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Monday, 15 August 2011

Today's show 15/08/11

Oh God...

You're back.

What on earth have your poor listeners done so wrong that they deserve to be inflicted with five days of your inane ramblings, eh?

And who is it who decides who should stand in for Jeremy when he is away? They need sacking for their inept poor choice.

Needless to say, I won't be listening. Not only because I cannot stand your broadcasting style, but because you have yet again failed to cover anything of interest to me. Allow me to explain...

1) DAVID STARKEY - The historian David Starkey has sparked controversy by claiming ''the whites have become black'' during a discussion on the riots : No surprise that you are discussing this topic, even though it is now three days old. I read an interesting article by James Delingpole yesterday (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100100911/if-david-starkey-is-racist-then-so-is-everybody/
) in which he makes some interesting comments and revelations. He starts his article like this (my emphasis):

Driving back from my holiday in Wales, yesterday, I realised what a lucky escape I’d had. As I exited the hills and finally got my mobile phone reception back, there was an old message from Friday inviting me to appear on that evening’s Newsnight to talk about the riots. So it could have been me that fell into the BBC’s “raaaacist” trap instead of poor old David Starkey. And make no mistake it was a trap. Starkey’s debating opponent was Owen Jones, the BBC’s new pet angry young socialist whose default position is perpetual umbrage and righteous rage on behalf of the poor, working class, oppressed and – since Friday, apparently – black people. It’s a cheap trick but one that goes down very well at the BBC, which is why they have Jones back so often.

And he ends it like this:

To pillory a man for pointing out such a glaringly obvious cultural fact just because he’s white and Right-wing would have been quite wrong even before the riots. Post riots it is positively obscene. Not just obscene, in fact, but dangerous. Of course, we expect the BBC not to get it. Like the Guardian – and the Labour party – the BBC created the culture that led to these riots, so it’s hardly surprising if it carries on playing the old PC game like the 80s and 90s never went away.

In between he makes some interesting comments, to which I may or may not subscribe, but it is the BBC's handling of this that interests me the most, and in particular the allegation of a trap. Having watched the interview I concur with his view of the BBC's treatment of Starkey, and it comes as no surprise to me that you are continuing to fan the dying embers of this one. Next...

2) UNEXPLODED SECOND WORLD WAR BOMBS - Has an unexploded bomb from the Second World War ever been unearthed in your neighbourhood? : Having just done a little research, I am pleased to tell you that North Wales survived virtually unscathed from WW2 bombing attacks. This means that the answer to your question is "No". Who comes up with this stuff? Hardly "target audience" material, is it? Next...

3) COUNCIL HOUSE EVICTIONS FOR RIOTERS - Should rioters be evicted from council houses? : Oooohhh, a vote. I shall text my answer (presumably "Yes" or "No") to 88291 immediately. Is the result binding on local authorities? Will your discussion change ANYTHING at all? Is it just a waste of time? Would I lose the will to live? Next...

4) GAMBLING TAX ON SEAFRONT ARCADES - And amusement arcades warn that they could go out of business as the result of a new tax. Find out more in this Southend Standard article : The Southend Standard ... a beating heart on the Essex coast, but it must have a miniscule circulation as I cannot find any figures for it at all. We had a story from the Harwich & Manningtree Standard last week, and now this one. Has one of your team moved to rural Essex? Interesting that you have made this specific to "seafront arcades" when, in fact, the new tax applies to all arcades regardless of their location, but then this programme is not usually troubled by facts so why should today be any different? I've never been to Southend but I do live only a few miles from the sea. I am not aware of any of the seaside towns around here having arcades anywhere near the seafront, so how can this story possibly have any relevance to me? Oh, and I've never met a poor arcade owner. Have you?

Now, get off my radio!

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