Today's show 07/03/12

You will remember that my complaints about your programme are subject to the BBC's draconian "expedited complaints handling procedure", and it was back in January that I was invited to appeal against this decision. Yesterday I finally received the response to my appeal to the BBC Trust Unit, which consisted of an 11-page PDF file sent by email. I mentioned double standards a few days ago, and this only confirms what I said then: That I was required to send a printed and posted paper letter within a set deadline, yet the BBC can reply when they wish and using whatever media they wish. The full correspondence can be read here: http://lunchtimeloather.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-appeal-letter-to-bbc-trust.html

You will see that vast swathes of text have been lifted almost word-for-word from my letter and copied in to the response, but with a few significant omissions that either change the meaning to the BBC's advantage or miss the point that I made - sometimes both! Editting by omission must be part of the BBC's current culture as very often I read, see or hear BBC news reports that completely omit significant information that is provided by other news outlets.

I have been invited to appeal again, and which I will do, and at the moment I am still digesting the BBC's response and considering what to put in my next letter. But rest assured, I have not finished with this yet!

This video was brought to my attention yesterday:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tigtmmccFwE
It is an interesting review of the requirement to purchase a TV Licence, the BBC's threatening tactics used to extract money with menaces from the UK population, and what to do should any of us be unhappy with that situation. I say again that I consider this to be suitable topic for discussion on your programme, and perhaps you could get Noel Edmonds (featured in the video) to take part in the discussion. However, I know that in your own particular BBC-sponsored version of reality such nastiness would never occur, so I will have to make do with those same pigs preparing for take-off again. However, you would do well to remember that News International or any other part of the Murdoch news empire has ever sent a threatening letter to a member of the public demanding they pay money for their broadcast services with a threat of legal action. If you don't pay your Sky subsciption they just cut off the signal!

And in more BBC news:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2110743/BBC-arm-twisted-save-YOUR-money-say-MPs.html

'Unambitious' BBC had to have its arm twisted to save YOUR money, say MPs on the Public Accounts Committee

MPs today accuse the BBC of being ‘unambitious’ about saving money and criticise the Corporation’s lack of ‘openness’. It was only when the BBC was put under pressure to reach a licence fee settlement that it was forced into annual efficiencies of £560million, the Public Accounts Committee says. It adds that by underestimating the ‘scope for efficiency improvements’, the BBC risked undermining public trust in its financial management, openness and ability to deliver value for money.


The BBC? Openness? If the Public Accounts Committee had to use their might to put the BBC under pressure, what chance have the rest of us got to obtain information? I can submit as many Freedom of Information requests as I like, but until the BBC's freedom to keep secrets is removed not much information is ever forthcoming.


And I thank valued blog reader Gill for this one:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2111325/BBC-hit-Humper-ding-dong-swamped-complaints-UK-s-Eurovision-entry.html
BBC hit by a Humper ding-dong as it's swamped with complaints over UK’s Eurovision entry

The BBC has been swamped with complaints after picking Engelbert Humperdinck to sing Britain’s entry at the Eurovision Song Contest.
A BBC spokesman said the choice of Humperdinck ‘has been the subject of much heated debate’, but added: ‘We are delighted by the overwhelming and largely positive response.’

Ah yes, that will be the BBC looking what it has done, and being happy with its own decision - as usual. Gill adds: "Personally i would prefer Jimmy Young!!". Jimmy Young ... whatever happened to him? He did a good radio show too as he ACTUALLY USED TO GET THINGS CHANGED!

11:45, and no web page update yet. It has been updated promptly for the last few weeks, so well done for that, but what has gone wrong today? I have been told by the BBC that updates to your web page will be done when convenient to you (and not me, the potential listener) so I will just have to wait as the administrative leviathan that is your web page updater manages to type four titles, a few sentences and hit "Post"...

11:55 ... perhaps you have been watching Northern Ireland Questions on BBC Parliament?

12:00 and still nothing. I remember from your chat with Ken that you are talking about the deaths of the soldiers in Afghanistan and the death of a man killed while working on the railway network. My sympathies go out to the family and friends concerned, and also to those of the innocent people who have and will be killed on Britain's roads today. There was also something about Brazil's economy, and something else.

I'll come back later and update this page for completeness.

The Jimmy Young Show - it has not been as good since that other chap took over

UPDATE:
19:16 ... and apparently they could not be bothered to update the web page at all today. Your BBC, working for you.


UPDATE 2:
The following had appeared by 10:20am today:
Jeremy discusses soldiers dying in action, Brazil overtaking Britain as the 6th biggest world economy, amputations and the young woman who married at 26 and was widowed at 27.

WIDOWED - Finally, a young woman who fell in love and married at 26 tells us what it’s like to be widowed at 27.

KILLED IN ACTION - 6 British soldiers are believed to have been killed in an explosion in Afghanistan. We hear the latest, and speak to a mother who tells us about how the pain of hearing the news is unbearable.

BRAZIL - Brazil has overtaken Britain to become the 6th biggest economy in the world. We speak to a Brazilian who tells us why Brazil is booming.

Today's show 17/02/12

Friday again... and I've been flitting between work and my computer since you spoke to Ken while waiting for you to update the web page. You didn't even send out your Twitter teaser this morning - what did we do to deserve that? 12:05 now, and still nothing, but the Radio 2 Facebook page has just added a promotion for your programme.

12:10 and the radio is now firmly on 6 Music. I tried to stick it out for a while until your phone guest said "A large part of me thinks...". I don't need to know what any part of him thinks.

12:20, at last we have today's irrelevancies...

1) WORKFARE SCHEME - Tesco blames a computer error for an advert for a permanent job which said the wages would only be Jobseekers' Allowance plus expenses. Campaigners say the government's workfare scheme is forcing people to do unpaid labour or lose benefits: As a self-employed sole trader, I hope you understand that I have no need to partake in this scheme. Next...

2) EX-PARTNERS - Are you someone who can't stand the sight of your ex? : No. Next...

3) ENERGY PRICES - After 1, as energy prices soar, is it time to club together with your neighbours and buy gas and electricity in bulk to cut the price? : We take the advice of Martin Lewis when choosing our fuel suppliers and feel that we have the best deal we can get, bearing in mind the rural area in which we live. I wonder if it is possible to bulk buy TV Licences and get a discount...? Next...

4) DOO-WOP - We have a doo-wop band, the Testostatones, live in the studio : My musical tastes run through prog rock, punk, 1990s dance music and a whole lot more but excludes this particular genre. You said on Ken's show that doo-wop "really is interesting" but again I would disagree.

The Jeremy Vine Show - Views and live guests, but no news today

Today's show 16/02/12

A quick one today...

Well, it was going to be a quick one but at 11:50 I'm still waiting for "somebody" to update your web page. What is it about Thursdays? I'll come back in a bit.

12:00, and here we go...

1) HONDURAS PRISON FIRE - A fire sweeps through a prison in Honduras, killing more than 350 inmates : A tragedy. You asked on Ken's show what arrangements are made should a prison catch fire in the UK. Knowing the comprehensive Health & Safety and Fire Safety regimes that we have in this country, I feel sure that some arrangements have been made, and this is confirmed by http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/300-399/334-2.htm#para65-78. It is called "research" Jeremy, you should try it some time. And no, I don't mean sitting in a cafe reading the papers. Next...

2) DANGEROUS PARKS - A thirteen year old is stabbed to death in a park in Doncaster that locals say has a reputation for antisocial behaviour. Is there a park near you that you always avoid? : Another tragedy. No, there is not. Next...

3) MIRIAM O'REILLY - We speak to ex-Countryfile presenter, Miriam O'Reilly, who is leaving the BBC to fight for women's equality one year after winning an age discrimination case against the corporation : Your web page has a link to the BBC News page about the Honduras prison fire, so I had to go looking for this one elsewhere, and I found this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2101339/RICHARD-KAY-Miriams-axeman-quits-BBC-.html

RICHARD KAY: Miriam's axeman quits the BBC...

Dropped from the Countryfile show three years ago because she was said to be too old, BBC TV presenter Miriam O’Reilly could be forgiven for feeling a sense of satisfaction today. The man responsible for axeing her is quitting the Corporation after 35 years. For 12 months after Miriam won her landmark discrimination case at an employment tribunal — and just five days after BBC director-general Mark Thompson, errrr, ummmm, admitted, errrr, there are not, ummmm, not enough older women, errrr, on screen — TV executive Andrew Thorman learns his own job is being abolished.
I continue to be a man, and while I have some support for O'Reilly's campaign, it comes as no surprise to me that you will not be focussing on the real story - Kay's departure - because it would involve criticising your beloved Biased Broadcasting Conglomerate. ‘The decision to abolish my role is plain wrong at a time when more than seven million people are regularly watching Countryfile. It’s a retrograde step,’ he (Kay) says. On that basis alone he should have been sacked years ago. Next...

4) MORBIDLY OBESE - Plymouth City Council is challenging the level of care it gives to a morbidly obese woman, saying her worst enemy is her own “dependency” on the state. Find out more from the Plymouh Herald : Your programme is turning in to Jeremy Kyle On The Radio. On Ken's show you described this as "a very, very interesting story". Once again Jeremy, I beg to differ. Trying valiantly to sound interested, Ken said "You can see both sides" and was grateful the decisions in this case would be taken by others and "We can just talk about it". Which is, of course, all your programme ever does.

The Jeremy Vine Show - Continuing to just talk about it

Today's show 31/01/12

I'm listening to you on Ken's show. Perhaps I should put use of the word "Next..." when moving on to the next story under some kind of copyright restriction?

11:35, and nothing on the web page yet, but just after 9am it was: Today's programme @BBCRadio2 in four words: Married. Warning. Romney. University.

While we're waiting, I've started writing my complaints appeal letter to the BBC Trust (and loving it!), and you could have a look at this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2091896/BBC-promote-excellence-vulgar-says-Lord-Patten.html

BBC must promote excellence and not be vulgar says Lord Patten

Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention yesterday, he said audiences should be given ‘the respect they deserve’ and the broadcaster should make a ‘bold assertion of excellence’, standing ‘four-square’ against any decline into mediocrity.

Respect for audiences? Now, there's a thing. Does this mean that we - your listeners - are no longer to be treated like uninformed idiots? Do you remember Fukushima? Do you remember mentioning that the reactor contained plutonium? Do you remember this being wrong? Do you remember saying the next day "Somebody got upset yesterday when I said the reactor contained plutonium"? How does that one sentence equate with respect for your audience?

11:55, still nothing, and I'm still writing my letter. For once, I am happy to wait...

12:10 and still nothing.

12:20, the letter is going well, unlike your web page. I'll give you another 10 minutes....

From what you said it was...

1) SOMETHING ABOUT DOING NO WORK AT UNIVERSITY : I didn't go to university. Next...

2) SOMETHING ABOUT SUICIDE : Tragic, but not something I have ever encountered. Next...

3) SOMETHING ABOUT CHANGING NAMES AT MARRIAGE : My wife took my name. I don't think she was bothered about losing her maiden name. Next...

4) SOMETHING ABOUT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ROMNEY SPEAKING FRENCH : OK, you've got me on this one and I have no idea what this is about.

12:30, and enough is enough. My sincere apologies to my blog readers - it is not my fault!

The Jeremy Vine Show - 30 minutes in, and we still don't know what we are talking about



UPDATE:

Some time after 4pm, as the JV Show web site team do their best to decline in to mediocrity and do anything other than promote excellence, this lot appeared...

1) UNIVERSITY - As fees rise, university applications fall and more people are applying for courses which are job related. But shouldn’t university be about reading poetry and studying the history of Mesopotamia for 3 years?

2) SUICIDE - Following the inquest into the death of Gary Speed… How should we react when someone we love threatens to kill themselves?
3) SURNAME - Did you regret giving up your surname when you got married? We speak to someone who did.

4) SPEAKING FRENCH - As Republicans choose their presidential candidate, why is speaking French almost seen as a swear word for some Americans?

Good to see "someone" brought in for item 3, and also good to see that I didn't miss anything important. As if....

But who - other than being TV Licence Fee Poll Tax payers - are we to complain? I'm not allowed to! We need to remember "that the programme holds the right to publish website content at a time convenient to it" and be grateful that it is updated at all. Your BBC, working for... errr... who was it again?

Today's show 20/01/12

Hi Paddy ... welcome back to the smelly armpit of Radio 2. Jeremy always claims to discuss the "issues that affect you", meaning me, so here is mine for today:

Today's issue that affects me: It looks like our mouse, or mice, is/are still around. The cats are on patrol and a humane trap has been set. What else can we do?

Of course, and like Jeremy, you will not be discussing the issue that affects me but you will instead fill two hours with some old tosh about something or other. Let's see what we have today then...

Except I can't because at 11:55 the web page has not been updated.

12:10, and still somebody there is not doing their job, but today's programme goes something like this...

1) SOMETHING ABOUT HOW PHONE HACKING VICTIMS SHOULD USE THEIR COMPENSATION MONEY : Is whatever your listeners decide today binding on the "celebrities" concerned? I thought not. You ask, "They've got thousands of pounds in 'compo', what should they do with it?". Why don't you get Prescott on the phone and ask him? Can I suggest that it is their business, and not yours, or mine? Jeremy earns over £500000 a year, so perhaps you should discuss what he does with that - I'd listen! This is all just pointless tittle tattle, although it gives you as a BBC servant another opportunity to follow the corporate mandate and attack Murdoch again. And here we go, at 12:06 you started the item with "Rupert Murdoch's empire ...". Click - I need listen no more. Really, can't you do any better than this? Next...

2) SOMETHING ABOUT TEENAGERS STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS : As I am not a teenager, I have no children and I already have my own business, I don't think I qualify for this discussion. Next...

3) SOMETHING ABOUT POISONING YOUR BOSS : I am a self-employed sole trader. I am my own boss and I have no employees. Surprisingly, I have never hated myself enough to do myself in. Next...

4) SOMETHING ABOUT OLD PHOTOGRAPHS AND KODAK : Photos on the radio ... brilliant! I have very few printed photos, and if I look across the room from where I type this I can see ... yes, there it is ... the one packet of prints that I have. However, I have many thousands of colour slides, and about half of those used Kodachrome 64. They are stored in boxes and, if I stretch, I can touch them from here. So, what was your point again?

Is there no real news today then? I think there is, and you could have discussed this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2088297/BBC-refuses-apologise-tasteless-Top-Gear-India-special.html

Defiant BBC refuses to apologise for 'tasteless' Top Gear India special that sparked a diplomatic row and complaints across the globe

Or this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2088567/Huge-bonuses-grotesque-expenses-spendthrift-bosses-austerity-BBC.html

Huge bonuses, grotesque expenses and spendthrift bosses- so much for austerity at the BBC

Last May, the incoming chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, said he would ensure that senior managers did not receive bonuses or perks.  He had rightly described management pay at the Corporation as a ‘toxic issue’.
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 Jeremy Vine Show - still not talking about the BBC


13:45 and this lot has finally appeared...

NEWS INTERNATIONAL DAMAGES - Dozens of celebrities who are victims of phone hacking have been awarded thousands of pounds in damages by News International. What should they do with that money – keep it themselves because of the pain they suffered, give it to charity or put it towards the cost of the enquiry?

REVENGE - A man who took revenge on his boss by pouring toilet water into his drink has received a suspended sentence. What drives people to take revenge on their employer? Find out more in this article from the Mirror.

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT - There are over a million young people unemployed. We hear from one of them who says he’s so demoralised, he finds it difficult to get out of bed until 3 in the afternoon. We talk to another who says if you can’t find a job, set up your own business.

KODAK - Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection. Do you have a box of old discarded photographs hidden away in the back of a cupboard in the attic? We want you to go back and look at them and pull out the best.

Today's show 12/01/12

08:45 : Today's programme @BBCRadio2 in four words: Welfare. Whiplash. Murder? Cough.

11:30 : Still nothing on your show web page. After a flurry of prompt updates to start 2012, is this now going to be the norm?

Today's issue that affects me: Despite the best efforts of our cats and a humane trap, there is no sign of the mouse yet... :-(

Are you discussing anything political today?
How about Ed Miliband's cock-up in PMQs yesterday when he accused Cameron of removing a cap on rail fares, when it was actually a decision made while he was in government? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16512206
Or the Sun/YouGov poll issued yesterday evening which showed that 6% of Labour voters and 26% of LibDem voters think that DAVID CAMERON makes a better Prime Minister than Ed Miliband or Nick Clegg? http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/1gta5x2v78/YG-Archives-Pol-Sun-results-110112.pdf

Or how about Tesco's announcement of its drop in sales over the Christmas period? Surely Antony Worral Thompson must take some of the blame? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16524387

11:45 and somebody has put the first item up, so is there any chance of you discussing something that may interest or affect me today? Let's see...

1) WHIPLASH - If you have a minor car crash, how easy is it to make an insurance claim for whiplash? : You described this on Ken's show as "whooshing". You were not very clear on its definition, and a search in Google does not tell me anything, so I shall remain puzzled, and even more so as you said "I don't know if you can be whooshed if you stop the whooshing". Listening to your chat with Ken, he seems to know far more about this than you do, and I loved his comment "How's your neck? Still brass?". Do you actually hear what he says, or do you just choose to ignore it? I was last involved in a car accident in 2006 and suffered a minor back injury as a result of somebody else's incompetent driving. I did not suffer from whiplash, whiplash was never discussed, and I am not aware that I was "whooshed". Next...

OK... I'll wait now for the remaining items to appear.

11:50, here we go...

2) WELFARE REFORM - The House of Lords has defeated the government’s attempt to reform welfare payments to the disabled : Fortunately, I am not disabled. Unfortunately, I do not qualify for any welfare payments. Next...

3) EDDIE GILFOYLE - Eddie Gilfoyle spent 18 years in prison for murdering his wife. He claims new evidence has come to light that proves he is innocent : I feel sure that you will start a campaign to help this man. Or perhaps not. Crank up the SVG ... number 4 today, I think. In the meantime, have you seen the price of brussel sprouts? Next...

4) COUGHING - Do you have a persistent irritating cough that you just can’t get rid of? : No.

Four out of four again Jeremy, well done!

I shall be in self-inflicted exile over on 6 Music from 12, as usual.

The Jeremy Vine Show - a persistant irritating radio show that you just can't get rid of.

Today's show 14/12/11

Hmmm... no web page update for the second day running. What are they playing at? Perhaps it is deliberate.

I heard him to talk to Ken and it was Domestic Violence, Diabetes, something about weak lofts (!) and something else...

Classic exchange when talking to Ken:

Ken: "I have type 2 diabetes ... and there are hereditary reasons for type 2 diabetes"

JV: "Are there?"

As well researched as ever.

Back later!

Today's issue that affects me: Where can I buy a Tunis Cake?

Well done! We only had to wait until 12:45 today for your web page to be updated. I had to wait until 9am this morning to find out about yesterday's! I've lodged a complaint, and now I know the correct procedure this one is going to go all the way.

 

Let's see what I have missed, and what I am about to ignore...

 

1) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE - Domestic violence is not just physical violence. Were you married to someone who psychologically controlled you? : Was I? No. Am I? No. Have I already missed this? Yes. Next...

 

2) DIABETES - A new report says that thousands of people are dying unnecessarily due to diabetes. Are you furious that diabetes doesn’t get the attention that other illnesses get? : I can't remember the last time I was furious about anything. 1990 maybe? Anyway, the only thing that I am concerned about with relevance to diabetes is your chat with Ken earlier, which went something like this:
Ken: "I have type 2 diabetes ... there are hereditary reasons for type 2 diabetes"
You: "Are there?"

Research? Who needs it? Well, not somebody about to broadcast a news-based radio show on this very topic, apparently. Next...

3) JOHNSON BEHARRY - Johnson Beharry won the Victoria Cross for gallantry and valour. He’s now advertising vitamin tablets. Is there anything wrong with that? : Thank you for bringing this to my attention and for allowing me the opportunity to be furious and offended. However, I would have needed to buy a newspaper to have got the full effect. I didn't do that and I am not willing to change a habit of 30 years standing. I am sure the company that he is working for will be very grateful for your promotion of their products. Next...

4) COLLAPSING LOFTS - We discuss the danger of overloading your loft. A man from Essex was trapped for 11 hours when 7000 yachting magazines buried him alive : You could fill many, many hours of prime Radio 2 air time with hundreds of stories that basically go along the lines of: Stupid dickhead nearly kills himself, but fails. Meanwhile, another 10 or so people WILL be killed on Britain's roads today, and still they don't qualify for discussion on your programme as you can't take the piss out of them. You are a disgrace to "journalism" and Radio 2, but that is how you like it to be, apparently.

 

The Jeremy Vine Show - re-defining "news", every day

Today's show 13/12/11

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

12:30 and still nothing.

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

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

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

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

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

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


Complaint lodged on BBC web site:

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

Today's show 08/12/11

Congratulations are in order again, as you are mentioned on Biased BBC where Bupendra Bhakta wrote the following:
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/2011/12/open-thread_07.html#comments

Jeremy Vine whored himself for the cause yesterday, and whored himself shamelessly. 
'Next up... is it time to bring Gordon back?'
'Some commentators' were asking this apparently because after all Brown had kept us out of the Euro and saved the world. That would be the same 'some commentators' as 'many people' and 'loads of texts' and the other proxies the BBC uses when it means, 'We at the BBC believe...'. Vine's useful idiot to further argue the cause was Jonathan Freedland, a Guardian hack with two, unconnected, brain-cells. Apparently, according to the hack, 'Tony Blair was far less gung-ho about the Euro in private'. (Remember to point out next time you shout 'heads' and it's 'tails' that in private you were far less gung-ho about heads.)

 

Before I look at today's offering, I'd like to go back to the first item on yesterday's programme when you talked about "prejudice" and the National Social Survey. Now, I did not listen to you yesterday but I did hear other mentions of this survey on the BBC and could not help but think that the BBC were spinning their own agenda in what was being said. It appears I was not wrong as this article in The Commentator came to my attention:
http://www.thecommentator.com/article/713/bbc_misrepresents_national_social_survey

BBC misrepresents National Social Survey

(Written by Prof. Philip Booth)
The BBC’s coverage of the National Social Survey shows the BBC at its very worst. It has completely misrepresented the survey to promote its own political worldview that we are becoming more selfish and less concerned about others.
The headline it used on the front page of its website is: “UK less willing to help others”. I have just read the survey and, in 227 pages, I cannot find any reference to whether people are less willing to help others.

Well, there's a thing, and there's more...

On BBC TV last night was the last episode of Frozen Planet. This was yet another propaganda-fest as the BBC's agenda on man-made global warming was rammed down its viewers' throats yet again. Some of us were still recovering from the onslaught metered out on the same subject during last Sunday's Countryfile. I have admired your colleague Simon Mayo for many years and it seems that even he is acting on the BBC memo when he mentioned that the last Frozen Planet episode would now be shown in the USA, despite it being "contentious over there". He needs to realise that it is contentious in this country too, but we have the luxury (!) of a tax-funded broadcaster to go on and on and on and on about it promoting their one-sided argument so often that perhaps somebody somewhere will believe it.

And a quick scan of today's menu shows that you too are jumping on board the BBC propaganda wagon...

1) EU SUMMIT - Conservative backbenchers want Cameron to go to the EU summit and give the Europeans a good ‘handbagging’. But what if they German policy is right and the true British interest lies in saving the Euro? : And there it is in that second sentence, reinforced by your comment on Ken's show: "We've got to pitch in and be part of the team now, as it is sooooo baaaaad", and you reinforced this again at 12:07 as if there is no other possible point of view. What were the chances of that second sentence being: But what if the backbenchers are right and the true British interest lies in scrapping the Euro? On a cold day in BBC hell maybe. Surprisingly, there are people with a different point of view to your own who do not need to be told what to think by you or anybody else, thank you very much. I wonder if Cameron is listening....? Next...

I'll now wait while your web site servant brings you another coffee from Starbucks ... ooooh, no, I bet you don't drink Starbucks coffee ... from a well-known coffee retailer and does their job as, apparently, you are discussing the EU Summit three times today. Oh, I remember now, it's Thursday and it always goes wrong on a Thursday...

Hmmm... 12:00 and it is a still a mess, so using the sentence at the top...

2) Kids running up huge bills on their mobile phones : Kids? What kids? No kids here. Next...

3) A new stalking clinic : (A clinic for stalkers, not the stalked) The only person I stalk is you, from 250 miles away and with no attempt to hide my location or identity. Next...

4) Limiting the number of Viagra tablets dispensed : I need write no more than this does not concern me.

12:16, I've given up waiting and the three EU Summit mentions have vanished. How hard can it be? I'll post an update later if anything changes.

The Jeremy Vine Show - loving your comments, provided you agree with us

Today's show 05/12/11

My internet connection is not very good today as I think I have a damaged cable, so I think this will have to be quick before my connection dies again...

Today's issue that affects me: Why was the "new" Royal Mail online postage purchase web site launched with insufficient testing, and why is it now so difficult and complicated to use?

A quick scan of today's menu tells me that your Monday morning editorial meeting hit its usual problem of struggling to find something to talk about.

1) "WELL TO DO" PENSIONERS - A woman soldier says she was the first British female soldier to kill in battle. Why do some people feel uncomfortable about women killing? Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Some mistake with your wording here, surely? See below. Anyway, I won't be a pensioner for over 10 years, and it will all have changed again by then, so I don't think this affects me. Next...

2) FEMALE SOLDIERS - A woman soldier says she was the first British female soldier to kill in battle. Why do some people feel uncomfortable about women killing? Find out more in this article from the Plymouth Herald : I have no idea as I am not one of the "some people" to which you refer. Sexism, alive and well on the Jeremy Vine Show. Next...

3) DEFIBRILLATOR - In our medical special today, Dr Sarah Jarvis joins us and asks: in an emergency, would you be able to use a defibrillator? We test drive one : No, and I am not sure that Defibrillation For Dummies on the radio is such a good idea. Next...

4) POSTAL WORKERS - Postal workers have been told that any tip of more than £30 could be interpreted as a bribe, and they could be prosecuted if they accept it : I'm not a postal worker. Our regular postman does a great job, but somehow I don't think I'll be giving him anywhere near £30 this year. Again, I don't think this is something I need to be concerned about.

There are no stories culled from the Daily Mail today, so to keep yourself amused during the records you could play with this: http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/toys/dailymail/

I'm sure some of those headlines have appeared as stories on your programme!

The Jeremy Vine Show - telling us why we don't like Mondays

Today's show 22/11/11

My dear blog readers,

My daily diatribe relies on JV's team actually doing their jobs properly and updating the show web page promptly. I am writing this at 13:40 and it seems that today is another of those days when this has simply not happened. How hard can it be?


UPDATE:

Finally, at 15:00 and some three hours after JV's programme started, and an hour after it finished, somebody has actually done their job properly! Perhaps he should think about devoting 30 minutes of his programme one day to discussing paid staff that fail to do their jobs?

So, what did we miss? For completeness... 

1) LEVESON INQUIRY - Yesterday Sally Dowler and Hugh Grant both gave evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. We talk to someone who says the inquiry should be for ordinary people, not celebrities.

 

2) CANCER - A study by Macmillan Cancer Support has shown that people diagnosed with cancer typically live nearly six times longer than 40 years ago. But we discuss the 3 cancers that are still a death sentence: lung, brain and pancreatic.

3) PARK FOOTBALL - A report says that park football can sometimes descend into hooliganism and fighting.

4) KARAOKE - Finally, a man with Downs’ syndrome has been banned from singing karaoke in his local pub. Are people taking karaoke too seriously? Find out more in this article from the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.

 

I listened to JV talking about the Leveson Inquiry on Ken's show. While his sympathies obviously lay with the Dowler family it was interesting to hear him classify so-called celebrities such as Grant, Coogan, et al as non-deserving of their time to give evidence. This is a classic missing of the point for which JV is renowned. These celebrities were only targetted because they are celebrities, and celebrity news sells papers, apparently. If the Daily Scrotum had hacked in to my voicemail they would have found it boring beyond belief. It is not the celebrities that are in the spotlight - it is the Dead Tree Press - and JV's piece on Ken's show sounded to me as if he was deliberately trying to take the "heat" off the newspapers concerned and deflect it elsewhere. Perhaps his view would be different if HIS phone had been tapped by the Mail or one of its bretheren.

Frankly I am amazed that he even talked about this today as the guns are very definitely aimed at the non-Murdoch press, and it would come as no surprise if the Mail On Sunday goes the same way as the News Of The World if the allegations prove to be true. I am not a religious man, but I pray that the BBC somehow gets dragged in to this. Now that would be interesting.

 

Hopefully, normal service will be resumed tomorrow.

Today's show 17/11/11

So, how do you spell "Heroin" when describing the drug? Not with an "e" on the end, as was shown on your web page yesterday before it was corrected. I was SO annoyed with myself that I didn't spot that.

What is it about Thursdays and your web page? This is the third week in a row that the update has been significantly later than other days. Does somebody have a day off on Thursdays?

So, what can I amuse you with while we are waiting? How about this from your beloved Daily Mail...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2062446/BBC-jobs-4-500-titles-2-000-managers.html

Anyone for Decision Support? BBC has 4,500 job titles... and 2,000 of them are managers!

There are almost 4,500 job titles in existence at the Corporation, it has emerged, and almost 2,000 of its staff have the word manager in their title.

It is thought there are even more staff on top of this who are classed as and paid as managers but do not have the word in their job titles.
Last month, BBC chief operating officer Caroline Thomson was asked on Newsnight why when the Corporation wanted to put money into programmes it was at the same time trying to recruit a ‘decision support analyst’ on £58,000 a year.
She admitted: ‘I don’t know what that person actually does but what I do say is that you want the BBC to be a well-managed organisation.’

Good to see Newsnight putting the BBC on the spot. You see Jeremy, it is possible to talk about and castigate the BBC even though they are your employers. You really should try it some time. I'd listen to that!

And then there is this one...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/8895154/Feud-between-Robert-Peston-and-Eddie-Mair-erupts-on-Radio-4-PM-programme.html

Feud between Robert Peston and Eddie Mair erupts on Radio 4 PM programme

A feud between two of the BBC's best loved presenters erupted into the open live on radio yesterday when Robert Peston, the Business Editor, accused news presenter Eddie Mair of "casting him out into the wilderness".

Best loved? By who? Not me! So the news reporters become the news. I'm sure that is not how it should be.

And meanwhile the BBC's Freedom Of Information department have actually dained to answer one of my questions. Their response goes likes this:

Freedom of Information request – RFI201112xx

Thank you for your request to the BBC of 10th October, seeking the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
Has Jeremy Vine received any products from Apple Inc. (manufacturer of the iPad, iPhone, etc.) on a discounted, complimentary, gift or free-of-charge basis in connection with or following any of his broadcasts for the BBC.
First of all please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your request.
I can confirm that Jeremy Vine has not received any products from Apple on a discounted or complementary basis from Apple. The BBC has strict guidance relating to hospitality and gifts and you can find details at:
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/foi/classes/policies_procedures/antibribery_policy.pdf

You may also like to know that the BBC has recently introduced anti bribery training which it requires all staff with editorial responsibilities to complete

This is good to know. (Their use of the word "complementary" is, of course, incorrect, despite my information request having it correctly spelt as "complimentary". They also managed to mis-spell two lines of my postal address in their reply. Quality!)

11:30 and still nothing on your web page, so let's have a listen to what happens when Ken takes the p155 out of you..., ooops, I mean... talks to you about your programme today. Oh, here you are now, talking about your dry-cleaning discussion on Twitter for some reason. For God's sake... I'm still blocked by you on Twitter, so my Freedom Of Speech continues to be stifled.

Well, you've just finished with Ken, and still nothing on the web page.

Programme started, still nothing.

12:23, finally updated, but I'm busy now so this is going to have to be quick...

1) SEPP BLATTER - Sepp Blatter says that racism on the football pitch can be absolved by the shake of hands. Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : Football? I shall sleep well this afternoon. Next...

2) SYRIA - Syria is a place most of us know little about. If we learn more about the country, would we be prepared to help her people? : You actually said on Ken's show, "We know nothing about Syria". You might not, but I do. Please do not include me in your sweeping generalisations! Not all of your listeners are as thick as you think they are. Next...

3) DRY CLEANING - Were your clothes ruined by dry cleaners? Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : I honestly cannot remember the last time I used a dry cleaners, if I have ever used one at all. Is this news? Next...

4) WORK EXPERIENCE - Should young people be paid to do work experience? We talk to two parliamentary interns who are paid. Find out more in this article from the Guardian : Do you use interns to update your web page? It would explain a lot if you do. You said on Ken's show that one of the interns you were going to speak to works in Ed Miliband's office. Poor bloke. This will brighten his day: http://awkwardedmilibandmoments.tumblr.com/

The Jeremy Vine Show - if only it were as good as Newsnight

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 07/11/11

Monday morning, so this shouldn't take long...

I hear that you stood in for Andrew Marr on TV yesterday morning. I can only hope that you asked your guests if any of them wanted a park bench as a memorial, if they had ever been injured by an umbrella, if they had ever had a piss in a hedge, whether they had ever had an argument in a car, and whether they refused to have naked pictures taken by a partner. After all, these are the questions were posed to your poor Radio 2 listeners recently so they must be important, or is it one rule for "us" and one rule for "them"?

I was surprised to hear you say on Chris Evans' programme this morning (when the Mystery Guest feature was no more than a promotion for your programme) that you have a meeting at 08:10 to decide the four stories to be covered each day. Why, then, is your web page not updated until at least two and sometimes three hours later?

 

Today's issue that affects me: Shall I go to the post office now, or later this afternoon?

Right, as the lights dim in London's West End while the Sympathetic Voice Generator is slowly brought back in to operation, let's move on to this Monday's meandarings...

1) M5 PILE UP - The M5 pile up on Friday night was almost certainly the worst for a generation. How do you react in a motorway crash? : While I have every sympathy for those involved on Friday, fortunately I have never been involved in a motorway crash, so I have no idea. My only involvement up until now is to sit in the resulting traffic jam while the investigations are carried out and think to myself "It wasn't like this 30 years ago". Did you know that in some USA states it is illegal to leave your damaged vehicle on the carriageway after an accident, and it must be removed immediately? Of course you didn't. I think it odd that the litigation culture that we have allegedly acquired from the USA has mutated in to something more than they have. With nearly every crash site now branded a Crime Scene, perhaps the words Road Accident can be removed from our vocabulary as there is, apparently, no such thing as an accident any more. Next...

2) NUCLEAR WEAPONS - If it can be proved that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, should we support a pre-emptive strike by Israel? : I'd like to hear Galloway's opinion before forming my own. Any chance you could get him on today? I'll then text my answer to 88291 so that you can collate it with the other votes and send the results to David Cameron, who will no doubt be awaiting your decision. Next...

3) CINDERELLA'S UGLY SISTERS - The Lighthouse Theatre in Kettering is staging a production of Cinderella and they’ve called the ugly sisters Beatrice and Eugenie after the Duke of York’s daughters. Is this acceptable? Find out more in this article from the Telegraph : If the cap fits.... Or should that be: If the ridiculous hat fits? Meanwhile, add my name to your list of people who could not care less. I'm sure the Lighthouse Theatre will thank you for the blatant advertising of their show. Next...

4) THE SONGS MY SON LOVED - All this week at 1:30 on Radio 2, Jeremy Vine presents a documentary where mothers tell the story of their sons that died in conflict through the music they loved: ‘The Songs My Son Loved’. Find out more from the BBC Radio 2 episode page : No comment, other than to ask: Were no daughters killed then?

 

I'll be listening to 6 Music if you want me.

Today's show 03/11/11

I see your web page updater is slipping back in to their old ways as it is 11:25 as I write this and still your web page has not been updated. I'll go back to work and do my job while I wait for somebody there to do theirs.

<Goes away for 15 minutes>

11:40 and still nothing, and I've got a customer arriving very soon.

<Goes away for 10 minutes>

Are you not bothering today?

<Goes away again ... customer arrives and we happily conclude our meeting>

The time is now 12:40, and still your web page hasn't been updated.

To my dear blog readers:

I haven't got time to muck around these idiots today. Hopefully, normal service will be resumed tomorrow, if they can be bothered.

The Jeremy Vine Show - who cares?


UPDATE:

14:50, and it finally appears:

1) EURO RESCUE PACKAGE - Germany and France are furious with the Greeks for putting the Euro rescue package in jeopardy. But imagine for one minute that you are Greek - how would you vote in the referendum? : Try as I might, I could not ever imagine I was Greek.

2) ARGUING IN THE CAR - A woman faces a jail sentence after a row in the car resulted in a terrible crash and the death of her husband. Is the car the worst place you’ve ever had a row? : No.

3) SECRETS - The child of Maxine Carr will never know about her past. What secrets from your previous life do your children not know about you? Find out more in this article from the Guardian : What children?

4) KIDNEYS - You have two kidneys but you only need one. Would you donate one of them to a compete stranger? : So all JV listeners have two kidneys, do they? And I have no idea what a "compete" stranger is.

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 16/08/11

Another day, another four topics that mean absolutely nothing to me. Are you proud of what you do?

1) RAIL FARES INCREASE - Rail commuters are likely to face rises of 8% in their season tickets. Have you been priced off the railway? : I have a choice of two railway stations that I can use to access the national network. One is on the Cambrian Line that runs south along the coast to Machynlleth and then on to Shrewsbury, from where I can catch another train in to England. Journey time to Shrewsbury (i.e. before I catch another train to my ultimate destination) by that route is about 3 hour 40 minutes. Shrewsbury is 70 miles from here, and I can drive there in 1 hour 30 minutes. The other station I can use is Bangor on the North Wales coast, but it is 25 miles away, so a 45 minute drive. From there I can catch a direct train to Birmingham or London (journey time 3hours 15 minutes), so it is not too bad. However, I take the view that once I am in the car and driving I may as well continue to where I want to go to. However, we rarely leave Wales these days and find journeys in to England a real chore and only to be undertaken if absolutely necessary. As for commuting, well mine involves walking from one room in my home to another room. You can probably guess from all this that my answer to your question is "No". Next... (The link for this story on JV's web page was a duplicate of the one for the next story...)

2) TURNING DETECTIVE - A man whose laptop was stolen in the riots uses a device fitted in the machine to trace it. Have you ever turned detective to get your stuff back? : Good for him to have the foresight to fit the tracking device - I'm impressed. However, I have never done any detection of my own. Next...

 

3) GANGS - After 1, we discuss how to stop your child joining a gang. Find out more in this Guardian article : What child is that then? We don't have any, so this is of no interest to me. Next...

 

4) FINDING YOUR FIRST LOVE - And getting back in touch with your first love. Find out more in this Daily Mail article : Aaaahhh... the Daily Mail... bless. Why on earth would I want to do that? Remember, it was me that dumped you.

Today's show 03/08/11

The time is 11:28 and I am about to listen to your selfless promotion on Zoe's show. I see that you are keeping your web page readers waiting again today as details of today's four discussion topics are still to be published there, yet they appeared on Twitter an hour ago. And the reason for that is what, exactly?

So, I know what the stories are, but I am going to wait for the web page update as I want to see what spin you put on one story in particular. I'll come back in a bit...

<Goes away for 10 minutes>

Good here, isn't it....?

<Goes away for another 10 minutes>

Sigh....

<Goes away again>

Once again, you've done your introduction and the news is being read as I type this, and still no web page update. I've got better things to do than wait for somebody there to get their finger out, so I'll use the stories from your Twitter feed instead today, but first I need to file a complaint on the BBC web site, and here it is:

Mr Vine's show web page is used to give details of the four topics for discussion on each day's programme. However, since Mr Vine discovered Twitter the updating of this page has got later and later each day.

Today (3rd August 2011) Mr Vine posted outline details of the four topics on his Twitter feed by 10:35, with more details posted around 11:00. As I write this (at 12:10) the show is already in to the first discussion topic yet the web page has not been updated to show all four topics.

My complaint is that this treatment of non-Twitter users is unfair and unwarranted and that they should have access to the same information at the same time as Twitter users.

1) Story 1. Is @johnniemarbles only going to prison because he foam-flanned a Murdoch? : This one actually does get a mention in your web page heading: "Jeremy discusses if 6 weeks in jail is too long for throwing a foam pie at Rupert Murdoch". So, that leaves us in no doubt as to what your view is, does it? You could, of course, have adopted an unbiased view and worded it like this: "Jeremy discusses whether appropriate punishment is to be given to the man who assaulted Rupert Murdoch", or similar. But no, we have to have your own opinion rammed down our throats, as usual. It was interesting to see that somebody else has a similar view of your handling of this item when they predicted on Guido Fawkes web site (comment 13 http://order-order.com/2011/08/02/jonathan-may-bowles-goes-down/#comments) "I suppose that bleeding heart liberal Jeremy Vine will be hosting another Charlie Gilmore-esque love in tomorrow for this class warrior also?". I have seen few predictions as accurate and as factually correct as that one. As for Mr Bowles, perhaps he had better learn how to not drop the soap. Next...

2) Story 2. Have Top Gear crossed the line by taking the rise out of the new Nissan: car companies are commercial, TG is public sector : Interesting that you have to point out that "TG is public sector", which means that your programme is too. Yet you "take the rise" out of all types of people and subjects, and also do blatant advertising, and yet you are allowed to get away with it. So what is the difference? Ah yes, nobody can criticise you, and if they do you just ignore it. My advice to Clarkson et al would be to do exactly the same. As for electric cars themselves, I've just checked where I could recharge one in North Wales. The ONLY place is on the Holyhead to Dublin ferries (http://www.electriccarsite.co.uk/electric-car-charging-points and http://www.chargingstation.co.uk/charging_station_locations.html) but even if I give my electric car a full charge at home it would have run out before I got to Holyhead. And I'd have to buy a ferry ticket to Dublin. A pointless and irrelevant discussion then. Next...

3) Story 3. After tragic suicide of young mum, should people with lifelong depression avoid having children? : I have no idea, or interest. Excuse me while I go and slash my wrist. Next...

4) Story 4. Military cuts mean, if the Falklands were invaded now, we would have to let them go : I am sure that whoever is planning to invade will be grateful for bringing this rumoured shortcoming to their attention. Unfortunately there is not much that I can do about it, and you will do even less.

Can we hope that normal web page service will be resumed tomorrow? I've got better things to do than wait for somebody there to (not) do their job!

Oh, and here's a thought for you. Next time you go away on holiday, rather than have the vile Vanessa Feltz, the ineffective Matthew Bannister or that other anonymous bloke stand in, can we have Jeremy Clarkson instead? I'd listen to that.


UPDATE:

Finally, at some point during this afternoon and a long, long time after JV's programme finished, somebody updated the web page. The text and links are repeated here for completeness and future reference:

1) JONATHAN MAY-BOWLES - Jonathan May-Bowles is jailed for 6 weeks for throwing a foam pie at Rupert Murdoch. Is the sentence excessive or about right? Jeremy talks to Peter Hitchens, columnist and author and journalist Angela Epstein

2) DEFENCE CUTS - A committee of MPs attacks the government over defence cuts. Let’s imagine it’s 2015 and Argentina has re-invaded the Falkland Islands: Would we be able to respond? Jeremy chats to Admiral Sir Alan West, former security minister and former head of the Royal Navy and Times columnist Matthew Parris


3) DEPRESSION - A mother commits suicide and murders her own 2 children. In a heart-wrenching letter she says because of her depression, she just couldn’t cope and she couldn’t bear the thought of other people bringing up her children. Jeremy is joined by Lucy Jolin, author of Coping with Birth Trauma and Post Natal Depression, and Jeremy Vine Show agony aunt and broadcaster Barbara Want. Find out more in this Daily Mail article.

4) ELECTRIC CARS - Jeremy Clarkson drives a Nissan Leaf electric car through Lincolnshire and can’t find a suitable docking point. Is a Top Gear stunt in danger of destroying one of our new industries? Jeremy chats to James Max, broadcaster, and Rory Reid, the Car Tech editor of comsumer techonology review website CNET UK.

I wonder why JV didn't talk to Clarkson.....!?!