This blog has now closed. Please visit my new blog, Stepreo.

Archive: 2005 February

Biased Biased BBC

28 February 2005 00:06

Categories: Biased BBC, Current affairs, Newspapers, Politics, Radio, Television

For me, there is a surefire way of telling whether somebody’s opinions matter, or whether they’re a raving crackpot.

The idea that the BBC is biased just seems absolutely crazy to me. People having opinions that don’t coincide with yours? Perish the thought.

I’ve read so many people arguing that the BBC is biased, and all of them are utterly unconvincing. And the fact that they come from people of all political persuasions probably tells you something aswell. Those who think that the BBC has left-wing bias can’t have spent much time watching any current affairs programmes BBC One either.

This afternoon I heard Jamie Oliver talking about school dinners on Radio 4. It was a fine example of “political correctness gone mad” gone mad. He said that the food for school dinners should be locally produced “– and it’s not because I’m PC or a hippy.” Yup. We have got to the point where even being a “British is best” chest-beater is “politically correct.”

Particularly entertaining are the ones who complain that the BBC recruit all their staff by placing adverts in The Guardian. Of course, that’s nothing to do with the fact that the paper is actually the market leader in media job adverts, and everything to do with VAST EVIL LIBERAL CONSPIRACY.

And now the Conservatives are after the BBC again. In particular it’s John Whittingdale, who said a few years ago that if he had the power he would tell the BBC to shut down its website. Yeah, shut down the greatest website in the world. Very clever.

The Liberal Dissenter is annoyed like me.

It occurred to me that one could just as easily construct a case for right-wing bias at the BBC. Consider these examples:

Jeremy Clarkson’s assaults on environmentalism every week on Top Gear.

The tabloid agenda of BBC1′s six o’clock news.

The materialistic ethic implicit in the numerous TV lifestyle shows.

Hollywood blockbusters that glorify violence, domestic conformity or both.

Brian Aldridge in The Archers.

Jim Davidson.

If you look for bias you’re bound to find it. But those who spend their whole time trying to “expose” it need to take a good old look at their own bias and vested interests. Not that they would – unlike the BBC.

40 comments

The Observer has a blog

27 February 2005 19:13

Categories: Blogging, Newspapers

The Observer now has its own blog, and it’s more impressive than the other Guardian Unlimited blogs. I love The Folksonomic Zeitgeist! And look at this!

It looks like this blog will be interesting. Full marks to The Observer.

The post that caught my eye at first was this one from Nick Cohen about how he sees blogs.

Via Boing Boing.

And this article from The Observer itself:

Bloggers, [unlike columnists], are subject to constant peer review. The speed and brutal effectiveness with which they are held to account is already crossing over into the mainstream. Ultimately, it will change the way political and cultural debate is conducted.

1 comment

Be gone with ugly buildings

26 February 2005 19:31

Categories: Fife, Scotland, Television

A great big ugly building in Kirkcaldy might be getting knocked down. Good!

A couple of years ago, this chunk of stone, broken windows and weeds was actually on the BBC’s Restoration programme. Griff Rhys Jones was very sycophantic. He said – on national television and everything – that it was a nice looking building. Not even the building’s representative on the programme could bring himself to say that!

Since the programme, it’s been uglified further by a great big massive sign saying, “Do not enter this building: you would actually die” (or words to that effect anyway).

If it were to have won the reality television programme, the former linoleum factory would have been turned into office space, a Muslim community centre and a playgroup. In short, they didn’t have a clue what they were going to do with it. Nowadays they’re saying that it could be, “a centre for Fife’s archives, museum storage and possibly a new home for Kirkcaldy Central Library.” They still don’t have a clue what they’d do with it.

It is now going to appear on a new Channel 4 programme called CHANNEL 4 SMASH, or Demolition, depending on which magazine you read.

The show will be aired in November, and viewers will get the chance to vote for Britain’s worst building and see it demolished at the end of the series.
But the head of Fife Historic Buildings Trust urged Langtonians to give the old factory â€” the only Victorian lino works left in the world â€” a chance.

The Victorian Lino Works Society must be absolutely devastated.

Fifteen years ago it was twice as bad – there was a derelict building (or wasteland of somesort, I can’t really remember) on the opposite side of the road. They swept it away and built some houses and flats. Why can’t they use the space currently occupied by this humongous eyesore for similar useful things? The only thing the derelict linoleum factory is good for is weeds.

Knock it down.

2 comments

Now Fife is complete

26 February 2005 19:06

Categories: Fife, Food and drink, Politics, Scotland, UK General Election 2005

Our Man in Whitehall points out an article in The Times:

GORDON BROWN is being warned that he will not be forgiven by Labour MPs if he chooses to â€œsulk in his tentâ€ during an election in which the party fears that more than 100 seats are at risk.

Turns out he’s not sulking in his tent. He’s in a bakery tasting “a new Fife delicacy.” A delicacy is definitely what Fife has been missing.

Described as a “pancake with a twist”, it combines two crepes with fresh fillings including strawberry, raspberry and blueberry.

Mr Brown tasted the “pancake pods” at Kingdom Bakers in Kirkcady [sic] on Friday.

2 comments

Boom Bip – Blue Eyed in the Red Room

26 February 2005 18:46

Categories: Music, Reviews

Boom Bip is described by everybody as a hip-hop producer. He’s on a hip-hop label and everything. But his music actually sounds nothing like hip-hop. And the last time I checked, Gruff Rhys (from Super Furry Animals) – who collaborates with Boom Bip on his new album – was not a rapper.

I almost didn’t buy Blue Eyed in the Red Room. I think Boom Bip is great, but everything that I had heard from him since 2002′s excellent Seed to Sun album was pretty mediocre. On the EPs he’s released recently, by far the best tracks have been the remixes. And at first, I thought this new album was pretty mediocre aswell.

There’s nothing that really blew me away with this album. It seems a world away from the eclectic Circle, which he made with Dose One. But after a few listens it’s grown on me. It’s a pleasent album with some nice tunes – most notably ‘Dumb Day’ and ‘One Eye Round the Warm Corner’. This album reminds me a bit of Four Tet. It’s broadly the same sort of deal – playful electronic sampling with vaguely experimental guitars intertwined.

There’s nothing at all wrong with this album, and the forty-five minutes it takes to listen to it go by quite quickly really. It just isn’t anything special, unfortunately. It is probably the sort of album that will really grow on me eventually, but it simply will not top Seed to Sun or Circle.

The best bit is actually the extra 3 inch CD that comes with the limited edition version. Bonus CDs often aren’t that good. But this one is different. It is made up of “elements and pieces of ideas developed early in the recordings.” So it’s a bit more like a mini out-takes CD. And it’s awesome! It sounds like a great big fuzzy jam. It is spectacular. I love it.

As always with Lex Records, the artwork is by ehquestionmark and it is fantastic. But once again, it won’t top the amazing packaging for Seed to Sun, which just has to be seen to be believed (the barcode extends out to form the words ‘Boom Bip’ – pictures don’t do it justice). A perfect metaphor for the music.