simplistic but notable,
Why does Britain so often have jackasses like Jeremy Hunt at the foreign Office? He apparently doesn’t now think that Slovenia once was a Soviet vassal state.
Whats worse, Its not a UK thing, Its a western thing, the most ignorant people are put in charge of defense politics throughout the west, that is why there are constant wars waged from the same crowds.
Automatic by-election if an MP resigns membership of their political party
Just signed …
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/242193/signatures/new
Any odds on more scheduled resignations in time for the Sunday papers?
BBC radio 4 had a puff piece for Luciana Berger on their profile programme tonight.
All of the usual nonsense trotted out. Doubtless due to lack of time the presenter was unable to point out that Berger had complained about Blairite election material being anti-semitic in 2005. Labour had depicted Michael Howard as a flying pig and as Fagin.
The presenter also didn’t have enough time to point out that all of those prosecuted and jailed for trolling Berger with anti-semitic material were far right supporters.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1487989/Labour-should-have-fought-back-on-immigration-says-Euan-Blairs-girlfriend.html
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/feb/01/advertising.politicsandthemedia
Nick Robinson was repeatedly asked on Twitter, where’s the evidence of abuse from, you know, actual Labour members?
I.e. different from the nasty stuff from the far-right she received which everyone would deplore.
We are supposed to just accept on face value the claims, without proof, when they are so damaging.
“OUTRAGE as Bernie Sanders REFUSES to recognise Guaido as Venezuela’s leader “. – Express (yeah, I Know)
What happens if Trump and Bolton get bored with Juan Guaido?
From Bernie: “The people of Venezuela are enduring a serious humanitarian crisis. The Maduro government must put the needs of its people first, allow humanitarian aid into the country, and refrain from violence against protesters,” Sanders tweeted on Saturday.
From RT: “While the tweet received praise from accounts favoring regime change, and drew some mockery from conservatives, there has been a veritable avalanche of disappointment from the Vermont senator’s sympathizers – as well as journalists and celebrities opposed to the regime change operation.”
https://www.rt.com/usa/452276-bernie-sanders-venezuela-regime-change/
Indeed.
Accept the ‘aid’ ..
.That’s a inconsistent position for him to take, he’s smart enough to know the aid will be used as a pretext for other intervention , possibly military.
The Labour Representation Committee (LRC), of which John McDonnell is president, criticised Luciana Berger for having not “presented any evidence” to prove that online anti-Semitic abuse she suffered came from Labour members.
Wow, so there was ‘no evidence’ of Labour members doing this.
i