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 02/03/12

I was following your Twitter feed yesterday during the show (not listening, of course) and you tweeted: Caller in Gairloch, West Highlands, says cost of diesel to drive to Tesco and back is £25. Makes a mockery of their bargains. Can I ask, why do you think that is Tesco's fault? Not all of us have a Tesco Express round the corner! My nearest Sainsburys is 60 miles away, nearest Asda 20 miles away. This is my Real World!

And as we head in to the weekend, let's take a quick look at the stories that you are trying to tempt me with today...

1) WITCHCRAFT - A teenager accused of being a witch is tortured with knives, metal bars and a hammer and chisel before drowning in the bath. His sister and her boyfriend are found guilty of his murder : This is absolutely abhorrent and although newsworthy it really is not the kind of thing I would want to listen to while having my lunch, thank you. I can think of at least two religions whose followers legally mutilate their children in the name of their faith. Perhaps you should discuss that one day? Next...

2) MIDDLE CLASS BENEFIT CHEATS - Forget the stereotypes of unshaven layabouts drinking cans of lager in front of the TV at ten in the morning - are middle class benefit cheats the worst offenders? : I have no idea, and as I receive no benefits of any kind I can only assume that this does not apply to me. The question is though, will you manage to drag any of these people away from This Morning, Loose Women and Jeremy Kyle to listen to your programme? Next...

3) RENT - After 1, when your partner moves in should you charge them rent? : No. As I have said before, I have utmost respect for Martin Lewis but it continues to puzzle me as to why he keeps coming back to your programme. It would not be so bad if you actually listened to and understood what he says, but then why would you treat this particular expert any differently from any others? Next...

4) TODDLERS' EXTRAORDINARY GETAWAYS - A toddler scales a seven foot spiked metal fence to escape from his nursery school. Do you have a story of a child's extraordinary getaway? Find out more in this article from the Daily Record : Not having any children, I cannot give you any stories other than those that involve me in my formative years. Nurseries were a rare thing back in the early 1960s, so I didn't go to one. When I went out with my parents I was kept on a set of reins to stop me from running away. My parents have told me that when I did get away I just kept going. They would call me back and I would just say "Goodbye" and keep going. But things were different back then.

 

Sorry, you have failed again.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - other radio stations are available

Today's show 15/02/12

Years ago, when I lived in England, I remember the furore that erupted when our county council made a load of staff redundant with huge severance payments on a Friday, and then re-employed them the following Monday. You have probably heard of similar cases, so how about discussing this on your programme one day? I'd listen to that! And here are some recent examples of similar behaviour by a public-funded body that you could use to highlight this practice:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/9083320/BBCs-redundancy-payouts-criticised-as-staff-get-old-jobs-back.html

BBC's redundancy payouts criticised as staff get old jobs back

The BBC has been criticised after spending £4million making staff redundant - only for nearly half of them to continue working as normal.
The money was paid to around 70 workers as compensation when the corporation revealed plans to relocate their posts north to Salford in the Midlands. But after accepting the redundancy money - reported to be £57,000 each, on average - it is understood that some 17 workers simply carried on in the same jobs.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101282/Half-BBC-staff-pocketed-4m-pay-carried-working-job.html

Half of BBC staff who pocketed £4m pay-off carried on working in the same job

The BBC spent £4million laying off staff – only for nearly half of them to continue working as normal. The money was paid to around 70 workers as compensation because their posts were being relocated north to Salford. But after accepting the ‘redundancy’ money – £57,000 each, on average – about 17 of them simply carried on in the same jobs, it is understood.

So, I'll look forward to that. Any idea when you might talk about it?

Alternatively, you could have talked about this one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17038937

Supreme Court upholds BBC's refusal on Israel report

The UK Supreme Court has rejected an appeal against the BBC's refusal to publish a report into its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. ... He had asked for the 2004 Balen Report to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. However, the BBC argued that it was exempt from the Act with regard to information it held for the purposes of "journalism, art or literature". Mr Sugar, who died of cancer last year aged 61, had wanted to know whether the report supported his claim that the corporation was biased against Israel.

 

Ah, those pesky words crop up again: for the purposes of journalism, art or literature. I've come up against that particular barricade myself in connection with my FOI requests about your programme. Just remind me again, who is the publicly-funded BBC accountable to? And why does it keep sooooo much stuff secret?

You said on Ken's show earlier, "I was in the cafe this morning looking at the papers" and went on to claim that this was research. This, Jeremy, explains a lot. I am left to wonder which particular rag is at the top of the pile, although I feel sure it will be either the Daily Mail or The Guardian, and with the Daily Express at the bottom of the pile and never looked at.

And it was good to hear Ken question the validity of TV Licences. Now there is a topic worthy of discussion one day, as I have suggested many, many times before. But not today, of course, and instead we have this stuff which you think might possibly be of interest to me. Oh, how wrong you are...

1) ALCOHOL ABUSE - David Cameron wants more to be done to cut alcohol abuse in England. If you're a parent, how did you attempt to stop your teenager binge-drinking? : I don't drink alcohol. I don't live in England. I am not a parent. I do not have a teenager. How less relevant is it possible to be? Next...

2) BRITAIN'S MOST HONEST MAN? - The most honest man in Britain? A street cleaner finds a £21,000 Rolex watch and hands it in to the police : Slow news day, is it? Not mentioned by you on Ken's show, or on the BBC news web page, was the snippet of information that was included on R2's 08:00 news this morning, and that was that the finder gets to keep the watch if it is not claimed in a set number of days, so it will either go back to its owner or back to the finder. I shall remain puzzled why you think this news. Next...

3) SUDDEN SIGHT LOSS - We discuss sudden sight loss and meet a man who went blind overnight : Sounds terrible, in all sorts of ways. Next...

4) RANGERS - What's the future for Rangers as the iconic Scottish club enters administration? : I cannot find words to express how little I care about this.

 

Nothing for me again today then ... perhaps I need to artificially create some issues that affect me so that you can talk about them. Or perhaps not.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - no, football IS news, no really, it is!

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 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 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 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 13/01/12

There was no early morning tweet from you today with the usual "today's show in four words". Could it be true that you don't know what you're talking about? Oh, hang on.... did you see what I did there? Tee hee.

Today's issue that affects me: Our 10-year-old washing machine is on the blink. It washes fine but does not do the high-speed spin at the end of the run, so everything comes out dripping wet. Repair, replace, or live with it until something else goes wrong?

It has been a while since I suggested some BBC-related stories for you to discuss. There have, of course, been plenty and your favourite rag the Daily Mail continues to be a good source for "what really happens at the BBC" stories. Here are some for you, so please feel free to discuss all or any of them - I promise I will listen if you do! And as the pigs prepare for take-off...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085744/BBC-accused-trying-create-tier-licence-fee-outlining-pay-view-plan-catalogue.html

BBC wants to charge for iPlayer by extending archive and availability of programmes

The BBC has been accused of trying to bring in a 'two tier' licence fee after it was revealed the corporation is looking into a pay-per-view scheme for its vast archive. 
Under the controversial plan, viewers would pay a small, but yet to be disclosed, charge if they wanted to watch a BBC programme from its huge back catalogue.
The costly proposition has already been slammed, not least because the BBC already charges a £145.50 a year licence fee and so is funded by the taxpayer.
The BBC is hoping to the system will be in place within three years and already established by the time its Charter is renewed in 2016.

So, the BBC is claiming poverty - I wonder why. Surely there is no connection with this story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2085829/Despite-spending-thousands-taxis-BBC-executive-claims-delivering-value-money.html

Expenses for BBC bosses rocket by 20% as a result of move to Salford

Executives face fresh accusations of profligacy after spending on rail fares shot up by 57 per cent, while its hotel bill surged by 70 per cent.
In the latest numbers covering a three-month period from April to June 2011, the combined expenses bill of the top 102 senior managers grew to £183,276.
The relentless shuttling of bosses between London and the North-West pushed the amount spent on rail fares to £47,358 over the three months, up from £29,846 in the same period of the previous year.

Are you going to move to Salford? What would you do if you were told your programme was moving? Your Radio 5 colleague Victoria Derbyshire seems to be having the best of both worlds:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2083432/BBCs-Victoria-Derbyshire-finds-grim-North-just-60-cent-shows-broadcast-Salford.html

It's too grim up North for BBC's Victoria Derbyshire: Just 60 per cent of her radio shows are broadcast from Salford

When BBC Radio 5 Live moved to Salford, she was quite happy to give her boss a hard time on air as to why he wasn’t ‘properly moving’ to the north.
But now Victoria Derbyshire is  herself facing questions about her enthusiasm for the project, after it emerged she has broadcast just 60 per cent of her shows from Salford since the move.
This has led to resentment from colleagues who feel she is being given special treatment.
They have also raised eyebrows at her flying to Manchester each day to do the show, although this is not paid for by the BBC.

As you know, I leave Radio 2 every day at 12 and head over to 6 Music for an hour of Lauren Laverne, followed by three hours of the magnificent Radcliffe & Maconie broadcast live from Salford, aka The Stan Ogden Plaza.

11:32, nothing on your show web page, and you are about to appear on Ken's show. Let's see what Ken has to say today...

I loved the bit about the hairdressers in Archway who abandon Radio 2 at 12, and your hope that today's show would appeal to them. From what I could make out, today's show in eight words is: English Schools, Dwarf Tossing, Saving Money and Purple Sprouting. Just a hunch, but I think they might just abandon you again today, like thousands and thousands of others. You see Jeremy, it is not just me that has this habit.

11:37, trail done, but still nothing on the web page...

11:51, and you have just tweeted: Today's show @BBCRadio2 in four words: Teachers. Dwarf. Money. Broccoli. - I wasn't far off then!

11:54, here we go...

1) TEACHERS - Parents should be able to go into classrooms to help schools root out and sack failing teachers, according to England's Education Secretary, Michael Gove. Is that a good idea? Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : A story from the Daily Mail about schools in England. As I continue to live in Wales and still have no children, why do you think this would be of interest to me? Next...

2) DWARFS - We talk to a dwarf actor who was partly paralysed after he was picked up and thrown onto the pavement on a night out. Find out more in this article from the Daily Mail : Another story from the Daily Mail. Praise the Lord! This sounds awful, and it is interesting that the gentleman concerned has chosen to blame the England World Cup rugby team for the attack. There can only be one acceptable outcome: Ban Rugby. That'll fix it. Next...

3) SORTING OUT YOUR FINANCES - Martin Lewis says we should all take one day off a year to sort out our finances : We already follow Martin's advice, but find that a Sunday afternoon every few months will achieve exactly what he is proposing today. Next...

4) ALLOTMENT - We join Terry Walton on the official Jeremy Vine Show allotment : I shared exactly the same amount of devastation as Ken when I heard you talk earlier about Terry's Purple Sprouting, but I'm feeling OK about it now. Quality radio? I don't think so.

The Jeremy Vine Show - not for hairdressers in Archway today, or any other day

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

Today's show 29/11/11

You're back from your jolly, and the normal dismal service will be resumed today. Well, at least it matches the weather here in North Wales today.

There were some interesting comments on @Vine_Watch on Twitter yesterday, including something to do with trying to get an Indian call centre girl to talk with an English accent. I didn't listen, but it sounds bad, and patronising.

On many occasions I have asked you to discuss the bully-boy tactics used by Capita to collect the TV Licence Fee on behalf of the BBC. Another incidence of this has just been made public, this time for an unoccupied property undergoing renovation:
http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/community-news/agbrigg-belle-vue/letter_tv_offer_i_can_t_refuse_1_4010232

The first (letter) was requesting the identity of the new occupier and demanded payment for a current TV licence, the second repeated much what the first had said but with a lingering threat, the third was very demanding and issued a further warning and possible fine, and the fourth said that it’s illegal for the new occupier to even use a games console on TV, or watch videos or pre-recorded items, even use a computer that’s linked to the Internet through the phone lines, a whole list of things that you mustn’t do. It went on and warned the occupier of a pending investigation and a fine of £1,000. I couldn’t believe how threatening it was, I couldn’t believe how the threats escalated just to get a response and how frenzied they where, to the point I was half expecting to wake up the next day with a severed horse head in my bed as in The Godfather.

Jeremy, this is a real problem, which you continue to ignore in your own exquisite and special way. Imagine if you were an elderly person in poor health and you started to receive letters such as these for no good reason. It would be enough to send you to your grave! Come on Jeremy, bite the bullet and tackle this one story for me ... please. I promise I will listen!

I've just looked down the menu for today's programme ... I despair of you, really. Is this what counts as news today?

Today's issue that affects me: Why is your Radio 2 programme complete and utter biased and bigoted bollocks from start to finish?

Allow me to elaborate:

1) GEORGE OSBOURNE - Chancellor George Osborne will outline plans to boost the UK's sluggish economy later, against expected gloomy forecasts for growth. But what's the main cause of Britain's poor growth - the eurozone crisis or the government's spending cuts? : Where would we be without financial experts such as yourself? Are these the only two possible reasons for poor growth? Really? Is it nothing to do with Gordon Brown pumping billions in to banks that should have been allowed to fail? Is it nothing to do with the same man selling off Britain's gold reserves for a rock-bottom price while the gold price was at an all-time low? Is it nothing to do with a world-wide economic downturn? Is it nothing to do with Brown's government spending more than the country could afford? Apparently not! I love the way you use words such as "sluggish", "gloomy" and "poor" instead of the words that Osbourne would maybe use such as "disappointing". No bias there then, eh? Iceland, by the way, allowed their banks to fail and now have a growth rate of 2.4% and only about 6% unemployment (corrected from "employment" - thanks Gill!), and falling (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/ambroseevans-pritchard/100013462/iceland-wins-in-the-end/). There is the lesson to be learned. Next...

2) NAZI MEMORABILIA - Hitler's bedsheets are being auctioned in Bristol. Is it acceptable to collect Nazi memorabilia? : Your obvious inflections while talking to Ken told me EXACTLY how you feel about this, but unfortunately you didn't say the words I wanted to hear so much: "... and our studio guest will be Lemmy from Motorhead". Lemmy is a huge collector of Nazi memorabilia (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/growing-old-disgracefully-lemmy-on-heartbreak-ageing-and-his-penchant-for-nazi-memorabilia-2142747.html) and he sums it up quite nicely:

"Look, as I've always said, it's not my fault the bad guys had the best shit. But by collecting Nazi memorabilia, it doesn't mean I'm a fascist, or a skinhead. I'm not. I just liked the clobber. And let me tell you, the kind of people who do collect this stuff, they aren't yobbos either. They are people with Masters [degrees], they are doctors, professors. I've always liked a good uniform, and throughout history, it's always been the bad guy who dressed the best: Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis. If we had a good uniform, I'd collect ours as well, but what does the British Army have? Khaki. Makes them look like like a f**king swamp frog...".

I've just checked ebay for items including the word "Nazi" and it shows that there are 10,708 items available. What are you going to do about that? Nothing, by any chance?

Your suppostion is obviously that anybody collecting Nazi stuff will turn in to a Nazi, either that or you are trying to rewrite history. So, if I were to collect stamps would you accuse me of turning in to a Sub-Post Master? And can I accuse you of turning in to a geek for collecting Elvis Costello records and CDs? This is just another of your attacks on freedom-of-choice for any individual that happens to have a different outlook on life to your own. Much like you banning me from following you on Twitter.

Jeremy Vine vs Lemmy : I'd listen to that! But, as usual, you will not fail to disappoint me. Perhaps I should start collecting Jeremy Vine Show memorobilia ... now that really is unacceptable. Next...

3) OUT OF THE BLUE SUICIDES - Has your family had to cope with an out of the blue suicide? : No. SVG 6, I think. Next...

4) TAKING CHILDREN TO WORK - David Cameron says that parents should take their children to work during tomorrow's strike. Will you? : Hmmm... genuine advice, or just another chance for a cheap shot against Cameron? I'll go with the latter as it is your usual fare, and this was confirmed by your chat with Ken. The "if practical or possible" or similar words that Cameron used have been conveniently ignored by you. Not a problem for me, of course, as we continue to have no children.

Guido Fawkes is appearing before the Leveson Enquiry on Thursday. That will be fascinating. And because it is of interest to me my guess is that you will conveniently ignore it.... bring on the wheelie bins!

The Jeremy Vine Show - back to the UK, back to the usual rubbish