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...

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

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 

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

Today's show 21/03/12

Budget day, so no surprises here...

1) ROBIN HOOD BUDGET? - It’s Budget Day and we ask: will it be a Robin Hood Budget? Will the Chancellor take from the rich and give to the poor or will it be the other way round? : I am going to assume that you are dealing with today's four topics in the order shown on your web page, even though this has not occurred in the last few days. If that is the case, can I take it that you will be trying to guess what Osbourne will say at 12:30? How utterley pointless. I have no doubt that you will have two experts and loads of callers saying "He should do this" and "He should do that", but I just have a suspicion that Osbourne has already decided what will happen. Next...

2) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Dennis Waterman has been criticised for justifying hitting his ex-wife but should we spend a bit more time listening to what he says? Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : I cannot imagine for one moment ANY circumstance when I would consider thumping anybody (except perhaps in desperate self-defence). As for listening to what Waterman says, presumably you mean this from the last paragraph of Telegraph article: The full interview can be seen on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories which airs next month on ITV. Domestic violence and Piers Morgan ... I think I'll give it a miss, thanks. Oh, and I'll be listening to the budget on Radio 4 from 12:30. Next...

3) ASPIRIN - We discuss the wonder drug that is aspirin. It’s a pain killer, it’s good for the heart and now can it really stop cancer? : You must have missed the fourth paragraph from the BBC news page you link to, which says: But experts warn that there is still not enough proof to recommend it to prevent cancer cases and deaths and warn that the drug can cause dangerous side effects like stomach bleeds. I think that makes the answer to your question to be either "No" or "Maybe not". Next...

4) BUDGET REVIEW - And at 1.30, we return to the Budget - has it helped the millions or has it helped the millionaires? : Having listened to the budget broadcast I will be more than happy to form my own opinion, thanks.

Today's show 10/02/12

A quick one today...

I had to laugh today as I received an emailed receipt acknowledgement for my appeal letter to the BBC Trust. An email. They insist that all of my communications with them are on printed and posted paper. How quaint. One rule for the BBC, and one for everybody else.

1) EMPLOYING DOMESTIC HELP - Prime Minister David Cameron is interested in an idea which will give you a tax break for employing domestic help : I feel sure that he will give it due consideration, but nothing is changing yet. Nothing changing? No wonder you are discussing it. We have no plans to hire any domestic help. Next...

2) SHYNESS - A psychiatrist manual says that shyness is a mental illness. You may be paralysed by shyness but we talk to someone who says that shy people are just being selfish. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Oh good, another "someone". Do you think I'm shy. Do you? Next...

3) QUANTITATIVE EASING - Printing free money or quantitative easing… What is it? How does it work? And is it good for us? : There is £100 and 100 loaves of bread costing £1 each. QE creates another £100. Each loaf now costs £2. There, you can play more music now. Next...

4) ABU QATADA - Finally, we meet the man who spent many an evening with the extremist preacher Abu Qatada. He says he found him friendly, funny and he even told racy jokes : Hang on, you used the "E" word. Did you not get the Andrew Roy's memo? (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9067754/BBC-tells-its-staff-dont-call-Qatada-extremist.html). Is "the man" the only one to have ever done this? Is he the same as a "someone"? Perhaps they swapped ideas about what to get from their book club.

I told you it would be quick.

The Jeremy Vine Show - radio's version of quantitative easing

Today's show 02/02/12

Mmmmm... bacon and mushroom sandwich... yummy!

Good morning Jeremy, and a warm "hello" from my current location: The BBC Naughty Step. Now, I've seen Naughty Steps in TV programmes and, if I remember correctly, a child has to sit on them for one minute for every of their age. Have I got that right? The BBC apparently has a more draconian view of such things as I have been put on the Naughty Step for, roughly, two weeks for every year of my life. Now there, surely, is a subject for discussion one day? But not today, apparently...

09:10: Today's stories @BBCRadio2 in four words: Terror. Twitter*. Fashanu. Soldiers. (*is Twitter better than Facebook?)

Sounds great, and I cannot wait to miss it all later, but I think you need to drop one of your stories for today as I have some important news:

Today's issue that affects me: We had a bit of a frost last night, and I had to scrape the windscreen of my wife's car. There, that should fill 30 minutes easily.

But no, you are not discussing the weather today, apparently...

1) FACEBOOK OR TWITTER? - People are getting a chance to buy shares in Facebook, and we’re also told that social networking sites are more addictive than tobacco. Today we ask, what would you champion – Facebook or Twitter? : Aha! This will be another classic "Daddy or Chips?" discussion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHA4-5N5AzA) where you attempt to compare two complete disparate entities. What next? How about: What would you champion - expolding glass tables or bonuses for bankers?

Interesting to read that Bono will make a profit of $800million as part of the share sale (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/ireland-business-blog-with-lisa-ocarroll/2011/aug/16/u2-bono-facebook-stake). That should go a long way to sorting out starvation in Africa. Maybe?

I only use Twitter because of you, so thanks for that as I find it fascinating. I have been on Facebook for several years but only in a personal capacity and not as LunchTimeLoather, JVineBlogMan or similar. We all know about your Twitter presence, but how about Facebook? I remember a discussion about it on your programme a couple of years ago and seem to remember that you were not a fan. I've just had a quick search in Facebook for "Jeremy Vine" and, ignoring other people with the same name, this is what it came back with:

Jeremy Vine - 1,023 like this, description copied from Wikipedia : Not sure what this is, is it really you? I am not going to "Like" it to find out. Sorry. 1023 eh? Whooppee.

The Jeremy Vine Appreciation Society - 3 members : No activity since last March. 3 members ... says it all really.
Lets get Jeremy Vine off the Radio! - 36 members : Some good stuff here, but nothing since last August.
Jeremy Vine - What a complete d!ck - 4 members : Good stuff here too, and I particularly liked the CD. Now there's an idea for BBC Sales, yes?
I turn off Radio 2 when Jeremy Vine comes on - 8 members : Closed group, so I cannot see what they are up to.
The King of facial expressions Jeremy Vine - 58 like this : This seems to be a collection of photos of you pulling funny faces that have been posted by somebody who doesn't like Australians. Wierd.
Jeremy Vine's Green-Screen Election Graphics - 57 like this : Only one posting, in May 2010.
Jeremy F*****g VINE - 3 like this : No activity.
The Jeremy-Grape-Vine - 16 like this : Two posts, last from July 2011.
Jeremy Vine's virtual election world - 32 like this : No activity.
Jeremy Vine's ridiculous election coverage simulation scenarios - 14 like this : No activity.
The kangaroo that wants more fans than Jeremy Vine from the BBC - 27 like this : Appears to be run by somebody who thinks you don't like Australians. Any truth?
I Want Jeremy Vines Hologram Room! - 4 like this : No activity other than "He must feel like such a d!ck. Standing in a green room talking about swing."
I wouldn't pay Jeremy Vine to say "Hi, I'm Jeremy Vine" - 9 like this : No activity other than "He may do good things in other programmes but in Panorama, its left to other people to dig deep and investgate this week's scandal". That'll be Points of View, or Eggheads maybe.
Get Jeremy Vine out of the matrix - 4 like this : No activity, other than a picture of you in an election studio.
Jumping in a bowl of soup after a long day of being Jeremy Vine - 4 like this : No activity.

Hardly the greatest Facebook presence for you, I am sure you will agree. As I write this you have 78404 Twitter followers, excluding myself because I am still blocked, so it is safe to assume that you think Twitter IS better than Facebook, and that will be that with no discussion needed. And I cannot believe that you have not heard of Harry Hill's "Fiiiiggghhhhhtttttt.....". Chalk that up as another bit of The Real World that you now know about. Next...

2) BOMB PLOT - Islamists who plotted to blow up the stock exchange have pleaded guilty and will get a much shorter sentence. They could be out in 6 years. But if the intention was to kill hundreds of people, we speak to someone who says the sentence should be similar to if the bomb really had gone off : I find it interesting that you chose to use the word "Islamic" in your description on Ken's show ("an Islamist plot to blow up the London Stock Exchange") and on your web page. This is somewhat different to how your colleagues at the BBC have been describing this. For example, there is no mention of Islam on the BBC news page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16833032) but Sky News take a different approach in their coverage (http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16160816). Did you not get that email? I need say no more other than to point you to this discussion: http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2012/02/half-storyetc.html. Next...

3) JUSTIN FASHANU - Justin Fashanu was the first and, so far, only openly gay footballer. 8 years after coming out, he hanged himself. We speak to his niece. What is it about football that stops gay people from coming out? : Wasn't there something about this on TV last night? While Fashanu's death was tragic (didn't anybody see the signs, ref. Tuesday's programme?), I cannot find words to express how disinterested I am in ANY footballers. Perhaps Stephen Hester should demand that these overpaid clowns return the vast amounts of money they get paid. Fortunately I am not aware of ever giving one single penny to the business that is incorrectly described as "The Game". Next...

4) LOVE LETTERS - We discuss soldiers’ final love letters home from the front line : I am sure that these bring a huge benefit to those people, unlike myself, who have or had somebody in the military.

The Jeremy Vine Show - TV Burp? What's that?

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 23/01/12

Hi Paddy,

Today's issue that affects me: In a recent email from the BBC Complaints Programme referring to your programme I was told that "not every viewer" feels that you get your story selection right every time and that "We try to provide a wide range of programmes across our television output that will be of interest to every section of our audience". Viewer? Television? Is JV on TV?

I know that Mondays are always difficult to fill with news that is in the national interest, has just come in and needs immediate coverage or is unusual so allow me to help you out today...

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/norwich_men_s_clothing_shop_philip_browne_on_guildhall_hill_causes_a_stir_with_mannequin_s_toilet_humour_1_1182777

Norwich men’s clothing shop ... causes a stir with mannequin’s toilet humour

The Philip Browne menswear shop, in Guildhall Hill, Norwich, features a wooden mannequin posed as a man urinating on a wall and spelling out the word ‘sale’.

No? OK, here's another one...

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/lowestoft_landlady_pleads_guilty_to_letting_people_smoke_in_pub_1_1182424

Lowestoft landlady pleads guilty to letting people smoke in pub

A Lowestoft landlady has been fined after health and safety officers caught a person smoking inside her pub.

Does this mean that if I go and smoke in a BT phone box (which is against the law) the CEO of British Telecom could be prosecuted? Now there's an idea....

How about this one local to me?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/9025816/Welsh-motorists-in-parking-ticket-language-protest.html

Welsh motorists in parking ticket language protest

Two Welsh motorists are refusing to pay parking fines because the tickets issued by a private contractor were written only in English.

Feel free to use any of those with my blessing. Or just hang on to them for 6 months or more and report them as "news" later this year. You know, just like Jeremy did with the cyclist story last week...!

So, what have we got today...

1) BENEFIT CAP - The government wants to restrict the amount which people on benefits can claim. Employment minister Chris Grayling says if poor people are living in affluent areas, they need to “move to part of town they can afford.” : Unfortunately, I do not qualify for any state-funded benefits. I only wish I did, so how about discussing how people like me can join the benefits system? I'd listen to that. Next...

2) DOG ATTACKS - A 6 year old girl in Essex was attacked by a Staffordshire terrier. What should you do if a vicious dog attacks you? : Horrible. Prosecute the owner? Listen to The Jeremy Vine Show? Or grab its top lip, as you suggested on Ken's show? At least two of those sound unpleasant. Next...

3) GENDER NEUTRALITY - A couple from Cambridgeshire are bringing up their 5 year old child Sasha to be gender-neutral. They say it’s better for him to decide when he’s grown up what gender he wants to be. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : It is still a free country, I am told, and I am sure that this couple will have strong views about you dragging their private business on to your programme for judgement by you and your listeners. I have no opinion, or interest. Next...

4) RUBBISH TIP - We discuss the street in Brierley Hill which is dominated by a rubbish tip. Do you live near a dump? : My nearest council-run Refuse and Recycling Centre (I am sure that that is the title that Gwynedd Council would prefer, rather than "dump") is a small operation about 5 miles away, so my answer to your question is "No".

Oh well, you tried.

The Jeremy Vine Show - restricted benefits, every day

UPDATE: Concerning the gender neutral item, my wife tells me that this couple have been appeared all over the media, and Will has mentioned in a comment that one of the parents spoke to O'Connell on air today. Perhaps they've got a book out too.

Today's show 19/01/12

There were some interesting comments from my valued contributors on my blog yesterday, and in particular about your Wikipedia discussion and your question as to whether a knowledge database that is not 100% accurate is worth having at all. Will summed it up nicely: Under JV's argument of better being without something that is inaccurate then his show and he should be axed straight away. A fair point, don't you think?

Stonyground also did some more digging on the cyclist/copper video and found that it was originally posted last year. There is a copy on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BQvt3XeAY) dated 20th June 2011. Frankly I could not care less that the Daily Telegraph did not check their story (as I have never paid them one single penny for what they do) but I consider that the rip-off £145.50 TV Licence Poll Tax does not constitute good value for money when you present something as "news" when it so clearly is not. I would normally put this down to "Poor Research" but in this instance I think it is a case of "No Research". You relied on the Daily Telegraph to provide the fodder for your programme, they got it wrong, and so did you. This is lazy, lazy, lazy reporting. I feel a complaint coming on.

Just to check MY facts (you should try it some time!) I have just listened to your discussion on the iPlayer. Your knowledge of the law is atrocious. I send my congratulations to your two contributors who put you firmly in your place on a number of occasions and for educating you in to what happens in that place you rarely visit: The Real World. However, I remain completely mystified what your callers and emailers contributed to the discussion on this particular incident. So, no change there then. I think I need a shower.

Let's move now to Facebook where the official Radio 2 presence (https://www.facebook.com/BBCR2) posted this yesterday: It's that time of year when awards are handed out for the best of the last 12 months - so we were wondering what your top Radio 2 highlight of 2011 was? Is there a stand out moment that still sticks with you? It was good to see that several people included your programme in their comments. There were two in praise of what you do (one for Songs My Son Loved, and one for Terry Walton!) but none at all for your run-of-the-mill everyday work. A middle-of-the-road comment was this one:
I find Jeremy Vine's show very entertaining, as for a working class lad, I find listening to a group of middle Englanders/Daily Mail readers whinging and ranting about various issues each lunchtime to be highly amusing. Calm down dear - life isn't that bad after all! :)
And the criticisms included:
 - Jeremy Vine vs Howard Schultz from Starbucks. It was great to see Vine shown up for the conniving ill-informed trickster ("I've got four cups of coffee here, can you tell which one is from Starbucks?") that he is as Schultz verbally slaughtered him and hung him out to dry. Great radio, and my Radio 2 highlight of 2011. Any chance of putting it back on the iPlayer?
 - I think Vine is out of his depth sometimes. Paddy O'Connell is better and so is Matt Bannister although he ruined Radio 1.
 - Vine is out of his depth from the time he says "On today's show..." to the time he says "See you tomorrow". Never has the word "shallow" been more appropriate in so many ways.
 - The Bad-Jeremy Vine,time the guy gave it up. What an embarrassment. NO awards for him yet again. His show is getting unwanted attention from other BBC stations and presenters;-)

Not going well then?

10:20 and I've just refreshed your show web page in the vain hope that today's topics just might be there, and somebody has changed the formatting! There is an old saying: If it ain't broke don't fix it. Have you ever heard that before? Or is this the BBC attempting to give me perceived value for money again? If so, you have not succeeded.

You posted your daily teaser for today's show on Twitter at about 09:00 this morning: Today's show @BBCRadio2 in four words: Violin. Capitalism. Oxford. Falklands. Violin? Hmmm... my wife told me of a sad story involving a violin player and the Costa Concordia last night. Surely, you are not discussing this for the fourth day in a row... surely? I guess we will have to wait and see, but I feel another complaint coming on!

Listening to you on Ken's show, and it looks like I was correct about the violin story...

11:37 and your web page now says "Sorry, the server encountered a problem - Please try again later" and "Error 500 - Internal Error - This might be because: We are experiencing abnormal traffic to our network or the service or servers it is on is not currently available.". More like somebody is fiddling with something they don't understand, I reckon.

11:56 and somebody has managed to beat the IT Department in to submission...

1) REJECTING OXFORD UNIVERSITY - We discuss the girl who turned the table on Oxford University by writing them a rejection letter : I write you a rejection letter every day and tell you why I think your programme is rubbish. Is that news too? If so, perhaps we really should discuss it on air one day. Next...

2) CAPITALISM - David Cameron and Ed Miliband are both talking today about how to make capitalism better. We want your ideas on how to make our economic system work for the good of everyone : It was on 5th January that you asked if capitalism had failed most of us, so a change of tack here. As somebody who runs his own business I am quite happy with the current arrangements, thank you, although I find some irony in that The State are advising on the best way of running the non-State-Controlled free market economy. Next...

3) FALKLANDS - Are you somebody who was traumatised by fighting in the Falkland’s War who now thinks: “You know what, that war wasn’t worth fighting”? : No, I am not. Next...

4) RISKING LIFE FOR AN INSTRUMENT - One of the victims who died on the Costa Concordia was a violinist who just had to go back for his violin. What makes someone risk their life for their instrument? : Not being a musician, I have no idea. I can't believe you are discussing the Costa Concordia for a fourth day - see complaint below. While his death was tragic, how is his death more tragic or important than anybody else who died? I take it you will be telling us the background stories for all of those that died so we can rank them accordingly. Or not.

The Jeremy Vine Show - we are obsessed

Complaint number one:

Mr Vine discussed a confrontation between a cyclist and a policeman following an alleged traffic offence. The show's web page included a link to a page on the Daily Telegraph web site (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9017986/Frustrated-police-officer-confronts-lawyer-cyclist.html) that included a video made of the confrontation by the cyclist.

The video was later removed from the Daily Telegraph page following the broadcast of Mr Vine's discussion.

Multiple copies of this video have been available on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7BQvt3XeAY) since at least 20th June 2011, and maybe even earlier.

Mr Vine's programme is described as "news, views and live guests" yet I consider that this item, bearing in mind its age, does not represent news at all.

My complaints are: (1) No research in to this story was made before broadcast and that the story was simply copied from the Daily Telegraph (who failed to give a date for the occurrence) and accepted as being "current". (2) The date of the incident and the age of the video were not mentioned during the broadcast, which I consider to be misleading. (3) Other major news stories (Leveson, Labour/UNITE, etc.) were occurring on the same day and were ignored for a trivial story that was 6 months old.

Complaint number two:

While I acknowledge the seriousness and tragedy of the recent capsize of cruise liner Costa Concordia, I feel that Mr Vine has given it too much coverage.

This topic has been discussed on his programme on four days this week (16th to 19th January) and has covered the capsize itself, aspects of the rescue operation, the behaviour of the captain, and the unfortunate death of a violin player. At the same time other major news stories that have occurred, such as the Leveson Enquiry, criticism of the Labour Party by Trade Unions, etc., have been completely ignored by the programme. My complaint is that too much coverage has been given to the Costa Concordia sinking and not enough to other news stories that are more relevant to Radio 2's listeners.