What has the UK become?

[I'm With Stupid]

The problem with radio phone-ins (and the BBC are among the worst culprits here) is that they rarely seek to find common ground, balanced or nuanced views, or dispel myths or cliches. Instead they try to find two extremes. And not just for phone-ins. They do it when getting two "experts" to talk about a subject.

I finally stopped listening to BBC Five Live when they were debating an economics topic in the news, and instead of presenting a truly balanced argument, so you could maybe learn something, they. had an extreme left wing economist and one from a libertarian, ultra-right wing 'think-tank'. That's their idea of 'balance' these days.

I honestly think one of the problems is that the definition of 'expert' nowadays is someone with a large Twitter following who tweets about the topic. And you frequently get a large Twitter following by being extreme, unreasonable, and attacking the opposing view.

 

[AliBobbyJ]

Love the countryside, villages, pubs, nightlife, sense of humour, London, our amazing language and City. Plenty about this country is still great.

You are George Orwell and I claim my 5 pounds.
(OK, he didn't have much to say about City.)

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

You are George Orwell and I claim my 5 pounds.
(OK, he didn't have much to say about City.)

Although, he was a great admirer of HG Wells and he did write Homage to Catalonia, so perhaps he knew about City’s destiny long before any of us……
He also lived in Paris and London as a young man, famously the setting for A Tale of Two Cities, which we’ve definitely experienced since I first saw them in 1973!

 

[Saddleworth2]

Notice how they’re not accused of being biased by the government any more? 50 MEP’s invited on to question time in 10 years, every single one was anti EU. 45 UKIP (Farage), 3 Tories and 2 UKIP.
Last week a question on immigration and the panel got the following time to answer.

Ruth Wishart. 30 seconds
Ian Hislop. 2 minutes
Lionel Shriver. 2 minutes
Stephen Kinnock. 3 minutes 30 seconds.
Robert Jenrick. TEN minutes.

Emily Maitliss has already confirmed that they could find at least 100 economists against Brexit for every one they found in support but, whenever they presented anything on it, there was always 1 of each in the interests of ‘balance’.

Keeping on with QT, last 2 years they’ve had 6 media people on from what might be termed the left and left of centre and 28 from the right and far right.
These right wingers normally from a Murdoch or Barclay owned newspaper/tv channel/radio channel, plus the Mail.

Rishi Sunak’s ex-boss and Conservative Party donor Richard Sharp appointed to the influential role of BBC chair. Sharp had zero media experience prior to his appointment, and there is ongoing concern over his decision to not declare his role in facilitating a loan of £800,000 to Boris Johnson, prior to his appointment.

The appointment of BBC director general Tim Davie, who stood as a councillor for the Conservative Party in 1993 and 1994 and was deputy chairman of the Hammersmith and Fulham Conservative Party in the 1990s.

The recent appointment of ex-GB News editorial director John McAndrew to the role of Director of BBC News programmes. And there are longstanding and significant concerns over the influence of former director of comms at No 10 for Theresa May, Robbie Gibb, a BBC non-executive director since 2021, who helped found GB News, and who sought to block Jess Brammar’s appointment to a role overseeing BBC News channels.

It’s rotten to the core and now acts primarily to facilitate this awful government, which is a tragedy.

its just a mouthpiece of the current rotten government. I far prefer LBC irrespective of the presenter albeit my political views are aligned pretty much to James O'Brien I don't mind listening to Ferrari or Shelagh Fogerty.

 

[AliBobbyJ]

and he did write Homage to Catalonia, so perhaps he knew about City’s destiny long before any of us……

And The Road to Wigan Pier being his prophesy of an infamous Cup Final.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

I listen to lbc nowadays. Most of what they say resonates worth me, but not all of it. I have a lot of time for James Obrien in particular though.

But when I don't agree with what he's saying, iv noticed his tactics (usually in phone ins) is exactly the same as the right wing commentators ... steer the conversation down a dead end where only his pov can be the correct one... Its completely annoying and nowhere near finding the truth or a common ground. So fucking bored of it, so bored of all this polemisation (I hope that's a word, I learnt it on here the other day).

The world is crying out for someone who isn't extreme left or right but wants find common ground, and listens and takes on board all sides of the argument because as we all know the truth, the answers, are always somewhere in the middle.

Right back to fixing my parquet floor!

 

[bluethrunthru]

And The Road to Wigan Pier being his prophesy of an infamous Cup Final.

Isn't that the story of one players career ending broken leg ??

 

[mancityvstoke]

I listen to lbc nowadays. Most of what they say resonates worth me, but not all of it. I have a lot of time for James Obrien in particular though.

But when I don't agree with what he's saying, iv noticed his tactics (usually in phone ins) is exactly the same as the right wing commentators ... steer the conversation down a dead end where only his pov can be the correct one... Its completely annoying and nowhere near finding the truth or a common ground. So fucking bored of it, so bored of all this polemisation (I hope that's a word, I learnt it on here the other day).

The world is crying out for someone who isn't extreme left or right but wants find common ground, and listens and takes on board all sides of the argument because as we all know the truth, the answers, are always somewhere in the middle.

Right back to fixing my parquet floor!

Had to look that up you ****....Wright Robbie never taught me big words

Polemize definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

Polemize definition: to engage in controversy | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples

www.collinsdictionary.com

 

[mancityvstoke]

Fuck off Wigan

And The Road to Wigan Pier being his prophesy of an infamous Cup Final.

 

[youngbob]

The problem with radio phone-ins (and the BBC are among the worst culprits here) is that they rarely seek to find common ground, balanced or nuanced views, or dispel myths or cliches. Instead they try to find two extremes. And not just for phone-ins. They do it when getting two "experts" to talk about a subject.

I finally stopped listening to BBC Five Live when they were debating an economics topic in the news, and instead of presenting a truly balanced argument, so you could maybe learn something, they. had an extreme left wing economist and one from a libertarian, ultra-right wing 'think-tank'. That's their idea of 'balance' these days.

Spot on. Whenever I'm unfortunate enough to be within earshot of Jeremy Vine's call-in show I immediately turn it off. Suits the establishment to have the plebs arguing with each other on the radio about "them transgenders you see about nowadays" instead of getting together and realising we've all got loads in common.