Today I'm angry about.....

[boltonboris]

It seems to me that the Beeb, would simply back the favourites

[Raven]

I just object to paying for a licence for something I cannot really use...without a Sat Dish we can't get a decent picture, in fact BBC2, Channel 4 are unwatchable, and Five does not exist (not a great loss there).

[bobo the clown]

I hadn't meant this to become heavy, but, I did a little research to see if I was missing something.

This is a not particularly exhaustive list of examples of why Nick Robinson stands out as being pretty unusual. Some you'll have heard of, some you won't.

=============================

For the last 15 years or so, the BBC has had a declared Labour supporter/donor as either Chairman or Director General - or both.

The two key people in charge of the BBC's strategic direction in the run up to Labour's 1997 election victory have had very close links with Brown and Blair ; -

Ed Richards worked for Gordon Brown and was later to become BBC Controller of Corporate Strategy, and is now boss of OFCOM.

Bill Bush was Head of Political Research and Analysis at the BBC. Then became “Head of Research” for Tony Blair & later Special Adviser to New Labour culture minister Tessa Jowell. As Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Jowell and Bush were responsible for Government policy towards the BBC including renegotiating the licence fee.

John Birt BBC Director General 1992 - 2000
At the time of his appointment he was a paid up member of the Labour party.
A friend of Peter Mandelson since they worked together at LWT
He was appointed "Personal Strategic Adviser to Tony Blair".

Greg Dyke BBC Director General 2000-2004
A Labour donor and lifelong Labour activist. In 1977 he stood as a Labour candidate for the Greater London Council.

Gavin Davies BBC Chairman 2001 – 2004
a lifelong Labour party member and financial supporter. 1974 to 1979 he worked as an adviser to two Labour governments. 1992 to 1997 he was an adviser to the Chancellor Gordon Brown. Gavin Davies is a close personal friend of Brown and his wife, Sue Nye, is Brown's private secretary.

Sir Michael Lyons Current BBC Chairman
Before that he had been paid around £500,000 by the Government to carry out three studies for Chancellor Gordon Brown.
Prior to that he was a Labour local politician, sitting as a Labour councillor in several authorities and as Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council.

=================
Coming down the food chain a little ....

Ben Bradshaw MP - former Environment minister is a former BBC Radio 4 reporter.

Chris Bryant Labour MP for Rhondda, joined the Labour Party in 1966 and became a Party Agent in 1991. 1993 to 1998 he served as a Labour councillor in Hackney. In 1997 he stood unsuccessfully as a Labour candidate for Wycombe and then joined the BBC in 1998 as Head of European Affairs. In 2000 he was selected for the Rhondda seat and finally became an MP.

Celia Barlow - Labour MP for Hove and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Climate Change. Between 1983 and 1995 she was a BBC Westminster reporter and finally BBC Home News Editor. While she was at the BBC she was Secretary of Chelsea Constituency Labour Party, and later she became Chair.

Phil Woolas Labour MP for Oldham and Saddleworth. Till recently Minister for the Environment. Former President of the National Union of Students, joined the Labour Party at the age of 16. From 1988 - 1990 he was a producer on the BBC Newsnight Programme. He was then a trade union official before standing for Parliament in 1997.

James Purnell Labour MP Was Work and Pensions Minister. BBC Head of Corporate Planning before he became a Downing Street adviser in 1997. Prior to that he worked for the the Institute of Public Policy Research, the left wing think tank. While still a student, prior to the 1992 election, he worked as a researcher for Tony Blair.

Ed Richards BBC Controller of Corporate Strategy Controller of Corporate Strategy at the BBC until 1999. Before that he was an adviser to Gordon Brown. Left the BBC in 1999 to become Tony Blair's senior policy adviser on media, telecoms, internet and e-government. Policy Researcher at No 10 ahead of the 2002 general election, he was responsible for drawing up a key political strategy outlining a "vision of what Britain should be like at the end of a second Labour term". According to the Guardian, he is a quintessential New Labour man. While at Downing Street, he helped draft the act which established the broadcasting regulator OFCOM.
In 2006 he became chief executive of OFCOM, at a salary reported to be some £392,056 (including benefits and pension entitlement). OFCOM is responsible for adjudicating complaints against the BBC. Ed Richards has dismissed accusations of New Labour cronyism as "tittle tattle" (Harumph !)

Tom Kelly Ex BBC NI Head of News. Spent 16 years at the BBC in London and Northern Ireland. Political editor and later head of news at BBC Northern Ireland before becoming director of communications at the Northern Ireland Office shortly after New Labour came to power. In 2001 he became one of Tony Blair's official spokesmen.

Bill Bush Ex BBC Head of Political Research and Analysis. Ken Livingston's Chief of Staff and right hand man at the old "loony left" GLC. In 1990 he became Head of Political Research and Analysis at the BBC. Then became "Head of Research" for Tony Blair, and later took a position as Special Adviser to New Labour culture minister Tessa Jowell.
As Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Jowell and Bush were responsible for Government policy towards the BBC including renegotiating the licence fee. The Guardian said:- “Bill Bush, the head of the BBC's political research department, left to join the research unit at Number 10. This was a man who had access to the most sensitive information the BBC has on MPs, their parties and the government. His value to the Labour party can hardly be over-estimated"

Catherine Rimmer Ex BBC Political Research. Bill Bush's assistant at BBC Political Research. Also moved from the BBC's Millbank offices, which coordinates all political coverage, to Downing Street. The Spectator is reported to have said :-... (Bush) is also taking with him the deputy head of the BBC's political research unit, one Catherine Rimmer. In fact, you could say that the BBC's political research unit has turned out to be an invisible branch of the Labour party".

Geoff Mulgan BBC Reporter. According to John Harris in the Guardian - "When someone finally gets round to making the definitive New Labour movie they will have to base at least one character on Geoff Mulgan. "Between 1997 and 2004, Geoff had various roles in government including director of the government's strategy unit and head of policy in the Prime Minister's Office . . . Before that, founder and director of Demos, described by the Economist as the UK's most influential thinktank . . . chief adviser to Gordon.

Catriona Renton. Reporter for the BBC Politics Show and BBC Presenter. Former Glasgow Labour Councillor, who represented Kelvindale before losing her seat to the LibDems in 2003. She was “Glasgow’s Youth Tsar”. Went on to represent Labour in both the 2003 Holyrood elections and the 2004 European elections.
Recruited by BBC Scotland's parliamentary unit in 2006, where John Boothman, husband of Labour MSP and ex-Health Minister Susan Deacon, was a senior producer.

Lance Price, BBC Journalist 1981 – 1998 joined the BBC as a trainee journalist and worked there for 17 years. Left in 1998 to work as Alistair Campbell's assistant in Downing Street & in 2000 became the Labour Party's Director of Communications.

Tim Luckhurst. Scottish News Editor, Previously a Labour spin doctor

Sue Nye. Wife of Gavyn Davies, and has acted as Gordon Brown's political secretary.

Sarah Hunter. Held the broadcasting brief at No 10. She formerly worked in the BBC Policy Directorate and is also a veteran of the Channel 4 Policy Department. God-daughter of former Lord Chancellor Derry Irvine.

Andrew Marr, politics show on BBC TV and radio programmes, is a former editor and chief political commentator of the Independent. His wife is Jackie Ashley, daughter of Lord Ashley (ex Labour MP for Stoke) the Guardian political columnist, former BBC employee and cheerleader for Gordon Brown.

Michael Crick - Newsnight Political Editor. Labour activist and Labour prospective parliamentary candidate.

Martin Sixsmith. BBC Foreign Correspondent 1980 – 1997,joined the BBC in 1980 and worked as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Geneva, Moscow and Washington. Following the 1997 election he left the BBC to work for the Labour government as Director of Communications. Later Press Secretary to Labour Ministers Harriet Harman and Alistair Darling. After a brief period in the private sector, he returned to the government in 2001 as Director of Communications for the Department of Transport

=============================

I'll stop now. There are more ... many more examples. So ... I see your Nick Robinson and raise you this lot.

If I chose to think the BBC has, over 15+ years been infiltrated by New Labour thinking, and this irritates you, then my apologies.

[BWFC_Insane]

That doesn't make them biased anymore than it does having a Tory as their main political editor and commentator throughout an election.

Of course during a Labour period in charge there will be some researchers/producers etc who work for the BBC and support the government.

I still challenge anyone to find a news agency in this country who provide a more "neutral" position than the BBC!!!!!!

[Gary the Enfield]

That doesn't make them biased anymore than it does having a Tory as their main political editor and commentator throughout an election.

Of course during a Labour period in charge there will be some researchers/producers etc who work for the BBC and support the government.

I still challenge anyone to find a news agency in this country who provide a more "neutral" position than the BBC!!!!!!

But that wasn't the point. Independence osn't the same as neutral.

[BWFC_Insane]

That doesn't make them biased anymore than it does having a Tory as their main political editor and commentator throughout an election.

Of course during a Labour period in charge there will be some researchers/producers etc who work for the BBC and support the government.

I still challenge anyone to find a news agency in this country who provide a more "neutral" position than the BBC!!!!!!

But that wasn't the point. Independence osn't the same as neutral.

But you've already told us that you can't be independent if you're receiving a salary!

[thebish]

The BBC has always in my living memory had a preponderance of lefties working in it - I suspect this is not a grand conspiracy - but the fact that arty-types are more often lefties - who knows why!

and then - people know people - and so the bias is perpetuated.

as for the election coverage... I would FARRRRRRR rather have the BBC than FOX News.

I think the BBC does a very good job of being balanced in its coverage - I don't think they favour one party over another in any easily identifiable way.

Paxman will give Brown just as hard a time as he will Cameron...

(incidentally - Paxman is interviewing Cameron tonight on the BBC)

[Gary the Enfield]

That doesn't make them biased anymore than it does having a Tory as their main political editor and commentator throughout an election.

Of course during a Labour period in charge there will be some researchers/producers etc who work for the BBC and support the government.

I still challenge anyone to find a news agency in this country who provide a more "neutral" position than the BBC!!!!!!

But that wasn't the point. Independence osn't the same as neutral.

But you've already told us that you can't be independent if you're receiving a salary!

You said: We need a balance to those pesky independent broadcasters!

Then you changed your stance to neutral.

I was arguing that the beeb are not independent. Like all the rest. Neutrality is an entirely different subject and will cost you an extra tenner.

[bobo the clown]

Thats just the sort of shite that folk spout that irritates me.

Then we may just have to agree that my view irrates you and yours amazes me.

l&k's xxxx

You still haven't told me why this supposedly "labour" biased BBC would have Nick Robinson as their chief political editor!

That doesn't make them biased anymore than it does having a Tory as their main political editor and commentator throughout an election.

Of course during a Labour period in charge there will be some researchers/producers etc who work for the BBC and support the government.

I still challenge anyone to find a news agency in this country who provide a more "neutral" position than the BBC!!!!!!

I claim that the BEEB has an inbuilt & visable bias toward New Labour .... & you describe it as "the sort of shite folk spout" and then challenge me to show that having Nick Roberston doesn't prove that their coverage is leaning to the Tories.

I produce a list as long as your arm of examples of very senior BEEB people who have links to the Labour Party over an extended period of time .... and you reject it having any meaning.

In short, you're not willing to see the truth of something which doesn't suit you.

That's fine, it's natural .... but don't pretend it's not happening & don't ask for evidence of something & then pretend it's not there when it's shown to you.

If you said, yes, but this is a good thing ... or ... well THAT suits me so feck off ... OK, but don't eat your dinner & then claim never to be fed.

[dave1980]

I'm angry that there is politics clogging up the angry thread.

There is a politics thread for politics talk. One that I try to avoid!

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I don't really want to get too deeply into this debate, but can I just say that anyone putting forward Nick Robinson forward as strong evidence that the BBC is not biased towards New Labour really does not have a clue.

So he was a student Tory... so what - so was Ed Balls, for feck's sake.

There's no way the argument can be made based on Robinson's record in his current job.

[TANGODANCER]

Did the Politics Thread lose its way?

[Prufrock]

Right, away from Politics for a bit, and reminded by the Doctor Who discussion on t'other thread....right during the big epic climax to the show, the cliffhanger, "THere is one thing you never put in a trap if you are smart, if you value your continued existence. If you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever, put in a trap" "What's that?" "Me" *causes a big explosion.....title music*, an animated fecking Graham Norton advertising the Over the Rainbow thingy, which was on NEXT. Adverts between programmes for stuff on in the future I can deal with, adverts between programmes for what is on next drive me nuts, you're advertising what is on next, but if you weren't advertising it, it would be on NOW, and I could see that it was on, without wasting my time your time and every f*cker involveds time. A programme telling me what is on next right in the middle of what is on now is beyond stupid. Even if I did want to watch it, it'd be pointless, coz as soon as any good bits came on, you'd start telling me what came after them.


And....breathe.

[BWFC_Insane]

Right, away from Politics for a bit, and reminded by the Doctor Who discussion on t'other thread....right during the big epic climax to the show, the cliffhanger, "THere is one thing you never put in a trap if you are smart, if you value your continued existence. If you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there is one thing you never, ever, put in a trap" "What's that?" "Me" *causes a big explosion.....title music*, an animated fecking Graham Norton advertising the Over the Rainbow thingy, which was on NEXT. Adverts between programmes for stuff on in the future I can deal with, adverts between programmes for what is on next drive me nuts, you're advertising what is on next, but if you weren't advertising it, it would be on NOW, and I could see that it was on, without wasting my time your time and every f*cker involveds time. A programme telling me what is on next right in the middle of what is on now is beyond stupid. Even if I did want to watch it, it'd be pointless, coz as soon as any good bits came on, you'd start telling me what came after them.


And....breathe.

Pru and you can add to that programs that insist on repeating over and over and over again, what has happened before. MasterChef springs to mind, constantly recapping each bloody chef, in case you've never watched before, but you have and at least half the program is a recap!

[bobo the clown]

..... programs that insist on repeating over and over and over again, what has happened before.

MasterChef springs to mind, constantly recapping each bloody chef, in case you've never watched before, but you have and at least half the program is a recap!

See, we can agree on some things.

Yes, yes & 1,000 times, yes.

Jennie Fecking Bond has made a career out of this since she stopped bothering the Royal's. Yes, Jennie, I fecking know, you've told me 26 times THIS series and 48 times per year for the past 5 years, you pompous git.

[thebish]

the phasing on the traffic lights that meant that I was stopped at EVERY SINGLE traffic light on the A10 and the A406!!!

Aaaagghhhhh!!!

[KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab]

the phasing on the traffic lights that meant that I was stopped at EVERY SINGLE traffic light on the A10 and the A406!!!

Aaaagghhhhh!!!

Should have slowed down a little bit in between them, then. Or, indeed, sped up.

Although traffic lights who are phased so that one way has a minute of green light joy, and the other way gets ten seconds. It's not even like the one that gets a minute has longer queues than the ten second ones.

[thebish]

the phasing on the traffic lights that meant that I was stopped at EVERY SINGLE traffic light on the A10 and the A406!!!

Aaaagghhhhh!!!

Should have slowed down a little bit in between them, then. Or, indeed, sped up.

Although traffic lights who are phased so that one way has a minute of green light joy, and the other way gets ten seconds. It's not even like the one that gets a minute has longer queues than the ten second ones.

I sped up - as did another guy on a motorbike - and each time we weaved our way through the traffic to the front - but never made it through. meant we had time for about 20mins of conversation interrrupted by brief periods of bombing and braking! seemed like a nice bloke! (and his bike was way bigger than mine!)

[Winter Hill White]

. . . . the standardisation / anonymisation (is this a word?) of names of places. All the evocative and comforting real names are disappearing.

I want to stop at Forton Services, not Lancaster Services. "London Gateway Services"? F*ck off - it's Scratchwood Services.

Strangeways isn't allowed any more - it's HMP Manchester. "HMP Manchester, Here We Come" doesn't quite have the same Smithsonian ring to it, does it?
And no longer can you scale the wall at Parkhurst - you have to escape from HMP Isle of Wight.

What does it achieve? Changing the perfectly acceptable "Anderton" to "Bolton West" doesn't make it any less of a sh1thole. I'm not more or less likely to need to stop for a slash because it's called "Northampton Services" rather then "Rothersthorpe". I'm not suddenly going to stop nicking stuff from the Bullring because I'll be locked up in HMP Birmingham rather than Winson Green.

That's all.

[Prufrock]

Well, apart from Strangeways and Anderton, I've never even heard of all these wonderful old named places, and would have no idea where they were, now I'd be fairly confident, so I guess so people know where they is 'what they acheive' and I'd suggest that mightly a slightly more valuable attribute than nostalgia when it comes to place names....