26/04/12 and 27/04/12

It is a wet and very windy Sunday afternoon here in North Wales, and with any outside activities cancelled for the day an opportunity arises to send you my comments on the last two programmes from last week.

But first, here is some other stuff...

Jeremy, have you ever heard of a political party called UKIP? If you have then you are probably unique at the BBC as our favourite state broadcaster seems to be doing their best to not just ignore UKIP but almost to deny its existence. There was an interesting article about this phenomenon by Michael Heaver in The Commentator a few days ago (http://www.thecommentator.com/article/1125/bbc_green_with_envy_over_ukip_s_rise) which rightly said: Perhaps I'm just a troubled, paranoid young man. But if the Green Party were outpolling the Liberal Democrats nationally, I think that the BBC would be absolutely all over the story. Mr Heaver is, in my view, absolutely correct. So how about you include UKIP when a relevant topic for discussion occurs? Or did you get the "no UKIP" memo from the BBC's Director of Bias too?

Some BBC news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9233705/BBC-launches-inquiry-into-payments-to-MPs.html

BBC launches inquiry into payments to MPs

The BBC has launched an inquiry which could lead to a ban on MPs being paid to appear as guests on programmes. The move would affect dozens of politicians who are regularly rewarded for their broadcasts, earning up to £200 plus expenses for a turn on Radio 4's Any Questions or more than £500 for BBC One's This Week.

I have tried my best to find out how much Galloway et al are paid to patronise your listeners... ooops, sorry, I mean... to make a valuable contribution to your programme, but have failed on every attempt due to the unique way in which the BBC is funded and so won't tell the very people who fund a darned thing about how OUR money is spent. A ban on MPs being paid could be interesting. The appearance of a Tory MP on your programme is a rare thing already so that situation will probably not change, but if a ban means that Balls or Prescott are not called upon to give us the benefit of their wisdom on the price of brussel sprouts then so be it. My hope is that only those MPs who are passionate on their subject will appear - for free - and that will nicely separate the motormouths and rent-a-gobs from those who are actually trying to improve the land in which we live. Perhaps you need to update your MP "speed dial" list?

I know you don't do it, but I would like to go back to a couple of recent discussions on your programme...

The first was on 18th April when you were bemoaning the decline of local newspapers. Well, Mr Murdoch Snr has identified the culprit for their demise: The BBC. He gave his views as part of the Leveson Inquiry last week (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/17857574):
Leveson Inquiry: Murdoch rounds on BBC News website

Rupert Murdoch has used his appearance at the Leveson Inquiry into press ethics to reflect on the threat posed to newspapers by the internet. The head of News Corps singled out the BBC News website as a significant threat to local news websites throughout the UK.

So there we go, it is the BBC's fault. I knew it all along. Although only three minutes long, it is a an interesting interview. No wonder the BBC have him down as Public Enemy Number One.

The second was last Wednesday, 25th April, and the discussion on bus lanes and cyclists. Just out of curiosity I listened to the discussion on iPlayer in the hope that somebody might have given you some grief. I knew that you would have John Griffin from Addison Lee as a studio guest, but your other guest was something of a surprise choice. Now I know that you make a pretence of not ramming your own views down your listeners’ and studio guest’s throats and that you usually gets somebody in to do that for you, and it appears that last Wednesday was no exception. So what happened then? Did you do a quick scan down your speed-dial favourites list to find a fellow cyclist? And really, was there nobody else available other than Rent-A-Gob Peter Tatchell? Now Tatchell may or may not have interesting views on all sorts of matters (he was last on your programme talking about the Bahrain F1 race) but I never had him down as an expert on all things cycling. And I was correct! The item turned in to the usual JV Show two-against-one discussion (and I use that word in its loosest possible sense) with you putting words in to Griffin’s mouth, which he had to deny. Tatchell added little other than some hare-brained ideas and presumably collected a completely unjustified payment cheque when he left. This was nothing other than an ambush wrapped up in some very obvious London-only bias.

Moving on to last Thursday then...

1) ZIGZAG ECONOMY - As we fall back into recession we’re told the economy is zigzagging. If you think about your business or employment prospects are they up one day and down the next? : With the BBC celebrating the return to recession, I am going to tell that my employment prospects remain unchanged at non-existent, but that my business still seems to be going nicely. Next...

2) ABORTION - Are you somebody who had an abortion when you were young and now can’t get pregnant or left it too late? Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : I've never had an abortion, but I can't get pregnant. Other than read the Daily Mail, what should I do? Next...

3) GORDON BROWN - Rupert Murdoch said that Gordon Brown declared war on his company when The Sun declared war on the Labour government. Whatever was said or wasn’t said, does part of you think - good on Brown for taking on the power of Murdoch : More Murdoch? What a surprise! Not even the smallest part of me thinks that. Perhaps Brown only did it to annoy Tony Blair (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14785501), but I notice that Murdoch is still around and Brown has vanished in to justifed obscurity. Next...

4) I LOVE WHERE I LIVE - “I Love Where I Live” continues with love letters to the place you call home. Today we reach Scotland, the highlands and islands, the glens and the great cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh : Nice place, although I've not been there since 2009.

And then there was Friday's offering...

1) WAKING THE WORKSHY - The head of the government’s Troubled Families programme Louise Casey says council officials may need to turn up at people’s homes at 7am to get parents and children out of bed. Do bureaucrats need to wake up the workshy? : There is no mention of waking people up on the news page you link to but it does say: David Cameron says he is determined to "get to grips" with tackling England's most troubled families by pledging a network of troubleshooters. Ah, England ... bless. Not Wales then. Next...

2) SIERRA LEONE - The former Liberian leader Charles Taylor is found guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes in Sierra Leone : Good. Next...

 

3) I LOVE WHERE I LIVE - We head to the South of England for the last day of "I Love Where I Live," your love letters to the place you call home : I used to live there, and I'm glad I don't anymore. I loved the way you informed us that the South of England streches from "Southend to Penzance". I'm not sure the proud people of Cornwall will have liked that, I think they prefer the term "West of England". Next...

 

4) FLANNELS - The decline of the flannel. Is it no longer an essential accessory in the bathroom? Find our more in this article from the Telegraph : I still have many and use one every day, but.... errrr... oh, hang on... nearly nodded off there... what was the question again?

 

What have I learnt from the BBC in the past few days? Well, Penzance is in the South of England (you, last week). "April showers" will last until May (BBC weather forecast this morning). Simon Cowell has an "unauthorised autobiography" out (news report on the Danii Minogue upset). And Billy Bragg was born in 1957 but was a "teenager throughout the 1970s" (Johnny Walker this afternoon). Perhaps accuracy is over-rated.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - Oh God, it's back on again tomorrow...

The Twitter plot thickens...

I received an interesting follow-up email from BBC Audio & Music today in response to my query concerning Jeremy Vine's use of Twitter sent a couple of weeks ago. This is what it said (my emphasis):

 

Sorry for my slow response, I wanted to check a few things with the JV programme.

Like a number of freelance presenters and journalists, Jeremy Vine does run a personal, non BBC, twitter account.  People do tweet directly back to him, text the studio, phone the studio, email the studio and tweet to BBC owned accounts.

The comments you hear on air are selected by a producer and passed to Jeremy, based on their content. It’s not true that the responses back to Jeremy’s account play a major part in the show…by far the biggest response is by email and text.

Sometimes the producer (not JV) will judge a comment via twitter is useful in the debate and pass it through to the studio.
Jeremy is aware of our guidance on personal use of social media, and his comments on twitter are within that guidance, and I, and others, will advise him from time to time about twitter.
Twitter is a new phenomenon, and adapting guidelines etc. does take time and often leaves a few grey areas. You’ll have noticed BBC news people like Robert Peston have tweet accounts too…and many of those are ‘BBC’ owned. But, the way the accounts are labelled and who owns them does, I admit, vary across the corporation. We are tidying this up  bit by bit, but it is taking a little time.
I hope this explains the situation.

 

The writer has obviously gone to some trouble to get his facts straight, but I feel that he has been given misinformation by the JV program staff. Old habits die hard!

I am pleased to have it confirmed that Vine is freelance and not a BBC employee. I always suspected that this was the case, but had no proof.

This was my response to the email:

Very many thanks for your reply, and for taking the time and trouble to investigate further - it is very much appreciated. Unfortunately, it does not explain the situation!

The only Twitter account that I know Jeremy Vine has is @theJeremyVine. I can only assume that the BBC-owned Twitter account that you refer to is @BBCRadio2, which I have never heard mentioned in connection with Mr Vine's programme.

Mr Vine uses his "personal" account to tweet about his favourite football team, cycling in London and a whole host of non-BBC related topics, but this is also the same Twitter account that he promotes heavily in connection with his Radio 2 programme. For example, this is what he said yesterday (25th April):

 - During his daily promotion on the Ken Bruce show at 11:30 : "Phone number 0500 288291, you can email vine@bbc.co.uk, we're both on Twitter @R2KenBruce and @theJeremyVine"
 - At the start of his programme at 11:59 : "The phone number is 0500 288291, you can also email vine@bbc.co.uk and if you have an account on Twitter I'm there as @theJeremyVine"

You will note that in both of these promotions there was no mention of texting, and based on previous experience I have absolutely no doubt that other similar promotions of @theJeremyVine were made during the programme. You will also note his promotion of Ken Bruce's Twitter account, which has as its description: The official twitter account of the real Ken Bruce. You'll find my words here typed by my own fingers . On air weekdays 0930-1200 BBC Radio 2. Despite his claims to the contrary, am I to take it that Mr Bruce's account is "personal" too?

You kindly wrote: Sometimes the producer (not JV) will judge a comment via twitter is useful in the debate and pass it through to the studio.

So, just to be clear, Mr Vine's "personal" account is monitored by a BBC producer and cherry-picked for good comments - is that correct? If that is the case, perhaps you would be good enough to explain the BBC's definition of the word "personal", as I am now completely baffled..

Mr Vine reads and attributes comments from Twitter on air, and a quick check of tweets to his account (by searching for @theJeremyVine in Twitter) reveals Twitter to indeed be the source, almost word for word.

As you have mentioned, I could choose to communicate with his programme by email or text, but both of these mediums are relatively cumbersome and lack the immediacy and convenience that Twitter provides to me.

I have no issue, or interest, with the comments that Mr Vine makes on Twitter. We live in a land of free speech and he is entitled to his opinions. However, that same free speech is denied to me simply because he has chosen to block me from being able to respond to his invitations to contact his programme (not Mr Vine himself). This amounts to nothing less than censorship on Mr Vine's part.

All I want is to be able to communicate with a BBC radio programme that I fund by buying a TV Licence every year.

Again, I thank you sincerely for your email, but I cannot help thinking that whoever you spoke to at the JV programme has not been entirely accurate with their responses.

As well as defining "personal", would you care to comment further?

23/04/12, 24/04/12 and 25/04/12

I've been busy over the last couple of days so I have missed my daily updates. However, I'm off to the dentist (only a check-up) soon so find myself with an opportunity to do my thing. Let's start with Monday...

1) MARINE LE PEN - The biggest surprise of the French elections is that one in five voted for the national front candidate Marine Le Pen. What accounts for the rise of the far right in France? : It is well-known that the BBC finds any political view other than left of centre to be totally abhorent. Like London, I view France as a place to get through as quickly as possible on my way to somewhere much nicer. And my interest ends there. Next...

2) BLINDNESS IN ONE EYE - A diplomat loses an eye in a vicious attack. Are you someone who has had to cope with just one eye? : How awful, but I have not been that unfortunate. Next...

3) CARE WORKER - A family secretly film their mother being slapped by a care home worker. How can this happen in a care home that’s been rated ‘excellent’? : I've no idea, but I note that "All five main care workers filmed by Jane Worroll were sacked" so hopefully it will not happen again. But then this was all just a promotion for Monday's edition of Panorama, wasn't it? Next...

4) I LOVE WHERE I LIVE - All this week Radio 2 wants to hear why you love where you live. We will be hearing your 1 minute love letters about your town, village or city : Yeah, whatever.

So that was Monday. Sounds dire. Was Tuesday any better?

1) POSHNESS - Conservative MP Nadine Dorries says that Cameron and Osborne are “arrogant posh boys” who “don’t know the price of milk”. Does poshness matter anyway? : Ah yes, a good old-fashioned Jeremy Vine Show Character Assassination. It's been a while since you did one of those. I take it that this was as one-sided as all of the others? Aside from that, is a bit of name-calling really "news", especially when bearing in mind the current legal matters entangling Peter Hain (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17822347) and Jack Straw (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17746561 and http://order-order.com/2012/04/24/secretary-of-state-spook-connection/). Next...

2) MEAT THEFT - There’s been a rise in the theft of meat both from supermarkets and from the ‘back of lorries’. Is this something you’ve witnessed? Find out more from the Financial Times: No. And the link you provided is hidden behind a "pay wall". You may wish to waste my TV licence tax money on a subscription, but I do not. Next...

3) CLAIRE SQUIRES - Claire Squires ran the marathon to raise money for the Samaritans in memory of her brother. She collapsed and died near the end. Since then, thousands of people have donated money in her memory : Tragic. Did you discuss banning marathons? If not, why not? Next...

4) LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE - Radio 2’s homage to every nook and cranny and of the UK continues. Today, ‘I Love Where I Live’ moves to Wales and Northern Ireland. There’s still time to write your one minute love letter, to where you live : Is there really. Great.

And while I'm at it, I may as well dismiss today's show as well...

1) RUSSELL BRAND - Did you see Russell Brand give evidence on drug abuse to MPs yesterday? He called for people to have more compassion for drug addicts, but were you somebody who said what right did he have to be there in the first place? : Who? Oh, him. My answers are no, and no. This is a former Radio 2 colleague you are talking about here, have you no respect? Me neither. Next...

2) BUS LANES & CYCLISTS - The man that runs one of Britain’s biggest cab firms says that minicabs should be allowed in bus lanes and cyclists should be made to pay road tax : I have no idea where my nearest bus lane is, in England probably, but your Twitter feed is full of references to your endeavours with a bicycle around London, so I fail to see how you could possibly conduct an unbiased discussion on this topic today. Your BBC colleague Stuart Hughes launched a Twitter attack on the minicab company concerned and this has been fully documented elsewhere (http://biased-bbc.com/2012/04/20/taxi-2/ and http://biased-bbc.com/2012/04/24/taxi-update/) and this, if nothing else, illustrates perfectly the kind of bias that permeates through the BBC when somebody there uses their position to further their own views. As for me, one day many years ago I was stopped at traffic lights on the Euston Road in London and a cyclist rammed in to the back of my car. I got out and the cyclist picked himself up off the road and said "Sorry mate, I didn't see you". What he meant was he wasn't actually looking where he was going. The rear bumper and boot lid on my car were both dented, but the cyclist's bike appeared to be undamaged. I know that because he then rode off at high speed and left me with the repair bill. I'll leave you to guess what my view of cyclists is ... can you manage that? I'll listen to this on the iPlayer later as I hope that the chap from the minicab company gives you some grief. Next...

3) MURDOCH - Rupert Murdoch gives evidence at the Leveson Inquiry today as his son leaves cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt’s career hanging by a thread : Murdoch appears at Leveson, and you are all over it like. Yet back in January (25th) you chose to ignore the evidence given by the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and our beloved BBC. Bias, bias, bias! Any news reporter worthy of his trade would give equal coverage to ALL of the news organisations involved, but you only choose to report on Murdoch. Your choice, or a directive from On High? Next...

 

4) LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE - ‘I Love Where I Live’ heads to the middle of England today. We hear your one minute love letters to the place you love : WTF?

 

And at 12:08 the Off switch does its job.

 

It was interesting to hear Chris Evans's comments this morning on the forthcoming repeat of 2DAY. "We loved it, you loved it", he said. That is not my recollection of last year's disasterous day when hordes of R2 listeners found that other radio stations are available. And your beloved newspapers slated it too. But the BBC always know best, don't they?

The Jeremy Vine show - telling you the news that WE want you to hear

20/04/12

Good afternoon. Here is the news from the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17755357

Clock change could leave teenagers more sleepy

Teenagers can suffer severe sleep deprivation when the clocks change, say researchers at the University of Surrey. As this study was small, nine students in total, Mrs Bower says further research is needed.

A survey of just nine students? Thank goodness the BBC brought this to our attention.

http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/Entertainment/BBC-Signs-Dancing-Deal-with-Avon/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/769804

BBC Signs Dancing Deal with AvonBBC Worldwide Consumer Products has signed a deal with Avon to produce the first range of fragrances based on Dancing with the Stars, the global brand of BBC One’s “Strictly Come Dancing” series.

Mmmm... Eau D'Sweat sounds delightful. Put me down for a few bottles.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9214163/PLS-PIC-AND-PUB-BBC-staff-could-strike-over-Jubilee-weekend.html

BBC staff 'could strike over Jubilee weekend'

BBC staff are to be balloted for strike action that unions warn could disrupt coverage of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in June.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2132034/Will-miss-Queens-Jubilee-BBC-staff-balloted-strikes-threaten-coverage-celebration.html

Will we miss the Queen's Jubilee? BBC staff balloted for strikes which could threaten coverage of celebration

They are demanding an increase of  2 per cent above the Retail Price Index rate of inflation, which is currently 3.6 per cent.

 

As you BBC people say: Other broadcasters are available, and free ones at that. Any chance that they could go on strike permanently? They could all be sacked then.

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/education/pupil-12-takes-bbc-to-task-over-dumbed-down-current-affairs-1-2246042

Pupil, 12, takes BBC to task over ‘dumbed down’ current affairs

Lachlann, who is in year seven at the private Loretto School in Musselburgh, aired his concerns that Newsround, the 40-year-old news programme, is celebrity news-heavy and “does not give you the in-depth news”. He explained his desire for a greater focus on current affairs, suggesting that the Newsround editors were underestimating the audience and said there was a need for a children’s news programme aimed at the 12-16 age group.

Good for him! I wonder what he thinks of your programme.

And finally, more "news" aimed at children:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/17744487

'Fracking' for gas to carry on, leaving people angry

A controversial way of getting gas from underground will start again, even though some people argue it's not safe. The government reckons it could be also be used in power stations in future, which would mean the UK wouldn't depend on getting expensive fuel from other countries. But some people think fracking could pollute water and others say tidal energy and wind energy are much better options.

 

Go on BBC, keep ramming one side of the argument down their throats. Impartial? No. Unbiased? No. Sensationalist? Yes!

 

 

 

I've just had a quick listen to yesterday's show and you going on about Twitter. Some quotes from you:

"Email sounds old fashioned" - Yet it is the ONLY form of immediate written communication that I can have with your programme (i.e. NOT YOU personally!) because that is what YOU personally have decided. I have absolutely no desire to interact with YOU, but I would like to interact with YOUR PROGRAMME.

"You can tweet me at @theJeremyVine" - No, I can't, because you have blocked me from doing so.

"Here is the Radio 2 guide to Twitter" - Yet no mention of blocking. How odd.

"Tweet from somebody called Kristian, with a K, Webb, and there's a swear word in here so I won't read it: Kindly f*** off you imbecile. You've got all the intelligence of a cancerous polyp. That's a message from him to me" - Have you blocked him? One thing I have never done is resort to such language. All I have done is challenge and question what you do with a genuine desire to discuss, but you block me for daring to do so. Checking through other tweets to you yesterday I see that I am not alone in being blocked by you. Am I one of the "lunatics" that you mentioned?

Anyway, enough of your hypocrisy and blatant double standards, let's look at what I am missing today...

1) BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX - Given the violence and unrest in Bahrain is it right that the Grand Prix goes ahead? : Sport (allegedly), in a country I have never visited, and with Tatchell in the studio to share his wisdom with your listeners. Let me know if and when this discussion, or Tatchell's actions, change anything, will you? I'll be asleep in a corner, somewhere. Next...

2) PICKPOCKETING - A crime survey suggests that there has been a serious increase in pickpocketing. We give you Radio 2’s guide to how to protect yourself from being pickpocketed : I was pickpocketed on a packed Paris RER train a few years ago, simply because of my own stupidity. Rest assured, it will not happen again. Next...

3) HOSEPIPE BAN - Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink, or rather, don’t use your hosepipe! Martin Lewis tells us how to save water and save money : There is no hosepipe ban here. Having a water meter (by choice) and knowing that I am paying for every drop concentrates the mind wonderfully and we just do not waste water. Two rainwater butts helps too. I don't think I need to listen, do I? Next...

4) STANDING - David Cameron says children should stand up when their parents enter the room. Is this a Tory leader out of touch or a return to good old-fashioned manners? Fing out more in this article from the Telegraph : Fing? Do you actually read the pages you link to? The Telegraph article clearly states: The Prime Minister made the remarks in a speech praising the return of “real discipline” to British schools. He said reforms to the education system would lead to “fantastic outcomes” like children who observe the old-fashioned practice of rising in the presence of an adult. Having listened to you just after 12:00 today you seem to be under the illusion that Cameron would like to see this in family homes which, according to your source, is incorrect. Again, you are just making this stuff up, aren't you?

The Jeremy Vine Show - News Entertainment at its best

Left hand, meet right hand...

I've just received the following email from the powers-that-be at our beloved BBC which relates to another email I received from the Editorial Complaints Unit on 6th February (http://lunchtimeloather.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/friendly-message-from-bbcs-editorial.html). It has only taken them two and a half months to notice...

On reviewing the correspondence between you and the Editorial Complaints Unit from earlier this year, it has been pointed out to me that  your complaint about Jeremy Vine’s use of Twitter should have reached me. However, I have now read all the correspondence, and your concerns, and I have nothing more to add to what has already been said.

I note that the expedited complaints process has been applied, and the programme/audience services will only respond to you in future if there is a serious or substantial matter which should be taken further.

I wanted to make you aware that if you wish to take your complaint about Jeremy Vine blocking you on twitter further, or if you wish to appeal against the application of the expedited complaints procedure you  can ask the BBC Trust (who act as Stage 3 in the complaints process) to consider an appeal within 20 working days of receipt of my letter.

You can write to the BBC Trust at 180 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QZ. Full details of the complaints and appeals processes are on the BBC Trust website. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/)

Paul Smith
Head Editorial Standards, BBC Audio & Music


My response:

Dear Mr Smith,

Many thanks for your email. I have already been in contact with the BBC Trust and I am currently awaiting their second response.

Just to be clear in my own mind, and in case I have completely misunderstood something, would you be good enough to explain to me how a Twitter account that is described as "personal" by the BBC itself (and so completely uncontrolled by the BBC) can be so described when that same account forms such a major part of a radio programme that relies on audience participation for a large proportion of its content? It is this issue and the double-standards involved, or my complete misunderstanding, that is at the crux of my complaint.

I won't hold my breath...

19/04/12

Ooohhh... with a convenient gap in today's workload this really is like old times...

Did you hear the R2 news at 08:00 this morning? There were two stories that included either the words "Labour says..." (Qatada deportation) or "Labour wants..." (British Pregnancy Advisory Service hacking). Does "Labour" not have a name any more?

1) ABU QATADA - It’s been said that the deportation of the rebel cleric Abu Qatada is descending in to chaos. Did home secretary Theresa May get the day wrong? : I've not seen the paperwork, so I could not possibly comment, but there is nothing quite like a good old fashioned "it's your fault" finger pointing exercise, is there? You love it! And what will you change? Absolutely nothing, as usual. I suggest you ask "Labour" about this as they seem to know more than Theresa May, apparently. Next... 

2) TWITTER - Have you ever been on Twitter? We debate whether Twitter is good or bad for the human soul : No real news today then? I'm sure I just heard something about more journalist scum being arrested, which you conveniently have ignored again. I only signed-up for Twitter so that I could interact with your programme. You know the one... the programme broadcast by the UK's state broadcaster that I have to pay for by law and that relies on audience interaction for its content. But then, presumably because I disagree with and challenge your views, you have blocked me from following you. Fortunately Twitter's "blocking" mechanism is not quite as good as you obviously think it is and there are ways and means around it. We will, of course, be finding out what the BBC Trust think about this next month and whether they consider that free speech is a right for all, or just a favour granted to those who comply with BBC corporate policy. All views are personal, of course. Next...

3) HOODIES - Would you employ a young, unemployed Brit rather than a “hard working eastern European”? Employment minister Chris Grayling says it’s time to employ a hoodie : I look forward to hearing that you have employed at least one "hoodie" on your show. You know, just to show willing and to reinforce your point. As for me, well I have just enough work to keep me busy, thank you, and I do not need to employ anybody. Next...

4) SEASIDE WALKS - Why a walk by the sea is better than a walk in a park, or even the countryside. Why do so many of us yearn to live by the coast? : I live only a short distance from the sea so, by definition, I cannot yearn to live there as I already do. Disenfranchised again!

And I'd bet money that Barbara Windsor - like Madonna - does not listen to your show, despite the claims of your sycophantic jingles.

The Jeremy Vine Show - challenge our brainwashing and we will block you!

18/04/12

Time for another prompt-ish update, this is getting just like old times!

And to re-live those old times I need to suggest some BBC-related stories for you to discuss, and ignore, so here they are:

This is so BRILLIANT that I am going to reproduce it in full, and it is from your favourite daily rag too!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2128963/Coming-latest-Salford-news-Corporation-Street.html

Coming up after the latest Salford news Corporation Street

The BBC’s much-heralded move to a new Media City in Salford was finally completed this week. Critics say the £1.5 billion cost would have been better spent on programming. To celebrate its commitment to regional diversity, the corporation has drawn up an exciting new schedule . . .

6.00 Breakfast Presented by Bill Turnbull and the woman who cleans the offices at Media City. Events in the Middle East are analysed by the imam from Salford Central Mosque and the diplomatic correspondent of the Salford Advertiser.

9.00 Homes Under The Hammer Tearful BBC staff reluctantly put their fashionable West London homes on the market and embark on a new life in Salford.

10.00 Bargain Hunt BBC executives discover that they can buy an entire street for the price of a one-bedroom flat in Shepherds Bush. Unfortunately, the street in question is in Salford.

10.45 Location, Location BBC Director North Peter Salmon is looking a home close to his new place of work. Today, Kirsty and Phil show him properties in Notting Hill and a crash pad in Kensington.

11.30 Escape To The Country The Friday night exodus from Media City, Salford, as BBC executives head for their second homes in the Cotswolds. Presented by Bill Turnbull.

12.00 Home And Away The trials and tribulations of media executives forced to work in Salford while their families are hundreds of miles away in London. In today’s feature-length episode, Bill discovers his wife is having an affair with her personal trainer and Susanna is mugged on her way to the railway station.

1.00 News; Weather. Bill Turnbull brings you the latest headlines from around the world. Features a special report on a proposed pedestrianisation scheme in Salford. The long-range weather forecast predicts heavy rain in the Salford area.

1.45 Footballers’ Wives Waynetta Rooney meets the WAGs of Manchester United and Manchester City players at the nail bar and Brazilian wax salon in the Lowry Hotel, Manchester. Mario sets fire to his bathroom.

2.30 Helicopter Heroes In this special edition, members of the BBC senior management team fly from Battersea helipad to Media City, Salford, for a meeting before returning to London in time for dinner at The Ivy.

3.15 Pointless Popular quiz show in which contestants have to answer questions such as: why has the BBC wasted £1.5 billion of licence-payers’ money moving to Salford?

4.30 Great British Menu From the Salford Quays branch of Greggs. Top chefs compete for the honour of preparing a banquet for the Mayor of Salford. Tonight they try to create the perfect pasty while avoiding VAT at 20 per cent.

5.00 Deal Or No Deal BBC journalists, producers and secretaries are told that unless they agree to move to Salford they will be sacked.

6.00 News; Weather Bill Turnbull reports on the struggle for control of Salford Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Plus, how the North West is escaping the hosepipe ban.

6.30 Great British Railway Journeys Michael Portillo encounters engineering works at Crewe as he joins BBC Breakfast presenter Susanna Reid on a replacement bus service during her daily commute between London and Salford.

7.00 The One Show In an exclusive interview to mark the opening of Media City, Bill Turnbull talks to Manchester music scene legend Noel Gallagher, live by satellite from his home in Little Venice, West London.

7.30 Corporation Street The BBC’s brand new soap, designed to rival ITV’s Coronation Street. Television executives struggle to adapt to their new surroundings in Salford. Tonight Susanna tells Bill she returning to her husband in London.

8.00 Strictly Come Dancing From the Locarno Ballroom, Salford. The show gets a youthful revamp as 82-year-old Stuart Hall, from Ashton-under-Lyne, takes over as host from 84-year-old, Surrey-based Bruce Forsyth. Tonight’s celebrity dancers include Waynetta Rooney and Bill Turnbull.

9.00 Crimewatch North West Police appeal for witnesses after a BBC worker was shot with an air rifle while cycling home from work at Media City. Presented by Bill Turnbull and Salford PCSO Debbie Arkwright.

10.00 Match Of The Day From the City of Manchester Stadium. Features the top-of-the-table clash between Manchester City and Manchester United, followed by highlights of Manchester City Reserves v Manchester United Reserves and Manchester City Under-18s v Manchester United Under-18s. Presented by Bill Turnbull.

11.00 Newsnight New host Bill Turnbull presents a special investigation into how the BBC managed to spend £1.84 million on rail fares and another £77,000 on airline tickets after deciding to move operations from London to Salford.

11.45 The Graham Norton Show Bill Turnbull takes over as stand-in presenter after Graham Norton’s agent tells the BBC that the star refuses to travel to Salford because all his guests live in London. Tonight, Bill performs a musical duet with Salford superstar Morrissey of his seminal smash hit, Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.

A well-deserved Gold Star to Richard Littlejohn, I think.

More BBC news:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9208714/BBC-spends-8m-on-20-redundancies.html

BBC spends £8m on 20 redundancies

The payments, made as compensation for loss of their jobs, include one single payment of nearly £1m to a top executive. Another was paid £600,000 and a third received £435,000 after taking either compulsory or voluntary redundancy. The figures, disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act, show a further three individuals received between £400,000 and £500,000 payments. Relating to the years 2005 to 2012, they show a dozen ex-employees were also awarded between £300,000 and £400,000.

Nice work if you can get it, eh?

Yesterday's furore over fracking continued for the rest of the day, with the BBC in full-flight Ram It Down Their Throats mode on every possible news bulletin. Richard Black must have had a busy day as he attempted to whip us in to an uncontrollable frenzy, and he even found time to write this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17741416 - Is shale gas the GM of energy? Unfortunately, in one household in North Wales his words washed over me in waves of suspicion. As I get older I am coming to the conclusion that if the BBC tell me something - anything - is really, really bad then it is probably nowhere near as bad as they say. My worry is that the BBC is SO concerned about a topic that it is prepared to dominate its broadcasts with that topic, and with little opportunity for ANY alternative viewpoint. An obvious question would be: Who at the BBC decides that this message must be rammed down our throats? A more sinister question is: Why is the message being rammed down our throats, and what does the BBC stand to gain from doing so? You get the "you must say this" memos, so go on, tell me. It can be our little secret.

You're doing your programme at the moment, and so far I have missed about 40 minutes of this...

1) QUANTITATIVE EASING - The policy of quantitative easing (or printing money) has either destroyed your savings and pensions or saved the economy from meltdown. Are old people suffering or young people benefitting from QE? : You said on Ken's show that "people over the age of 55 have wrecked the country" as they have benefitted from free university places, amongst other things, but you attempted to distance yourself from this assertion. So whose words are these? They are not mentioned in the BBC news page you link to. I'm not yet 55 and I did not go to university. Does that make me an innocent young person? Next...

2) NEIL HEYWOOD - The Government has been accused of caring more about pandas than the businessman who was murdered in China. How was Neil Heywood killed and what was the role of the Chinese Communist Party. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : What, are you expecting somebody to call in and answer that question? Dream on Jeremy! And should I be surprised that there is no mention of pandas in the Telegraph's article that you link to? I thought not. And, as far as I am aware, a "government" (or, indeed, your radio programme) does not have emotions so therefore cannot care about anything, and that is constantly demonstrated. Next...

3) LOCAL NEWSPAPERS - Lots of local newspapers are being closed down, turned into weeklies or forced online. It’s not just democracy which suffers but paper boys and paper girls are losing their jobs. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Democracy? That'll be the democracy permitted by a newspaper editor or a radio programme host, will it? You last discussed this almost exactly a year ago on 20th April 2011 (LOCAL NEWSPAPERS - Local newspaper staff go on strike as three reporters are left to fill nine papers. Are local newspapers dying...or thriving on the web?). We do not have a daily local newspaper here (although we do have weeklies) and our nearest (but not exactly local) newsagent uses some bloke in a van to deliver newspapers, while at least one neighbour who feels the need for his daily fix of lies and scandal drives 7 miles every day just to go and get one. Poor soul. Anyway, you already know my views on this one:

DEATH TO THE DEAD TREE PRESS!

Less local newspapers means less journalists, which means less journalists feeding the UK population the biased, ill-informed, sensationalised, partisan, poorly researched, dictatorial lies that you and your ilk attempt to spoon-feed us every day. Perhaps one day you will all go and get proper jobs, but who in their right mind would employ an ex-journalist? Next...

4) SELF-DIAGNOSIS - Finally, the perils of going online for self-diagnosis. When you’re ill do you trust Dr. Google? : No.

 

Right, got to go now as Radcliffe & Maconie have just started their show ... real radio for those of us who do not need to be told what to think.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - just checked, and Dr Google recommends euthanasia

16/04/12 and 17/04/12

Tuesday, and I've just listened to your diatribe with Ken. As usual, there was nothing to give me any confidence that you have even the slightest clue what you are talking about, but let's have a quick look at yesterday's programme first...

1) ANDERS BREIVIK - It’s the trial in Norway of Anders Breivik, accused of murdering 77 people. Is Norway treating him more liberally then we would in Britain? : And the point of this question is what, exactly? Norway has its legal system, and we have ours. Now get over it. Next...

2) STILES - There’s a report that in Dartmoor, people want the stiles to be removed from country walks, because disabled and overweight people are having trouble getting over them. Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : Another one from the Mail, so it must be true. And your discussion with Ken today confirms that to be true. So what? Slow news day, was it? Next...

3) I LOVE WHERE I LIVE - We launch a Radio 2 special which celebrates every single part of the United Kingdom, “I love where I live”. It’s a one-minute love letter to your town, place or village : I love where I live, that's why I live here. Easy! Next...

4) BIONICS - We meet the fifteen-year old with a bionic arm. He lost the arm when he was very young, now science has replaced it : Wonderful!

On to today then...

1) FRACKING - Today we debate fracking: Will it create almost limitless supplies of cheap natural gas, or will it cause earthquakes and ruin the environment? : I must have missed the news the day the Blackpool Tower collapsed and fell in to the sea following the "earthquake" last year... The word "debate" usually means a frank discussion by parties of differing views. You mentioned on Ken's show that your (only?) guest on this item would be somebody from the "Ribble Estuary Against Fracking" (REAF, presumably) campaign. And your other guest, who will argue the benefits of fracking will be ... non-existent, presumably. I'd had enough of this listening to Chris Evans this morning who gave the kind of one-sided argument of which you would have been proud. My opinion on fracking is of no matter, but I do object to you and your colleagues continuing with your biased messages. It was on 24th May that you last discussed this, and a subsequent email exchange between myself and so-called BBC Science Correspondent Roger Harrabin failed to give me any kind of impression that he had a clue what he was talking about:

Me: You said: "It is the fracking process - creating tiny explosions to shatter hard shale rocks and release gas 10,000 feet underground - that has caused so much controversy in the US. Some householders claim that shale gas leaking into their drinking supply causes tap water to ignite.". The suggestion is that shale gas percolates nearly two miles up through the earth's crust and then seeps through metal or plastic pipes containing water under pressure and then bursts in flames out of water taps with no source of ignition. Would you care to suggest how this can happen? Do you have any documentary evidence of such an occurrence?

Harrabin: Many share your incredulity.

Me: So you made it up then? No facts, no news!

Harrabin: No that's silly

If he can't explain his own writings, why would you be any different? And I've just listened to Richard Black spout his usual biased rubbish, and he'll get a gold star from somebody for crow-barring "global warming" in to the discussion. Well done Richard, I don't believe a word you say! And I've also listened to the woman from REAF who, shall we say, failed to convince me that she even knows what day of the week it is. Presumably the people you speak to (a) use electricity, (b) hate nuclear energy, (c) hate the burning of fossil fuels, and (d) fail to acknowledge the inefficiency and impracticality of wind farms. Unfortunately they also fail to come up with any other alternative, other than a UK with no electricity.

So let me re-word that question for you: Will it create almost limitless supplies of cheap natural gas, or will the UK media cause so much hysteria amongst an ill-informed population that any possible benefits will be missed? Next...

2) EMERGENCY LANDING - A Virgin Atlantic plane makes an emergency landing at Gatwick Airport. Some passengers said the cabin crew panicked. We investigate : You? Investigate? Don't make me laugh. You don't investigate anything. You'll read it in the Daily Mail. You said on Ken's show, "We're still checking the facts". Checking the facts? Blimey ... it has never bothered you before, why is this story so different? After all, you didn't bother to check the facts when talking about Chris Davies MEP's earnings, did you? Next...

3) WIRRAL COUNCIL - Should Wirral council be sponsoring its local football club Tranmere Rovers, when it’s closing down care homes for the elderly? Find out more in this article from The Telegraph : Oooh, a vote. I don't live on the Wirral and I hate football so, and on the basis that you like everybody to have an opinion, here is mine: I could not care less. Next...

4) SAILING MISHAPS - A father and son who bought a yacht from an online auction site crashed it into the rocks off Guernsey. We hear tales of inexperienced idiots and sailing mishaps : And your special guest will be the captain of the Costa Concordia, presumably? Radio about idiots made by idiots presumably for idiots. Target audience! Get Richard Black back on.

The Jeremy Vine Show - not today, thank you


UPDATE: After a visit to http://biased-bbc.com I was reminded of this:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100111487/how-many-died-in-the-great-blackpool-earthquake-of-11/

12/04/12 and 13/04/12

I just had to go out in the car and had the radio on and listened to your show for a short while before re-tuning. Bloomin' heck, that "Dangerous Age" song by Smiling Paul Weller is dreadful. But then he hasn't written a decent song since "Down In A Tube Station At Midnight" in 1978. Can you tell that, unlike yourself, I'm not a fan?

Anyway, let's deal with yesterday's show first...

1) TINNITUS - A man stabs himself to death while waiting to get treatment for tinnitus. Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : I'm not sure what to say about this, other than how awful. I've been to many, many gigs in my time and occasionally come away with a bit of a "whistle", but it usually has gone by the next morning. My wife has been known to wear earplugs at such events, and finds that it can actually add to her enjoyment. Next...

2) ARSON - A rioter is jailed for eleven and a half years for starting a fire which destroyed an iconic furniture store that had been run by the same family for five generations. Did arsonists destroy your family firm? : I don't have a family firm, it is just me! Next...

3) BLIND AUTHOR - A police force uses forensic techniques to recover a novel which was being written by a blind woman whose pen had run out. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : This is one of those stories that can make you feel good about the world in which we live, but other than giving due praise to the police I am left puzzled as to what there was to discuss yesterday. I learnt all I needed to know about this from R2's news bulletins. Next...

4) CHARITIES - Are rich philanthropists dodging tax by giving money to charity? : Not being a millionaire myself, and not having access to the government's taxation records, I have no idea what the answer to this question might be. What do you do?

Blimey, what a selection. I'm glad I missed that one. Is it any better today?

1) BURMA - David Cameron becomes the first British prime minister in more than sixty years to visit Burma. If you have connections with the country, do you welcome his trip? : I have no connections to Burma. Next...

2) FLAT HEAD SYNDROME - If your baby has so-called flat head syndrome, do you allow them to grow out of it or put a crash helmet on them to reshape the skull? : I've just checked and we still don't have any children. Somebody I know has a Harley-Davidson Flat Head motorbike (http://www.flathead-bobbers.com/flathead_1942/images-hd0219/1942_Harley_Flathead_WLA_Bobber_468x322.jpg) and he wears a crash helmet. Does that count? Next...

3) EYE-GOUGING - A man who blinded his girlfriend by gouging her eyes has admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent : Again, how awful. Next...

 

4) TITANIC - Why did the Titanic sink so fast? We speak to an expert on the science and engineering of the ill-fated vessel : Oh good, an expert. And science and engineering too ... how will you cope? It is 13:13 as I am writing this and you haven't done this item yet, so here are some questions for your expert:

 

 - Comparing the platework and port hole layouts for RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic shows they were quite different when being built but, strangely, one seemed to become the other before Titanic left Belfast. How does your expert explain this?

 

 - RMS Olympic was involved in a major collision with HMS Hawke in the Solent that caused so much damage that it destroyed the hull ribs and the keel, causing it to be only operable on one (out of three) engines as it limped back to Belfast for repairs. Harland & Wolff patched it up, but it was never going to be good as new again, and it was made worse by White Star's insurance failing to pay out. With Olympic out of service, Titanic still under construction and no insurance money White Star was losing a LOT of money. What is your expert's view of the possibility that the two ships were swapped and an accident was staged that would cause one ship to be lost, and so guaranteeing an insurance payout?

 

 - Can your expert explain why the sea trials of the ship called Titanic (formerly the damaged and repaired Olympic after the swap) were nowhere near as comprehensive as they should have been, and would that reduction in trials be caused by it having a weakened hull?

 

 - What is your expert's view that the staging of the "accident" went horribly wrong and resulted in the huge loss of life?

 

 - How does your expert explain how The Californian (nearest ship to Titanic when it sank and also owned by White Star) had been laid up for weeks waiting for coal (caused by a miners strike), but suddenly it was coaled, left port in a hurry with a cargo of blankets and warm clothing, sped across the Atlantic - and stopped, as though it was waiting for something.

 

 - What is your expert's view on why the sinking of the Titanic is well-known, yet 1415 people died on HMS Hood and with only THREE survivors but few people know about that. Similarly, during the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff) over NINE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED men, women and children lost their lives, and that event too is not commonly known.

 

I think I'll listen to this, just to see how wrong you get it!

 

No surprise that you didn't use any of my questions, but Mike from Essex was good. He'd seen a TV programme about the sinking, but seemed to have forgotten all about it. Quality radio!

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - starting your weekend with a story about death 

11/04/12

Well, this is nice. It has just gone 09:00 and Richard Madeley is droning on about nothing in particular, as usual, on the radio in the next room. Hang on... click, off, gone... there, that's better.

There have been some interesting retweets on your feed in the last 24 hours. The first one was this from @RadioToday:
Radio 2's @theJeremyVine to do Bristol Q&A:http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/04/radio-2s-jeremy-vine-to-do-bristol-qa/ #radionews
The link takes us to page that says: Jeremy’s session for the Radio Academy will cover his life, work and his love of radio. He’ll also talk about journalism and offer advice for all those wishing to enter the profession. The event is free for Radio Academy members and £10 for non-members.
I'm almost tempted to go, but in all honesty I can't be bothered. I'd love to hear your advice to journalists though. Will it include speculation, lieing, conjecture, illegal activities, arrogance, disrespect for the UK public and not getting caught? If not, what ARE you going to say?

Most of your retweets seem to be of the "Sometimes @theJeremyVine show is the only thing that gets me through the day" kind but you have posted a couple of "anti" messages, such as this one:
RT @Atko86: Because me and @Iainrobbo468 work with old dears we gotta listen to your pony radio show!!!! <~~~ COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Having moved away from London nearly 30 years ago, it is a long time since I have heard the word "pony" used as rhyming slang, but well done you for retweeting an "anti" message. I'm not sure what blessings the messager was meant to be counting though.

And this one:
“@CanLaw: @theJeremyVine @radioleary @whichpennysmith Get a life, you pathetic ignorant loser” <~~~~ WHICH OF US? YOU HAVE TO NARROW IT DOWN
A poorly directed message there, and the "Get a life..." phrase seems to be a standard response by @CanLaw, but that was a good retort on your part. I get similar comments left on my blog from time to time by fans of your programme.

Anyway, enough of the joys of Twitter. What did I miss yesterday? Not much by the look of it...

1) TAX RETURNS - Should all MPs publish their tax returns? : If that meant I can see how Galloway makes his money then yes, they should. The BBC news page you link to says "Four of the Mayoral candidates - Mr Livingstone, Conservative Boris Johnson, Lib Dem Brian Paddick and the Green Party's Jenny Jones - published their tax records after the Conservative and Labour candidates clashed last week.". I was unaware that Livingstone had actually provided full details but instead had only provided a sanitised version (http://order-order.com/2012/04/05/ken-is-the-14-5-former-climate-change-adviser-knocked-up-partial-figures/). Now, I know that research is not your strong point, but how could you get your programme guest's financial details so wrong? You spoke to Chris Davies MEP and said "In my hand, Chris Davies, I have got your tax return" and went on to say "it says employment 57657" at which point Mr Davies corrects you with a higher figure and one that coincides (within a few pounds) of what he has on his current tax return available on his web site (http://chrisdaviesmep.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Tax-Return-2011.pdf). So tell me Jeremy, why did your Researchers (and I use that term merely as a job title and not as a description of what they actually do) fail you so badly again? And why should anyone believe a single word that you say? Next...

2) HOMELESS IMMIGRANTS - Homeless migrants who are living near a Northampton roundabout have been urged to speak to authorities or face eviction : From what I heard when you spoke to Zoe yesterday, it was the roundabout aspect of this story that was of more interest to you than the homeless migrants. So, I had a good think to try and remember where my nearest roundabout is and, having remembered, I checked Google Street View to see that it is only about 5 feet in diameter, built entirely of brick and contains four arrow traffic indicators. There was no sign of any homeless people. The BBC news page you link to is a classic, as it says "The migrants, known locally as the roundabout people, have set up home (using woodland) on the Barnes Meadow roundabout." and then says under the picture "It is not known whether the woodland at Barnes Meadow is still occupied". If this is such an important story that nobody could be bothered to check, why were you talking about it? Next...

3) MUGABE - We look at what has happened to the Zimbabwean opposition as the country denies reports that its president Robert Mugabe is dying in a hospital in Singapore. Find out more in this article from the Mirror : I'm going to have to think about this for a second. Who should I believe? The Zimbabwe authorities? The Daily Mirror? You? They are all as trustworthy as each other. Hmmm.... Next...

4) AFTERNOON TEA - And have you been astonished at the high cost of afternoon tea? Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : Never having partaken, my answer is "No". Like the BBC, these establishments can charge what they like. Unlike the BBC, we consumers have a choice whether to pay.

The Jeremy Vine Show - Pony and trap ... you can work it out yourself!

09/04/10 and 10/04/10

Hi Jeremy,

Remember me? I'm back! I bet you're pleased about that. I've had a couple of weeks off while I do some stuff and reassess what I want to do with regard to your programme and my blog. But you need not worry: This festering sore is not going to go away just yet. Instead, I am going to email you (and update my blog) as and when I can rather than trying to do it as your programme starts. Frankly, I have got better things to do than tell you what I think of your programme, and this is not helped by the incompetence and tardiness of whoever it is (who is it?) who is responsible for updating your show web page every day. In my recent second appeal letter to the BBC Trust I have promised to stop filing complaints about how late these updates can be some days, so my best course of action is to stop waiting for them and write this rubbish later in the day and after somebody has done the job that I pay them to do.

All this means, of course, is that I will no longer be telling you "I won't be listening today because..." and future messages will tell you simply what I think of the topics you decided to discuss on previous shows. The advantages to me are:
 - no time constraint
 - the web page will have been updated
 - I can have a good laugh at any relevant bits by using iPlayer

A win-win-win situation, I think!

I wonder what I missed while I was having a break? Well, actually I couldn't care less what I missed to be honest, but I do know that I missed Feltz talking (talking? or fawning?) to Galloway. So that was a result then. I cannot think of two people I would rather never hear ever again.

I bet I didn't miss you discussing this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2126040/BBC-bias-Is-Corporation-representing-British-nation.html

The BBC has a duty to represent the British nation...but is it doing so?

There's an interesting dialogue taking place on the internet.  It can be seen in blogs, chatrooms and on social network sites and it runs something like this: why is the BBC TV news output so selective in what - and who - it chooses to cover? It's fair to say, though, that there exists an angry crowd of people pounding on their keyboards and some of what they have to say about our Great British institution is less than endearing. Just as importantly, I feel, is the fact that dissenting voices have increased in volume and intensity over the past couple of years and show no sign of abating.

Perhaps I should get a job at the Daily Mail? Or perhaps not ... <shudder>

And then there was this one:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9189380/BBC-accused-of-TV-licence-rip-off.html

BBC accused of TV licence rip-off

The BBC is over-charging millions of people for their licence fees by selling "annual" permits that only last 11 months, it can be disclosed. The corporation has been making up to £25m a year through the little-known loophole, which has been condemned as "unfair" and a "rip off". Any viewer buying a TV licence for the first time is charged £145.50 for a year-long permit. But under current arrangements, the new licence expires 12 months from the first day of the month in which it is purchased. This means that an ‘annual’ licence bought on April 30 2012 will actually run out at midnight on March 31 2013.

The BBC? Ripping off the people who fund it? Who'd have thought such a thing could ever happen. Oh, hang on, silly me.

And then, of course, there is possibly the biggest organised cover-up of criminal behaviour ever seen in the UK:
http://order-order.com/2012/04/10/britains-biggest-establishment-cover-up-conspiracy-thousands-of-crimes-committed-by-over-300-journalists-protected-from-exposure-by-a-judge-and-newspaper-editors/

In the course of the Inquiry Leveson has received prima facie evidence of some thousands of crimes committed by hundreds of journalists. The Operation Motorman files gathered by the Information Commissioner expose a culture of criminality in the day-to-day functioning of the media. The corrupting of police and other offices of the crown was a matter of course not only at the News of the World and other Murdoch titles, it was also the case at the Mail and the Mirror newspaper groups as well. The silence on this issue from these newspapers is because they fear a circular firing squad. Leveson has the evidence required to initiate criminal actions and civil actions by thousands of victims of crimes committed by newspaper journalists. Guido challenged Leveson to his face to publish the evidence, thus allowing the victims of industrial scale illegal invasions of privacy to get justice. Leveson claimed it was difficult nine years on. Guido understands that there have been two applications to Leveson to release the Operation Motorman files. The applications, heard in private, were refused. So in Britain we have a situation where the judge charged with investigating the crimes carried out by the media is covering up their crimes. There is an overwhelming public interest in the victims getting justice.

Go on then, discuss that one day. I dare you. Journalism in this country is facing its biggest crisis with huge swathes of the population simply not believing a word that ANY journalist says, including you. So try and explain why your journalist bretheren should not be shot in front of their families. I'd listen. To put it in simple terms: JOURNALISTS ARE SCUM!

One thing I didn't miss was you saying last Friday, "You can tweet me at @TheJeremyVine and we can discuss these topics out of hours". Really? Can I really discuss this stuff with you? If so, let's give it a go. Oh, and you'll need to unblock my Twitter account first ... won't you.

Let's start the day-by-day analysis by looking at yesterday's programme (Monday 9th April). Working on a Bank Holiday ... I can't remember you doing that before!

1) BOAT RACE DISRUPTION - The protestor who disrupted this year's Boat Race has now been charged. How do we avoid similar incidents at the Olympics or the Jubilee celebrations? : My interest in anything sporty is legend and as close to non-existent as it is possible to be. BUT, had I have been in one of those boats on Saturday I would have made sure that this idiot had got an accidental clout from my oar before the race was stopped. I'm just listening to this on iPlayer and waiting patiently for you to come up with a concrete proposal ... ah, here we go: "If this person had been running in to a Presidential motorcade he would have been shot" and "If he thought we would have been shot for swimming in the water he wouldn't have done it". An interesting suggestion Jeremy, that'll boost the TV ratings. And the security expert you interviewed said "There is no way you are going to prevent it". This was then followed by some inane comments from your inane listeners (shooting with an underwater harpoon, for example). And guess what? Other than shooting the person involved, you failed to come up with any useful suggestion. I bet Teresa May was devastated. OK, enough of iPlayer now. Remind me, what was the point of this discussion again? Next...

2) RAUNCHY MUSIC VIDEOS - Should raunchy music videos get an 18 rating? : What, and deny legions of teenage boys 30 seconds of pleasure? You are such a spoilsport. Next...

3) DOMESTIC SERVICE - Was one of your parents or grandparents in domestic service? : No, they were not. I love questions like that. Next...

4) ANIMAL IN HEADLIGHTS - A driver writes off his Ferrari trying to avoid a hedgehog in the road. Do you swerve when you see an animal in your headlights? Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : Stop, yes. Swerve, no. We get all sorts of wildlife on the roads around here: hedgehogs, sheep, rabbits, cows, deer, badgers, foxes, owls. I've managed to avoid them all. And good to see the Mail is still providing garbage for your programme, especially when it involves a story from Germany. Was there no UK news then?

OK, that's one day down so perhaps I should do today's show too. I did notice at about 1:30 that the web site hadn't been updated. Some things never change, but that particular failing of the BBC is no longer an issue ... so here we go...

1) EXTRADITION - The European Court of Human Rights rules that five terrorism suspects - including the radical Islamic cleric, Abu Hamza - can be extradited to the US : I hear that Guantanamo Bay is nice at this time of year. An interesting tweet from Stewart Jackson MP appeared on your feed earlier: Went head to head with human rights lawyer @TheJeremyVine show. Out of touch & publicly funded (mostly). Public have human right to be safe. Out of touch and publicly funded? Who WAS he talking about? Next...

2) CHARITY FUNDRAISERS - Volunteer fundraisers in Aldeburgh withdraw their support from the Macmillan cancer charity because they say the organisation hired door-to-door collectors who used high-pressure techniques. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Living in a rural area as I do, the number of "cold" door-to-door callers that we suffer per month can probably be counted on one foot of a three-toed sloth. A well-known double-glazing company who tell me I should "fit the best" are regular if infrequent visitors, but even they are starting to understand the meaning of "Go away, and get off my property". I find that works quite nicely. It does not make economic sense for charitable organisations to target this area, and any charity I choose to support would not do such a thing (and I would soon cease to support them if they did). I find it amazing that some people allow themselves to be ambushed in the street and are then conned in to signing a direct debit for a montly payment to a charity not necessarily of their choice. Oh, hang on... I remember you saying to Zoe earlier today that this happened to you. Says it all really. Next...

3) TITANIC - One hundred years ago today the Titanic set sail from Southampton. Do you have a personal connection with someone who was on that fateful voyage? : No. Instead of reading all that "Night To Remember" stuff, get yourself a copy of "Titanic : The Ship That Never Sank" and a copy of the Board Of Trade enquiry in to the sinking. You might learn something. Next...

4) HAIRDRESSERS - Hairdressers are angered by EU proposals to encourage hairdressers to have regular ‘social dialogue’ to encourage ‘mental wellbeing’ in the workplace. Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : And the Mail again ... bless! Sporting as I do a fine head of skin, my barber (he is not a hairdresser and would be offended by the term if used to describe him) does not take long to do a trim around the edges every couple of months. Our conversation is usually driven by me, and I have often caused a chuckle among other waiting customers when I have asked him "Have you been anywhere nice on holiday then?". Our bi-monthly meetings usually end with a genuinely warm and friendly handshake as I give him £7 and remind him that he has only done half a job while he tells me to get the hell out of his shop, and don't come back until the next time. He is a top bloke, and he does a fine job.

 

So there we go. That was fun! Let's do it again soon.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - shooting is the only possible solution

An idea...

I have been genuinely touched by your kind comments, and I was flattered to read the following written by Guest Who in the latest Open Thread on Biased BBC:

I also value shared experiences of others, such as Jeff or Lunchtime Loather (who, sadly, has been ground down and now out by the attrition system deployed by the BBC).

My main reason for stopping the daily blog was just the sheer inconvenience of having to do it to a timescale - as near to midday as possible - and this was often frustrated by the inability of somebody at the BBC to type some text and press "Publish". For example, I noted that yesterday's update to JV's web page did not occur until well after the programme ended.

Rest assured, my views about the programme and the BBC have not changed and remain as strong as ever. It is just that there seem to have been more occasions recently when I have had to drop what I am doing to write my blog, and I found that very frustrating but, and if I am honest, I have missed writing it over the past two weeks!

This posting is entitled "An idea...", so here it is:

How about I continue the daily updates but I write them later in the day? This would be after the programme has finished and certainly after JV's minions have treated us to a web page update. Thinking about my current daily schedule, I reckon I could find time most evenings to do this, but maybe earlier or the following day on occasions. My scrawlings would still be sent to JV once completed.

What do you think of this? Would it still be a worthwhile exercise? Or would the loss of immediacy also cause a loss of impact?

Your comments, as ever, would be appreciated.

There is no more...

I enjoyed my week off from writing my blog. Sorry, no, I mean I REALLY enjoyed it.

And so I have made the decision not to do any more daily updates.

For some time now I have felt that my daily diatribe has actually been doing me more harm than good, and last week proved that. I got more paid work done, spent considerably less time trawling the www, did not get as wound-up and did not have to spend any time waiting for BBC minions to do their jobs.

One man against the corporate and incompetent monolith that is the BBC was never going to be enough.

I am not going to delete the blog and it will remain here as a testament to the last 15 months. I *will* come back here from time to time and I may post too, and I promise again to read all of your comments - good and bad.

Unfortunately this means that Vine will continue to broadcast his biased and trivial misinformation, but he is only following BBC corporate policy so that is unlikely to change. Should any of you be interested in this and other BBC shenanigans then I can only recommend the wonderful Biased BBC web site: http://biased-bbc.com/

So I send a sincere and heartfelt Thank You to my blog readers, and in particular to regular contributors Gill, Stonyground and Will whose erudite comments have educated me and have made me laugh on so many occasions. I hope our paths will cross again someday.

I will publish my appeal response when I receive from the BBC Trust, but that may not be for a few weeks.

Cheers!