CoffeeHousers' Wall, 17 November - 23 November

Desperate Housewife, Devon.

Since the early days of the Blair govnt I and thousands like me have been shouting to the rooftops that we should be hyper-critical of G Brown and all his works, and that the Tories shld have been pushing the moral and economic case for Tax Cuts and a much smaller public sector. M Ps wouldn't listen. The Party leadership wouldn't listen. The press listened, but now we have been outflanked. WAKE UP Cameron & Co and start attacking. You all look like a lot of wimps.

Nick Harrington

Sticking with the theme of very real BBC bias, what should be the Tory strategy to manage and counter their appalling lack of impartiality? Absolutely fine with DC, GO et al being rigorously interviewed provided the same robust interview is done with Dr. Gordon, Mr Brown, Badger etc. This simply is not the case. You could almost pity (almost I said) Nick Robinson being required to pedal the Brown as the Worlds' Saviour Line if it wasn't so blatently untrue. No mention in the NYT for GB at the G20!

Whle I disagree with DC only suggesting a slight slice from the license fee - I want radical change or closure - what choice do the Tories have? If they propose wholesale restructure of the BBC to provide genuine unbiased reporting, will we get any better treatment? To deliver this fair and unbiased national broadcast we know that Naughtie, Marr, Dimbleby, Paxman and Pesto must go, and soon.

Should the Tory rank and file refuse to pay the TV tax until our perspective & messaage gets a look-in?

Whether we face a Spring '09 election or May '10, the BBC are not providing a fair & level broadcasting service. That's what we're supposed to be getting in return for the License Fee.

(Now found the correct Wall Week)

Hereford

Nick et al: Please see the following link. You do not need a licence as long as you receive programmes via the internet. ITV and Channel 4 also have internet based programme coverage.

Stop paying the licence fee. Starve the BBC of its funding and still watch the programmes you want to watch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/01/iplayer_does_not_require_a_tv_1.html

Nick Stonier

Did anyone see the dreadful "Oceans" last week? It seems that dumbing down has now reached even the Natural History Unit, once the last redoubt of serious programming.

Rex Burr

I am happy to pay the BBC licence fee for the opportunity to receive radio and television programmes without commercials.
For example, ‘Little Dorrit’ would be damaged by the inclusion of adverts for toilet cleaners or car insurance or any other of the multitude of mundane accoutrements of modern life.
When I do watch a programme on a commercial channel I have developed the habit of switching to BBC News 24 for the period of the adverts. It makes you realise how long and frequent the advert breaks are.
I never watch sport but it is well known that those who do would rather watch without commercials.
I accept that the BBC organisation could do with a financial reality check but any party in government that bought an end to commercial free radio and television would never again receive my vote.
Don’t tell the authorities, but I would be prepared to pay the current licence fee for just radios 2,3 and 4. (Although there is too much modern rubbish on radio 3)

Max Kaye

Rex Burr writes:

"Don’t tell the authorities, but I would be prepared to pay the current licence fee for just radios 2,3 and 4. (Although there is too much modern rubbish on radio 3"

I agree - on the condition that the BBC broadcasts only Radios 2,3 and 4 (and BBC 2).

The Masked Marvel

Nick Harrington:

You might be interested in this blog: Biased BBC

Milton's Goat

The Tories epiphany:

From off the tossing of these fiery waves,
There let us rest can harbour there,
And reassembling our afflicted powers,
Consult how we may henceforth most offend our enemey, our own loss how repair,
How overcome this dioherria'd calamity of a party.

Somewhere in Foy:

Thus Mandleson talking to his nearest mate (Campbell),
With head uplift above the wave, and eyes
That sparkling blazed, his other parts besides
Prone on the flood - of spin and mud and scandal hence.

Herbert Thornton

The recent international financial summit makes me ask - do any of these people involved in the summit really grasp the situation and what needs to be done about it, or is every one of them utterly confused? I think they're all utterly confused.

So what is going to happen next? Does President Bush know what to do? Does Congress know what to do? Does Barack Obama know what to do? Will Congress know what to do after Obama's inauguration? No doubt they'll do something, but will it work?

I haven't the faintest idea. The only forecast that I'd venture is that nobody will agree on what to do until after Bush's Presidency expires. In the meantime, the U.S. car makers - G.M., Ford and Chrysler will fall deeper into the hole. As for Britain, I have the ominous feeling that the general financial situation is far worse than in the U.S.

Anybody agree?

Verity

Yes, Herbert Thornton. Me.

And I also think this will be used - the fall in the pound - to try to hammer the euro into Britain. In which case, Britain would be finished as a nation and Europe, after all these centuries would have won.

Anthony

Just a little update on the government’s poisonous section 106 agreements.

This is the bit of law that means all new housing developments must be ‘mixed communities’.

That is government code for: ‘If you work to pay a mortgage we’re going to punish you. Once by taxing your wages to pay for other people’s housing benefit, jobseekers’ allowance, council tax benefit, child benefit, child tax credits and all the other benefits they get and then punish you again by making you live next door to these people by making it the law that all new private home developments include some affordable housing [often council housing]’.

As discussed here on this old CoffeeHousers' Wall, 29 September - 5 October,

www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2183006/coffeehousers-wall-29-september -5-october.thtml

in the worst case scenario, not only do you move into an area to find out you’re living next to a Vicky Pollard and pay for her to sit on her backside all day, you will, if you have negative equity, see the value of your house plummet too. You really are a loser.

It’s not a myth.

What really sickens me is the way the press seem to pay so little attention to this.

Today’s Daily Mail carries a distraught letter (page 58) from a mother whose daughter has walked straight into this trap.

The letters page is not online, so here it is:

BENEFITS OF UNEMPLOYMENT

“My daughter and her fiancé recently bought their first home on a new development [those last two words are how we know they’ve been the victim of section 106].

“They have a small two-bedroom house and had to take out a large mortgage to buy it.

“Both have good jobs and work very hard to pay the mortgage, and, at the moment, they are worried that they are in negative equity.

“Having children seems our of the question as they will both have to work to pay their way.

“The two houses next to them are social housing [council housing is now known as social housing because the government knows how tainted the term council housing is - it’s called spin].

“Both are occupied by supposedly single mothers in their early 20s. Each has two children and are claiming income support and housing benefit.

“One of these girls is pregnant again and has been telling my daughter she’s glad because she’ll now be given a three bedroom house.

“Both have boyfriends who seem to be living with them – so they’re not single parents.

“I get so angry when I visit my daughter. She works very hard in a stressful job.

“These two girls next door have been rewarded for being irresponsible and given these houses at no cost to them.

“No wonder the country is in such a mess. No wonder Britain has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in Europe.

“And the way they see it, why go to work when you can be irresponsible and get everything for nothing.

“When will the Government wake up to what is going on all over the country. Or does it prefer to turn a blind eye?”

Mrs Jane Warne, Gravesend, Kent

The last sentence of course shows just how well the government has managed to hide this policy.

There is, of course, nothing of the “blind eye” about it.

As is do often with Labour, what looks like casual neglect is in fact, quite deliberate.

This was a social engineering policy deliberately drawn up to make middle class hard-working families live among life’s scum to try to cut crime rates and so on.

If the British Press was doing its job we would all know this. None of us would be under the delusion that this was down to a “blind eye”.

Verity

Anthony - Thanks. But why are the British so passive? Why are they so easily bullied? Why do they allow the government to wreck the property values they have worked to pay for?

Again, we need someone with the nerves of steel (so not David Cameron, then) to disenfranchise the welfare sector and the public sector. Together, they are now large enough to outnumber the wealth producers.

Everyone should have a choice: go into the public sector for a job for life and a pension, but sacrifice your franchise. Or work in the private, wealth producing sector and enjoy having a say in how you're governed with a vote.

Equally - except OAPs, who we have to assume have worked and paid into the system all their lives - people on welfare for longer than six weeks should have their names deleted from the electoral rolls.

When they become employed again, they will once again have a say in how their taxes are spent through their vote.

The situation now is untenable in Britain and I think probably, given how many people thought they were voting themselves a free ride when they voted for Obama, in the United States. But Britain is by far the furthest down the drain.

Non-producers do not need a franchise because they brought no income to the table. So they should have no say in how the income produced by others should be spent.

Paul B

Why is the pounds value sinking necesarily a bad thing? If we are all market supporters on here, (which I assume the majority are- Im certainly am) then you we implicity accept you cannnot buck the market, and therefore the price of the pound as decided by the market is correct. Yes I understand that imported goods become more expensive, as do foreign holidays and travel, but our manufacturing - and despite the claims- there is still a substanial manufacturing base left in the country- will find its easier to export.People can always stay at home and visit the beautful parts of this wonderful Island rather jetting off abroad- thereby reducing our carbon footprints- note I say that in jest!!!

I for one Im relaxed about the fall in the value of the pound - I don`t believe its anything to worry or lose sleep about.

Augustus

Paul B, if interest rates fall to 1% that really would put the pound under pressure. But that would, however, be good for the stockmarket. Interestingly, if sterling falls further it possibly won't be bad for the economy. When John Major was forced to let the currency float in 1992 it heralded the start of a very successful period for the economy.

Joe Camel

Wot no Dot Wordsworth in this week's Speccie?

Or has she just been dropped from the online contents page?

Paul B

Your right Augustus,about John Major leaving the ERM and the green shoots sprouting right then. I remember having an interesting discussion with the then Tory MP for Ruislip-Northwood, regarding the strong pound and interest rates etc. I`m not at all convinced that low virtually zero interest and the panacea to the economies woes as some do, however a sinking pound in many ways it something to be pleased about and not bemoaned- especially married with sinking oil and commodity prices. Parity with the dollar and at least as much with the Euro should be welcomed.

The Dandiprat

Hell's bells is someone going to jab a subordinate with something sharp and get them to change the sheets?

Paul B

Quite right, I wanted to talk about Johnson puzzling continuing admission of Shaw from England's starting 15- and why no Hipkiss?

Verity

So, seven of the Bombay terrorists were from the Bradford Leeds area. So they're labelled "British".

Frankly, I'd be ashamed to go back to India today and say I am British, given that we have incubated this pig swill and its now over in India committing acts of terror.

The Dandiprat

Quite so Verity.

Heaven help us all now that their fetid minds have devised such a low-cost, high yield mode d'emploi.

A trip to the shopping mall anyone?

liz Brown

@masked marvel - the BBC gets massive funding from Europe.........
As to "new developments" my daughter, to lives in/on? one of these estates and apart from drug dealing, boyfriends, and children running amok, she tells me that some of these adults are enticed into work by the Gov't aid of £200 quid, but that they are serial offenders. "Back to work? £200 quid, ta very much", leave the job after a month, wait a few weeks, back into work, "£200 quid? ta very much" and so on and so forth
Suddenly the Beeb and Sky have realised the depth of public anger and fear over the arrest of Damien Green and are belatedly giving it the reporting that it needs - but still with the hint that he has done something wrong

Stephen Green

How long does it take by boat from The Speaker's House to the Traitors' Gate at the Tower? If anyone sees Gorbals Mick leaving could they please email me pdq so that I can get to Tower Hill Green in time to see the fun?

euSSR GO HOME

@ liz brown - the BBC gets massive funding from Europe.........
As to "new developments"
So that's it! Thank you. NPR in the US are now advertising the Beeb (which takes over on some stations at 11P). "The world's largest etc etc " I nearly choke every time I hear it. Too disgusting - including the idea that Americans are as naive about all the deception as they think the British are!!!

Unsteady Eddie

Thinking of stocking up for Christmas, I've just been offered 8 legs of Venison for £25!

My wife thinks it's too dear?

Verity

Good news that the England team will be going to India after all!