Dorries takes on the Beeb

David

Good on Nadine. It's about time some of the Tory big-hitters started saying this sort of thing as well.

Pleased Perry

GO FOR IT Nadine, GO!!

One of the most heartening bits of news for ages, especially for those heartily sick of the low-down scheming, oh-so-luvverly-duvverly benders (of the actualite).

Bernard from Horsham

Personally I would like the BBC neutered,. The only way IMHO is to reduce the license fee by £10 every year till it reaches £0 and force the BBC to take equivalent advertising revenue or become subscription.
That way the "liberal bias" of the BBC would be removed as they would be forced to compete in the open market.

One should be wary though. There are many excellent thinkgs on the BBC. We wouldn't want to lose them, but the political bias has to be surgically removed.

Tiberius

If the investigation into Caroline Spelman has the same result as that of the IDS/Betsy one, Michael Crick should be despatched to cover Siberian salt mining indefinitely.

Mo

Well said, Nadine. I particularly liked her description of a "McCarthy style witch hunt". Even Andrew Neil appears to have been drawn into it with his less than even-sided approach to the subject on today's Daily Politics. What exactly is Michael Crick's agenda in concentrating on a 10-year-old story rather than the more recent questionable housing exploits of the likes of Balls/Cooper, the Keens and Blair?

Kevin

Same old Tories always cheating

THX1138

Get a grip It's not the fault of BBC News that the Tory MP & MEP's are institutionally bent.

Chichester, Bend Over, Spelman, Atikns, Purvis & now Ian Taylor

Talk about blaming the messenger. If you don't like the media writing about this, keeps your troughs out of the swill. That's telling it like it is.

THX1138

Crick was right about Archer.

James

I disagree. Whereas the BBC has shown a lot of bias over the years - i think Nadine's approach is wrong-head in almost every respect.

The Conservative MEPs SHOULD all be flogged in public by the BBC and other news vendors. They are grubby, useless individuals who are clearly scamming the taxpayer whilst delivering seemingly very little.

The bias is that no one gives the Tories credit for actually uncovering much of this themselves by forcing their MEPs to hand over more information than the other parties.

The Spelman case is interesting - but again accusing the BBC of bias is wrong - as they were just as single-minded over Hain et al and their deputy leadership campaign expenses.

The vast majority of the public (not Tory-blog readers) trust the BBC. So accusations of bias have to be extremely well-thought out before being levelled at an organisation with a far better reputation for truth than political parties and politicians.

Also threatening to slay the dragon - doesn't sit well with the thought of a free press.

Nadine has to compose herself, get things in perspective (McCarthyism - really???). As a female MP she would be far better to take on Crick by arguing that the lack of provision for child-care is the real issue as it is a barrier to young females entering the Commons at all.

Steve Garner

It's a great shame to say it about what used to be a great British institution but it is time the BBC was forced into the market.

Leaving aside the often poor quality of its output its political bias is now unacceptable. Its coverage of the Spelman story in the last few days has been a disgrace, and it is routinely and blatantly pro Labour. That would be fine were it not a public service but it is. If it wants to behave like this it should operate in an open marketplace.

I hope Nadine becomes the next Culture Secretary and she can then do the needful.

THX1138

or snouts out of the swill- Doh

David

Kevin, yes, you've made the same football chant-related comment on other threads and it wasn't funny then either.

THX - explain why the Balls scenario isn't worthy of the BBC's attention. Otherwise your argument is a flop, pure and simple.

Cassius

Dorries is right about the BBC, imho, but that does not excuse improper conduct.
Now is the time for the Tories to clean out their stables.
The whingeing about Crick and other unpleasant types will not convince me that the Tories are yet a Party to support.

Pete F

Yes - well said THX1138 (or may I call you THX ?).
Politicians are now viewed as lower life than Estate Agents; doesn't matter which party they represent. All the political classes seem to be nose-in-trough, arrogant and out-of-touch. Just because it's the tory spongers being outed, doesn't mean the public think it's ONLY the tories up to no good. Out them all. Have they no shame?

Neil Turner

I took my family to see the new Indiana Jones movies recently. Before the film started, the audience had to endure a 4 minute advert for Radio 1

This is second such advert I have seen at the cinema. I am told that when the BBC were challenged over this waste of licence payer's money, the reply was that it was created to make Radio 1 listeners feel good about the station

This is typical BBC: wasteful, patronising and unaccountable

Richard Lowe

This “story” was the lead item on all the Radio 2 news bulletins through the whole of Saturday, complete with quote from some Labour MP about “same old Tory sleaze”.
Interestingly, when the subject came up on This Week (after the Chichester news, but pre-Spelman) Portillo reckoned that when the s hits the f about MP’s expenses when all is revealed in a few months time both sides will be equally damaged. Abbot squirmed in her seat and agreed, saying Labour wouldn’t campaign on sleaze, presumably because she knows, and most people suspect, that there are culprits on both sides.
If the Spelman case is the best the BBC/Labour can dredge up, this tactic is going to backfire spectacularly.

Michael Taylor

The politics of this on entering office are easy:
1. Immediately cancel the licence tax. That's £130 a year saved per household.
2. Privatise the beast, via a voucher system: one voucher per licence held. That's reintroduction of popular capitalism, and a nest-egg help for pensioners.
3. Distribute the vouchers via the Posts Office. And that'll keep 'em open for a while.

And that's not counting the cumulative benefits to society of excising the cultural cancer. . .

THX1138

David- Good debate don't you think? Your right they should give them all a great big kicking the harder the better. Plenty on Newsnight about old Peter Vain as I recall. On Balls & Cooper are we talking about the dodgy second home thing? I don't know if auntie follow up on that if they didn't it was out of order but is probably within the rules but I think the rules are bent.

I think that your all kidding yourselves if you think Daves Tories are going to "do anything about the BBC" What are they going to do when the country has had enough of them? They won't be able to get a real job, too much like "trade" anyway so it will be off to the BBC like all the rest

The links between the BBC & the W11 wing of The Tory party is just as strong at between BBC & New Labour here is a few

John Howell new MP for Henley ex BBC, Chris Grayling his campaign manager ex BBC News & Gutto Harri Boris' PR ex BBC News

J H Holloway

Crick was wrong about Archer, as has everybody been (aside from the fantasy elements). The reason he paid off the prostitute will become clear in a decade or so....
And his reputation will skyrocket for refusing to give the real reason when faced with clink....

J H Holloway

Read the responses on the Crick/Newsnight blog...the punters have seen through him and want to know why the recently revealed expenses scams - especially concerning Labour's mortgage rip-offs - haven't got the same publicity as Spellman.

The trouble started when Crick, the silly little student newspaper obsessive, was given his own front door key by his mum.

Ian C

Just because politicians are not trustworthy does not mean the BBC deserves what it has and should keep it.

Time has moved on. A public service broadcaster in today's market should be a much smaller beast whose remit is to produce exclusively that which the market would not.

The funding method? A smaller license fee for a less egotistical and self-serving behemoth, of c.£1 per week per household should do it easily. The consumer can buy the rest from commercial providers.

At present the BBC provides about 5% of what most want to watch that could not be provided commercially and yet costs about 25% of the alternatives.

Tiberius

JHH: what are you trying to say? That it is a far, far better thing that he has done, than he will ever do?

TrevorH

My post to a BBC message board as deleted - I said the Spelman story was a BBC plot --- surprise surprise.

David Lindsay

Caroline Spellman is on the morally and socially conservative wing (such as there still is in the Commons) of the Conservative Party, with links to things like CARE.

Attacking people like that (and Eurosceptics, again such as still are, or ever were, in the Commons) is exactly what David Cameron wants.

The BBC's target is not the Conservative Party as such; it is the conservatives who are still inexplicably members of the Conservative Party.

It used to do the same thing to the Labour Left.

Kiel

The BBC are not even hiding the fact that they are now going all out to preserve this lousy government, disgusting. I hope Cameron, (if he gets in) will tackle the total bias shown by an organisation that is funded by the hard pressed taxpayer.

Karen McCall

Yesterday's Andrew Marr show, Politics show and the rolling coverage on News 24 of the so called 'Spelman nanny scandal', is more proof if any were needed that the BBC is propping up New Labour and Brown at any cost.

David

THX - yes, the houses thing. I don't believe the BBC have even covered it. Don't get me wrong, if they proved their balance by reporting on such things, I'd have far less of a problem. But at the moment, I see too much focus on the Tories, and on molehills at that.

THX1138

You lot sound like Mohamed Al-Fayed. Swap Prince Philip for the BBC, sounds just about as rational to the world outside Speccieland.

The BBC didn't fiddle their expenses Tory MP's & MEP's did that all they are doing is reporting it along with the rest of the MSM & the bloggs, go & have look at Guido.

Are the Beeb supposed to ignore that? Can't you all see how damaging this is to Project Dave bring back all those memories of Hamiltion & his odious wife & why the country hated the arrogant Tories.

You should all be pointing your rage at Spelman, Chichester, Dover et all not the BBC, they allegedly stole public money not the BBC.

TGF UKIP

THX is right re Guido. Nobody is more authentic in his pursuit of the whole rotten crew. Guido's conversation with Nadine and his take on Spelman should be read before further comment.

With regard to the BBC, no use moaning - Bridcut reported and it didn't make the slightest difference. Mind you, if the Tories do have one entirely justified complaint it should be that of the BeeB's ingratitude.

Dave spends over two years making his party fit for the approval of The Today Programme and all the other metropolitan liberal lefies and still they have a go at his poor old Tory Party. Poor old Dave, when he could have been threatening them with Fox News and scoring brownie points with Rupert instead.

Anan

It should be this publication that writes such articles as Nadine Dorries. But no.

Number plate, no one would be complaining if the BBC and the rest of the Left Wing MSM were as ruthless in their inquisitions against Labour MPs as they are with Conservative MPs. Try to read & understand before writing nonsense.

Mark

Gudio Fawkes left-wing? Daily Telegraph left-wing? The Sun left-wing? They've all given major coverage to the Tory sleazes stories, so I guess they must all indeed by left-wing if Nadine is talking sense...

Nick

James; I thinks it’s an oxymoron to speak of the BBC being part of the ‘free press,’ given that all are coerced into paying their ludicrous licence fee (and given no option about it if you own a TV). Have you ever received a letter from them requiring that you tell them you don’t own a TV? They are quite threatening, as Charles Moore has often commented in the Spectator’s notes.

THX1138

Anan-Left wing media, talk about a persecution complex. All the MSM even those well known right wing Newspapers The Daily Wail, The Telegraph & The Sun have this story splashed across their Papers & Sites.

You make not like it but when the Chairman of The Conservative party is suspected of paying her nanny from the public purse (however long ago) it's going to be a big story. My money is that Crick was tipped off by a Tory, bound to have loads of enemies if your party Chairman.

Look I'm not defending Labour, Lib Dems or Ukippers but their transgressions have been smaller & within the rules & I'm not defending the rules either which I think are rotten & designed by ALL politicians to enrich themselves from the public purse with the least amount of scrutiny from outside.

However you have to face facts & facts are that The Tories are the worst at this either, rule stretching like the Wintertons

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-511998/Husband-wife-MPs-claim-expenses-dodge-death-tax.html

& possibly Spelman through to down right swill gobbling like Chichester & Conway.

This could be that they are up to more of it, or they are just more inept at covering it up neither of which bodes well.

Again I say you all have the wrong target in your sites your anger like mine should be aimed at the Tory rule breakers not those in ALL the media who report it.

Dave should insist on Ceaser's wife rules & any transgression ruthlessly punished & anybody thinking about a bit of rule bending should think about how it would play in the media or if what they would say if one of the other side was up to the same
thing.

PS Guido skewered Nadine good & proper.

Kiffa

Is this about Tory sleaze or BBC bias?
I have my own yardstick for the smug lefties at the BBC: Today or Question Time or Any Questions? - note how quickly people like Peter Hitchens are interrupted so that their flow is disrupted, whilst whichever Labour or liberal elite stream of consciousness is heard all the way out, unmolested. Even Jeremy Vine on Radio 2 cannot pass this test.
Sometimes their assumptions (on their glorious Social Vision) get spectacularly undone, like the French and Dutch 'no' result blowing them out of the water regarding their certain theory that opposition to the Joys of the European Project came only from raving 'little englanders'...!
The BBC is populated by far too many lefties. I think we should challenge them to give Peter Hitchens and Melanie Phillips a half hour slot weekly, to present whatever they like: then publish the listening figures!