Today's show 09/03/12

I owe you an apology Jeremy. For years I have been saying that your programme does not change anything, but yesterday I think it did, and I thank valued blog reader Stonyground for bringing this to my attention. You DID try to make a difference yesterday when you highlighted the case of the terminally-ill father looking for his son, and your tweet yesterday (Regarding Jason Protano on today's show @BBCRadio2, he has made contact with his dying father and has asked for privacy now for them all) confirms that you were successful. Well done!

I apologise sincerely for my oversight and congratulate you on a successful outcome to this particular story. I hope that it gives you great satisfaction, and rightly so. Please do not let this be a one-off occurrence.

As a result of this story, my blog had a lot of hits yesterday and a number of comments were left. A number of these were of the "Get a life" and "Haven't you got anything better to do?" type, but I publish these anyway and attempt to answer the commenter as best I can. I did delete one comment yesterday but only because it contained offensive language. I hope that these comments do not reflect the type of listener that your show attracts, but I find it interesting that not one person has ever taken me to task for my ramblings and said "No, you are wrong, the Jeremy Vine Show is great because...". I would love that to happen and would happily make the necessary arrangements for any subsequent discussion and reasoned argument to take place, provided it does not just descend in to a personalised exchange of insults.

And on today's menu...

 

1) HOSTAGES - Two engineers taken hostage in Nigeria die as a rescue attempt led by the British military fails. We look at the special forces operation and the risks contractors face when they work in certain parts of the world : This is a real shame, and my sympathy goes to the families and friends of the two engineers. I also have some sympathy for those who had to take the "should we/shouldn't we" decision over the rescue operation. It cannot have been easy, and the consequences of their decision must be weighing heavily today. I am reminded of Operation Eagle Claw back in 1980 when President Carter authorised an attempt to rescue 50-odd Amercan hostages from the US Embassy in Tehran, and which resulted in the deaths of several US servicemen. Again, not an easy decision to take, and even harder when it goes horribly wrong, although the hostages were released eventually. A good friend of mine is a marine security officer whose job it is to protect ships from attack by Somalian pirates. He doesn't talk about it much but he has told me that he fully understands the risks involved and realises that he could be kidnapped - or worse - during an attack. I admire what he does and the way he handles the threats, but I think I'll stay in North Wales. Next...

2) STEALING - A woman steals more than two thousand pounds from the charity shop where she was a volunteer. Find out more in this article from the Warrington Guardian : Convicted by her own stupidity. Good. Next...

3) SACKING - A special on how a sacking should be carried out? Was yours a textbook operation or did it make a bad situation even worse? : I've never been sacked. Next...

 

4) TERRY - And we catch up with Terry Walton on the programme allotment : You asked on Ken's show, "Does he really need a barrel full of soil to grow potatoes?". Yes Jeremy, he does. My wife is the gardener in this household and she does exactly this.

 

Have a great weekend!

Today's show 24/02/12

Can you remember exactly what you were doing exactly 35 years ago today? I can.

Another quick one today...

1) BAR-ROOM BRAWL - Have you ever been involved in a bar-room brawl? What is the best way to pull the two sides apart? : No, never, and I have no idea. Interesting that you said you could not talk about the Eric Joyce skirmish, when others obviously feel that they can. Guido Fawkes published yesterday (http://order-order.com/2012/02/23/internal-beeb-blow-by-blow-account/) an internal BBC document giving a blow-by-blow (!) account of what happened. I am sure that the mandarins at Labour HQ are very pleased about the down-playing the BBC alone are giving to this event. And we can only imagine the different level of coverage that the BBC would have given this had it been a Tory MP involved. MPs, irrespective of their party, should be treated equally but that is something the BBC often seems to forget. Next...

2) NESTLE - The CEO of the Swiss food giant ‘Nestle’ has been criticized for using child labour. He says what’s wrong with using children as labour as long as we’re not treating them like slaves : Interesting that you have not provided a link for this story (or any others today), as the only ones I can find all date from November 2011 (for example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15930981). Is this just you being last with the news again today? A good friend of mine is another self-employed sole-trader but his 12-year-old son often helps him in his work and earns some extra pocket money in this way. Unfortunately he won't be listening to or contributing to your programme today as he is as big a fan of your show as I am. Next...

3) TERRY WALTON - Many of us enjoyed warm spring like weather yesterday. Terry says it’s time to get out on the allotment and start preparing the plot : You said to Zoe, "We discuss how to stop carrots splitting and growing raspberries". I am no gardener, but my lovely wife is, and I know from her that carrotts need stone-free soil to stop them growing in to odd shapes. Raspberries are my favourite soft fruit and so we grow these with considerable success. In fact, we had so many last year I was almost getting to the stage of having eaten too many. Almost. Anyway, I'm not sure I can learn anything from this, other than - perhaps - how to create some of the amazing sound effects for which you are making Terry rightly famous. Next...

4) MIDWIFE - Like the BBC 1 series, we ask; did you call the midwife in the 1950’s? : Any woman who had a baby in, say, 1955 and was, say, 20 years old at the time would now be well in to her 70s. Is this your target audience now? I was born in the late 1950s. Oh, and I'm a bloke.

The Jeremy Vine Show - Thank goodness it is the weekend.

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 16/12/11

Today's issue that affects me: Last Friday I ordered three Tunis Cakes from my nearest branch of Tesco. They told me that they would be in the store on Monday 12th December, but they have still not arrived. What is the point of allowing me to order something that they cannot provide?

You'll be interested to know, I hope, that my wife works in the travel industry. They had the radio on in their office yesterday afternoon and picked up on your "Greece has left the euro" work of fiction yesterday. Having missed the introduction they then took your words to be the truth and spent some time discussing the affects that it would have on their business. It was only when they could find no other mention of Greece's withdrawal on any news outlet that they realised that you were broadcasting a spoof. Needless to say, they were not impressed with wasting their valuable time.

I was disappointed to read that fellow critic of your programme @Vine_Watch on Twitter has announced that he/she may no longer be able to comment on your programme as an office reorganisation has moved the radio out of earshot, which is good for them but I will miss the witty comments. There was a good one yesterday, again about Greece: Jeremy Vine Show so desparate, it is now making-up fictional news stories and then having a heated debate about them! But we all know that making up stories is nothing new, don't we.

So, what are you making up today then...

1) DEMENTIA PATIENTS - Hospitals in England and Wales are failing to give proper care to dementia patients, according to a review. But we hear what things are like from the nurse's perspective : It must all be very difficult, but I am not aware that I know anybody with dementia. Next...

2) READING SOMEONE'S DIARY - Kate McCann was left feeling “mentally raped” after the News of the World published the private diary she had been keeping for her missing daughter. How did you feel when someone read your diary? : So, what diary is that then? The only diary I have ever kept was the one in which I used to record my school homework tasks 40 years ago. Are you going to lambast The Guardian today then? Thought not. And Piers Morgan has been summoned to appear before Leveson next week in connection with his time at the Daily Mirror - another non-News International paper. I bet you ignore that too. Next...

3) FAKE GOODS - After 1, as people hit the shops and the internet to buy Christmas presents, we discuss the rise of fake goods : I have long held the view that if something seems too good to be true then it probably is, so have not been caught by this. To be honest, the type of goods that are faked, that you mentioned on Ken's show and as shown in your web page picture (http://wwwimg.bbc.co.uk/programmes/i/512xn/aadec756bacdf0b04f37714fca29800cba64095f.jpg) are not the kind of stuff that I buy. Next...

4) ALLOTMENT - We catch up with Terry Walton on the programme allotment : "Plucking vegetables", eh? I only grow grass.

"You can follow me on Twitter" ... I'd love to, but you have chosen to block me from doing so.

The Jeremy Vine Show - wasting everybodys' time, every day

Today's show 02/12/11

A quick scan of today's menu has told me that there is no news today, apparently. The furore over Clarkson's comments is forgotten, and do I remember something about a strike earlier this week?

You don't do follow-up stories (only repeats - there is a difference) so let me do two for you...

Clarkson first: It is interesting, don't you think, that our beloved state broadcaster has decided not to make Clarkson's appearance on the One Show available on iPlayer, and the only clip available anywhere that I can find is the "should be shot" snippet. This was played to death on the R2 and 6Music news bulletins all day and I can probably quote it word-for-word now! What I would like to see is the whole interview as, according to others, the clip is not entirely representative of what was said. The best I can find is a transcript on a BBC news page (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15993549) that allows me to do the usual BBC thing and part quote what was actually said to completely change the emphasis: When asked about that day's strike over pensions by public sector workers Jeremy Clarkson said, "I think they have been fantastic".

Being the cynical old bugger that I am, I am coming to the conclusion that this was all a "set up" to boost the One Show's ratings, which will almost certainly succeed as it is all over the papers and other news stations. Clarkson has apologised (after he was told to?) and so the BBC has a win-win situation. After all, why would they get a well-known out-spoken court jester on the show on THE MOST contentious day of the year without realising what he would do? He has previous form, after all! Whether JC was in on it from the start is open to debate, but it all smells a bit fishy to me. You can't buy publicity like this, and it is probably safe to assume that sales of Clarkson's two Christmas DVDs have been boosted too. So, who's on tonight's One Show then? Nick Griffin, maybe?

Meanwhile, James Delingpole discusses Clarksongate in the Daily Telegraph (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100120977/jeremy-clarksons-critics-should-be-taken-out-and-shot/) and the over-the-top coverage from the BBC that his misdemeanour has attracted. Allow me to quote:
For at least the last fifty years "they should be taken out and shot," has been a socially acceptable, perfectly unexceptionable way of expressing colourfully and vehemently one's distaste towards a particular category of unpleasantness, be it striking Unison workers, revolting students, poorly performing members of your football team or the Lib Dem members of Cameron's cabinet. Context is all.
What the BBC and its brain-dead apparatchiks clearly fail to understand at moments like this is that they are actually endorsing and cultivating our culture of abject stupidity. If Lord Reith were still around, he really would want the entire BBC staff – management especially but also grinning half-wit presenters like The One Show's Matt Baker and Alex Jones – taken out and shot for what they have done to a once-fine institution.
The damage the BBC is wreaking on our culture in ways both large and small is all but incalculable. The Clarkson affair is at the smaller end. At the larger end, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to giving you the gory details of the BBC's complicity in the Climate Change scam – as revealed both in the Climategate 2.0 emails and in Christopher Booker's magisterial new report for the Global Warming Policy Foundation. And I'm quite sure Roger Harrabin is too.

Nail hit on head there, I reckon. And all this on the same day that the BBC hit the news itself - again - in a story successfully buried under Clarksongate. From your beloved Daily Mail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068411/BBC-chief-Caroline-Thomson-says-swearing-comedies-good.html
BBC chief who says swearing in comedies is good
One of the BBC’s top executives caused fury last night after she insisted it is acceptable for comedies to feature expletives.

Caroline Thomson, the corporation’s chief operating officer, claimed that one of the points of comedy was to cause offence and make her ‘flinch’.

So, just to make this clear, it is unacceptable for the BBC to broadcast Clarkson's comments as they MAY cause offense, but it is perfectly acceptable to broadcast comedy that WILL cause offence. Good one BBC!

The other news story I hoped you might cover was this one:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/3973322/Unison-union-bully-boy-Jon-Rogers-scab-email-fury.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068742/Scab-jibe-workers-crossed-picket-lines-defy-strikers.html
Union bully boy ‘scab’ fury

Unison's Jon Rogers sent out a furious email after barely a million union members joined Wednesday's strike, saying: "What you did was immoral and unacceptable and you should be ashamed. If you cross a picket line you are a scab. There is no other word for it and it is one of the worst things that can be done."
Mr Rogers, branch secretary at Lambeth, London, later withdrew the 3am email.
A union spokesman said: "It was sent after a long, tiring day. He regrets it and apologises for any offence caused."

Pot, kettle, black. It was Unison, of course, who were offended by Clarkson's remarks, so much so that they were saying that they would waste their members' subs by attempting legal action against him (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15977813), yet they are happy to send out an email that may have offended their own paying members. I think they live in the same version of The Real World that you do!

Anyway, all this mention of "offence" has offended me.

Today's issue that affects me: Where can I get a membership application form for The Illuminati?

So, Radio 2's flagship programme for "news, views and live guests" has no news today then. I suppose that two out of three ain't bad...

1) HAPPINESS - Despite the current economic turmoil and uncertainty, an ONS happiness survey suggests three quarters of us are satisfied with life. How do you keep "smiling through?" : Easy ... by not listening to the Jeremy Vine Show on Radio 2 everyday at 12, and by telling you why. Next...

2) SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS - Have you witnessed a science experiment go badly wrong?: Well, there was the day at school when we were making a barometer using a vacuum pump, a glass tube and a large glass trough of mercury (several pints). You can guess what happened, and we spent the rest of the class pushing blobs of mercury around with our bare fingers so that it could be sucked in to a syringe. Then there was the day the science teacher dropped maybe too large a lump of sodium in to a glass bowl of water with a pretty impressive explosion following. And then there was the day that the science teacher insisted that an experiment involving the production of hydrogen should be done in the fume cupboard, which was then blown to smithereens (and with the consequent Ball Of Flame you mentioned on Ken's show) when he switched on the extractor fan and the resultant spark ignited the hydrogen. No goggles, no gloves, no face masks, no H&S investigation, no serious injuries, lots of laughs and I'm still here to tell the tale. The problem with safety gear is that it lulls some people in to a false sense of security and safety, and then they get injured. With no safety gear an inbuilt mechanism for self-protection takes over and you stay well away from the action. And that is the real lesson to be learned, in my opinion. Somehow I don't think you will be promoting my viewpoint today. Next...

3) CHILDREN'S SAVINGS - Is it ever acceptable to raid your child's savings? : I'd have to have some children first, and I can't wait that long. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - We speak to Terry Walton on the official Jeremy Vine Show allotment: As I was saying, there is no news today.

The Jeremy Vine Show - we forgot to buy a paper today :-(

Today's show 11/11/11

My Dear Blog Readers,

It appears that yet again Jeremy and his staff cannot be bothered to update the programme web page before the programme starts. Perhaps the prospect of having David Cameron as a guest in the studio today has taken their mind off the jobs that we - the Licence Fee payers - pay them to do. We can only hope that Jeremy asks Cameron if he would like a memorial bench somewhere in his honour as this is, apparently, one of the most important questions in the UK at the moment.

The radio is on in the next room and I can hear Vine rattling on about somebody disrupting this morning's two-minute silence. Back in a minute .... that's better, now listening to "Dress You Up" by Madonna on 6 Music. Where was I? Oh yes... We can only hope that he gets Diane Abbott (Labour MP for Hackney) on the programme to ask her why she or one of her staff sent a YouGov poll result out on Twitter during the silence (http://yfrog.com/kg2scnyj):

It is now 12:17 (Stevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman" on 6 Music) and I can't be bothered to wait for Vine's people to do their jobs any longer, especially as I have my own to do.

Have a great weekend!

With very best wishes,

LunchTimeLoather


UPDATE:

Sometime after 1pm they did get their fingers out...

1) MUSLIMS AGAINST CRUSADES - Home secretary Theresa May bans ‘Muslims Against Crusades’. They are the group who burned poppies on Armistice Day last year. We speak to someone who says we may not agree with this group, but people fought and died in this country for free speech : Free speech? This from the man who blocked me on Twitter. Next...

2) TERRY WALTON - We join Terry on the Radio 2 allotment, where he has some troublesome rhubarb to wrestle with : Errr... our two rhubarb plants have finished producing for this year and are in the winter dormant phase. Hardly troublesome. Next...

3) DAVID CAMERON - At 1pm, we're joined by David Cameron, the Prime Minister. We ask him - if bankers are responsible for the crisis, why does the government keep helping them while ordinary people suffer? : I hope JV asked if he had ever been injured by an umbrella too. Next...

4) THE SONGS MY SON LOVED - And for the last time this week, at 1:30 Jeremy Vine presents a documentary on Radio 2 where mothers tell the story of their sons that died in conflict through the music they loved: ‘The Songs My Son Loved’. Today Hazel Hunt talks about her son, Private Richard Hunt : No comment.

Hopefully what passes for normality will return on Monday.

Today's show 14/10/11

A quick scan of today's topics reveals that you have - again - missed a story that would have been of huge interest to me. It comes from your favourite paper, the Daily Mail, and goes like this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048250/Catholic-Veronica-Connolly-refuses-pay-BBC-licence-fee-Jerry-Springer-The-Opera.html):
'I'd rather go to jail than pay BBC a penny': Devout Catholic gran refuses to pay licence fee over 'deeply offensive' Jerry Springer - The Opera

A devout Catholic grandmother has told a court she would rather go to prison than pay her TV licence fee after the BBC aired the controversial 'Jerry Springer - The Opera'.
Wheelchair-bound Veronica Connolly, 54, from Birmingham, refuses to pay the her licence because she says she finds the show 'deeply offensive' as it 'ridicules Jesus and is a violation of her religious conscience'.

The judge made some interesting comments in his ruling (my emphasis):

Comment 1: However, dismissing her challenge, the judge, sitting with Mr Justice McCombe, said the licence fee is paid for 'general broadcasting services', not just the BBC, and if it were optional, hardly anyone would pay it.

It was the BBC's own Jeremy Paxman who said, "The idea of a tax on the ownership of a television belongs in the 1950s. Why not tax people for owning a washing machine to fund the manufacture of Persil? And how do you justify a tax on television ownership to finance production of material which will never appear on television? And what about material intended for television which is viewed through an iPlayer, for which no licence is required?" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/08/the_james_mactaggart_memorial_lecture.html).

Comment 2: Far from being a monopoly, the judge said the BBC has 'many competitors' and the neutrality of its mission to 'inform, educate and entertain' is underwritten by royal charter.

It was the BBC's own Andrew Marr who said, "The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities and gay people. It has a liberal bias not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias" (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-411846/We-biased-admit-stars-BBC-News.html). My own experience of BBC broadcasts suggests to me that Mr Marr is closer to the truth than the judge.

Comment 3: The BBC's independence was underlined by the fact that it 'appears to be a thorn in the side' of whichever Government is in power...

Really? My recollection of the Blair/Brown Government is that the BBC would conduct an interview with an MP or Minister to expound their latest policy, followed by a newsreader telling us "a Tory MP said this was rubbish". Now, we are told "the Tory-led coalition government have announced <whatever>" followed by Ed Miliband being interviewed to tell us why everything the current government does is rubbish. Do you think my mind is playing tricks on me? I don't think so.

Needless to say, this raises the question in my mind as to who is correct: the judge, or two of the BBC's most-respected news reporters?

I was particularly pleased to read...

Mr Diamond said outside court after the hearing that Mrs Connolly will now take her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

I wish her the very best of luck.

What a shame you chose to ignore that story. I would have listened to that!

Instead we have these four topics, only one of which can be described as "news"...

1) JOURNALISTS - The Press Complaints Commission has a new chairman and there's an inquiry into the phone hacking scandal, but is that enough to clean up journalism? Do we need to license journalists - and strike them off if they misbehave? : No, yes, and yes.

Interesting to hear your chat with Ken this morning, and your very obvious biased view that a licensing scheme is NOT a good idea. What a surprise. Well Jeremy, there are those of us in The Real World that disagree with you. What chance that our opinions will be heard on your programme?

UK journalism is nothing more than a cess pit of lies, corruption, bias and misinformation. I and many others simply do not believe what we are told by The Meeja any more, and that is the REAL problem. I only read what the papers say in connection with writing to you every day (and please believe me when I tell you that I would never look at ANY newspaper output otherwise) so most of the journalism I encounter is through TV (hardly ever) or radio (force fed news every hour). And do you know what? It is rubbish! I want to be told facts and nothing more. Instead, all I hear are journalists talking to each other in a vain attempt to (a) convince me they know what they are talking about, (b) guess what has happened, (c) guess what might happen, and (d) justify their salary. I do not want to hear the opinion of "our BBC correspondent in Timbuktu", I do not need to see a rain-soaked bloke standing outside 10 Downing Street to tell me what Cameron has done today, and I certainly do not want to know what "people on the streets of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch think". I can form my own opinions, thank you, and I do not need to be told what to think.

So far the broadcast media seem to have escaped the phone hacking allegations, and so my suspicion is that you will exclude them from your discussion today and instead concentrate on phone hacking and the rapidly dwindling newspaper industry. Remember Jeremy that you are a "journalist" in the eyes of many, and there is an old saying about black pots and kettles that you may wish to bear in mind today.

You have promoted today's Oliver Letwin story on your Twitter feed today. Am I the only one who thought not what he was doing but "What was a Daily Mirror journalist hoping Mr Letwind would do, and why was he following him?". As I have told you before, I rarely look at The Story and prefer to look at the story behind The Story as it is often far more interesting.

Do you know what? Following your chat with Ken I'm going to listen to this as there is just a chance that it might be of interest to me. I doubt if you will change anything (heaven forefend!) but I want to listen to how you talk about, praise and criticise your own kind. I have, after all, been urging you to do that for a long time. Please be advised, however, that this is not an "issue that affects me".

2) CHINESE RESTAURANT - A Chinese restaurant may close following false rumours that it served dog meat. Find out more from The Telegraph : I've never had a meal in a Chinese restaurant but I hope that you will do your best to set the record straight for the unfortunate owners of the China Rose. But that doesn't make good radio though, does it? Next...

3) PORNOGRAPHY - After 1, how to talk to your children about pornography : How about "Bloomin' heck, have you seen the norks on that?". Or perhaps not. No children here Jeremy! Did you hear that dull thud? That was the Jeremy Vine show finally reaching Rock Bottom. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - We catch up with Terry Walton on the programme allotment : And this doesn't make good radio either, does it?

The Jeremy Vine Show - all filler, no thriller

UPDATE:

Well, I listened. It was pretty lightweight, with JV batting off the "they should be licensed" callers without much comment. It was a bit of a cheap shot to say that Harold Shipman was a licensed GP but yet committed many murders.

Kelvin Mackenzie was one of the two stooges that JV had on the phone, and I was pleased to hear him say that journalism is not a profession. I'd agree with that.

As I suspected he would, JV concentrated on the printed media and didn't discuss TV or radio broadcasting at all.

He did say "I'd have to get a licence in order to speak to you". We can only hope that the qualification examination is rigorous, doesn't include use of apostrophes and that nicking stories from the Daily Mail causes an automatic fail.

Once again the point is missed and gallops off in to the sunset, and I am reminded why I don't listen.

Today's show 30/09/11

Is this a record? The time is 09:45 and the show's web page has already been updated with today's stories. This makes such a pleasant change from the situation only a few weeks ago where the web page wasn't being updated until after the programme had started. So what has changed? Has somebody finally been told to do their job properly? If so, it is about bloomin' time.

I notice again that there are no links to newspaper web pages. Time for another complaint, I feel (see below).

Anyway, welcome back Paddy - whoever you are. All I will say is: You are an improvement on the abominable Ms Feltz.

Today's issue that affects me: Today is the last day of free supermarket carrier bags here in Wales, but what is the best way to mark this event?

So, what despicable drivel has the producer stitched you up with today then? Let's see...

1) BINS - The government has found an extra £250 million to bring back weekly bin collections which it says is the “right” of every householder. But can we afford it in these difficult times? : This is a story that was discussed by Ms Feltz as recently as 31st May and described thus: WEEKLY BIN COLLECTIONS - Reports say that the government will give councils cash incentives to restore weekly bin collections with a link to an article in The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/councils-offered-cash-to-keep-weekly-bin-collections-2291073.html). The important sentence in the BBC news page that you link to today, as far as I am concerned, is: The government says it will make £250m available to help English councils keep or restore weekly bin collections. "English", not "Welsh". To repeat what I wrote on 31st May: Here in Gwynedd we have a weekly bin collection that alternates between household waste and garden waste. We also have a separate weekly collection for items to be recycled. We are provided with good quality bins in which to store rubbish between collections. Collections occur every Monday morning, including bank holidays, and it all works rather well for me. I see no need at all to have three separate collections every week. As you will appreciate, I am struggling to find any relevance to this story. First Feltz, then you - doesn't Jeremy like talking about bins? Next...

2) DIALLING 999 - We discuss the 2 year old who knew to dial 999 when her mother collapsed. At what age do you tell your kids about the emergency services? : What kids are those then? Next...

3) MOTORWAY SPEED LIMIT - The Department of Transport wants to increase the speed limit on motorways to 80 mph. It claims it’s good for economic growth, but admits it may also increase casualties : Another repeated story, this time from 28th February when you were standing in for Jeremy, and described thus: MOTORWAYS - With the government considering increasing the speed limit on motorways to 80 mph, we speak to someone who went on a speed awareness course and says they’ll never speed again. As I said in February: They have motorways in England, and the only one in Wales is a long way away from here. My nearest ones are the M56 and the M54, both about 90 miles away in England. Do you think this item is relevant to me? I thought not. Next...

4) ALLOTMENT - Finally, are you enjoying the sunny weather? Terry is on his allotment in the Rhondda : Could you ask Terry "Sound Effects Man" Walton a question for me? Could you ask him what he thinks about the end of free carrier bags in Wales? Not that I'll be listening, of course.

Two items dragged back from the past, and the very definitely non-news twaddle allotment item. I think you definitely have been stitched up!

If you really want to repeat stories, how about repeating the one from 6th September where you discussed the driving of a 4x4 car up Snowdon? It seems that it has happened again - with the same 4x4 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-15108712). I was glad to see that the BBC have chosen to check the facts (A BBC reporter, who travelled to the summit on Thursday, said the vehicle matched the description and number plate of the vehicle from the earlier incident.) but I'm not sure that spending £25 and three hours on a train journey to the summit was the best use of his time or my licence fee.

The Jeremy Vine Show - regurgitating rubbish repeatedly



Complaint lodged on BBC web site:

The topics to be discussed in Mr Vine's daily programme are listed on his show web page every day, together with a link to another web page for more information. Until a few weeks ago a large number of these links would be to web pages belonging to various newspapers, but recently only BBC web pages have been included. This can lead to some frustration when no relevant BBC web page is available and so no link is shown.

While I am happy to read the BBC's view of events it is also good to read the alternative viewpoints expressed in the printed press, and my complaint is that I am now deprived of this useful facility.

 

 

Freedom of Information request sent to BBC:

 

I would like to know how many complaints in total were received by the BBC Complaints Department that related specifically to the Jeremy Vine programme on Radio 2 during the most recent 12-month period for which you have details available.

Today's show 02/09/11

I have an important project starting next week and I know that I would struggle to find the time to write my daily email to you in a timely manner. So, for the next two weeks or so, please feel free to discuss any old tosh you wish without fear of criticism from me. You can also be assured that I won't be listening.

Today's issue that affects me: Is porridge best prepared in the microwave or in a saucepan, or doesn't it make any difference?
Note how I offered the third "middle of the road" option that is sadly missing from the questions that you pose.

Only three topics today, apparently, and so irrelevant that ridiculing them is a challenge in itself...

1) 'SQUADDIE SCHOOL' - A free school is being set up in Manchester where all the teachers will be former members of the armed forces. Is a 'squaddie school' the best way to bring discipline back to the classroom? Find out more in this Guardian article : I have no idea, interest or children. Next...

2) ABORTION - When you were considering having an abortion, did you get the right advice?: I have never had to consider having an abortion. Next...

3) TERRY WALTON - And the Jeremy Vine Show allotmenteer Terry Walton joins us live in the studio today to answer fruit and veg questions from listeners…and to do some gardening himself : For a whole hour? Has he got a book out? How does Mr Walton's contribution fit in to your "We only cover the news" statement earlier this week? How is his allotment an issue that affects me? Have you ever heard of a Radio 4 programme called Gardeners' Question time? The only thing I grow in my garden is grass, and I seem to manage that OK thanks.

I despair.

The Jeremy Vine Show - can it get any worse?

Today's show 26/08/11

Busy today, so quickly...

Today's issue that affects me: Why do I always get the impression that Ken Bruce treats your programme with complete disdain?

As I do, of course, and for good reason I feel...

1) OBESITY - Around forty per cent of us could be obese in twenty years' time. We speak to someone who says the problem is so serious that we need to stigmatise fat people : You just said on Ken's show "I never believe these predictions" (even though it was published in The Lancet) so why are you discussing it? Hardly the basis for an unbiased discussion, is it? When I used to work on computer systems years ago there was an old saying: Garbage In, Garbage Out. That same prognosis applies equally well to humans as it does to computers. I rarely eat "fast food", and it is many years since I last ate anything that could be construed as being a "ready meal", so hopefully I will be OK and your discussion will not mean anything to me. As for stigmatising fat people, I'd rather be fat than be a newspaper journalist. Next...

2) SCRAP METAL - A disabled six year old has lost his walking frame to a scrap metal thief. Is it now impossible to leave anything metal in the front garden - even for a few moments? : This is a real problem, and one of which I am only too aware. The main part of the problem does not lie with the people who take the metal but with the scrap merchants who will exchange it for cash with no questions asked. Thefts would be reduced if it were made more difficult to get the material in to the scrap metal process, and the easiest way to do that is to make each delivery traceable. There is a government e-petition on this subject (http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406)

and an interesting article here:
http://www.scrap-ex.com/news_events/news/metal/scrap_dealers_go_cashless_says_minister.html

Something needs to change, but - as usual - you will only talk about it and I feel that I already know enough on this topic. I had dealings with many scrap metal merchants 25 years ago, and I never met one with conscience. Next...

3) COMMUNITY BUSINESSES - The local shop closes. Is the solution people-power? In Your Money and Your Life, we discuss shops and pubs being run by the community : Local shop? If only! There has never been one in our village, and there is not the clientele to support one. There is a house nearby marked "The Old Post Office" but that has been a private residence for at least 30 years. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - And we catch up with our allotmenteer, Terry Walton - in Madeira : Oh good, our Bank Holiday weekend is complete.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - pointless radio at its most pointless

Today's show 05/08/11

Bloomin' heck ... your web page was updated today before 11am. You see, it really isn't difficult, is it?

There are a few things that I need to mention before we look at your programme today, which - I have to say - looks pretty dire. But never mind, there is always 6 Music.

First is Twitter. I found out last night that if I look at your feed while I am not logged in to Twitter then I can see a lot more (i.e. whole conversations) than if I am logged in. So, I will now only login when I want to leave a comment, and then logout again. Sorted!

Second is Steve Wright. The Daily Mirror did a bit of hatchet job on him yesterday (http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/08/04/steve-wright-the-enigma-inside-the-weird-lonely-world-of-radio-2-legend-115875-23317894/) which was then followed today by another article in the BBC's favourite paper The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/aug/04/steve-wright-tabloid-feeding-frenzy). Under the faux subtitle "Why is the Daily Mirror so unhealthily obsessed by the mundane details of Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright's diet and 'bizarre' life?" all this article does is re-print the Mirror article virtually verbatim. You mentioned the Mirror article on Twitter yesterday ("By the way, story about my pal Steve Wright in today's #Mirror is hatchet job on a very kind & considerate colleague, who is a radio ledge!") yet, and oddly, you make no mention of The Guardian's article today. I know that the bond between BBC and Guardian is strong, but didn't realise that meant you could not criticise them. Double standards Jeremy, double standards!

Third is e-petitions. I took a look earlier at how the capital punishment petitions were doing. They are loads of them, and both "for" and "against", and with none of them showing anywhere near the required 100,000 signatures. However, there were some other interesting ones that caught my eye:
 - Add "None of the above" to election ballot papers

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/620)

 - Reject wrongly spelled e-petitions (although I think that should be "wrongly spelt"..!)

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/3519)
 - Don't listen to idiots signing e-petitions

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/2843)
 - Don't waste parliamentary time debating e-petitions

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/1776)
 - Free the man who pied Murdoch (even though he was only jailed for 6 weeks and the e-petition runs for a year ... some people just don't get it, do they?)

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/940)
And my absolute favourite:
 - BBC bias (I signed this one!)

(http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/265) 

OK... on to today's programme, which won't take long...

1) WORLD FINANCES - Fear stalks the world's stock markets because of Europe's debt and a weak US economy. Is it time to get all the bad news out now and allow countries to default -rather than apply the sticking plaster of more bailouts and risk worse later? : Should I text my answer to 88291? Next...

2) MOBILITY SCOOTER - We speak to the pensioner who escaped being "barbecued alive" as his mobility scooter burst into flames. Find out more in this Daily Mail article : Another Daily Mail story ... they've done you proud this week. The most interesting sentence to me is "The drama unfolded as the great-grandfather was heading to the weekly car boot in town on Sunday, July 24.". July 24th ... that was nearly two weeks ago. Does this still qualify as news? Has anybody told you that The Titanic sank? Next...

3) STUDENT FINANCE - After 1, a student finance special with money saving expert Martin Lewis : Martin is a star, but I am not a student. Next...

4) ALLOTMENT - And we catch up with Terry Walton on the programme allotment : Ah yes, more sound effects to fill the airwaves. Deep, deep joy.

 

You see, I told you it wouldn't take long!

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - first with last month's news

Today's show 22/07/11

I'm very busy today, so just a quick one...

It was another busy day on my blog yesterday, with 117 page views - see attached graph. It was also a unique today as, for the very first time and after 7 months and 5248 page views, one of my readers took me to task for what I write every day (other than for a factual error which I made a few months ago). Obviously, I have no idea who that person was but if they are reading here again today then I will repeat my thanks for what they said. Unlike yourself, I am open to free speech and critcism and I have taken on-board what they said. I knew it would happen one day, but I feel rewarded that it has taken so long for this to happen. Whether I act on it remains to be seen. 

So what can you tempt me with today? No fabricated outrage over Murdoch again I see...

1) SECOND BAILOUT FOR GREECE - Stock markets and politicians have welcomed the eurozone's second bailout for Greece, but is it time to go in the opposite direction and allow the euro to fail? : Sorry, question too difficult. Ask me one on pop music. Next... (The link given on the JV web page was a duplicate for the next item and did not link to a BBC news page about the Greek bailout)

2) TRAGIC LEARNER DRIVER DEATH - A woman has died after her seventeen year old daughter, who was a learner driver, accidentally reversed a car into her : A tragic accident, but I'm not sure what there is to discuss. I predict that this will turn in to one of your famous "Tell us something that happened when you reversed a car" items and, as usual, not actually achieve very much. Next...

3) WRITING A WILL - After 1, we discuss how to avoid getting ripped off by a will writer : I've already done that, and I didn't get ripped off, thanks. You said on Ken's show "Among the people offering to write wills are cowboys". Cowboys? What, cowboys like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7JX8D1Kb88 Next...

 

4) TERRY WALTON - And we catch up with Terry Walton on the Jeremy Vine Show allotment : Could you ask him what the best use is for tons and tons of BBC anti-Murdoch bullshit? There seems to be a lot of it about.

 

No reason to listen today then, so it will be 6 Music from 12.

 

Have a great weekend everybody, and please feel free to leave your comments (including you Jeremy). I promise to publish them all provided they do not contain bad language.

Today's show 17/06/11

Top story for today must surely be the revelation that the BBC fabricated a scene for a 2008 edition of the Panorama programme (presumably introduced by your goodself) about the apparently legitimate activities of clothes retailer Primark (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13794227). An interesting video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUSsG_tDDY0. The BBC will have to publicly apologise to Primark, and rightly so. The perpetrator was Dan McDougall, who was allegedly a journalist working for Panorama. Journalist? Lying scum more like, as are most other journalists. We can only hope that Mr McDougall enjoys spending the rest of his life asking "Do you want fries with that?".

Even the BBC's apology for "a rare lapse in quality" is a lie. I have long held the view that if the available facts don't fit the news story then the BBC will simply make them up, and yesterday's revelation backs up my view yet again. I am currently in a battle with the BBC Complaints Department concerning the film where the effects of volcanic ash on a jet engine are demonstrated by someone referred to as a scientist (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8632572.stm) yet the whole item is just wrong, wrong, wrong from start to finish. Why? Because the truth was not available, so they made it up.

Your favourite daily rag, the Daily Mail, have also covered the story (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2004298/Panorama-documentary-Primark-BBC-apologise-fake-child-labour-footage.html) and lambast the BBC for their poor reporting. As a mark of retaliation I suggest that you boycott stories from the Daily Mail for the next year. That'll show 'em!

On several occasions I have suggested that you discuss the credibility of the BBC's news, but my requests have been ignored. I make that request again today. Otherwise, why should I believe a word you say?

I expect Panorama/Primark to be the first item on your show today, so let's take a look at the lies to be peddled today...

1) GREECE CRISIS - Conservative MPs say that we should let Greece default on its debt rather than commit ourselves to another bailout : Delayed from yesterday, after the man with a wart took precedence. That says it all really, and shows how important this story is to you. I will take your recommendation then and not listen. After all, how can I trust you to tell me the truth? Next...

2) ALCOHOL - Are you teetotal because of what drinking did to your parents? : I am teetotal, and the answer to your question is "Yes". At the age of about 6 or 7 I remember my father dropping a wine bottle one day. It smashed on the floor and while picking up the pieces he managed to stand on one and cut his foot quite badly. I've not touched alcohol since. Next...

3) SUMMER PESTS - After 1, we discuss summer pests with our resident expert : Blimey... where to start? I'm not entirely sure why your web page links to another page about cabbage white butterflies. Although we see them in our garden, they are not in sufficient numbers to be classed as a pest. The main summer pests around here are tourists with caravans, so can your resident expert deal with them? Other wildlife pests are a small price to pay for living in one of the most beautiful areas of the UK. You said on Ken's show that this resident expert is a chap called Mark Holtman. A quick Google shows that he works for a company called Portland Pest Control based in Watford (http://www.wecando.biz/profile.php?bid=2211 and third paragraph http://www.pestcontrolnews.com/2010/july/issue_2.php). So, he is not a "resident expert" then, is he? More lies! Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - And we catch up with Terry Walton on the Jeremy Vine Show allotment : Aaaahhh.... the return of sound effects man. How do I know that his gardening information is the truth? How do I know he is on an allotment? How can you prove that he is even in Wales? I can't see him from here.

No BBC story then? No examination or explanation of what went wrong? No attempt to reassure your listeners that BBC News is to be trusted? Nothing to address the Bollocks to Truth ratio that is now very firmly in the former's favour?

 

The Jeremy Vine Show : First for completely ignoring the Elephant In The Room ... and not criticising the BBC no matter what they do or how bad it gets.

Today's show 27/05/11

A sunny day here in North Wales today, but the outlook for the weekend is looking increasingly dismal.

Talking of dismal, let's look at today's offerings:

1) RATKO MLADIC - The former Bosnian Serb commander, Ratko Mladic, has been arrested on suspicion of war crimes, but is the UN partly culpable for some of the worst atrocities carried out in Bosnia? : It is good that they got him, and nice that it coincided with the visit of EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton to Belgrade to discuss Serbia's admission to the EU (http://www.sofiaecho.com/2011/05/25/1095210_eu-foreign-policy-chief-ashton-visiting-serbia-and-kosovo). Sceptics might say that that is more than a coincidence. Anyway, I've never been to Serbia, and have no plans to go. Next...

2) SHARON SHOESMITH - Sharon Shoesmith, the former head of social services in Haringey Council, has won her Court of Appeal battle over her sacking after the Baby P tragedy : Listening to your trail on Ken's show I was waiting for you to say "... and our studio guest is Ed Balls". Alas, those words never came. Next...

3) CAMPING - 'All the gear, but no idea.' What do first time campers need to know? : I last went camping in Scotland in 1979, so unfortunately I don't qualify as a first time camper. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - We speak to Terry Walton on the official Jeremy Vine Show allotment: Ahhhh... sound effects gardening. Bless.

Today's show 13/05/11

My sincere apologies to all of my blog readers for the late posting of this message. This was due to the blogger.com website being shut down due to technical problems. At least, that is what it said.

Normal service has been resumed...

It is 12:05 and your web page has not been updated yet, so what can I do to fill the waiting time? Oh, I know, I can tell you about an article that was in the Daily Telegraph a couple of days ago. It can be found here http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/davidhughes/100087445/the-bbc-reports-the-news-%E2%80%93-just-as-long-as-it-suits-its-agenda/#disqus_thread and is headed "The BBC reports the news – just as long as it suits its agenda". This is a view that I have held for a long time and again it raises the question of a so-called state broadcaster funded by taxation of the state's population (also known as the Television Licence Fee) that then only broadcasts the news that it feels is relevant. The BBC Complaints Department has told me many times that the BBC and its reporters are impartial, but they seem to be the ONLY people who actually believe that to be the case these days. I guess it is inevitable that the BBC are reluctant to investigate this. I still think it would make a cracking topic for your show.

12:11 and still no web page update ... shall I come back when it is more convenient?

<10 minutes later...>

Oh, here we go...

1) NAZI DEATH CAMP - It’s taken decades to get John Demjanjuk convicted for his role in killing 28,000 Jews in a Nazi death camp. In his defence, he says he was a Ukranian prisoner of war and had no option but to participate : Hmmm... interesting stuff. I note your spelling of "Ukranian". The rest of us spell it correctly as "Ukrainian". Next...

2) PAYING FOR THE PLAYGROUND - Wandsworth council in South London has brought in a £2.50 admission fee for one of its playgrounds. They say it's justified because of the cuts : We don't have children, and we don't live in Wandsworth, so this is of no interest or relevance to me. It also falls very squarely in to radio for London and the South East. I am left wondering of what interest this could be to your other listeners in, say, The Hebrides, or Cornwall, or here in North Wales. Next...

3) MARTIN LEWIS: MONEY SAVING EXPERT - Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis joins us after one. Our topic — did your debts, or your partner’s, trigger a mental breakdown? : I have the greatest respect for Martin and what he does, and his only Black Mark in my book is that he appears on your programme. And I never knew he was a psychologist. Next....

4) TERRY WALTON - And finally, Terry Walton on the official allotment, planting brussels sprouts and the symbol of Wales, the leek : Oh good, he's back. My wife is the gardener here and she grew sprouts and leeks last year. What a shame that she is at work! As for me, the only thing that I grow in the garden is grass.

Today's show 21/04/11

I'm very busy today, so quickly...

1) EMPLOYMENT - More than eighty thousand people in Britain claim incapacity benefit because they are alcoholics, drug addicts or obese, the government says. Would you employ a former addict? : While in employed work I had always wanted my own sole-trader business, and I achieved that wish in 2002. The key words are "sole-trader", which imply that I would and will never employ anyone, so the answer to your question has to be "No". I'm pretty sure that the BBC has an open-minded attitude to employment (judging by some of the people who work there) so perhaps you should do your bit and employ a former addict on your show. Please let me know when that happens. Next...

2) BLOGGING - A journalist tells us that he's stopped blogging because it was making him ill : A journalist? Stopping blogging? Good! That is one less journalist writing crap then. I'm unsure whether to celebrate his cessation, or take my usual view of complete disinterest. It must be a slow news week, because this is the second story this week about the scum who call themselves journalists. It is all getting a bit too incestuous for my liking. Funny, isn't it, how you are quick to look at other journalists and what they do, but consistently fail to look at your own efforts. You really should try it sometime. Next...

3) CAPTAIN LISA HEAD - We pay tribute to Captain Lisa Head, the British soldier who has died from injuries she suffered in an explosion while clearing roadside bombs in Afghanistan: I am sure that she did a wonderful job and will be sorely missed. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON - And we catch up with Terry Walton on the Jeremy Vine Show allotment : Oh good. Sound Effects Man is back. My life is complete.

Meanwhile, on 6 Music....

UPDATE:

Just had a message to tell me that I really should be listening to this as I am a blogger myself, so I am...

Congratulations on your usual poor research. James Delingpole started by telling you that he is not giving up his blog, and is only taking a "health break". So, you'll have got that wrong then.

I get comments on my blog. Two people drew my attention to an error that I had made, which I was happy to correct. All of the rest just thank me for what I do and agree with me in that they consider your show to be rubbish. Not one person has given any other viewpoint.

Any chance of a mention for my blog? It is http://lunchtimeloather.blogspot.com/

Right, back to 6 Music...

Today's show 01/04/11

What is it like living in the only part of the UK that doesn't have free prescriptions? England, leading the way ... backwards.

12:10 and finally your web page has been updated. I've got better things to do than wait for somebody to do their job, you know.

On to today's April Fools:

1) SPEED CAMERAS IN OXFORDSHIRE - Last year, Oxfordshire removed all speed cameras from the county. The number of fatalities on the road went up, so they're bringing them back : Shouldn't this be on BBC Radio Oxford? Why do you consider this to be of national interest? You just said "... who campaigns for people to bomb around the place ...". There is nothing like a little bit of bias Jeremy, and that is nothing like a little bit of bias. Next...

2) UK UNCUT - We talk to a member of UK Uncut, the group that believes in peaceful direct action to get businesses and banks to pay their full taxes and occupied Fortnum & Mason, and were then all arrested : Hmmm... The BBC already has a very poor record when it comes to these people. Peter Hitchens wrote in the Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370053/TUC-anti-spending-cuts-protest-200-arrested-500k-march-cut.html) earlier this week:

"This helps to explain the Corporation’s spasm of blatant partiality this weekend. It began with a bizarre report on Friday night on Newsnight. Reporter Anna Adams provided minutes of free publicity to protest group UK Uncut, whose spokeswoman was identified only by her Christian name, Lucy.".

I imagine that you will continue to toe the corporate BBC line. Next...

3) PARENTING: LEAVING HOME - Parenting week; the most important job in the world concludes with the devastation some parents feel when their children finally leave home : We have no children. Next...

4) TERRY WALTON ON HIS ALLOTMENT - Spring is well and truly here. As temperatures climb to the mid sixties, we talk to Terry on his lovely allotment : Yay! The Friday sound effects are back. And what is this 60 degrees thing? Cold and wet here in North Wales today.

Radcliffe & Maconie start their show on 6 Music on Monday, and I cannot wait. For the first time since I have lived here I will have the opportunity to listen to a BBC programme that is of interest to me and that I actually want to listen to. And about bloomin' time too.

However, my emails and my blog WILL continue.

Today's show 11/03/11

Can nobody be bothered to create a proper web page for you today? No "Read more here" links? Oh well...

1) Earthquake in Japan - Tragic, and probably worthy of discussion as long as you stick to facts and avoid conjecture and speculation. I might just listen to this! Next...

2) Bin lorries blocking roads - Is this news, or just an excuse for a few callers to have a good old-fashioned rant? It is not something that I can ever remember affecting me, but if it has it was obviously so insignificant to be easily forgettable. Anyway, you mentioned in the trail on Ken's programme that this arises from an incident in Camden, north London - about 250 miles from here. You also mentioned something about hire bikes and fobs, and we don't have those around here. More radio for London and the South East I think. Next...

3) Discount vouchers - I don't know of any restaurants around here that take these, and the nearest fast food outlets are over 20 miles away. I entered "Wales" in to the TopTable web site and it told me that there are two restaurants in Llandudno that accept their vouchers, but they are 50 miles from here. Next...

4) Terry Walton - More pointless sound effects, and definitely not news.

So, one news story, and three that are definitely only News Entertainment.


UPDATE 1:

Interesting...

"We have a major discrepancy about the (tsunami) timing". Your contributor said "... at about 3am their time" and you said "I have 13:07". As I type this the time is 12:19GMT here, and according to http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ it is 02:19 in Honolulu, Hawaii. So, that means that 13:07 here will be 03:07, or "about 3am their time" in Hawaii. Do you still think that that is a discrepancy, or did you not listen to what your contributor said?

Anyway, we had about six minutes of useful information and then we had to hear from somebody who was in Phuket on Boxing Day 2004, who seemed more interested in telling us about changing his hire car than anything else.

Needless to say, I was not disappointed or surprised by your coverage of this event.


UPDATE 2:

Hey... this is fun! I've carried on listening, the first time for a long, long time that I have done this.

 

My prediction of a good old-fashioned rant wasn't wrong, was it?

 

That "broadcaster and writer" woman didn't disappoint, but then she is only a broadcaster so why should I care what she thinks?

 

I am sure that fire fighters, trawlermen or motorway maintenance crews would take issue with that idiot from the GMB about bin men having the most dangerous job in Britain. Why did you choose to speak to the GMB rather than a council or company that actually operates bin lorries? Just for a more balanced view, you understand.

 

Your description of the Manchester woman "snarling like a dog" is interesting too, especially as you named her. Were you there? If not, how do you know she did this? Or are you just relying on hearsay for this information? And why isn't she on the show to defend herself? This sounds like a character assassination to me.

 

Now... should I stay tuned for the next hour?

UPDATE 3:

Still listenng!

 

I've already told you about TopTable and their nearest location is 50 miles away from me.

 

Now looking at GroupOn and their web site refuses to even acknowledge that North Wales exists. The nearest cities to me, it says, are Liverpool and Cardiff. Geography is obviously not their strong point as Bangor is my nearest city, and 25 miles away.

 

Exactly the same restrictions apply to LivingSocial ... nothing around here.

 

I loved your comment about Pizza Hut: "We're on a journalistic search for the truth" ... There obviously is a first time for everything!

 

This whole discussion is completely irrelevant to me. No change there then.

 

Sorry, but I really can't be bothered to listen to Terry.

Today's show 25/02/11

The irrelevance continues and gets worse...

1) Colonel Gaddafi - Does Britain have any of Colonel Gaddafi's billions and, if so, what should we do with them? : So, which bank do you think is going to call your pathetic programme and say, "Yes, Mr Gaddafi has an account with us, which currently contains £x million". Dream on! As for what to do with it, I'd suggest giving it to the BBC so that they have sufficient financial resources to provide me (a licence payer) with some decent lunchtime radio entertainment. Pigs preparing for take-off...! Next...

2) Tesco Express - Another blow to the community? - I missed your trail, and there is no link on your web page, so I have no idea what this about. For your information, my nearest shop of any kind is 4 miles away. A Tesco Express in the village would be of use, but I'm not sure it would make any money. Whatever this is about, my prediction is that it is irrelvant to me. Next...

3) Car Insurance - Should your gender affect your premium? : I knew you wouldn't let me down! This is a Daily Mail story! YAY! Let's all celebrate. Anybody who doesn't change their car insurance company *every* year is spending more money than they need to. And I'm not a woman. Next...

4) Dying Relatives - Do you remember their last words? : A nice cheery story to end the week, sending us all off in a good frame of mind for the weekend. Oh, I'm being sarcastic in case you hadn't noticed. What happened to Terry Walton? I miss him.

Now, and I never thought I would say this, but I'm looking forward to JV's return next week. At least his topic bias is more bearable than we have seen this week.

Ms Feltz : The choice of discussion topics this week has sunk to levels of irrelevance that I thought were impossible, and I can only assume that you have had some influence on this. Now, please go back to your normal programme and don't come back. And please, please, please, take the JV Show's format with you. Let's banish it to the middle of the night where it belongs.

One word to sum up this week's programmes : DIRE

Now, go away.