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Thursday 13 November 2008

Baby P and PMQs

I was disgusted by Gordon Brown's attitude at PMQs yesterday when asked a reasonable non-partisan question by David Cameron. However I was more disgusted by the BBC studio "analysis" that followed. John Cruddas sounded the right note and paid for it by being misquoted for some hours by the BBC, you can read my evidence for that here,Charles Kennedy sounded reasonable and made a great deal of sense, there was no representative of the Conservative party on the panel but there was the BBC's Nick Robinson to give his unbiased opinion. Watch the video here of PMQs and the following discussion and see what you thin of the contributions of the three panellists. For myself I see Nick Robinson telling us what the Labour party backbenchers were expecting and misrepresenting the Bank of England's views and David Cameron's motives. I also see Nick Robinson spinning like mad about David Cameron's motives over sticking with the Baby P story rather than the economy, despite Andrew Neill's pointing out that the economy is hardly all good news for Gordon Brown.

Some comments from Nick Robinson's blog are worth repeating here, from people who like me have had enough of Nick Robinson's pro-Brown bias:

"Once again, Nick Robinson has done himself few favours with both his words here and comments on television yesterday. His attempts on The Daily Politics, tenuously, I believe, to undermine Cameron are transparent and reprehensible. It isn't the first time is it though recently?"

"221. At 10:39am on 13 Nov 2008, ArtillerySarge wrote:

This blog is turning into a form of Orwellian cencorship. Your level of doublethink and support of the incumbant government is a disgrace.

Some form of realism about the financial straits we are in would be welcome. I think that the electorate would have been perfectly happy to have heard a debate on the state of the economy yesterday. You seem to think that Brown would do well in such a debate because he has "experience" and because BoE stated that the proposal for a Fiscal stimulus (ie increased state debt) was a good idea.

What I would like to hear is a debate on why we are in this mess. It is simply because of the lies this government has told and perpetuates.

We have has 7-8 years of illusory growth. Fuelled by cheap money, massively increased private debt, hideous public debt figures (esp. if you include PFI, unfunded public pensions), hidden worklessness (Incapacity benefits, students sent on pointless degrees to keep them off the rolls), and a bloating of public sector non-jobs.

The electorate are not going to thank Brown for this legacy. The passengers don't thank the bus driver after he drove the bus over the edge of a cliff.

This goverment has a left an economic disaster and its legacy will be one remembered for its lies and incompetence."

"229. At 11:00am on 13 Nov 2008, gthebounceranddavincimaster wrote:

May I suggest Nick that you have misread the events at PMQs and it is in fact GB who looks out of touch and in a bad light. However you view this, Gordon doesn't have the empathy or charisma for anything other than interest rates and GDP.

Cameron's question and piece in the Evening Standard was perfectly reasonable. It was Gordon who tried to interpret that it was political, and I would hope no MP would try to make cheap political points out of such terrible events. No wonder we believe MPs to be below estate agents and journalists in terms of trustability.

Also Nick, please try to just report the news, not interpret. We are all capable of interpreting and don't really need to be told by you what we ought to be thinking.

Finally, how about discussing the second defeat in the Lords on a terror issue in a month? That would certainly be an interesting debate on where the government policy is.
Or even further discussion of Mandelson and that chap from Russia"

"231. At 11:03am on 13 Nov 2008, greyRustyJ wrote:

Nick, you are beneath contempt as is Brown. Perhaps you will bother to read the fury directed at both you and Brown. Even Cruddas had to admit Brown had made an embarrasing mess of his reply. Brown of course cannot see it as he is so deluded thinking he is the saviour of the world (as are you apparently). He will never agree with anything Cameron says and is not fit to govern this country, he is a total embarrasment. Similarly your obvious contempt of everything tory is a disgrace and you should be looking for a job with the Labour party as you are as deluded as they are."

"240. At 11:17am on 13 Nov 2008, Cardiffopinion wrote:

'Tone deaf'? - more like graceless.
I think that Gordon Brown has siezed on the economy as a lifeline and he was completely thrown when Cameron did not lead with that.

He's completely lacking in any form of empathy and really only wants to tell you what he thinks. What you think is completely irrelevant in his world. Thats not a leader - thats a dictator.

I don't think Cameron did himself any favours by loosing his temper but when faced with the lack of grace displayed by our Prime Minister you can sort of understand it.

What was the icing on the cake is that he asked for an independant inquiry, Brown would not concede Cameron was right to ask and then a couple of hours later, one is announced.. Joined up government - lol ! "

"242. At 11:19am on 13 Nov 2008, stevesffox wrote:

Mr Robinson,

I have never posted before, despite the fact that, like many others I have followed yours blogs for some time.

However, yesterday I was very angry at the way you reported the exchange at PMQ's and feel you completely misread the situation. Nevertheless I let it go by.

This morning though, I was simply incredulous to read your latest blog, which seems to try to justify your previous stance - which seems to have attracted only criticism - and also appears to try to heap more implied critcism onto David Cameron.

I voted Labour in 1997 and 2001 and didn't vote at all last time around. For some time now it has been clear to me that Labour have been making a mess of the economy and since he became PM Gordon Brown has failed to impress me.

David Cameron, I felt, came through the exchange with Gordon Brown yesterday with 100 times the integrity of his opponent. His very real anger simply matched the flash of anger I felt myself at Gordon Brown's attitude during the exchange - and frankly Nick, I find it scandalous for you to seemingly try to spin this any other way.

I will be looking forward to an opportunity to vote out this government. In the meantime please have a long hard look at how the BBC is reporting recent events. I'm not going to make an overt allegation of bias but in my opinion the BBC has recently seemed to look to play down any criticism of the government and tried to flip things onto the tories - even when there appears to be no logic there at all.

Please try to stick to reporting the facts and get a bit of balance back."



Most pertinent was this message which I wish I had written:

"244. At 11:22am on 13 Nov 2008, adam1516 wrote:

It seems to me that Robinson is trying to set the agenda for the news - at any cost.

Remember after the Glenrothes by-election? He specifically said "it confirms OUR narrative that there is a sustained Brown Bounce" - a phrase I believe invented by Robinson, and propogated by the BBC ever since.

Now, to keep this story alight, there has been, in my view, a systematic and concerted attempt by the BBC to -

1. Stop any credible and objective scrutiny of Brown and his policies - similar to "multi-culturalism" and global warming

2. Cherry pick news which only shows the Conservatives in a negative light - for example, their approach to the economy, the Osborne affair

3. Attempt a thinly disguised character assassination of David Cameron

Robinson gave it away when he said Cameron was pleased to keep the economy out of PMQs - in other words, the BBC natural assumption falls onto the government line.

The BBC have been waiting for a long time to unleash their venom against the Torys, and sadly, it seems to be working."



As I wrote a few days ago:
"I predicted not long ago that the BBC pro-Labour bias would be ramped up in the run up to the general election. The BBC are so "in the bag" for Labour that they have no alternative but to keep going. If the Conservative party manage to defeat Labour and the BBC at the next election then I suggest that they conduct an investigation into political bias at the BBC since 1990 (20 years) and force disciplinary action for breaking the BBC charter against all found to have exhibited bias. I suggest Norman Tebbit as the man to lead the investigation, maybe backed up by Richard Littlejohn. Perhaps when James Naughtie, John Humphrys, Peter Allen, Victoria Derbyshire etc. are sacked and replaced by unbiased journalists and presenters we will have a BBC worth paying the licence fee for."

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