I would say that this news was unbelievable but bearing in mind the BBC's incessant pro-Labour bias...

I would say that this news was unbelievable but bearing in mind the BBC's incessant pro-Labour bias, maybe not...

The Telegraph reports that:

'Ed Miliband was in a relationship with a senior BBC economics journalist while working at the Treasury, it has emerged after his wife admitted being "furious" about the "secret" romance.

Mr Miliband was still seeing Stephanie Flanders, who at the time covered economics for BBC Newsnight, until as late as March 2004, years later than previously thought.

At the time he was a special adviser to Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.'

The BBC of course won't confirm or deny the story:

'A BBC spokesman declined to say if Miss Flanders had informed the corporation at the time of her relationship with Mr Miliband, saying: "We wouldn't comment on former staff members personnel details."'

The BBC acts as the Labour Party's propaganda arm, and there's not much we can do about it.
The BBC will win the election for the Labour Party, and there's not much we can do about it.

The BBC are utterly shameless

I hear that the BBC have replaced Stephanie Flanders, former girlfriend of both Labour leader Ed Miliband and Labour's Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, with the TUC’s senior economist Duncan Weldon. He previously worked for the labour party, was a Labour candidate in 2010, has written for several Labour blogs (including LabourList and Owen Jones and UNITE's CLASS think tank.

How can anyone think it right that such a person be appointed as the economics expert on the BBC's flagship news and current affairs programme at any time, let alone just over a year before a general election?

Have the BBC heard of unbiased reporting or do they not feel they even need to pretend to be unbiased anymore?

Will the Conservatives do anything other than quietly express disquiet? I doubt it, they are too scared of the BBC's reach and power.The BBC is out of control, for some time it has not been an unbiased news reporting organisation but an organisation campaigning for left-wing causes. Increasingly it now functions as the propaganda arm of the Labour Party in the UK, the Democrats in the USA and radical Islam around the globe.


Update: I learn that Duncan Weldon was also the economic adviser to Harriet Harman when she was acting leader of the Labour Party.


Oh come off it, seriously BBC?

Can you spot the missing fact about the BBC's Stephanie Flanders?

The BBC report  sadly that

The BBC's economics editor Stephanie Flanders is leaving the BBC to join JP Morgan Asset Management.

In the rather lengthy potted biography the BBC found no room to report the fact that Stephanie Flanders has the rather unfortunate  distinction of having 'dated' both the leader of the Labour Party, Ed Miliband, and the Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls.

Now why would the BBC not want to remind the British public that their economics editor had dated the two most senior Labour politicians? 

Please watch this video Ed Balls. Ed Miliband, Stephanie Flanders and anyone else in the Labour/BBC cabal who believe that raising taxes is the answer to raising tax revenue

The Laffer Curve explained so even an idiot could understand it.

Now the two Eds are alledly highly intelligent men, despite much evidence to the contrary. Whilst Stephanie Flanders is supposedly a highly intelligent woman, albeit historically in two cases with terrible taste in boyfriends. So please try and grasp what is in this video. Oh and where do you think the 'hump on the Laffer curve is?

Finally someone takes the fight to the BBC's Stephanie '2 Eds' Flanders

The Mail reports that:

'A major row erupted after a Cabinet Minister accused BBC Economics Editor Stephanie Flanders of showing a pro-Labour bias by undermining the Government’s jobs claims. Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has made a formal complaint to the BBC about its ‘carping and moaning’. He singled out Ms Flanders over her coverage of figures that showed unemployment and welfare handouts are falling in spite of the slump. In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, he claimed that the BBC backs the economic stance of Labour leader Ed Miliband and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls and seizes every chance to ‘dump on the Government’. And he accused influential Ms Flanders of ‘pouring cold water’ over the rise in employment and ‘peeing all over’ British business. He said the BBC had ‘set up’ an interview with a self-employed nurse who agreed when Ms Flanders suggested that she was among the ‘hidden unemployed’. Last week’s recession-defying leap in jobs in the three months to June surprised experts. Mr Duncan Smith claimed it was evidence that Government policies are working. He was furious when Ms Flanders questioned the figures in the BBC Six O’Clock and Ten O’Clock TV news on Wednesday – and did not screen an interview with him proclaiming the Coalition’s success. On screen, she said: ‘Britain’s jobs numbers are a puzzle which keeps getting harder to solve. Of course it’s good news .  .  . but it is not necessarily good news for us or the Chancellor if we are needing more people as a country to make less stuff.’ Ms Flanders claimed ‘hidden unemployment’ could be ‘lurking behind the statistics’. She interviewed nurse Jacqui Connell, who was made redundant last year and is now self-employed, taking her off the dole register. Ms Connell agreed: ‘I do think I’m a hidden figure.’ Ms Flanders added that ‘many in the City’ expected dole queues to rise over the coming months.'

The Mail report the BBC's defence, which is what you would expect. The Mail also report some background on Stephanie Flanders:

'Ms Flanders, 44, is the daughter of British actor and comic singer Michael Flanders, of Flanders and Swann fame. She attended the fee-paying St Paul’s Girls’ School in London and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford. She lives with long-term partner John Arlidge and their two children in a £1 million West London home.'

Oddly they omit some rather relevant information about Stephanie Flanders' background. Some information that I have reported before:

'Stephanie Flanders earned her nickname as Wikipedia delicately put it 'She previously dated Ed Balls and Ed Miliband who went on to become Shadow Chancellor and leader of the Labour Party respectively.' What is less well known about the BBC's economics editor is that she also worked as a speechwriter and adviser to the U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers in 1997. You will not be surprised to learn that Mr Summers was the United States Secretary of the Treasury for Bill Clinton. So in summary Stephanie Flanders previously dated two men who went on to be the two leading figures in the Labour party and then went on to work for a US Democrat administration.'

As I blogged only last week:

'I am not saying that Stephanie Flanders is biased in favour of the British Labour party and against the British Conservative party. I am not saying that Stephanie Flanders is biased in favour of the US Democrat party and against the US Republican party. Many would say that she is guilty of both these types of bias, what do you think? However I do think that the BBC, if they insist on presenting Stephanie Flanders as their unbiased economics editor should at least subtitle her reports with a health warning as to her background.'

Mrs NotaSheep's innocent question

One evening recently Mrs NotaSheep and I were watching the BBC 10 o'clock BBC news where Stephanie Flanders was giving her opinion on something or other. I asked Mrs NotaSheep if she knew what Stephanie Flanders' nickname was, she said no. I told her it was Stephanie '2 Eds' Flanders, did she know why? She didn't. I did explain why but it struck me that there must be many other people watching the BBC's 'unbiased by charter' news who do not know the back-story of one of the BBC's leading journalists.

Stephanie Flanders earned her nickname as Wikipedia delicately put it

'She previously dated Ed Balls and Ed Miliband who went on to become Shadow Chancellor and leader of the Labour Party respectively.'

What is less well known about the BBC's economics editor is that she also worked as a speechwriter and adviser to the U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers in 1997. You will not be surprised to learn that Mr Summers was the United States Secretary of the Treasury for Bill Clinton.

So in summary Stephanie Flanders previously dated two men who went on to be the two leading figures in the Labour party and then went on to work for a US Democrat administration.

I am not saying that Stephanie Flanders is biased in favour of the British Labour party and against the British Conservative party. I am not saying that Stephanie Flanders is biased in favour of the US Democrat party and against the US Republican party. Many would say that she is guilty of both these types of bias, what do you think? However I do think that the BBC, if they insist on presenting Stephanie Flanders as their unbiased economics editor should at least subtitle her reports with a health warning as to her background.

I suppose working for the BBC you need to be 'special'

Guido Fawkes reports that the BBC's Stephanie Flanders, the BBC economics editor, tweeted yesterday:

'Just tried to vote. My polling station, in Hammersmith, had closed two hours early. Has anyone else had same problem?'

Fortunately that St Paul's Girls' School, Balliol College, Oxford and Harvard University education was not entirely wasted as she soon corrected herself:

'My democratic outrage is now in abeyance. Apparently all stations closed because, er, today isn't Thursday. Clearly I need an early night.'

Should we expect any better from a senior BBC journalist? How about from one who has the unenviable history of having dated both Ed Balls and Ed Miliband?

If a conservative politician or right-wing commentator had made such a mistake the BBC would be all over this story but as it shows one of their own up, I predict somewhat less coverage.

The incestuousess of the BBC and Labour

Stephanie Flanders' previous dalliances with Labour's Ed Balls and Ed Miliband are not that well known to the general public, even if readers of this blog do know. I was however shocked to read that the Labour/media links do not end there:

'After a sound montage of Ed's leadership, we got the views of Patrick Wintour of the Guardian (inevitably) and Jenni Russell of the Sunday Times. Jenni Russell was surprisingly nice about Ed. Googling her, it turns out that there's a good reason for that - Ed Miliband is her child's godfather!'

Thanks to Craig at Biased-BBC for that info.

The unbiased BBC - Stephanie Flanders

The Mail report some interesting news that

'... the Corporation’s economics editor Stephanie Flanders... not only... dated the new Labour leader Ed Miliband, but also the Shadow Home Secretary Ed Balls.'

The Mail article concludes thus:

'The BBC last night declined to comment, but senior executives are known to be worried that the revelations about the relationships will fuel concerns over Left-wing bias within the Corporation.'

'worried', 'concerns over Left-wing bias' - I cannot see why!

I do also have some worries about the taste of a woman who could have dated both Ed Balls and Ed Miliband. What first attracted her to Ed Balls? Was it his sense of humour and dress sense?

Too much news, not enough time

Here are some links to articles that I wanted to discuss yesterday but ran out of time:

Max Hastings explaining 'Why I fear the lights will go out in Britain' - He's right and I have blogged about this before.

The Mail with more on Peter Mandelson, Oleg Deripaska, Nat Rothschild, Aluminium, Alcoa, the loss of British jobs and questions about Peter Mandelson's role - It's a potentially explosive story but I doubt it will be allowed to gain traction.

The new government have killed the unnecessary and unloved HIPS (Home Information Packs), well done Eric Pickles - I did want to explain how HIPS were the bastard child of the EU, John Prescott and Yvette Cooper and just how bad an idea they were. Instead take a read of Samizdata's piece.

The BBC's Stephanie Flanders explains how Germany is really to blame gor Greece's economic woes:

'Whenever Germany tells you how much the Greeks are costing them, remember this: German exports to Greece have risen by 133% since the single currency started. Greek exports to Germany have risen by 13%. The resulting trade gap between the two countries is one reason why German banks are now sitting on so much Greek debt.'

If only I had time to fisk that article.

'Saint' Vince Cable?

Andrew Neil and Stephanie Flanders point out that Vince Cable is not the paragon of consistency that he claims and the line that the BBC normally push.



Thanks to Guido for the video.

Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's economics editor, speaks the truth about Labour slurs - Peter Mandelson will not be happy

I fear for Stephanie Flanders, the BBC's economics editor, after this piece. Stephanie Flanders analyses Labour's claims of there being a Conservatives' 'credibility gap' or "Credibility Deficit" on tax and spending and finds the claims don't add up.

'Back in January, Labour said there was a £33.8bn hole in the Conservatives' plans. Now it's fallen to £22.2bn - suggesting a 34% rise in credibiliy. But, to coin a phrase, Labour's numbers really don't add up.'

Here are a few examples that Stephanie Flanders has found, do read the whole article for more:

'Back in January, Labour said Mr Osborne had promised to reverse the new 50p rate of income tax, at a cost £2.4bn. Now that's gone from the list entirely. It's not clear whether Labour thinks they "broke" that promise or not.

...

Once again, the tax cut for married couples is listed at £4.9bn, which would be the cost of the change proposed some time ago by Iain Duncan Smith.

But the Conservatives have now made clear they will be recognising marriage on the cheap. It won't cost nothing. But it could cost less than £1bn.

You can call that derisory. You can say it's an empty promise. But you cannot then also say they've committed to spend nearly £5bn on it.

...

once again, Labour can't have it both ways. You can't claim the cost-cutting will have a devastating effect on public services and the economy - but somehow, with all that, not raise any cash.'

The key part of Stephanie Flanders' article and the one that I am surprise to see on a BBC blog is this:

'The Conservatives have at least given us a number by which to measure whether those savings happen. That is more than Labour has done.

And a party that has yet to account for two thirds of the £35bn in efficiency savings promised between 2008 and the end of this financial year (April 2010) isn't really in a position to lecture the Conservatives on their lack of detail.'

These are very good and fair points and ones that other BBC journalists would do well to bear in mind the next time they allow Peter Mandelson airspace to make his accusations.