±«Óãtv

ASKING MAX CLIFFORD ABOUT THE NEWS OF THE WORLD

Is it me?

Dear Newsnight, there is more to news than the daily Punch and Judy show at Westminster. Your approach to the NI story is tedious and unimaginative. Max Moseley had his say on Panorama the other night and made his point well. Max Clifford is paid to publicise people and/or extract money from the media. It would not be in his professional interest to tell you the truth, even if his views were relevant. Why not ask people on the street, say in Liverpool, for their views? Then how does Mr Johnson's performance impact upon HMG plans for elected police commissioners? Here's one view. Others might disagree. Wouldn't that be a FAR more important story than the views of a publicist?



Newsnight should be moved to Salford for six months to regain its sense of proportion and lose the mediacentric narcissism.. After that, no more than three nights per fortnight should be presented from London. The other nights should rotate, amongst UK regional centres with perhaps one foreign venue.

BUT KEEP MUSACK AND COLOUR SWATHES AND ARTYFARTY - GOING FORWARD (#3)

or you might attract a ‘cohort’ with discriminatory powers, looking for gravitas in news presentation. That would never do.

I'll get me copy of 'News Appreciation for Dummies'.

Sir Ian Botham = True English hero

Eddie Mair rang rings around William Hague on today's R4 PM programme. He even got Hague to admit that he enters the back door (of No 10 of course) during his interview this afternoon without a bat of an eyelid.

Eddie was just sublime.

Eddie would be a far superior replacement for the aging JP on NN in my humble opinion...and he would be cost effective too!

PS - He has a face for TV too (to boot).

He has been radio's best kept secret for too long!

CULTURAL BIAS?

I had to laugh, even though in a sense it wasn't funny. On the ±«Óãtv (24hr) news programme earlier on, there was mention of a feature about ketamine, "the party drug". Whilst we are aware that there are abusers, here in these semi-rural parts it is known as what it really is: horse tranquiliser!

Is it fair to hold this up as one of the cultural differences which form a barrier between the ±«Óãtv chatterati and the real world?

PS Twice I have encountered people who had taken it. "Partying" was the last thing on their mind, or what they had left of it.

Questions that were NOT asked yesterday.

''did you at any time during your editorship / chairmanship .. say words to the effect .. '' I dont care how you get the story / information and I do not want to know, just get it''.

'' It is clear from the mounting evidence that there was an endemic culture of hacking and bribery, is it not the case,as in any organisation, that such a culture could not develop if it was known by the staff that senior management would not tolerate it and it would lead to serious disciplinary action against staff.. can you, in the context of the above, explain why such practices occured if, indeed, senior management did not, at least, actively turn a blind eye to it? You may not have known the details but, did you actively avoid knowing the details as a senior executive?

Too late now I guess, the MPs were too worried about appearing virtuous to the watching world to think of good questions, i guess they would not want to ask questions of others they would not like asked of themselves.

The ±«Óãtv must be proper disappointed with no real blood letting of note..Murdoch had his copy of 'How to win friends and influence people' - he played a blinder..and Camaron today in the commons made Labour look like they were up to their necks in the unpleasent stuff for years and years and years; pot and kettles/ Glass houses and stones ..oh dear.
Was the Beeb salivating too much regarding this story?...clearly so, well its all about survival isn't it. Sky (right-wing) is the main competitor of the ±«Óãtv (leftyness) and anything that effects the Murdoch empire...well you'll find the hacks at the beeb firing off their usual hatefilled poisoned darts.

Keith Vaz:

I want one of those Pete Watermans model trains!

@13 Not me - I'm saving up for a real steam mini-replica of Stephenson's 'Rocket' to join my 'Mamod' collection.

Back to the programme: Labour lost well over half its members thanks to Blair, and most of the rest detested him too! So most Labour activists will not be impressed by your getting a former advisor to Tony Blair to put a "Labour" point of view. His cringeworthy attempts to rewrite history were interesting though. Also, I'm not sure that a an employee of Murdoch's 'Times' should represent the Tories either.

YES, THE CORRUPTION REACHES BACK IN TIME - AS LONG AS WESTMINSTER.

Dave flourished his two-sided triangle, as the corrupt denizens of Westminster played party games (one being to insist 'this is not a matter for party games'). He tiraded pudgily about police and media, never finding the beam in his own, Westminster eye.

Dave was devious, economical with the truth, obfuscatory, groundlessly dismissive and offensive; ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF A 'FINE PARLIAMENTARIAN'. And there lies the root of Britain's decline into dog-eat-dog and shame - a world laughing-stock. Westminster lauds those attributes - Westminster and no one else.

With luck, perhaps Private Eye will hack into the circulation data for N of the W subscribers, and send them all a freebie. The Eye is just as entertaining AND vigorously pursues wrongdoing, though generally among the bloated classes. I think The Eye might even have featured Mr Vaz . . .

The Eye has it.

DID BLAGGER BLAIR HIRE EVERY CALLOW YOUTH IN WESTMINSTER? (#14)

Every second glibster on telly, seems to have, at some time, advised Blair or put words into his mouthing mouth. Hyman's rubbish was indeed cringe-worthy Sasha. That might explain the bizarre syntax of some Blair speeches!

But look at him now - Blair of Jerusalem; how are the mighty fallen.

WE GOT OURSELVES ANOTHER ONE.

JOHN WATSON SAYS DAVE DID NOT REPLY - DAVE HAS A COPY IN HIS FILES

Dave said to Parliament that he knew nothing adverse of Coulson when hired.
Watson said to Parliament that he wrote a warning letter, but got no reply.
Dave has found the reply in his files.

Need I expand?

IMHO Cameron decided to risk it with Coulson because Coulson could pick up the phone to NI knowing Rupe smiled down from on high on the ConDems, and tell his old mates there how No10 wants stories covered. Everyone is focussed on whether Cameron should have taken this risk - I'm much more interested in what Coulson got up to in his time @ No10. For Cameron to have decided to keep him, there simply HAD to be BIG upside in it for him - the question is, what?

PLEASE can we see a solid job done on analysing stories in NI papers to see whether there is "something rotten in the state of Denmark"? Was there a "back channel" out of No10? Spin doctors are renouned for their ability to walk the very fine line between communications and leaking - did Coulson toe this line?

Even the faintest hint of a foot wrong by Coulson would hole Cameron below the waterline - and given the number of disenchanted people @ NOTW and others coming out of the woodwork, a bit of solid analysis of coverage combined with some investigation seems to me to be firmly in the public interest.

Good grief, the ±«Óãtv are going to bring back the Test Card, so ±«Óãtv1 & ±«Óãtv2 will stop transmitting at 1am!

".....the head of risk management at Lehman Brothers, arguably the most egregious individual failure among the thousands of examples, was just appointed to a senior position at the World Bank."

Pithy stuff from John Quiggin, author of "Zombie Economics".



Barrie I'm sure will (rightly) see this as more evidence for "the age of perversity". And the general title of the blog should appeal to his poetic streak:

"OUT OF THE CROOKED TIMBER OF HUMANITY, NO STRAIGHT THING WAS EVER MADE"

It's a quotation from Kant, of which I was previously unaware.

FROM CAMERON TO KANT (philosopher) – IS BUT A SMALL STEP (#21)

Your gift appreciated Sasha! Kant is a name to conjure with: often pronounced 'Kaant' I believe; probably other variations . . .

Only yesterday I posted on the theme of the beam in Dave's eye; now I realise it is a CROOKED beam. That would bring on 'Wilful Blindness' no doubt.

IN THE KINGDOM OF THE PERVERSE, THE SOULLESS KANT IS KING.

BUT ALWAYS THE VISION OF '1984' AND THE 'TRUMAN SHOW’ MOCK US (#21 link 1)

"Living with in the lie". (Vaclav Havel.)
"The Emperor's new Clothes."
Etc.

Just like Cameron, WE ignore the warnings, given in story and allegory, down the ages. We allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep (bread and circuses) by psychopathic usurper/manipulators (erroneously termed 'leaders') WHO RARELY SLEEP, SUCH IS THEIR NEED AND DRIVE.

Thus it is that WE GET OURSELVES ANOTHER ONE.

Man is a device designed by an idiot, full of riot and rebellion - amounting to nothing. In HomSap, wisdom brings quiescence - only hotheads can defeat the police-state.
When the day is 'won', there is always a charismatic psychopath waiting . . .

Has anyone ever written a novel, in which a secret underground movement is dedicated to the psychological security of the young, and their maturity to fully competent individuals? Their aim is IMMUNITY TO DERANGED, CORRUPT GOVERNMENT. In the final chapter, Westminster finds out, labels them 'a Terror Cell' and exterminates the lot.

'you can hear more from Michael and David Grossman on the political events of the day later tonight.'

Well, most of them.

At least some, unlike, others, don't seem to have conveniently 'lost' their Marbles.

1. At 19:10 20th Jul 2011, barriesingleton
2. At 19:23 20th Jul 2011, brossen99
3. At 20:06 20th Jul 2011, Sasha Clarkson

And others. Kudos.

When the ±«Óãtv solemnly intones 'questions are being asked', without actually saying by whom exactly, save the odd 'source a'sayin', it's becoming clear the questions are only going to hit air and, along with answers, via the edit suite.

'18. At 09:24 21st Jul 2011,
Need I expand?

Prompted by what may exist beyond what one gets informed and educated about via the national broadcaster, a small surf gleans...





Some commentary is 'robust' in reply, but I commend those making the point that, in this shiny new media age, much beloved by Aunty, a complete fabrication can be out on twitter and round the world via a reporter's blog, before the verified facts have a chance of ever being noticed.

And for those, once they arrive, the edit suite stands ready with a lot of space on the cutting room floor. Moving on. A Robinson opens and shuts often within the working window of most licence fee payers.

For plurality champions, some have a very singular way of doing things.

@23 Barrie - you reminded me of two Greg Bear SF novels I read, 'Darwin's Radio' and Darwin's Children' The Wiki synopses aren't that good, but this gives an idea, without spoiling the conclusion:

ON A LIGHTER NOTE

I was arrested by James Murdoch's voice - I felt I knew it. Perhaps I was fooled by the vacuous content, but was I thinking of President Merkin Muffley?

Euro Politics
1) Mark did not mention that Germany's Constitutional Court is expected to rule in September if the current small scale bailouts are legal under German law. IE. Can the result of spending more than you earn be legally defined as a Natural Disaster under EU law.
2) Nor did he mention that both France and German election cycles have started. How to alienate voters , tell them they have to give money away to support a failing political aspiration of the elites.

Both these things add complications to any workable plan being agreed or implemented any time soon, hence the sticking plaster approach.

To save the Euro in a straight forward sense with all its current members , all countries would have to agree to making it a true debt and transfer union. Some estimates have been speculated on for a need of up to 3 trillion Euros to correct the mess , plus a staggering behavioural and productivity change in the weaker members economies forever more.

I wasn't quite clear if Mr Balls ruled out the UK playing a active roll in any Euro fix (bailout), he seemed to be suggesting that the UK should be at the heart of it , but seemed slightly vague on any commitments ?
But maybe like most politicians they are only resolute when in Brussels.

BTW . The single currency morphing into something else will not end the EU , but it might allow space for a reasoned debate over what the EUs (Super State) purpose was actually intended for.

Wednesday parliament debate.

I was interested to hear that the enquiry remit has been widened to include broadcasters and social media as well as print mediums, it also includes the plurality (anti monopoly) aspects of the market ?


#2 #4

Interesting. thanx for posting.

19 continued

I see that the good Laura Kuenssberg is broadly on this track - asking why Coulson didn't appear to have the full monty in terms of security clearance - how on earth can the No10 Dir of Comms do his job in relation to defence, security, anti-terrorism etc if he's not allowed to fully know what's going on?

This MUST be fully investigated - if Cameron/security didn't trust Coulson not to leak so only gave him limited security clearance, then this is a BIG issue - surely it adds up to Cameron taking someone into No10 who he knew couldn't be fully trusted - or is there something I'm missing? What fundamentally changed about the Comms Dir job for this government compared to all the others in recent history? - And how were the bits Coulson wouldn't be allowed to handle dealt with instead?

See The Grauiad:



From Bernard Ingham to Jonathan Powell & Alistair Campbell, as far as I know every Comms Dir had full security access - using the security services to carry out "developed vetting" as its known - i.e. checking much moe deeply into someone's background to see fo example if they are open to blackmail, etc. this is ESSENTIAL to ensure security is maintained to prevent state secrets getting out and was the custom & practce by all parties going back years.

An unchariable person might draw the following inferences:

1. Coulson "had form" from NOTW incident with the Royals.
2. Cameron wanted Coulson for his understanding of the proles and his direct line into NI.
3. When the coalition took power, Cameron wanted to transplant Coulson into No10, but someone like his CoS COULD then have spotted a potential problem - Coulson might well fail the "developed vetting" test, which also might turn up even more dirt and so make things even worse - so a real no no - no DV for him!
4. A decision could then have been taken to reclassifiy Coulson's role so that it didn't need "developed vetting", so he could come into No10 with basic clearance only - or it could simply be a coincidence - we do't know....
5. When it because clear that the brown stuff was going to hit the extractor over Minnie Dowler's phone tapping etc Coulson resigns, giving Cameron enough clear blue water to be able to claim that his work @ No10 was OK - and by inference, if there was anything else to come out prior to that, well, "Hiindsight is a wonderful thing, but he'd asked for assurances and must have been lied to if Coulson%

Mistress@20:
The ±«Óãtv test card transmission will be a picture of uncle Joe Stalin with a bust of Chairman Mao playing noughts and crosses no doubt.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

some of your posts who see commies under every bed, lefties under every blanket, anarchists under every cloud are.........secret reds, commies, fellow travellers, boys from the same brigade, only they can't come out yet!

go and play with your train set......you know who you are.....