So, it looks like Boris is going to win.....

[JeremyVile]

Boris Johnson.
How the feck did that happen??

Hoping the BBC are just joshing with us...

swc - I hope I don't seem too dogged here, I'm interested in the point you're making. It's an accusation that a lot of people make about the BBC, and if those of us who love the idea of the BBC are to defend it properly, we need to understand what it's being accused of.

So, re. the immigration point: immigration to this country is the norm. The Conservatives have proposed a quota, but no mainstream party thinks that immigration ought to be stopped. As far as I'm aware, the BBC just reports the facts of the situation, but acknowledges the general societal consensus that immigration is something that happens, and is broadly a good thing. For the BBC to refuse to acknowledge this consensus would be odd, wouldn't it?

I'm not sure that what you are asking for - a news and entertainment broadcaster that stands entirely outside the cultural and political stream - is possible. I certainly don't know of any broadcaster that achieves it.

Swedes - as my pet Tory - do you think that the BBC has the bias that swc describes?

What I would like to see from the BBC, pw, is purely and simply reporting of the news from an entirely neutral standpoint, which I do not believe happens now, or has happened for several years. Since Labour got in funnily enough

Not pro this or anti that, just straightforward reporting of the facts with meticulous care taken not to promote one side of the political spectrum over the other.

but missyhissey "believing" is not enough, at this point in the debate - we'd like examples of pro-labour - and failing that, a bias to the left in general.

Huge lol 'pet tory' PW. Which I initially read as 'pert tory'. I've seen a photo of Swedes, and can confirm that would be an accurate description.

Combust - thanks for explaining the Hodge link earlier .

I can believe it OBM.

missy, do you actually watch or listen to the BBC much? I wonder whether those who think it is biased actually spend much time consuming its output. I watch almost no BBC programmes on TV, but spend a lot of time listening to the radio. 5Live strikes me as having a fairly strong white working-class bias, and R4 is just utterly ethereal, apart from Today and World at One (the latter of which is acknowledged to be anti-Labour, I believe). The Westminster Hour is an example of a programme that addresses politics from a deliberately partial viewpoint, but with a rotating cast of presenters of different political persuasions.

You know, it's not possible to be entirely without bias. The best the BBC can hope for is that the various biases displayed across its output balance each other out, and I believe that they do, broadly speaking.

Agree there is no such thing as "unbiased" reporting. 'Tis near impossible

ASBO youths on bicycles? We already have those where I live...aggressive young yobs on bicycles, using them as "weapons" on pavements, so older people, parents with LOs etc have to jump out of the way in fear when they whizz past on the pavements or through red lifghts

Oooh don't get me started on that on...

Boris is a complete ass. The thing is that people are so pissed off with Labour, espacially after the recent budget/10p tax debacle, they would rather vote for a complete ass than support any Labour candidate

The Government are bound to get blamed for the credit crunch as well, although its more the fault of reckless lenders than Gordon Brown...and for the rises in fuel bills etc If people feel anxious and have less money in their pockets, which many do atm, they will vote for a change in government. The Lonon vote for Boris is the first step to that and Gordon knows it.

having Boris being a crap mayor of London will go some way to show the whole country just what a mistake it is to let in a tory government again. That is my silver lining to the mayoral elections and I am clinging to it for dear life!

Also pleased that my patch (Brent and Harrow) did not vote for Boris.

Oh sis, I do hope you're right. I hadn't thought of that and it's cheered me far more than, realistically, it ought.

But he won't really have time to truly fuck up before the next GE, will he?

You just have to take a media studies course to see that the BBC is like CNN without the flash and heavily make-upped anchors. I use to think they were great, but they are just like any other news cast? you get minimal amount of information. I feel like they seriously take the piss out of my intellectual capability. In 30 minutes they can repeat stories up to three times. Why don?t they give me a bigger story instead of 30 secs bits? And the show that discusses headlines? who thought of that one? rubbish. And an example of bias: they never say the Israelis bombed the Palestinians but the Palestinians say the Israelis bombed them. There is definitely an ?US? and ?THEM? mentality? and why not. England?s closest ally is The United States.

Onebatmother? I?d like to make a friendly wager that he will fuck before the GE

policywonk, admittedly I listen to very little radio these days, so will concede to you regarding the political persuasions of Westminster Hour. Very pleased to hear it actually. (if you can tell me Peter Hitchens ever gets a turn I'll raise the white flag entirely

onebatmother - would love to be able to repeat all the names, dates, occasions etc when bbc reporting has left me open mouthed at the blatant bias displayed, unfortunately my memory is just not that fantastic any more. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll have loads for you!

What I do remember however, is Andrew Marr who used to be their political editor actually admitting that the bbc had an inate left/liberal bias. How can that be acceptable?

I really don't understand why unbiased reporting would be so impossible.

I meant fuck up .

sis - i agree that is the only way i can accept this has happened too!

gosh you should hear the BBC Bristish Biased Copropration reporting about MMR. An issue I know lots about and they just lie get it totally wrong. I've never trusted them on anything since.

Recently they did admit that they know nothing about it and junior reporters get sent to make stuff up to try and cover.

Wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that they're biased in other areas as well.

What strikes me with this thread is how few examples posters supporting BJ can come up with. No examples of BJ policies. Only reason people voted for him was he is not KL.Fair enough in a way, but it also makes me think these votes are not very well informed in the first place. Secondly, no real examples of biased reporting from BBC. I think the BBC is actually one of the most unbiased tv stations there are comparing with Sky news, Fox news etc. Real value for my tv license money I think!

People are uninformed because they are watching the BBC trustingly to get the full story? which they?re not.

at chefswife's post of 20:57:02! onebatmother, I think the only thing that Boris is capable of is making many, many fuck ups as mayor by the end of the month never mind by the general election!

It might even be a fucking related fuck up given his reputation.

yeah - since CL has already dramatically lowered the tone - what the freaking jeezum is that all about?

I CANNOT imagine a desert island scenario in which I would kiss that man. Really CANNOT.

Let alone touch his Boris.

OR his Johnson.

OR his waggling freaking ears.

I?ve been racking my brain for a good BJ joke about him. Anyone got one yet?