BBC Leyland

Reading the Guardian, a bloke is saying that the Beeb bought the Lonely Planet guidebooks for £90 million, but they're probably worth far less now.

Isn't the BBC like a nationalised industry? They can spend henormous amounts, claiming that this will increase their (pitiful) overseas sales, and if it fails, who cares? They'll get plenty more money.

Reminiscent of British Leyland, always about to make a profit and always given more money to waste. Until one day....

BBC in correct pronunciation shock

The wondrous Beeb had an interview on its BBC24 news channel with the new NATO Sec-Gen, the former dansk PM, Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen (under a little noticed law passed a few years ago by the Danish parly (Folketing or People's Thing), all PMs must henceforth be called Rasmussen).

Amazingly, they pronounced his name correctly as Anners Fo Rasmussen.

This from the BBC (model for Orwell's Ministry of Truth, but it's not that bad) which in the 80s regularly reported from Moscow on Glaznoss, which is actually pronounced Gwassnawst. From the German word for glass, oddly enough.

Incidentally Mr Raz believes we can still win in Afghanistan. Yes, and all Hans Christian's stories are true.

BBC World Service - BBC West Service

For some reason, BBC World Service is easily heard in southern England. It relays Western assumptions. E.g. if a bourgeoise woman is to be whipped for wearing trousers in the Sudan (she wasn't), this is big news. But the plight of the women of, say, the Congo is not, because rape and cannibalism are not feminist issues. Similarly, a Malaysian woman being prosecuted for drinking beer is more important than the plight of 75 million female Untouchables.



Similarly, the executions of 37 convicted criminals in the USA is an obsessive issue. The public murders of thousands of Chinese convicted after a brief trial is never an issue.

In fact the Western Assumption Service is beholden to the Foreign Office, which gives it its £150 million yearly budget.

BBC refuses to correct itself

£££££££££££££££££££££££££££

An interesting post by Mark Easton, the Beeb's Home Affairs editor. Feminists claim that the gap between male & female part-time earnings is 39%. The Govt's statistics tsar has asked the Equality (i.e. discrimination) Office to stop saying this, as they are clearly taking the figure for part-time earnings and comparing it with men's full-time earnings. They have not complied. The Beeb, however, continue to repeat this lie, ignoring their own Home Affairs editor. Nice one.

BBC Class warriors

The Govt. have published a report saying what a horrible class-ridden country Britain is. Labour's usual negativity. The BBC describe the report as independent. It is indeed. The report's author is Alan Milburn. Labour MP.

BBC's blank incuriosity

Today (Tuesday) French media are reporting the loss of an Airbus 310 in the Indian Ocean, from at least 6.30 London time. It didn't make R. Guardian's headlines at 8 a.m., but it was the 4th item on the news. It appears that 153 people have been lost.

The BBC failed to mention that another Airbus was lost 29 days ago in the South Atlantic. This was covered by the BBC in their usual tear-jerking fashion. Yet nobody at the Beeb noticed that the loss of 2 Airbuses in 33 days is CATASTROPHIC and will be the subject of intense scrutiny in the next few days. My guess is that the oh-so-wonderful Beeb employs only people with a blank incuriosity about the news. If an Airbus were lost every week, they would regard it as just random chance.

Aujourd'hui (mardi) les médias fransais annoncent la disparition d'un Airbus 310 a l'océan Indien, des au moins 6.30 heure de Londres...la "Beeb" ne fait aucune mention de la perte d'autre Airbus il ya 29 jours (1r juin), évidemment incurieuse de savoir comment on a perdu 2 Airbus en 4 semaines. Une catastrophé pour l'Aérospatiale.

BBC - can't even read the time

"6 minutes to 6" announced the hapless Jim Naughtie (sic) of R. Guardian's "Today", at 6 minutes to 8.

No-one corrected him.

The programme starts at 6 a.m.