Dear Winston
“I think you're a bit deluded George if you think the BBC is impartial”.
I think you are deluded if you think the SNP are on this issue too, can you tell me has there been a great public groundswell for a Scottish Six?
The answer is no!
Publicly, it is a non issue to voters.
“It offers no alternative voice to it's pro Union, pro EU, pro global warming being real nonsense etc...”.
To address that point, does the BBC not allow people like Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and other senior SNP figures to express their views?
And aren’t you aware that presenters are under a code of conduct not to show bias while on air, however Glenn Campbell is a complete asshole to be fair.
So, your complaint actually is that you don’t like the content of editorial decisions, if the SNP had responsibility for broadcasting, law would oblige it to not interfere, so that point doesn’t float with me.
“It's ideology means you only ever hear half of the argument because it doesn't think the alternative argument is valid”.
That is not true; you only have to watch programmes like Newsnight Scotland with Gordon Brewer to see that parties such as the SNP do get to put the alternative argument on a regular basis and effectively.
That is why in part that the SNP won the Holyrood 2011 election.
“Oh and you got the idea behind the Scottish 6 o'clock news wrong.
It was never about man buys dog in inverness. It was a world news programme and how this may effect Scotland. A bit like you would get in Luxembourg / bahrain etc where they do a world news programme and how it effects them”.
Let us be clear, this is the British Broadcasting Corporation, it has to reflect sensibilities of the United Kingdom.
“At the moment we get English health news, English justice news etc with some English cricket and some English football thrown in. Sometimes we get 15 seconds of Scottish football ( Rangers v Utd the other night on BBC One at 6 - I timed it )”.
How much English news does Reporting Scotland report in the nightly 30 minute bulletin? So, your issue has been addressed by the BBC as they allow regional programming to reflect local content.
“I'm honestly surprised if you haven't seen any of the splicing of Alex salmond to make him look bad. Ditto with John Swinney and even Ally Mcoist.
At least Rangers (a team I normally can't stand) had the cojones to tell the BBC to get lost. This impertinence has meant Rangers are now open season for BBC Scotland. Especially for the sweetie wives on Off the Ball etc”.
If a politician gets taken to task such as Alex Salmond, he can deal with it, he handles his interviews extremely well, because he is always well prepared. When was the last time the BBC got the better of him in an interview?
He floors them every time from what I have seen of his performances.
However, recently SNP list MSP Bob Doris went on Newsnight Scotland and got ass raped by Gordon Brewer who openly mocked him for trying to pass off subjective opinion as fact.
He thought he got the better of Jackie Baillie by waving his arms about and sounding like a complete loon.
Isn't the BBC entitled to take apart an arsehole even an SNP one?
Bob Doris shouldn’t be put in front of an audience; he is no Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon or Alex Neil.
And what is the deal of sticking his arms up in a tv interview and waving them about? Check him out on youtube sounds like a right wank on camera.
Doesn't he realise sticking both arms up is completely bad body language!
Also I don’t think your argument washes because there are programmes like Reporting Scotland and Newsnight Scotland coupled with other programming that tackles specific Scottish events and concerns.
When I listen to the news I want the news to reflect the content of the news itself, tacking on a Scottish dynamic really doesn’t matter.
The Scottish Six isn’t about creating a world news programme, it’s about shutting out England, its about division, its about control and manipulating the news to fit a purely Scottish agenda coming from Holyrood.
Independence is all about Scotland coming out as mature country to join the world nations, looking provincial and inward looking doesn’t achieve that.
I believe in Scottish independence; however that doesn’t mean because I am an SNP member and Glaswegian that I am blindly going to sign up to any old shite coming down the pipeline from the SNP and the Scottish Government.
In case you missed the news, the only two bills worth a toss by the SNP Government are the Scottish National Police Force Bill and the Scottish National Fire Service.
Both of those ideas were proposed by me on the 4th September 2010 at the SNP National Assembly in Perth.
Naturally, I had packed diet coke and ham sandwiches for the trip, a bit of news there on nutrition from a purely Scottish perspective.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
10 comments:
I wouldn't drink diet coke George. It has that aspartamin (sp ?) in it that converts to formaldehyde in your body ( cancer causing). It can cause palpitations and even cause grand mals ( seizures). Did you know that the company that 'discovered' and marketed it was run by Donald Rumsfield ?
But back to your reply.
Alex Salmond can run rings around the BBC like you say which is why they're forced to stand back and rethink their agenda.
They decided to just omit to mention anything that the SNP do that is popular or beneficial to Scotland. How can they be criticised for not saying anything ? Perfect.
Oh and of course the Newsnight Scotland formula is to do a pre interview with the SNP person then allow the Unionists to take the SNP view apart in the studio.
You don't want a Scottish 6 looking at the world from a Scottish perspective ? No problem. Although if we get independence you will have to suffer it. Other countries that got independence don't clamour to hear what health and justice and sports news is affecting other countries so I doubt if we will.
Here's the vid where the BBC spliced a smiling Ally to look like he was laughing about sectarianism...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-qBAyZifjo
Dear Winston
“I wouldn't drink diet coke George. It has that aspartamin (sp ?) in it that converts to formaldehyde in your body ( cancer causing). It can cause palpitations and even cause grand mals ( seizures). Did you know that the company that 'discovered' and marketed it was run by Donald Rumsfield ?”
Thank you for the tip and no I didn’t know Rumsfeld was involved.
“But back to your reply”.
Yes, lets go!
“Alex Salmond can run rings around the BBC like you say which is why they're forced to stand back and rethink their agenda”.
At this point I feel compelled to ask for proof, factual prove by way of internal BBC documents.
“They decided to just omit to mention anything that the SNP do that is popular or beneficial to Scotland. How can they be criticised for not saying anything ? Perfect”.
Sadly, I think you will find the world over that there is no news like bad news.
Rather like the joke about Hamish the sheepshagger.
“Oh and of course the Newsnight Scotland formula is to do a pre interview with the SNP person then allow the Unionists to take the SNP view apart in the studio”.
I have seen this but by the same token usually a Government minister from whatever party comes on states the government position then we have the discussion, I believe that was the same format used under Labour/Lib Dem Exec and this could be easily solved by the SNP saying that they don’t wish a separate slot.
“You don't want a Scottish 6 looking at the world from a Scottish perspective ? No problem”.
I want news to reflect what the news content is, sticking in an angle is not necessary, if it was an Afghanistan war story what does the Scottish perspective have to do with it? Other than the SNP piping up and saying they don’t support foreign wars which we already know, it is a waste of time having that trotted out when we already know they are anti.
“Although if we get independence you will have to suffer it”.
Does that mean that the Scottish Government plans control of the media? Or are you saying that the BBC will have to dance to a Scottish jog because broadcasting will then be devolved back to Scotland?
Is the SNP proposing a Scottish Broadcasting Corporation or does it think that the BBC will simply hand over its assets?
“Other countries that got independence don't clamour to hear what health and justice and sports news is affecting other countries so I doubt if we will”.
Didn’t Kenny MacAskill scream long and long over Cadder and how he wanted to bring Scotland into line with England? Apparently he did, so there is interest in what happens in other countries, however the vast number of Scots don’t want to hear about English cricket results I grant you.
“Here's the vid where the BBC spliced a smiling Ally to look like he was laughing about sectarianism...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-qBAyZifjo”
All that you can take from that is that it was bad journalism, it doesn’t highlight your point because you cannot substantiate the reason for the way it was put together. Was it put together by a Scottish person, was it put together by someone who doesn’t like football, was it put together by someone who doesn’t Ally McCoist, was it put together by someone who doesn’t like Rangers?
And on and on and such like!
That video doesn’t prove your case.
If we are going to put the BBC in ‘the dock’ then I want more proof that Alex Salmond getting bounced out of a freebie at a rugby game, I would be as upset as he was, it is a great day out, chance to enjoy himself and have a break, plus impressive the free grub and drinks thrown in.
And I am sure he was looking forward to it because if his experience is in any way is like mine in the Scottish National Party, then having a break away from dealing with pricks is too good a chance to be passed up.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Stopped watching telly years especially BBC Scotland news as I have no interest in the old firms domination of that program coupled with Mrs Mcginty's cat stuck up a tree again and again.
An interesting blog to read.
Skating on thin Ice
This is quite an unusual situation for me George.
Defending the SNP against an SNP man lol
I've never been in a political party and usually vote for independent candidates.
I don't understand why you can't see that a country should have it's own broadcaster. Would France allow it's broadcasting to be run by Germany ?
Scotland pays in about £400m a year in tv tax and gets back a tiny speck of this amount in Scottish broadcasting. The BBC will go around the world to cover the Delhi Games but would never cover the Glasgow Games.
The £400m tv tax would easily provide a good service for Scotland. Complemented by Sky, RTL etc. Or better still, all subscription. I'm happy for the BBC to go away or give us pay per view. STV provides a perfectly good news service and would be able to offer a world news service if the BBC left the field.
I did an unscientific review of the nations 10pm BBC news George. The one you think is perfectly adequate.
In the running order presented by the BBC.
10 mins - Capello and other English football news
3 mins - Syria ( it's all Russia and China's fault apparently)
30 secs - NOTW hacking inquiry
4 mins - new English health reforms
3 mins - RBS very bad
3 mins - new English back to work programme
2 mins - Russian Banksy painter
Would it not be better if Scotland got an episode of 'Fools and Horses or something George ?
A half hour wasted.
George.
Here's a good article from Newsnet Scotland that has the BBC splicing videos of Ally and the First Minister to put them in a bad light for political reasons...
http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-news/3445-rangers-withdraw-cooperation-with-bbc-over-inaccurate-reporting.html
Dear Winston
I sometimes comment on Newsnet Scotland, however not as often as I wish, the reason is that it is too bias and the people who run don't wish to make themselves known.
I therefore think that Newsnet is an SNP front, because by claiming to be wanting to make people aware of the 'full picture', they deliberately steer away from stories were the SNP are wrong.
That in my opinion has lost them a lot of credibility.
I highlight the good things the SNP has done but also the bad because it is important that the SNP don't turn into a party of sycophants as Ken Macintosh stated yesterday regarding Alex Salmond's backbenchers.
And to be fair to Macintosh, he is correct up to a point regarding the 'nodding dug' culture in the SNP.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
Dear Winston
I accept the Ally McCoist story was badly handled by the BBC.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George.
I agree with your view about 'Newsnet Scotland' . I only gave you the link as they did a good report on the BBC bias story.
And it gives the opposite view to the Unionist media. I noticed that alternative views aren't welcome in their comments though ;)
There's a 'Scottish Times' coming out which seems to be in the same vein.
Dear Winston
Newsnet Scotland started and I had high hopes, however, it has quickly went downhill.
They have effectively destroyed their own credibility by only highlighting Labour's faults and ignoring SNP mistakes.
It is so bias now that tunnel vision has set in, I see it as just a SNP front, they probably see themselves as being clever.
A news organisation whose owners don't want their names to be known!
But seem well connected to the SNP.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
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