30/04/12, 01/05/12 and 02/05/12

I've got some catching up to do, and a convenient break in work-related matters allows me some time to do so, so best get on with it...

Monday produced this load of old rubbish...

1) KHALIL DALE - A British aid worker Khalil Dale is beheaded in Pakistan. He has been described as a gentle man who lived to help others in war zones : Absolutely tragic, but what did your discussion change? Anything? At all? Let me guess... Next...

2) RECESSION - We’re joined by BBC Business editor Robert Peston. We ask “is it possible to talk ourselves into a recession?” : The answer to your question is "Yes" and the BBC will be leading the campaign to do so. You said on Ken's show about Peston: Does he have to have that gleam in his eye as he talks about the recession? The answer to that question is also "Yes", simply because he is paid by and works for the BBC. Like you, it is his job to do so. When the figures were released and the floodgates opened at the BBC as you searched frantically for someone to talk down the economy. I can only guess the jubilation when the BBC found a fellow doom monger by the name of Raymond Moan (yes, really), a building supplies businessman from Northern Ireland. Mr Moan was used on every news broadcast from then on with the BBC ignoring anybody with a different view, as usual. Next...

3) RED KITE - Have you been attacked by a red kite? : I was hit by one in a park when I was a child. I cannot remember the colour for sure, but I think it was blue and yellow. Oh... that kind of kite. No, I've never been attacked by one of those. You said on Ken's show when talking about Pomeranians: I don't know what size of dog that is. Is that not the kind of basic information that you would need to discuss this topic? Were you winging it (pun intended) again Jeremy? And from my knowledge of birds of prey, of which we have many around here, the behaviour and description sound more like a buzzard to me. Next...

4) MISSILES - Residents who live in flats in the East End have been told that they could well have an air-to-air missile on their roof to protect the Olympics : East End of where? Oh, you'll be talking about that there London. There was a classic Jeremy Vine open-mouth-and-insert-foot moment on Ken's show when you said: Surface to air is a bit of a misnomer as they will be on top of a block of flats. How is that a misnomer? It is an entirely accurate description. Was this the second time in one programme when you did not have a clue what you were talking about? Sounds like it to me! And can I have a missile on my roof, please? Target coordinates: W1W 2NY.

On to Tuesday then...

1) FORDS - A man is swept away to his death while attempting to drive through a ford during yesterday’s heavy rain on the Berkshire - Hampshire border. Have you got into trouble while attempting to cross a ford? : No, and I loved the video clip on the BBC news page you linked to which clearly showed a water depth gauge. Radio about stupid people, by stupid people, for stupid people. There is no charge if you want to make that your programme's new slogan. Next...

2) HATE - Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore whose fiancée was killed by a Nazi bomb in World War 2 says it’s still OK to hate the Germans. Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : The Daily Mail... what better mouthpiece of the sewer press is there to stir up a bit of racial hatred? And what better mouthpiece of sewer radio is there to further promote it than your programme? You said on Ken's show: Amazing how recently the Germans were still bombing London. The last German air raid on London using conventional bombers (not V1 or V2 rockets) was on the 29 January 1944. That'll be 68 years ago. Is that what you count as "recent"? How are they getting on in Mafeking? Next...

3) COMMUNIST MANIFESTO - It’s May Day, International Workers Day. As the Communist Manifesto, the second biggest selling book of all time, is re-published, we ask whether Communism has any relevance in 2012 : It has as much relevance to me as it has always had: None at all. Needless to say, I did not listen but it was obvious from your Twitter feed that somebody called Daniel Frazer was mightily upset with what you were saying. For the benefit of my blog readers I'll repeat what he said here (http://www.twitlonger.com/show/h7usvt, my emphasis):

@theJeremyVine Of all the trash I have heard from the BBC your show today has to be the worst. Railroading Catholicism with Nazism and Capitalism, leaving Communism as the one true haven. No mention of grinding poverty in Socialist states, no mention of forced famines or gulags. No! just standing behind that Nazism had concentration camps so they were the only evil. What is a gulag or Siberian banishment if not a death camp? You are an abhorrent figure, willingly rallying and distorting the truth about the Communist manifesto and Capitalism. By playing Internationale today will you play Die Farne Hoch on the anniversary of the Munich Putsch? The anthem of a lot less brutal regime in Europe at the time? You do indeed fit the billing to partake in the worst waste of public money in all history, with your red brethren at the BBC. It is just that you and your show will end up in the cesspool of history.

He makes some good points! Next...

4) CANNABIS - And finally, Holland starts to close some of its “coffee shops” to tourists. Did you only go to Amsterdam for the cannabis? : I've been to Amsterdam only once and I was only there long enough to change trains, and I've never had anything to do with cannabis.

And finally, on to today...

1) PRESCRIPTIONS - A new report finds 1 in 6 patients are being given inaccurate prescriptions. We talk to someone about the day they spotted a serious error in their prescription : I rarely have prescriptions, and that has never happened to me. However, I do always check to see I have been given the correct stuff before using it. Obviously I am not a member of your Target Audience. Next...

2) RUPERT MURDOCH - Is Rupert Murdoch unfit to run a major international company? We talk to Tom Watson, hot from the MPs' Select Committee report, who says he clearly is : More Murdoch ... YOU LOVE IT! I have no view on Murdoch's competency to run his own business, but I find it interesting that you have Watson on your programme today. A couple of days ago this interesting little tête-à-tête appeared on your Twitter feed:


That all sounds a bit cosy to me. Anyway, it seems Watson might be in trouble (http://order-order.com/2012/05/01/dial-s-for-special-access-watson-revealed-committee-findings-in-book/) as in his book (the one whose "title is best so far this year") he revealed the committee's findings before they were published. I'd bet that you don't ask him about that. Next...

3) MAYORS - 10 towns and cities vote tomorrow on whether they should have mayors. Do you want a mayor for your city? : My nearest city already has one, thanks. Oh, you've missed out the important words "in England". Deliberate misinformation again Jeremy? Next...

4) ROY HODGSON - The new England manager is already being ridiculed for his speech impediment. What makes people think it's ok to ridicule someone with a speech defect? : Who? Oh, this is to do with sport. How boring. It is better to have a speech defect and talk sense than to talk rubbish perfectly, don't you think? You would know.

The Jeremy Vine Show - always ready to talk to (and pay) Labour MPs but please do not call us biased!

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

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/

Today's show 27/02/12

Monday morning again, and let's start in the usual way with a story that you probably won't be covering today, or any other day...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2106177/Now-theres-bonus-deadbeats.html
Now there's a bonus for deadbeats

... The report, by veteran commercial radio executive John Myers, is yet to be published but I’m told it reveals an extraordinary arrangement with regard to BBC staff wages. Apparently, any employee at one of the 40 local radio stations (which employ a total of 3,000 people) who has gone five years without promotion will receive a cheque for £4,600 — which is described as ‘disappointment’ money. So let’s get this right. You are hopeless at your job and are given no incentive by your bosses to improve because you will still automatically pick up a nice bonus cheque.

I've been disappointed by the BBC for years, so where is my cheque?

I think today's items can be dealt with quickly today as not one of them is relevant to me...

1) SYRIA - The wife of a British photographer trapped in Syria says everything should be done to get him out, but what if that risks other lives? : Are you expecting me to have any sympathy for a journalist? Dream on. He knew the risks. But what are you going to do about his situation? Oh yes, absolutely nothing. But you are going to talk about it, which is nice. Meanwhile, innocent civilians are being killed in Syria, yet they are not as newsworthy as a journalist who went there of his own free will - apparently. Next...

2) SCHMALLENBERG VIRUS - The lambing season is already underway in some places, but farms have been hit by the Schmallenberg virus, carried by midges from Germany : As I type this, I can look out of my window and see sheep in the field across the road from my home. The virus sounds horrible, and I can sympathise with the farmers involved. However, I am not a sheep farmer and I have learnt all I need to know from the DEFRA web site (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/schmallenberg-virus/). Next...

3) SOCIALIST WORKERS PARTY - Has the government’s workfare scheme effectively been taken apart by the Socialist Workers Party? Some say it’s a rotten policy and that’s fair enough, but others say they’ve had too much influence : There is, as you well know, another organisation that has had too much influence on the "workfare" scheme. That organisation is your beloved BBC which seems to be hell-bent on rubbishing workfare at every possible opportunity. This has grown to the extent that an MP is now making a formal complaint (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106601/Tories-order-police-halt-workfare-demos-MP-makes-formal-protest-BBC-bias-favour-hard-Left-militants.html) about biased BBC workfare reporting. I can only hope that her complaint goes further than the mythical Audience Log where most of mine end up. I remain self-employed and would not qualify to join the workfare scheme. Next...

4) CHIMNEY FIRES - After a spate of chimney fires in Devon — 39 in a week! — we find out why they start and how to prevent them : One of the things that is needed for a chimney fire is a chimney. Can you guess how many we have? Let me give you a clue: It is a round number less than one.

The Jeremy Vine Show - believe us when we say "journalists are special"

UPDATE:

Just noticed on your Twitter feed that the first story has changed and the photographer trapped in Syria is no longer news. I bet his wife will be delighted! Anyway, we now have this drivel instead:

EYESORES - A bungalow with a beautiful view has been put up for sale on the island of Anglesey. The only trouble is – the estate agent’s photo doesn’t show a horrible huge TV mast behind it. However, maybe your lovely house is next to an eyesore but you just don’t care. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : It isn't, and if there had been an eyesore here I am sure that I would have seen it before purchasing. Meanwhile, I am sure the estate agent will be grateful for the free publicity. And it is LLANDONNA, and not LLANDONA as you put on Twitter.

Today's show 13/02/12

Monday morning, and let's deal the important business first. While having lunch with my parents yesterday my Mum said about my blog, "You are very naughty, leave the poor man alone". I have given her suggestion due consideration and will act accordingly. Business as normal then...

It was a busy day on my blog on Friday with over 250 visitors. My usage statistics tell me that a lot of these arrived at my site following some comments I made on a BBC news page containing guidance for journalists when using Twitter. My comments were posted without modification and included a link to my blog. How nice of the BBC to promote it ... thank you!

Let's continue with a quick look at the news stories you won't be covering today. You have a choice of source for the first one...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9073142/BBC-buried-Savile-sex-abuse-claims-to-save-its-reputation.html

BBC 'buried Savile sex abuse claims to save its reputation’

The BBC shelved a Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused a teenage girl in his dressing room at Television Centre, it has emerged.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099141/BBC-shelved-Savile-sex-abuse-investigation-protect-reputation.html

BBC shelved Jimmy Savile sex abuse investigation 'to protect its own reputation'

The BBC shelved a Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused teenage girls at its studios, it has been revealed.

There is not a lot that can be done now about any alleged misdemeanours that Mr Savile may have committed, but the BBC's behaviour is incredible. This is nothing more than a cover-up of a story in which the BBC has already invested TV Licence Poll Tax payers' money, and all for nothing. As for their reputation, this cover-up does not damage the BBC's reputation - it enhances it! It reinforces the view held by many that the BBC only tells its viewers and listeners what it wants to broadcast: a filtered, manipulated, sanitised and biased version of what is actually "news". And, of course, your programme is no different.

Talking of filtered, manipulated, sanitised and biased news, here is a story from the Daily Mail...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2099922/BBCs-Weather-Test-washout-bid-check-accuracy-forecasts-vanishes-storm-wrangling-predicted.html

BBC's Weather Test washout: Bid to check accuracy of forecasts vanishes in storm of wrangling that no one predicted

A row between weathermen threatens to wreck a BBC-funded project to test the accuracy of Britain’s weather forecasts. The study, estimated to have cost tens of thousands of pounds of licence fee payers’ money, has been devised by the BBC’s senior environment analyst, Roger Harrabin. But seven of the eight forecasters and bodies asked to take part have not agreed, with two blaming Mr Harrabin for undermining the study’s credibility, claiming that his reputation is tarnished by his close links to green groups who believe in man-made climate change.

While I take anything that Harrabin tells me with a lorry load of scepticism, these checks are actually a good idea. However, they must be run by a trustworthy and impartial body, and the BBC is neither of those.

And finally...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9074284/BBC-spends-19000-treating-stressed-out-staff-at-The-Priory.html

BBC spends £19,000 treating stressed out staff at The Priory

The BBC would not reveal whether executives were referred to the centre for mental health issues or for drug addiction, but confirmed it had spent £18,949 on treatments in 2010 and 2011 because there was a “compelling” business reason to do so. However, it is understood that the corporation agreed to spend licence fee payers’ money on the care centre because its staff were “severely stressed” because of a series of initiatives which had not gone according to plan, and the pressures of cost cutting. Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: ... “Most BBC viewers can't afford to convalesce at this kind of retreat. The NHS is good enough for licence-fee payers, so it should be good enough for BBC staff too."

Bless. I used to have a stressful job, but I was never offered treatment of this kind. Perhaps that was because my employers at that time did not have the advantage of the "unique way in which the BBC is funded".

Your Twitter feed has just told me that you will not be covering the arrests of various hacks from The Sun today (tomorrow maybe?) and instead we will have to endure this load of tosh instead...

1) GREECE - Violence flares in Greece as its parliament passes an unpopular austerity bill as part of the bailout deal. What is life like for ordinary Greeks as economic hardship bites?: I cannot imagine. I was fully aware that it was kicking off in Athens last night, but what a shame that BBC TV News could not be bothered to tell me anything about it. The early evening broadcast spent over 6 minutes (out of 15) telling me that some drug raddled former celebrity had achieved her ultimate ambition, and yet devoted less than 90 seconds to a major uprising in a European capital that could well have an affect on every country in the EU. It was clear which story was most important to the programme editor, but this only continues to show the deep corruption of "public service" broadcasting of real news which is just another facet of the BBC's devaluing of its audience as so-called celebrities steal the headlines. Later coverage again seemed to spend more time covering the BAFTAs than anything happening in Greece. The BBC is in receipt of millions of pounds from the EU, so perhaps the images of Athens ablaze are seen as unhelpful while the possible death of democracy is taking place. From what I saw, the BBC were unable to find anyone who could point out that unelected technocrats imposing Germanic austerity against the will of the Greek people is not really "democracy" in the first place. Your chat with Ken earlier failed to convince me that your programme will be any different to what I saw, or didn't see, last night. Next...

2) FROZEN RIVER - A man who stripped down to his underwear and crawled across a frozen river to rescue his trapped dog has been condemned by firefighters : There is no ice here, we don't have a dog, and I have more sense in my little finger. Next...

3) WHITNEY HOUSTON - We reflect on the death of one of the most celebrated female singers of all time, Whitney Houston : I always knew that astronaut Jim Lovell's famous line would always have another meaning one day. Whitney's records used to shoot-up the charts with such speed. When I heard the news I couldn’t help but crack up with emotion and it was nothing like ecstacy. She was a real heroin. It’s such a blow. She really made a hash of things though and her life just went to pot. Someone should have kept tabs on her. Can you tell I care as much about her now as I did on Friday? Next...

4) SPITTING - Enfield in north London wants to be the first area in the country to ban spitting in public : I don't spit, and I am not aware of Gwynedd council taking the same measures. However, if I do start spitting, and if I ever go to Enfield, I shall consider myself educated by your programme. Cheers!

The Jeremy Vine Show - enough to make anybody spit

Today's show 03/02/12

I got the date correct today. I should become a journalist.

Just a quick one due to pressure of work...

The BBC hits the news again...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9055183/BBC-admits-receiving-millions-in-grants-from-EU-and-councils.html

BBC admits receiving millions in grants from EU and councils

The news prompted MPs to raise questions about the BBC’s impartiality when its journalists report on events in the EU.
The BBC admitted in a letter to a Tory MP that it has received nearly £3million in grant money from the European Union over the past four years.

Perhaps this explains why the BBC completely missed the point - and public opinion - when Cameron did his veto thing in December, maybe?

And there was a load of fuss yesterday on the BBC about the head of the Student Loan Company (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16854187) after he was paid through a private firm, yet this is exactly what the BBC did for John Birt:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bbc-helps-its-chief-to-avoid-tax-exclusive-birts-salary-paid-to-his-private-company-1475816.html

BBC helps its chief to avoid tax: Exclusive: Birt's salary paid to his private company

JOHN BIRT, the new Director-General of the BBC, has avoided tax by being paid as a freelance consultant - despite being a full-time employee of the Corporation. Instead of paying tax on his BBC salary, he has been taxed on whatever he chooses to pay himself from his private company.

So, one rule for BBC employees and one rule for everybody else then? Nice one.

On to today's trivia then but your web page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b98y7) has details of the Reverend Alan Sorensen's "Pause For Thought" displayed for some reason, but I can always use the script you so kindly posted on Twitter earlier (http://p.twimg.com/AkuY1rUCEAA-r9a.jpg) instead...

1) PRINCE WILLIAM - The Argentinians say sending William to the Falklands is a "deliberately provacative act" : He works for the RAF and so he does as he is told, and I think it unlikely that you will be able to reverse this decision. Is there any chance, do you think, that our beloved news media is making more of this than they should? Just asking. Next...

2) CHRIS HUHNE - Chris Huhne and his wife will be charged over the speeding offence and the penalty points. He's resigned, but why should he - he's not yet been found guilty? : Did you miss his appearance on TV earlier? He said that he was standing down from his cabinet position so he could devote his time to defending himself. His decision, and accepted by Clegg and Cameron. I'm still waiting for Miliband Minor to pop-up on TV or radio to say "the government are going too far, too fast" which, in Huhne's case, was probably true. And I love this piece by James Delingpole: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100134689/huhne-youd-need-a-heart-of-stone-not-to-laugh/. Go on, enlighten me, what is there to discuss? Next...

3) MARTIN LEWIS - Martin Lewis introduces CANCELLATION DAY! Which magazine, insurance, phone, gym, satellite contract are you going to cancel today? : Now, let me think. I get one magazine a month, so I'll keep that. We only have the insurance we need. We have a landline phone which costs little to run thanks to Martin's advice, and my mobile is pay-as-you-go. I do not belong to a gym. And why would I want to cancel my satellite contract when Sky (aka the hated-by-the-BBC Murdoch Empire) provide me with televisual delights every day. I know ... I'll cancel my BBC TV Licence Poll Tax. Martin's advice would be very much appreciated on that one, so please discuss it. Cheers! Next...

 

4) TOP TOTTY - Why did a Labour MP object to a beer called TOP TOTTY being sold in a bar in Parliament? : Sense of humour by-pass, maybe? I am sure that Slater's Brewery will be grateful for the publicity, and good luck to them. Bearing in mind Mr Huhne's situation today, perhaps this brew would be more appropriate...

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - immune from Cancellation Day, whether you like it or not

Today's show 27/01/12

Hello Paddy! Errr... you're not Paddy. Your web page clearly says "Paddy O'Connell sits in" ... has somebody not noticed?

I hope you'll be interested to know that my blog had one of its busiest days ever yesterday, with just under 200 page views, as a result of my complaints debacle with your employers. So thanks for that. The more readers I get, the better!

We watched this week's edition of Panorama last night where Britain's railways were investigated with particular reference to rail fares and Network Rail's infrastructure upgrade costings. I was left thinking at the end if only the same investigative team could do the same kind of job on the BBC. Now that would be revealing!

There was a superb interview with Ed Miliband published yesterday. It can be found here http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/44765/ed_miliband_interview.html and the BBC have also covered it here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16750583. THE quote has to be "And you know I think it’s very interesting that David Cameron’s example of responsible capitalism was the chocolate orange. He’s failed to sort it out, why?". Mmmm... chocolate oranges. Now there IS a subject worthy of discussion on your programme!

As we head in to the weekend, what stories of wonder and delight, of paedophiles, wheelie bins, allotments, exploding furniture and the Daily Mail are you going to tempt me with today? Let's see...

1) STEPHEN HESTER - Outrage descends on the Royal Bank of Scotland boss over his £963,000 bonus. But we speak to someone who says Stephen Hester deserves it : Aha! Another "someone"! You keep finding them ... from somewhere. Bonuses are used throughout all sorts of industries, of course, including our beloved BBC. It was only a few days ago that your favourite rag the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2088567/Huge-bonuses-grotesque-expenses-spendthrift-bosses-austerity-BBC.html) wrote:

How, then, can we make sense of the revelation that last year the BBC paid bonuses amounting to £275,000 to four senior managers? One of them — Chris Kane, head of corporate real estate at the BBC — received a top-up of £155,000 in addition to his salary of £206,000. The Corporation justifies this apparent ignoring of its rules by saying that Mr Kane and two other executives were entitled to bonuses under contracts entered into before Mr Thompson’s edict. If this is true, one wonders why the BBC did not insist on renegotiating contracts in keeping with the new mood of austerity. No defence, however feeble, can be mounted in the case of a fourth senior executive, programmes general manager Daniel Danker, as he was recruited in 2010 when the bonus ban was already in force. Nonetheless, he pocketed a £40,000 bonus last year, taking his pay package to almost £213,000.

I am no defender of bankers and their bonuses, but perhaps it is time - once again - to look at your own particular glass house before you start chucking stones at somebody else's. But then hypocrisy starts and ends with the BBC, doesn't it? Next...

2) PYJAMAS - A dole office in Dublin has banned claimants from turning up in pyjamas. In what circumstances is it acceptable to wear your pyjamas outside the home? : Is there no real news again today then? Is it so bad that you have go abroad for anything to talk about? I wonder how BBC News 24 fill their air time. As somebody who does not wear pyjamas, perhaps the question for me - and many others - should be: In what circumstances is it acceptable to wear nothing at all outside the home? Just a thought. Perhaps I should buy some just so I can wear them outside my home. Or perhaps not. Next...

3) BRAIN TUMOUR - We hear from a twelve year old who's recovered from a brain tumour and written an open letter to other children with cancer and their parents about how to deal with the illness. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Good for him, and what a beautifully written letter. He and his parents should be very proud, and I wish them all well. I only hope that my letter to the BBC Trust turns out that well. Unfortunately, the Radcliffe & Maconie show starts on 6 Music at 1pm, and I promised them I would listen. You know how it is. Next...

4) LOST GENERATION - There's no such thing as a "lost generation". Someone who began his working life in the recession of the early eighties says it was the making of him : Is this the same "someone" as used in item 1? Would you like to speak to "someone" who thinks your programme is pointless, biased, irrelevant drivel? If so, my number appears at the end of this message. I began my working life in 1975 which, if I remember correctly, was not in a recession and I seem to have done OK so far, thank you. You said on Ken's show "This is the time to graduate, this is the time to be 21". So, as a self-employed 50-something year old, how do I do that then?

The Jeremy Vine Show - outraged by bonuses, unless they are ours


UPDATE:

Details of the Stephen Hester item were posted on Radio 2's official (as opposed to personal, presumably) Facebook page earlier, and which I have only just noticed. Lots of opinions were expressed as a result, which is what R2 probably wanted, but the most recent one is the one that interests me the most. It quotes an Evening Standard article which I had not seen before and says "And what better person than Jeremy, who has an annual income in excess of £1million per year, to host this debate. You know, just to add some perspective. And like many of Jeremy's stories, it must be true because I read it in the paper, about half way down this article... http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23755244-fear-and-loathing-inside-the-bbc.do"

Today's show 24/01/12

14,000 and counting...

We live in interesting times, and while you were away I had an email from the BBC Complaints Department. It was in response to my complaint that you had spent too much time covering the Costa Concordia capsize, and in it they referred to me as a "viewer" and to your programme as "television output", so the message has to be taken with a certain amount of sceptisim. However, they did tell me: Factors such as how much national interest there is in the subject matter, whether it is news that has just come in and needs immediate coverage, and how unusual the story is will all play a part in deciding the level of coverage in programmes like Jeremy Vine.

So, how about discussing a story today that IS in the National Interest, needs immediate coverage and is unusual? I am, of course, referring to BBC Director General Mark Thompson's appearance at the Leveson Inquiry yesterday. I have found two reports that I can link to (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16677720 and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/leveson-inquiry/9033324/Leveson-Inquiry-BBC-spent-300000-on-private-detectives-says-Mark-Thompson.html). The BBC page includes a short video in which Mr Thompson shows his inability to string a coherent sentence together...
The thinking was, errr, we, we, I, I took the decision to, ummm, with colleagues, erm, erm, and, errr, erm, after discussions with the, with the Chairman of the BBC Trust to, to do a review, ummm, because the BBC is, is the biggest journalastic organisation in this country, ummm, ummm, evidence had come to light, errr, of, ummm, this practice being used by other, ummm, errr, organisations, at least one other organisation, or individuals in that other organisation, and it, it seemed to me that, erm, that as part of the BBC's overall desire to assure the highest possible standards of its journalism it's appropriate to ask the question, errr, errr, errr, errr, is there any evidence, errr, errr, errr, that that, what, what, what we are told, errr, was happening at the News of The World has ever been done at the BBC.

Give that man a pay rise! Don't you love the way he went from "other organisations" to "at least one other organisation" and then to "individuals in that other organisation"? Make your mind up and get your facts right man!

Perhaps the BBC should get a new motto. How about "Nation, errr, shall speak, ummm, errr, peace, errr, unto, ummm, nation"?

While the BBC is under attack from all sides for all sorts of reasons, would you agree that this response hardly instills confidence in us - the TV Licence Poll Tax payers - that Thompson is worth every penny of his £675,000 salary (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/8438477/BBC-boss-Mark-Thompson-could-see-pay-cut-Lord-Patten-suggests.html) and the Best Man For The Job is in charge? No. of course you don't.

From the BBC news page:
The inquiry heard that between January 2005 and July 2011, the BBC spent £310,000 on 232 instances when private investigators were used - of which news accounted for 43 occasions, at a cost of £174,500, with the rest for TV programmes.

£310,000 of your listeners' money!?!?! Outrageous! Would you agree that this was, perhaps, a waste of money? No, of course you don't.

He (Thompson) added: "The BBC is not a business and it might well be that someone running a media business might take a different view from the view that I took as director general of the BBC.".

Not a business? Yeah, right.

Thompson said: "The BBC is a public service broadcaster. It is committed to be the most trusted, trustworthy source of news in the world and we want to maintain the highest possible standards in all matters, including matters relating to privacy."

Is this the same BBC that I listen to and watch every day? Or am I living in a parallel universe? The BBC promotes its own agenda and so is not a public service broadcaster. There is a big difference between committing to be the most trusted and actually meeting that commitment. The BBC is now squeezing the last bits of life out of a crumbling reputation earned many years ago. Would you agree with that? No, of course you don't.

Who cares what "the world" thinks? They don't pay for the BBC - we do! Millions of families throughout this land are compelled by law to pay a licence fee so that this buffoon and his cronies can receive millions of pounds a year to brainwash the population into believing their biased propaganda broadcast in the name of "news". Would you agree with that? No, of course you don't.

And what was that about privacy? That will be the same privacy that prevents me - a funder of the BBC - finding out how much your trips to India and Iceland cost, how many complaints were made about your programme, and how many other users you have blocked on Twitter. Pah!

National Interest: Check. Just come in: Check. Needs immediate coverage: Check. Unusual: Check.

And while this is going on, it has been revealed (http://tv-licensing.blogspot.com/2012/01/bbc-confirms-responsibility-for-heinous.html) by the BBC's own FOI Department that the BBC itself authorised the wording used in 3 million letters sent out last year to innocent citizens who happened to live at an address where no TV licence was registered. The wording used was "We want to ensure you have the information you may need before a hearing is set at your local court". Threaten them ... yeah, that'll work. Guilty until proved innocent!

National Interest: Check. Just come in: Check. Needs immediate coverage: Check. Unusual: Check.

So come on Jeremy, they tick all the boxes! It is time to ignore your "BBC Can Do No Wrong" rule and discuss these stories today. I'll listen!

Today's issue that affects me: Why should I renew my TV Licence? No, really, why should I? I wouldn't bother with writing to you every day if I was not paying for this rubbish!

And, as usual, you never fail to disappoint me...

1) DRUG MULES - Drugs smugglers will get lighter sentences if they've been exploited by others. We talk to someone who was jailed for being a drugs mule : Now, let me think ... no, I've never done this. You mentioned that you have "a woman" coming on the show to talk of her exploits. Perhaps she should just have said "No". Next...

2) BENEFITS ROW - A row has blown up over whether families on benefit are declared homeless if two older children have to share a bedroom. We look at the pros and cons of children sharing a room : Now, let me think ... no, I've never done this. And who voted for those Bishops in the House of Lords? And why do they have so much to say about benfits, yet remain strangely silent when something sordid and/or corrupt concerning the Church comes to light? Next...

3) MISSED DIAGNOSIS - A woman says she has been given eighteen months to live after doctors failed to diagnose her cancer on thirteen occasions. Find out more from Mail Online: All hail the Daily Mail! I have been the subject of a misdiagnosis but it was quickly identified and the correct treatment given. I went on to make a full recovery. I think you should use your celebrity status to promote this poor lady's campaign and I look forward to seeing this on her web site (www.helpruthie.co.uk) later. Go on Jeremy, just for once, MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Next...

4) COSTA CONCORDIA SURVIVOR - We speak (TO) Rose Metcalf, one of the British survivors of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster in Italy. Watch Rose talking to BBC Breakfast : Yay! The Costa Concordia appears for a FIFTH day. My valued blog reader Will will be pleased after a prediction that you would do five days on this story. With this amount of coverage, do you consider your Target Audience to be likely to partake of a cruise? If so, no wonder I find nothing of interest on your programme.

The Jeremy Vine Show - news, errr, ummm, views, erm, errr, and, and, errrr, live, ummm, guests

Today's show 10/01/12

Sincere apologies to my readers for the late update today as your staff were slacking again and the web page was not updated until 11:45ish. And this despite your tweet at 08:45 this morning that said: Today's stories @BBCRadio2 in four words: Worrall. Major. Train. Miliband. See you at noon. There is a lack of connectivity here, don't you think?

Anyway, your programme is just starting ... hang on a second ... there, that's better. 6 Music is on now.

So let's look at today's poorly researched discussion topics, all complete with the personal bias for which you are becoming famous...

1) SHOPLIFTING - Antony Worrall Thompson has said he’s sorry for shoplifting but has no idea why he did it. If you were caught shoplifting, what was your excuse? : I have never shoplifted in my life, so I don't need an excuse. Next...

2) HIGH SPEED RAIL - Amidst fierce opposition, the government is giving the go-ahead for the high speed rail link to Birmingham. Are you someone who says ‘I wish I had a high speed train to my town’? : Yes, I am, but being out in "the sticks" it is never going to happen. Your own "anti" viewpoint came shining through during your chat with Ken earlier when you suggested HS2 would only be finished "when we're all dead". Did you think the same about the Channel Tunnel? Did you think the same about HS1 (Channel Tunnel to St Pancras International)? Both were finished long before you and I were dead, so what is your point? HS2 will free up a huge amount of capacity on the already over-stretched London to Birmingham line, a line so busy that it is virtually impossible to run a freight train on it during the day. I am reminded of the huge number of protestors in France who were involved in violent clashes with police during the construction of that country's TGV routes. However, they were not protesting about the route destroying their countryside. They were protesting that the route did not come near enough to their town so that they could make use of it! Your point-of-view will be, of course, that this is all a huge waste of tax payers' money. Well, next time you get in your car remember that all of the roads that you drive on are also funded by us - the tax payers - and whether we use them or not. So what is the difference? I loved your comment on Ken's show when you said "... using what is called a Y-shaped route ..." when referring to the future extensions north to Liverpool, Manchester and elsewhere. I wonder, could that term have been used because it is shaped like a letter Y? Just a guess. You have already made your point of view clear, and knowing that you will dismiss any argument that goes against it and that you will not have researched this topic in any depth at all, I see no need to listen to your ramblings today. Next...

3) LANDMINE DOG - A dog that helped the military defuse countless landmines, and was put down last night, is being mourned. Is it right to use animals in warfare? Find out more from the Telegraph : Oooh, a vote. We've not had one of these for ages. I'm sure that everybody from the MoD to the Taliban will be awaiting the result with interest. Next... 

4) ED MILIBAND - The Labour leader admits that a future Labour government will have a lot less money to spend because of the deficit. Have you got a great new political policy idea that won’t cost any money? : Yes, scrap or privatise the BBC. Easy. What a shame that you are not talking about what Miliband is saying today.

The Jeremy Vine Show - radio for "when we're all dead"

Today's show 05/01/12

Congratulations! Only the second programme of the year and you are featured on the Biased BBC web site again (http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2012/01/open-thread_04.html#comments) where "Merlin" has written:

Morning folks, Just had to endure the Jeremy Vine show and was shocked beyond belief on one of their (unchalleneged!) guest's  take on the causes of the Stephen Lawrence murder. The guest's theme was that 'indigenous' population of this country are all racist nasty thugs who hanker for the Empire days, that racism is rife in our culture and that the whole white population of Britain should be held responsible for this vile crime. This went completely unchallenged by Vine UNTIL a speaker called from Dorset and blew out of the water the show's obvious liberal bias. Interestingly, the articulate (and obviously livid!) lady began by stating that she was 'disgusted' by the other guest's suggestion that we are all somehow responsible for the awful crime and went on (successfully) to highlight the complete liberal bias and racial stirring that the BBC was promoting. Strangely, the show ended very quickly after this voice of reason rightfully shamed the mischieveous BBC on air.
All decent folk will be rightfully horrified at the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence and my sympathies are with his family BUT for the BBC to air nationally the notion that we are all to blame for this because our culture openly fosters this type of behaviour is offensive and disgusting in the extreme. Their political correctness and anti-British attitude has gone too far this time.. My complaint email has been posted!

Not believing all that I read or hear, I decided to take a listen (http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b018nnnf/ from 35 minutes in) and Merlin's description is pretty accurate. However, I would disagree with the Dorset Lady that your programme is "well balanced". Well, I would, wouldn't I?

Today's issue that affects me: Why have you blocked me from following you on Twitter? Time to do something about this, I feel....!

The windy conditions that the rest of the UK has suffered over the past couple of days - and so covered on your programme - have hit us here today, although I have seen worse. Earlier I had to go outside to rescue my wheelie bin from the road. The combination of windy weather and a wheelie bin surely makes me a prime candidate for an appearance on your programme today, so give me a call if you would like my contribution. You've got my number. I've always wanted to be a "someone".

And with all this talk about racism, perhaps you will be mentioning Labour MP Diane Abbott's tweet in which she said "White people love playing "divide & rule". We should not play their game". Substitute any white MP for Diane Abbott, and substitute "Black" for "White" in the tweet, and there would be an uproar, with the BBC joining the campaign for a high-profile sacking. Frankly I could not care less what she says or writes, but with the resulting furore I am curious as to why it took the BBC about 12 hours to finally cobble something together for the news web pages (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16423278). I am left wondering if our Corporation's efforts would have been so slow for anybody else. Ho hum...

 

So, is the 5th January 2012 going to be the day I listen to the Jeremy Vine Show because it contains something of interest to me? It doesn't look like it...

1) GETTING OVER A MURDER - Doreen and Neville Lawrence have expressed some satisfaction that the killers of their son are now behind bars. But we talk to someone who says it’s never really possible to get over such a serious crime : Ah, another "someone". This must be really difficult but it is not a situation I have ever been in, and hopefully that will not change. SVG9 today, I think. Next... 

2) GULL TRAPPED IN TREE - 15 fire fighters from Norwich are called out to rescue a seagull trapped in a tree : And this is news, is it? BBC Radio Norwich might have been a more suitable outlet for this particular story, but no, the whole country has to endure it. Thanks. Have you ever thought of sacking the person who makes you talk about this stuff? Was the seagull affected by your programme on 26th October when you discussed: SEAGULLS - Do you have a problem with antisocial seagulls in your local town? I hope not. Next...

3) METAL THEFT - With metal thefts soaring, is it time to replace all our metal monuments with glass fibre? : Last discussed on 15th November AND 26th August. We are both sounding like stuck records, so for the third time then: This is a real problem, and one of which I am only too aware. The main part of the problem does not lie with the people who take the metal but with the scrap merchants who will exchange it for cash with no questions asked. Thefts would be reduced if it were made more difficult to get the material in to the scrap metal process, and the easiest way to do that is to make each delivery traceable. Something needs to change, but - as usual - you will only talk about it and I feel that I already know enough on this topic. I had dealings with many scrap metal merchants 25 years ago, and I never met one with a conscience. Next...

4) CAPITALISM - Finally, has capitalism failed most of us, or can it ever recover? : With two huge assumptions in that statement your bias shines through like a blinding light. Somehow I don't think you are including yourself in "us", and I would appreciate if you didn't include me in "us" either - ever! I note your comment on Ken's show when you said "We have Paul Mason coming in who has a book out...". Yay! More blatant advertising on the Jeremy Vine Show. Please tell Paul that I won't be buying it. Thanks.

 

So, why have you blocked me from following you on Twitter? Please feel free to respond to any of my recent tweets or emails on this subject. Rest assured that ignoring me will not make me go away - precisely the opposite, in fact.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - blocking Twitter followers because we don't like free speech

Today's show 13/12/11

12:00 and I'm still waiting for Vine or one of his minions to update his web page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017xdr5)... Hopeless!

12:30 and still nothing.

13:30 ... they are obviously not bothering with the web page today. Hopefully whatever counts as Normal Service will be resumed tomorrow!

UPDATE 14/12/12: I checked JV's web page at 11pm yesterday and it had still not been updated, but it was updated before 9am this morning...

1) NEWS OF THE WORLD - It could be that the News Of The World was not responsible for deleting the messages on Milly Dowler’s mobile. If that’s the case, would you reassess whether the News Of The World should have closed? : It was The Guardian that pointed the finger at NOTW (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/04/milly-dowler-voicemail-hacked-news-of-world) but I cannot see the BBC ever attacking them the same way that they did the NOTW. I am no fan of the Dead Tree Press and I find a delicious irony that the News Of The World was forced to close as a result of a story that wasn't 100% true.

2) POLAR BEARS - The BBC filmed the birth of a polar bear in a zoo. Critics say that it was a fake, but others say ‘Oh come on, it’s the magic of TV!’ :  I could not care less if they faked the scene or not, but it could have been mentioned in the 10-minutes "this is how we did it" section at the end of the programme. Then again, the BBC's philosophy these days seems to be: If you can't make it, fake it!

3) PRESENTS - We live in hard times: how do you tell the kids there’s no money for Christmas? : It must be difficult, but there are still no kids here!

4) FARE-DODGER - We discuss the passenger who intervened to throw a youth off a train between Edinburgh and Perth who didn’t have a ticket : From the Daily Mail. Whatever...


Complaint lodged on BBC web site:

I consider the prompt updating of the Jeremy Vine Show web page important as it allows me to determine which, if any, of the the four discussion topics each day are of interest to me. On Tuesday 13th December the web page was not updated until after 11pm. Similar failures to update the web page promptly or at all have occurred recently on 8th December, 22nd November, 17th November, 11th November and 3rd November. I consider the prompt updating of the show web page to be important and my complaint is that not enough attention is given to making this happen.

Today's show 12/12/11

Today's issue that affects me: Over the past few days the BBC has proved itself to be - yet again - a dictatorial and biased supplier of one-sided poorly researched and often incorrect information. Our TV Licence is due for renewal next month. My mouse pointer has hovered over the "Cancel" button for the Direct Debit several times. Should I just do it and face the (non-existent) consequences?

An interesting weekend, I am sure you will agree, and with the BBC hitting the news again for all of the wrong reasons. Where to start...? How about this one from the BBC's incestuous newspaper partner:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/dec/09/jeremy-clarkson-qi-shelved-one-show

Jeremy Clarkson QI guest spot shelved in wake of One Show row

The BBC has shelved Friday night's scheduled edition of BBC2 panel show QI featuring Jeremy Clarkson because of fears it would prompt another backlash from viewers.

Well, thank goodness for the BBC for telling me what should, and should not, offend me. Instead we were treated to a repeated episode of QI from a few weeks ago. So we, as viewers, had no freedom of choice to view a programme that was recorded during the summer. Does the BBC now think that just the appearance of Clarkson's face will see a resumption of street riots? Dream on. This is the BBC again telling us what to think.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/12/12/frozen-planet-fakery-row-polar-bear-filmed-in-zoo-115875-23628713/
Frozen Planet fakery row: Polar bear filmed in zoo

Frozen Planet’s eight million devoted fans will not take kindly to being left out in the cold. It emerged yesterday a key scene from the hit BBC series showing a polar bear tending her newborn cubs was filmed in a zoo using fake snow.

The old BBC proverb appears again: If you can't do it for real, make it up!

http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/wire/8437

Mark Thompson: BBC does use private eyes, but no evidence of hacking

BBC director general Mark Thompson has admitted that the corporation does use private detectives for journalistic purposes. But he has also said that the draft report of a review of editorial practices at the BBC, commissioned in the wake of the Milly Dowler phone-hacking revelations of July, was “very encouraging”.

Oh, how I hope the BBC become embroiled in the Leveson Enquiry.

From your favourite Daily Rag:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072645/MPs-say-BBC-reveal-details-journalists-commercial-deals.html

MPs say BBC must reveal details of journalists' commercial deals

MPs have demanded that the BBC reveals details of all commercial deals its journalists have with other organisations, amid fears of an increasing number of conflicts of interest affecting their work. The Corporation is under pressure following The Mail on Sunday’s disclosure two weeks ago that senior BBC journalist Roger Harrabin accepted £15,000 in grants from the University of East Anglia, which was at the heart of the ‘Climategate’ scandal, and then reported on the story without declaring this interest to viewers.

I just hope the MPs make this stick and the BBC does have to reveal this information. First on my agenda will be your trips to Iceland and India!

There are lots of others, and thankfully today's first item will allow me to bring some of those to the attention of your goodself and my blog readers...

1) BRITISH VETO - Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is bitterly disappointed that David Cameron did use the British veto. Do you agree with Nick or do you agree with Dave? : This is going to take more than one paragraph...

It really does not matter who I agree with, but this is just another attempt to drive a wedge between the two coalition parties by the BBC. James Kirkup wrote in the Daily Telegraph that all is perhaps not as you are reporting:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jameskirkup/100123295/clegg-had-his-chance-to-stop-cameron-he-didnt-take-it/

Clegg had his chance to stop Cameron. He didn't take it

The awkward fact for Mr Clegg is that the European policy he castigates is his policy too. Mr Cameron acted as the head of the Coalition Government, of which Mr Clegg and his party are a part, on a negotiating strategy he had agreed. Not only that, but Mr Clegg was consulted immediately before the PM's last-minute decision in Brussels. Admittedly, that consultation was a 4 am phone call, but it was consultation nonetheless. Remember that Mr Clegg gave his consent in that call. And early on Friday, he expressed support for the decision he now lambasts; partial and nuanced support, but support nonetheless.

Hmmm.... So, should I believe respected journalist James Kirkup, or should I believe sort-of-journalist Jeremy Vine who is promoting the BBC's agenda?

The BBC's coverage of these events has been absolutely atrocious, but please do not take my word for it....

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100123173/sir-antony-jay-slash-the-bbc-by-two-thirds/

Sir Antony Jay: slash the BBC by two thirds!

The BBC's reporting of David Cameron's recent adventures in Europe has been a disgrace. Last night – following the example set by that very exemplar of quisling Europhile values the Today programme – the BBC's Ten O'Clock News managed to reiterate about half a dozen times its view that Britain had been left more "isolated" than ever by Cameron's eminently sensible decision not to sell his country's interests for a mess of pottage. To listen to Nick Robinson and co, you might actually have imagined that it was somehow a bad thing for Britain not to wish to shackle itself to the rotting corpse of the EU; you might even have thought that it was a good and desirable thing for Cameron to accede to an arrangement which hamstrung Britain's financial sector (on which so much tax revenue and around ten per cent of our economy depends).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2072307/EU-treaty-change-How-Europhile-BBC-turned-Camerons-veto-triumph-disaster.html

How Europhile BBC turned triumph over Britain's veto into disaster

The BBC was accused of reporting Britain’s veto of the eurozone rescue plan as a national catastrophe rather than a tough decision David Cameron was forced to make. Conservative MPs said the broadcaster’s ‘biased’ coverage began on Radio 4’s flagship Today programme and continued throughout the day on radio and television. Presenters used solemn tones to inform listeners about Britain becoming isolated following David Cameron’s refusal to sign a new treaty.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8946845/EU-Treaty-after-a-feat-close-to-genius-David-Camerons-status-is-now-as-high-as-it-has-ever-been.html

EU Treaty: after a feat close to genius, David Cameron’s status is now as high as it has ever been

Crucially, it was clear last night to all but our most one-eyed and dedicated enemies — and to the BBC, whose biased reporting has once again been a disgrace — that the British prime minister had behaved with propriety. And that is because he set out to Brussels 48 hours ago bent on conciliation not confrontation.You will, of course, conveniently ignore these attacks on the BBC's integrity (ha! don't make me laugh!) as you always do. This, Jeremy, is the news that I and many others are interested in, so why won't you discuss it?

Perhaps the Prime Minister needs to remind the BBC it doesn't have a 'mission to explain' - that is just an excuse for biased journalism - it has a mission to report both sides of an argument. And "the other side" has been almost totally absent from the BBC's reporting

A notable absentee from the BBC broadcasts I saw over the weekend was Miliband. He seems to have vanished in to his own muddlement as he tries to decide what to do and say. So, no change there then. And it is unusual for him to have nothing to say, and even more unusual for the BBC not to give him an uninterrupted and unquestioned platform from which to  preach.

I am just so sorry that you and your colleagues find this all so unpalatable.

Next...

2) MARKET STALLS - Can market stalls save our high street? Mary Portas says yes. Find out more in this article from the Guardian : The market in our nearest town seems to be thriving, but it has been there for as long as anybody can remember, so I'm not actually sure it is making any difference at all. You said on Ken's show that markets stalls "... sometimes sell tat". Well, you would know about tat. Next...

3) SOLAR PANELS - From today, the government’s withdrawn the subsidy to help households fit solar panels. Did you lose out or get there in time? : On the basis that I have never even considered buying solar panels my answer to your question has to be: Neither. Next...

4) NEW TECHNOLOGY - Finally, has new technology made your life easier so that you no longer go to the travel agents, use a phone box or develop your photos? What old technology do you stubbornly stick to? Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : I still use a camera that needs film. I have a mobile phone, but it only makes calls and sends texts. However, new technology allows me to lambast you for producing a crap radio show every day, so let us be thankful for that. Using the Telegraph's list: I have never: 2, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 28, 30, 36, 37, 41. I still: 7, 16, 17, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39, 40, 44, 48, 49.

You said on Ken's show, "You don't have to be furious to call the show, but it helps". Well, doesn't that say it all.

The Jeremy Vine Show - live from the Brussels Broadcasting Corporation