Question Time

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Blaming the Tories for the abortion that is Brexit would be more apposite.

I blame every single politician of every single hue since The Grocer started suckin' Common Market cock in the 70s.

 

[oldtimerdiscopants]

We must be a thick as constipated horseshit in the UK considering the shysters we end up with in Westminster!!

They've managed to pull a fast one with the public alright. Watching question time last night and other nights doesn't do anything to dispel the theory that we are being herded like cattle by servants who don't serve just spin and manipulate. What we are left with are two sides of extreme ideologues arguing over the top of most people who sit firmly in the middle, it's become a them and us scenario with both sides lying conniving and cheating their way back into parliament because we the British public don't have a choice to get rid of them because the selection process for MP's is solely reliant it seems on party subservience.

The fact we know they are doing it doesn't help because they know we can't stop them doing it.

 

[bluethrunthru]

We must be as thick as constipated horseshit in the UK considering the shysters we end up with in Westminster!!

To be fair you can only vote for the candidates standing in your constituency so what we end up with is quite possibly the best we could get out of a whole pack of shysters and snake oil salesmen put on offer. If Westminster is full of them I dread to think of the quality of the majority that were rejected..........

 

[Chippy_boy]

One thing I really loathe about that program is why on earth do they still keep giving air time to the same odious twats?

That wanker from Weatherspoons for example. There is a man whose views are diametrically opposed to the vast majority of business people, but by giving him the platform to spout his utter drivel, the BBC give credence to it. His views are effectively positioned as being equally valid and representative, whereas they most certainly are not. What is a public, seeking to become informed, to think? That 50% of business leaders are pro-Brexit? What on earth are the BBC playing at???

That tosser Will Self, ditto, should never been seen on a TV screen and yet he's on regularly. There's a list of the shits that they keep wheeling out.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

One thing I really loathe about that program is why on earth do they still keep giving air time to the same odious twats?

That wanker from Weatherspoons for example. There is a man whose views are diametrically opposed to the vast majority of business people, but by giving him the platform to spout his utter drivel, the BBC give credence to it. His views are effectively positioned as being equally valid and representative, whereas they most certainly are not. What is a public, seeking to become informed, to think? That 50% of business leaders are pro-Brexit? What on earth are the BBC playing at???

That tosser Will Self, ditto, should never been seen on a TV screen and yet he's on regularly. There's a list of the shits that they keep wheeling out.

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

 

[Metal Biker]

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

Wow, i've really gotten to you, haven't I!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Wow, i've really gotten to you, haven't I!

The colossal idiocy of Brexit has got to me, mate, and you encapsulate it.

 

[bluethrunthru]

One thing I really loathe about that program is why on earth do they still keep giving air time to the same odious twats?

That wanker from Weatherspoons for example. There is a man whose views are diametrically opposed to the vast majority of business people, but by giving him the platform to spout his utter drivel, the BBC give credence to it. His views are effectively positioned as being equally valid and representative, whereas they most certainly are not. What is a public, seeking to become informed, to think? That 50% of business leaders are pro-Brexit? What on earth are the BBC playing at???

That tosser Will Self, ditto, should never been seen on a TV screen and yet he's on regularly. There's a list of the shits that they keep wheeling out.

Self is on next week I think !

 

[Chippy_boy]

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

Absolutely agree.

Paradoxically, they've done the exact opposite with respect to climate change (and in fact they've gone much further). They now, as a matter of policy, give no air-time whatsoever to anyone who is critical of climate change projections or who is any way a skeptic. IMO they've gone way too far in this area, since there is still scientific debate about whether the models can be trusted. But this is an aside.

Whilst there is a consensus, I think it's right to report in line with that consensus. Not to give equal airtime to Mrs Miggins from the pie shop who knows fuck all.

 

[Metal Biker]

The colossal idiocy of Brexit has got to me, mate, and you encapsulate it.

That's nice.

 

[Chippy_boy]

Self is on next week I think !

I can hardly wait.

Who on earth is interested in what that opinionated tit has to say? Is there anyone at all on the planet, I wonder?

 

[bluethrunthru]

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

It could well be they can't find anyone "credible" beyond "man in the street" who is prepared to show their face and put the opposite view to Mark Carney? It could be the opposite view has no published reports or stats and just relies on gut feeling in which case "man in the street" is as good as anyone to respond?

 

[KS55]

Absolutely agree.

Paradoxically, they've done the exact opposite with respect to climate change (and in fact they've gone much further). They now, as a matter of policy, give no air-time whatsoever to anyone who is critical of climate change projections or who is any way a skeptic. IMO they've gone way too far in this area, since there is still scientific debate about whether the models can be trusted. But this is an aside.

Whilst there is a consensus, I think it's right to report in line with that consensus. Not to give equal airtime to Mrs Miggins from the pie shop who knows fuck all.

But but but....she makes a great meat pie.

 

[Gareth Barry Conlon]

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

Excellent post.

I'm not one to fall for conspiracy theories but this fake vicar debacle on Newsnight is outrageous from the BBC. It's a fox news type stunt. That and as you say the continuous approach of giving credibility to extreme views and vox pops with morons parroting misinformation and cliches. It's lost masses of credibility.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

Brexit has destroyed the BBC's reputation in my mind. As you say, they've strained so hard to be seen as "neutral" over Brexit that they have totally lost any journalistic integrity they might have once had. Putting up Mark Carney to talk about how Brexit will hit the economy, then following it up with some Metal Biker equivalent in Lincoln to tell us that he does not believe him, does not represent journalistic balance. It represents a dereliction of duty. Proper journalism would have an analyst informing us that on balance of probabilities, Carney is worth listening to and MB is not.

I believed in the BBC once but I never will again. Brexit has tied them up in knots.

To be fair to the BBC, it isn't just them that are guilty of this, it is pretty much every news outlet although arguably we expect better from the BBC and not from say Sky news. To quote from a book I am currently reading: "Almost everywhere blatant lies are offered up as "balance" to demonstrable truths; exaggerations and embellishments are allowed in the interests of "impartiality" and any attempt to correct misleading statements is decried as evidence of an agenda". Pretty much sums up the way Brexit has been handled by the UK media.

 

[Chippy_boy]

To be fair to the BBC, it isn't just them that are guilty of this, it is pretty much every news outlet although arguably we expect better from the BBC and not from say Sky news. To quote from a book I am currently reading: "Almost everywhere blatant lies are offered up as "balance" to demonstrable truths; exaggerations and embellishments are allowed in the interests of "impartiality" and any attempt to correct misleading statements is decried as evidence of an agenda". Pretty much sums up the way Brexit has been handled by the UK media.

Given the stark contrast between the BBC's approach towards climate change vs Brexit, I am wondering if their ridiculous sitting on the fence is due to some desire to try to appeal to both 50%'s of the voting public, i.e. remainers and leavers. The huge weight of evidence and of informed, expert opinion if of course massively pro-remain, but unfortunately the public is much more divided and I am wondering if they are concerned to not piss off 50% of the population?

I could understand it if the BBC was independent and like ITV, for example, needed adverstising revenue and therefore viewing figures. But the BBC is not that. It's supposed to be a public service and isn't the whole point of bunging it £2bn every year, so that it doesn't have to balance such challenges and can instead say "the right thing" without worrying about losing viewing numbers?

A bit off-topic I know, but I do think the BBC has lost its way. I do not want to see it producing populist crap simply to keep the viewing figures up. ITV and the rest can do that. The BBC should be above such nonsense and should be a platform for impartial reporting and quality TV output, whether that be documentaries, drama or what have you. Not fucking "Pointless" FFS. How aptly named is that shite!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

To be fair to the BBC, it isn't just them that are guilty of this, it is pretty much every news outlet although arguably we expect better from the BBC and not from say Sky news. To quote from a book I am currently reading: "Almost everywhere blatant lies are offered up as "balance" to demonstrable truths; exaggerations and embellishments are allowed in the interests of "impartiality" and any attempt to correct misleading statements is decried as evidence of an agenda". Pretty much sums up the way Brexit has been handled by the UK media.

Yeah, I'd agree with that, too. I've never known anything like it in my life. People are arguing against a second referendum because it will somehow destroy their faith in democracy. Well already over the last two years I've already lost all my faith in democracy, the institutions of the country and, most of all, a significant proportion of the politicians. I've had my eyes properly opened to the influence of the rich press barons on the opinions of ordinary people too. In short, I've become utterly cynical.

But I've also become much more politicised, and I suspect many more have. I've never felt so strongly about a political issue in my life.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Given the stark contrast between the BBC's approach towards climate change vs Brexit, I am wondering if their ridiculous sitting on the fence is due to some desire to try to appeal to both 50%'s of the voting public, i.e. remainers and leavers. The huge weight of evidence and of informed, expert opinion if of course massively pro-remain, but unfortunately the public is much more divided and I am wondering if they are concerned to not piss off 50% of the population?

I could understand it if the BBC was independent and like ITV, for example, needed adverstising revenue and therefore viewing figures. But the BBC is not that. It's supposed to be a public service and isn't the whole point of bunging it £2bn every year, so that it doesn't have to balance such challenges and can instead say "the right thing" without worrying about losing viewing numbers?

A bit off-topic I know, but I do think the BBC has lost its way. I do not want to see it producing populist crap simply to keep the viewing figures up. ITV and the rest can do that. The BBC should be above such nonsense and should be a platform for impartial reporting and quality TV output, whether that be documentaries, drama or what have you. Not fucking "Pointless" FFS. How aptly named is that shite!

That's exactly what it is. They are constantly straining themselves to reflect the views of both sides of the Brexit debate, even though 90%+ of their political staff and journalists will certainly know that one side is the side of madness and one of sense. I bet it drives some of the sensible ones insane.

I think they BBC senses that its days could be numbered and they are petrified of being accused of Brexit bias. They need the support of the many people who do not understand the EU or Brexit.

 

[oldtimerdiscopants]

I read somewhere that 2/3rds of the guests on QT are anti-Brexit.

 

[Lancet Fluke]

I read somewhere that 2/3rds of the guests on QT are anti-Brexit.

MPs have always made up a fair chunk of the panel and the majority of MPs are remainers so I think it is inevitable that there are going to be more remainers on the panel than Brexiteers.