Little or no public debate allowed by the BBC.

[mouthpipette]

Caller to R5 live the other day mentioned that the last time the conflict in the ME was discussed on Nicky Campbell's show was March 14.
Considering there are usually 2 topics discussed and that it goes out 5 days a week, that's a lot of shows that haven't been a platform for debate about Israel/Gaza.

And it gets even worse.

BBC1 question time, and you have to go back to October 17 2024 to find a question about the ME. Since Oct 17, dozens of questions about Trump and Ukraine, but strangely Israel / Gaza doesn't feature.
Also, whilst stories about Harry or GCSE results will have a "Have your say" comments section, on the BBC news website, there are none for stories on the current conflict.
LBC not afraid to cover it and to be a platform for a discussion, the BBC obviously are.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing "
Edmund Burke

Right now at this moment in time there are babies dying of hunger because Israel have banned formula from entering the country and their mother's are too malnourished to breastfeed them.

I'm glad you are so righteous and knowledgeable to have a deeper meaning to the conflict but lots of those virtual signallers on social media are just really worried about those babies.

I think people are judging everyone by their own little circle.

Those who have people who hold strong opinions around them think a lot of people care, those who don’t assume it’s the same for everyone.

It’s hard to say what the situation is nationwide but I know in the circles I move in most people do have an opinion.I don’t know how representative that is. I’m an older millennial and most people I know socially are between 25 and 55 if that makes a difference.

Yes this is an example of the kind of thing I was talking about thanks

emotional rhetoric underscored by point scoring and supercilious individual moral superiority

nowt to do with the actual conflict

Those babies are the conflict.

Using big words (and no punctuation) won't distract from that.

So this entire section of the BBC news website is a figment of my imagination?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c2vdnvdg6xxt

No of course not.
What's your point ?

People do care, sadly not enough but history will show the ugly truth of this awful conflict. It will also show who supplied the weapons, but it won’t bring 50,000 + people back two thirds of them children.

The world is horrible, I agree with pp.

Exactly. How can you separate these babies being starved from the conflict. This is the reality of what is happening, no actually not what is happening, the reality of what Israel are doing, purposefully in full knowledge that babies will be starving. It isn't 'emotional rhetoric' to point out the truth of the situation. Israel are starving babies, starving children, starving women and men, starving everyone of food, water, medical care, the very basics needed for human life. Every single one of us should be appalled by that. Every single one.

Can you explain @2024onwardsandup how Israel preventing food, water and medical supplies entering gaza is 'nowt to do with the actual conflict'? How are starving babies and mother too malnutritioned to feed them 'nowt to do with the actual conflict'? Why do you think Israel are choosing to starve them?

@Mylegishangingoff I’m saying @Martymcfly24 ‘s post is about themselves and their own need to be morally superior and not about the conflict

that’s why there’s always blustering rhetoric that misses the point (I also refer you to your own post)

there are children suffering throughout the world in conflicts - which the UK also could have influence over - but the rhetoric is never about tbem

the rhetoric is also never about Hamas and the damage they have and are doing to Palestinians and Israelis.

Is it not? Im in Ireland so it's different to the UK but I remember us welcoming 10s of 1000s of Ukrainians into Ireland, 1000s upon 1000s of children being welcomed into our schools, toys, clothes, books, everything they could need being donated by the bucket load. We have sanctions against countries like Sudan and Afghanistan, which target those who undermine peace, obstruct the delivery of humanitarian assistance, or commit violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. We give millions of euro in aid to help feed those children and try to prevent starvation. I can't speak for the UK, maybe you do do nothing but don't judge every country by your countries lax standards.

Edited to add, almost 20000 Ukrainian children enrolled into schools in Ireland, thats a quarter of the population of my nearest city. That's far from it 'never being about other children'. It's far from 'rhetoric' , it's hands on help at a huge cost when it can actually be done. Where does this idea come from that every other conflict is ignored because it's far from the reality.

The issue has become so toxic, so polarised and so intertwined with racial, religious & identity politics that anything resembling rational civil debate about it has become impossible. So it’s hardly surprising that the BBC see no benefit in allowing both sides airtime to push their lies & propaganda.

Also, it’s ultimately a foreign war in a different part of the world, in which Britain has no direct military involvement and British lives are not at stake. The British people who fund the BBC have more pressing concerns such as the cost of living crisis, the failing NHS & uncontrolled mass immigration.

I agree with this. In my circle of friends we don’t talk much about international politics & wars. I’m interested but most of them aren’t. One of my best friends doesn’t even watch the news because she finds it all too depressing. She has anxieties that became much worse during Covid.

I could take from my circle that not many people in the UK are that bothered by what is going on in Gaza because they are more preoccupied by what is going on in their own lives and how their family are affected by the sort of domestic issues mentioned by @SpottedDonkey like the cost of living etc.

But some people have different social circles & think everyone is obsessed with what is happening in Gaza - whether they are pro Palestine or pro Israel - when the reality is they really aren’t.

I agree with pp. There is a lot going on in the world from Ukraine to Kashmir to tariffs and the global economy. The BBC need to strike editorial balance and they have had their fingers burnt with the children of Gaza propaganda.

Also on Thursday it's VE day and we all know if we see we drew a Venn diagram with circles representing VE day attendees and pro Palestinian supporters there would be little intersectiin. Personally the focus definitely should be on VE day and the past sacrifices of the servicemen and women of this country where we are all typing from and which also signalled the end to the worst genocide in humanity.

People have moved on and a more widely balanced reporting of world events is need picking up pieces about Sudan and Somalia for instance as well as Myamar.

@Mylegishangingoff you can make the point that Ireland was welcoming towards Ukrainian refugees without throwing in a nasty suggestion about the UK, "maybe you do nothing but don't judge every country by your countries lax standards".

Please read this article by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford on the actual data as of June 2024.

From the article: Around 4% of Ukrainian refugees in Europe – 242,000 people – had arrived in the UK. Leaving aside Russia ... the most Ukrainian refugees were recorded in Germany (1.2 million), Poland (958,000), and Czechia (347,000). The UK came in fourth in terms of total arrivals, although many countries in Central and Eastern Europe saw larger inflows of Ukrainian refugees relative to their population (Figure 7).

The UK had welcomed 242,000 Ukraine refugees by June 2024 compared to Spain 203,000, Italy 171,000 Ireland 107,000 & France 68,000. Only Germany, Poland and Czechia took in more refugees. So I think you should apologise for your comment about the UK's "lax standards".

https://migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/briefings/ukrainian-migration-to-the-uk/

Little or no debate was allowed about lockdowns either. You could watch BBC interviewers cutting people off if they were about to deviate from the scripted narrative.

It was the poster I was replying to who said that there are children suffering throughout the world in conflicts - which the UK also could have influence over - but the rhetoric is never about tbem, I was taking their word for it that in the UK it's never about other children.

Why would you assume or just take anyone’s word for the suggestion that the UK doesn’t care about refugee children?

I honestly think you should read your own words back that I quoted & take responsibility for them.

Unless Gaza dominates the news to the exclusion of everything else, some aren't happy. It's a big world with lots of conflicts and troubles, lots of stories to cover.

I'd rather stick to the important topic of children being intentionally starved by Israel and the lack of action surrounding that unlike help and sanctions surrounding other conflicts but you can go off on petty side quests if you like.

Perhaps you could ask @2024onwardsandup why they were spreading misinformation if it bothers you so much?

Perhaps the BBC could cover why our Jewish community is being targeted for hate, and who by.

And then someone might say while they’re at they can look at it can look at why “our Muslim community” is targeted for hate and who by.

Somehow I just knew you would say something like that. Sorry seems to be the hardest word. Ok let's move on.

To add to my post above, I’ve had friends with hijabs spat on and hurled abuse at. I’ve seen a Muslim family minding their own business in the city centre and young men walk up to them and mock and point while shouting bomb and then falling about laughing as if it’s hilarious. I’ve seen my ex who was Asian with a big beard have people come up and make comments about Muslims,or had hateful glares.

And it’s not enough to not be Muslim to escape this, you must also not look Muslim to them. I’ve had Islamophobic abuse at me while wearing a stylish (in my eyes 😂) turban and walking with Asians as the racist idiots assumed I was a Muslim convert.

This has all been going on for decades by the way. I first noticed things kicking off like this after September 11th.

I really wish more politicians would highlight Islamophobia. I mean I can just not accessorise my hair the way I want to and avoid headscarves but for it’s not as easy for others eg. With brown skin - to avoid it. Ironically a Jewish girl I knew with olive skin had Islamophobic abuse too because of a wrong assumption - she too was wearing a turban/headscarf.

So you agree we should be trying to fix the problems at home first.

Yes and somehow I knew that you wouldn't challenge a poster who is clearly pro Israel even though they were the one asserting these things preferring to go after the poster who took their post in good faith instead. Perhaps we've both been around these boards too long.