Connections ... between the BBC and Blair

Paddy Briggs

Amazingly silly article. Heigh ho – another day, another conspiracy theory. I thought the three programmes were remarkably well-balanced. If anything marginally anti-Blair rather than Pro. But certainly not examples of the BBC’s spurious pro-Labour bias. Interesting to watch William Hague – he rates Blair very highly and that has clear to see. Behind the public face!!

TGF UKIP

There has long been a great deal of entirely justifiable complaint about the BBC from the Tories' media friends, even those who regularly take the BBC shilling. However, from the Tories themselves, not a bleat. I can only think this is at least partly because they calculate that most voters are too unsophisticated and politically unaware to perceive the subtleties of the Beeb's bias and would therefore simply dismiss Tory complaints as coming from cry babies. Indeed, the Tories may well have polling data which bears this out. The answer has long seemed to me for the Tories to pledge to abolish the BBC monopoly, dispense with the licence fee poll tax, and invite Fox News to come acroos the Atlantic to redress the political (and cultural) balance. Not only would this perhaps ameliorate Rupert's disdain for the current Tory Leadership, it would provide for the public an entirely understandable reason for BBC anti-Tory bias and render voters altogether more amenable to complaints about their promotion of left wing causes in general and the Labour Party in particular. Moreover, this country badly needs a Fox or an equivalent.

Fergus Pickering

I can't believe Paddy Briggs is a real human being. He must be another name for Alistair Campbell. The BBC arsecreeps Labour ALL THE TIME. Everybody knows this. They've gotta go.

carol42

I love Fox News, it may be to the right but I like the way they let anyone on from either side and let them have their say. The also have interviewers from both sides to challenge these views. I think it was Charles Krauthammer who said Rupert Murdoch found a gap in the market, half the country. It would be great to have a similar programme here but I doubt if it would be allowed.

BlairSupporter

I didn't think The Blair Years was sympathetic to Blair. In fact, considering the lack of sympathy he gets from most of the British media, I had hoped for more empathy. For example, why the repeats of the "right thing" phrase? As though to indicate something? Something other than principle? And why the lingering for roughly ten seconds on his face at the end? Looking for some kind of scoop? Anyway, I have it on good authority that Mr Blair did not seek and was not offered any editorial input. Probably because if he had, it'd all have been put down to his "control freakery". The 'Labour loving' BBC and production team held most of the editorial cards in this series. They may try, but they still can't score one over on this consummate performer. Neither Blair nor the Beeb can really win anyway, given the biased opinions of most people. Pity, really, because without Blair, neither can Labour win.

Caroline

Wheels within wheels is what you're saying. I would have thought it was a given that papers, politics and media are all connected and swirling about together and it's virtually impossible not to be somewhat 'incestuous' Just thinking about the MP whose son turns up reporting the news, the journalist's daughter presenting TV shows, the newspaper editor husband and his TV presenter wife. How is this worse than Maggie's 'revolving doors' so hotly disputed at that time. In the end it's jobs for the boys. The BBC bias? Yes, well, there's that scathing old leftie Andrew Neil, and those leftie programmes like QT and Any Q's with suitably selected leftie audiences and helpful chairman. That hissing old leftie Humphries, clutching his left leaning 'Mail' script, and not forgetting the hours spent in mocking leftie speculation about Brown's judgement, vision and character, and more recently whether the shaking fist was up to it, up for it, capable of winning the 'battle' of PMQ's, and all the fun of Mr. Bean. Vince's endless guest appearances to chortle over his 'victory', and it's not as if regular news programmes haven't been mentioning it ad infinitum. The Beeb biased? NOT. But if you think so Fergus show some samples of the BBC 'arsecreep' It might be more interesting than the Blair programme, which though fascinating to me, didn't do him any special favours.

Tiberius

Who is "The Skimmer"? A new mole reporting on the disorientation within the BBC now that it has realized the New Labour game is up?

Mandy tells the truth

BBC Brown Blair Conspiracy

Anthony Adams

I didn't think the show was terribly pro or anti Blair. What did disappoint me was the fact it told me nothing I didn't already know.

Fergus Pickering

I'm a wireless man so I think of James Naughtie all the time. And then I think of Any Questions where, until recently, one Tory had to battle against three lefties, or what I would call lefties. At the moment it is true the Brown ship is so badly hoed and shipping water it is impossible not to report it. But contrast Channel 4 news (left I agree, but NEWS) in their treatment of government apologists with what you get from the Beeb. Oh, and the Beeb's constant pushing of the Liberal Dems as the 'real'opposition. That's the sort of thing I mean. The Beeb lost their bottle after the Hutton report.

Oscar Miller

The BBC have an incurable leftist bias - it's in the water down at Broadcasting House. What planet Paddy Briggs and Caroline live in I can only imagine - Laboranus? But even I don't think the BBC are pro Blair. Brown has been their darling for a long time and the BBC has ably assisted his rise to power. The hatchet job on Blair in the final years was unrelenting (and I'm not just talking about the Iraq war). And as for running adverse stories against Brown. During his recent travails the BBC got away with the very bare minimum of carefully managed 'criticism' well padded by support. And then rushed any adverse stories off the airwaves as fast as they could. And Caroline giving Vince Cable interviews is hardly evidence of anything at all.

Caroline

Oscar - have a look at Ben Brogan's piece today @3:42 titled 'Today's love-in with Dave' Serious in depth journalism?

Oscar Miller

I agree Caroline – but not for Ben Brogan’s reasons, whose argument that only giving Cameron 7 minutes instead of the usual 15 to 20 in the 8.10am slot denoted some kind of Tory favouritism. Only in the inverted world of nulab spin could such a ridiculous argument be mounted. In fact the famously Labour supporting Naughtie offered a cursory effort that only went thru’ the motions of being an interview. The truth is conservative politicians have nearly been eradicated from the Today schedule and when they do get a look in they are usually treated as a distraction to be dispatched as soon as possible, as was the case with Cameron yesterday.