Current Affairs

[qbman1]

Would our resident apologist for the BBC like to comment on the extremely one sided news coverage today about the autumn statement and its effect on the real increase (or not) in the value of wages during this decade. The IFS might call itself the leading independent research institute but all the comments I ever hear from Paul Johnson could just as easily have come from a Guardian editorial.
No mention of the fact that the UK economy is forecast to grow at least as strongly as Germany over the next 3/4 years, nor that France, Belgium, Spain and Italy amongst others in the EU have a worse national debt to GDP ratio than the UK, and whilst ours is reducing their's is growing.
Good job for the BBC news editor that I'm not in charge, otherwise he would locked up in the tower.

Well oddly I did hear on the BBC that our economy is among the strongest growing in the developed world. Not sure how you missed that.

I do agree, however, that the choice of one particular "expert" seemed rather one-sided. But it's all gone to pot since I left and I was rather more interested in Masterchef and a rather good drama on BBC2last night!

Is that the period spy thingy? What's it like - I have recorded the first 3 but haven't started watching it yet

[Mervyn and Trish]

That's the one. I think.

[towny44]

If that's the Poliakoff one then I lasted for all of episode one then gave it up as too stupid to be believable.

[qbman1]

I have concluded that you and Merv just don't have the same tastes !

[towny44]

I have concluded that you and Merv just don't have the same tastes !

Maybe he was brainwashed when he worked for the Beeb, and its not worn off yet!

[qbman1]

Maybe - but then how do you explain the P&O/Calamity divide ?!

[towny44]

Maybe - but then how do you explain the P&O/Calamity divide ?!

P&O represents the UK liberal elite beloved of the BBC, Calamity represents brash America which the Beeb could never understand.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I have concluded that you and Merv just don't have the same tastes !

Maybe he was brainwashed when he worked for the Beeb, and its not worn off yet!

Or that Towny doesn't like the BBC in principle so it doesn't matter what they do he won't like it!

[Mervyn and Trish]

Maybe - but then how do you explain the P&O/Calamity divide ?!

P&O represents the UK liberal elite beloved of the BBC, Calamity represents brash America which the Beeb could never understand.

Ah so now I get it. Calamity is full of Trump supporters. How appealing!

[towny44]

I have concluded that you and Merv just don't have the same tastes !

Maybe he was brainwashed when he worked for the Beeb, and its not worn off yet!

Or that Towny doesn't like the BBC in principle so it doesn't matter what they do he won't like it!

Not so Merv, I am enjoying The Missing and lots of their other offerings, but I don't enjoy their left wing news bias, and pretentious highbrow rubbish like Close to the enemy.

[qbman1]

You two should be married - your views are so different !

[Stephen]

Onelife can be either bridesmaid or provide the ring

[Mervyn and Trish]

No thanks. But isn't it interesting that some (and I'm not really getting at Towny here) feel the need to dismiss things they don't like as rubbish, rather than just accepting there are different tastes?

I don't like everything on the BBC but I find more than enough to watch on terrestial tv in general that I really don't need a Sky or Netflix or whoever subscription. I accept if I was a sports fan I might feel different.

Equally in cruising we didn't like Calamity because on the occasion we tried them their service was awful and instead of putting it right they kept telling us how wonderful they were. But I accept they're a decent cruise line. Not for us again though. We also prefer understated decor so we like P&O's general look.

And back on the BBC, perception of bias depends on your own standpoint. Interestingly when Tony Blair was in power Alistair Campbell berated the BBC for right wing bias! The reality is that the BBC generally challenges the establishment view. So it often feels anti government whoever is in power.

[Silver_Shiney]

Not so Merv, I am enjoying The Missing and lots of their other offerings, but I don't enjoy their left wing news bias, and pretentious highbrow rubbish like Close to the enemy.

Having now spent several weeks in total watching varicose TV channels whilst in the States, I didn't know they did news broadcasts... CNN/Fox News are just talking heads shows of no substance and certainly little, if anything, from outside the US. We only found out about the Icelandic volcano eruption a few years because i had a shuftie at the BBC news website

[qbman1]

No thanks. But isn't it interesting that some (and I'm not really getting at Towny here) feel the need to dismiss things they don't like as rubbish, rather than just accepting there are different tastes?

I don't like everything on the BBC but I find more than enough to watch on terrestial tv in general that I really don't need a Sky or Netflix or whoever subscription. I accept if I was a sports fan I might feel different.

Equally in cruising we didn't like Calamity because on the occasion we tried them their service was awful and instead of putting it right they kept telling us how wonderful they were. But I accept they're a decent cruise line. Not for us again though. We also prefer understated decor so we like P&O's general look.

And back on the BBC, perception of bias depends on your own standpoint. Interestingly when Tony Blair was in power Alistair Campbell berated the BBC for right wing bias! The reality is that the BBC generally challenges the establishment view. So it often feels anti government whoever is in power.

Perhaps that's the secret of their success - brainwashing !

[Mervyn and Trish]

Well it's worked on Towny!

[towny44]

Well it's worked on Towny!

Maybe that's because I have a brain to wash, unlike the P&O can do no wrong cheerleaders.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Well I have to concede Towny that you've actually probably been on P&O more times than me despite your reservations!

[qbman1]

He probably needs to keep checking that he really doesn't like it !!

[Mervyn and Trish]

And to be fair to me, I don't think they can do no wrong. They just suit us better than most. (And Calamity did manage to pack more cockups into 4 nights than P&O have in nearly 200!)

[towny44]

Well I have to concede Towny that you've actually probably been on P&O more times than me despite your reservations!

No I think you will find it's because I made the reservations.

[towny44]

And to be fair to me, I don't think they can do no wrong. They just suit us better than most. (And Calamity did manage to pack more cockups into 4 nights than P&O have in nearly 200!)

Ah, you never mentioned before that it was only a 4 night cruise, if you had done your research properly you would have known never to book a 4 nighter on Celebrity, apparently the crew hate them.

[Silver_Shiney]

And to be fair to me, I don't think they can do no wrong. They just suit us better than most. (And Calamity did manage to pack more cockups into 4 nights than P&O have in nearly 200!)

Ah, you never mentioned before that it was only a 4 night cruise, if you had done your research properly you would have known never to book a 4 nighter on Celebrity, apparently the crew hate them.

that's a useful tip that would be best placed on the Celebrity thread...

[towny44]

And to be fair to me, I don't think they can do no wrong. They just suit us better than most. (And Calamity did manage to pack more cockups into 4 nights than P&O have in nearly 200!)

Ah, you never mentioned before that it was only a 4 night cruise, if you had done your research properly you would have known never to book a 4 nighter on Celebrity, apparently the crew hate them.

that's a useful tip that would be best placed on the Celebrity thread...

I can't be seen to put criticism on the Celebrity page, it might reduce my commission and my OBC!

[Silver_Shiney]

well post it under DK's name!