Bishop Hill Worst BBC show ever?
May 6, 2014 Greens BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth show took a break from its normal magazine format this week, going instead for a panel debate about the future of food. It may just have been the most toe-curling piece of radio I've ever heard from our national broadcaster. I think I must have switched off something like a dozen times during the course of the half-hour show as one preposterous position after another was put forward by the hand-picked halfwits who made up the majority of the panel. It was archetypal BBC stuff:
- Audience of noisy left wing hippies - check
- Biased panel - check
- Frequent climate change references - check
- Calls for world government - check
- Anti-profit message - check
- Millenarian message - check
- More equality required - check
- More vegetarianism required - check
And what is more panel managed to get through the whole discussion without mentioning biofuels once (I kid you not), although they did cover such important topics as the future of locusts in the foodchain (I'm not kidding here either).
It's amazing. I commend it to readers of a calm disposition.
Reader Comments (62)
It's a pity the BBC don't have a device that measures how many people switch to Classic FM as soon as Costing the Earth comes on R4.
I am afraid toes actually have to be seen to fall off in order for it to be considered worse that Question Time ^.^
I am right now, which is why I won't be tuning in any time soon.
I've almost given up on the BBC & never watch anything live now - just the odd recorded prog. TV is full of drivel. I gave up watching 'The News' years ago, because it made me want to throw things. Current affairs programmes are just a variation on a Dimbledroid Show, being blatant propaganda for some agenda or other. Documentaries are mostly advertorials. Sadly, BBC radio is being "brought into line", to use an expression of which they seem fond. I no longer listen to it live either.
Thirty years ago, I used to drag my carcass around the planet trying to earn a quid & feed the family. Accompanied by a short wave radio, I took some solace in the world service - & even showed it off to Johnny or Janette Foreigner. I am now reduced to listening to a few purportedly science based podcasts, but they are clearly dumbed down. The best used to be a programme called 'Material World', hosted by Quentin Cooper. It was wonderful - apart from his whimsical sense of humour & quick wit, it actually seemed to promote the scientific method and didn't insult or patronise its audience. I don't recall him ever regurgitating the BBC 'Church of Climatology creed' though; maybe that's why he was sacked & the programme taken off the air. Cyan-Snaction doesn't come close, and as for Click/Digital-Planet/Dr Karl . . . I think I'll remove them from my feed. Increasingly dreadful.
Come to think of it, why do I bother with a licence? Most of what I watch now is from YouTube or direct from other sources, downloaded & viewed on a flat screen TV.
Can somebody tell me whether it is the possession of a TV that attracts the licence tax or the use to which it is put?
By the same token, I've abandoned the MSM & rely on high quality blogs like this one for input. Most are produced by people who know something of what they write - unlike the typical journalist who simply cuts & pastes press releases. Come to think of it, most bloggers have a better command of English & grammar, too.
I'll bung you a tip when next reunited with my wallet, as a token of my appreciation. Thanks for what you do.
Bish, I must refuse.
You're made of stronger stuff than I am. I'll have to see if any transcripts are produced.
The sooner 'customers' are given a choice of where to buy their propaganda, the better. The Beeb Tax must be scrapped.
I'm on high blood pressure tablets as it is - I think I'd have to double the dose if your summary is anything like realistic.
I always listen to a recording of the programme. That way I can shout at Tom 'Heap of ****' and rewind to listen to the insanities again, whilst watching my toes curl in slow motion. I look forward to listening to it tomorrow.
May 6, 2014 at 7:28 PM | Unregistered Commenter DevonshireDozer
"Can somebody tell me whether it is the possession of a TV that attracts the licence tax or the use to which it is put?"
It's the use of it, namely watching TV programmes as they are actually broadcast 'live'. If you only watch I-player or dvds or play games on it, no licence is required.
BTW those nice gentlemen who pop round to ask to see your TV licence have NO right of entry whatsoever. If anyone does pay a visit, politely decline to discuss with them in any way and request they leave your premises. They are obliged to do just that.
It would of course be heartily inappropriate of me to suggest you somehow choose to not pay the TV tax. No, I certainly wouldn't endorse such a view. Honest.
As an alternative read Ruth Dixon's comment on unthreaded recommending Britain's most extreme weather on Channel 4.
DevonshireDozer
"You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder."
They seem to have everything covered :)
JJ: All our Christmases at once :)
DevenshireDozer
It is the possession of "TV receiving apparatus " that requires a licence
To legally be in a position NOT to pay the Beeb tax requires you to demonstrate that none of your video equipment is capable of receiving "off air" broadcast - either satellite or terrestrial. You also need a licence if you use the internet to watch TV in real time eg IPLAYER etc. (it is unclear if this only applies to UK sourced broadcast services).
So as a minimum
Terrestrial TV tuners disabled (permanently) - including Video/DVD equipment
No satellite equipment
Simply refuse to pay the licence fee on the grounds that the BBC are failing to abide by their Charter - I very much doubt they will (or could) challenge your claim in court.
Masochist that I am, will just have to make a transcript of this, so that future generations can read it and marvel at what their forebears had to put up with.
@ Cheshirered at 7:58 PM
"BTW those nice gentlemen who pop round to ask to see your TV licence have NO right of entry whatsoever."
The have an 'Implied Right of Access'
You must write to / phone the BBC as follows:-
"Removal of Implied Rights of Access - [Your address here]
This instruction is made in accordance with the BBC TV Licensing Withdrawal of Implied Right of Access (WOIRA) Policy ("the Policy").
As the Legal Occupier of the above mentioned property I hereby remove TV Licensing's implied right of access to the property, in accordance with the terms of the Policy. By TV Licensing I mean any employees, agents or contractors acting on behalf of the BBC as Television Licensing Authority.
The Policy is quite clear that I do not need to give a name for my instruction to be legally valid, so I will not be doing so. You can verify my status as the Legal Occupier by matching the reference number above to the address of my property.
This instruction comes into effect immediately. Should TV Licensing personnel trespass on my property after receipt of this instruction, I reserve the right to eject them from the property and seek legal redress through the courts.
Please confirm the receipt of this letter and acknowledgement of its terms by writing back to me.
Yours sincerely
The Legal Occupier"
Peter_dtm: I think you are mistaken.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/tv-licence
I agree that it was an awful programmer,but I would park it alongside the string of other awful programmes I have endured. The worst aspect was the packed audience of ecoloons who howled down any reasonably sensible comment. I once tried to google Tom Heap to find out a little about his background, this was rather sparse which is rather surprising considering his high profile. Very strange indeed.
May 6, 2014 at 8:12 PM | Peter_dtm
That isn't correct, you only have to watch any UK live broadcast (by any method) and you don't need a license. As you can now watch virtually everything on demand I'm not sure why anyone buys a license. Though to be honest, I'm not sure why TV is as popular as it is, the occasional time I see it in a hotel room or something I tend to find absolutely nothing worthwhile to watch at all.
Alex Cull: Heroic or masochist, you're indispensible!
That would be 'not watch' in my previous post.
It's far worse than you think. This outfit is run by a vegan: http://www.fcrn.org.uk/
"Public service" is rapidly loosing the public trust all ower the world!
The pattern is clear in every country. Its a state propaganda on the terms of the lefties that hijacked the organisations and mandatory conditions for the public to pay WITHOUT any power to influence or evaluate what they have to pay for.
It has to be an international wakr up call to the public to consider the licencefee or tax as an memberfee and get the rights to vote and influence as well as to speak opn behalf of the audience. That is a very good and very legitime way to make boards and journalists accounteble. The bias and the propaganda would sease.
Joe Public,
The TV tax inspectors have no right to enter your property. In fact you have the right to demand then to leave your property or you can call the police to have them removed as trespassers.
The problems arise when someone is bluffed by the tax inspectors to let them in to check your tv because once in your door you are buggered.
I know this from a very long number of years experience where I have asked the f&£Kers to get off my property before I have them dealt to by the police as trespassers. They can't touch you, can't take you to court because they have no evidence to go on.
Mailman
"More equality required -check"
If they meant with that that EVERYBODY should have the right to an easy stint off the taxpayer's back, then I am with them. I am concerned however they meant all equality EXCEPT that one.
The complete transcript of a few of those programs, together with our immediate comments would be good cultural heritage.
There is a possibility otherwise they play the same "moi? never??" as most of them did after the iron curtain fell.
Whenever people start discussion food and agricultural production, remind them of the following facts.
1) World food production is setting records of late and doing it at the same time the amount of ariable acreage under production is coming down. For the slow witted that means farmers are growing more on less land.
2) Approximately 50% of food produced world wide is lost to spoilage and waste. I thought this was primarily limited to 3rd world nations, but the number for the US is around 40%.
The first piece of data is proof that food production is not currently at any risk from climate change and the second puts the sword to idiots who claim "we have to do something". If they really want to do something, they should be addressing what is by far the greatest problem regarding food.
Will things change when Patten is replaced?
With a new minister in place (Sajid Javid) things may get a little more interesting. He has already mended fences with Fleet Street over Leveson and established his freedom of speech credentials with them. Perhaps he will aim to make TV less of a monopoly in news and opinion - the Reuters Institute calculate that 70% of our news intake is derived from the BBC.
I don't watch BBC TV. I don't listen to BBC radio. What am I missing?
I'm suprised nobody has mentioned BBC1's Country File yet.
e.g. their online version.
Poll: What is the cause of songbird declines?
O Habitat loss due to farming and development
O Birds of prey and other wild predators
O Domestic cat predation
aaaaand (wait for it .... can you guess what it is yet?....)
O Climate change
Thankfully only 4% voted for the last option.
Did you know that Long-tailed tits benefit from changing climate? Well, we do now. "A 19-year study by experts at the University of Sheffield has revealed that the garden favourite has been an inadvertent winner in the warming global climate."
http://www.countryfile.com/news/long-tailed-tits-benefit-climate-change
Warmer weather is good? Some editorial policy mistake, surely?
Stepping through and into the 'basement'.
Mind drifting into, a subconscious illumination and phantasmagoria. The nightmare of a mental darkness and where mankind has done his worst but where the sociopathic demons seek to outdo even the most egregiously evil men.
Truly, what always worried me - it was the one's still out there, not the ones who were either killed or caught. A dark shadow on men's hearts, all of us.
Time, in a youthful adventure of university libraries and spent reading tome upon tome. Galleries here and abroad, visiting, Art depicting and stories of religious men doing the opposite.
Viewing such as, Hieronymus - Jerome Bosch infernal fed Dantesques. A febrile mind reading investigating - tales of conjuring spirits and of Crowley dabbling with Satanism. Science too, if that's what you term it, speculating books about the lizard at the basal instinct in man's limbic system, a triune of reptile, dog, human and the neanderthal man actually never went away he's still here and happy with it, killing.
It's all still fresh sometimes, in my dreams and mind's eye and still I read on, eager to learn as ever.
Fiction intermingled and reality - ineluctably, there is no doubting, who is the greatest enemy of mankind - and of course, it is mankind himself.
I read about lunatics.
Enter, the BBC and the Greens.
Andrew Bolt in Australia wrote about Q & A in his blog about the self same behaviour of leftists yesterday. It seems a lie CAN gallop around the globe, whilst the truth is still pulling on its boots.
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/why_does_qa_give_leftists_in_its_audience_such_a_good_ride/
Sadly, BBC radio is being "brought into line", to use an expression of which they seem fond. I no longer listen to it live either.
Can somebody tell me whether it is the possession of a TV that attracts the licence tax or the use to which it is put?
May 6, 2014 at 7:28 PM | DevonshireDozer
=====================================================================
Radio 5. Online, on digital, on smartphone, on tablet and resolutely on message. Thought their sports coverage is excellent, and Danny Baker on Saturday at 9am is radio from the past, and very funny
TV. We don't have one, and take great delight jousting with Capita (TVLA) when they send us harassing letters
"What is it about 'We don't have a TV' that you don't understand?"
"If you believe we are lying, please put this on paper so that we can commence legal action against you".
If you have a TV, but use it only fir DVDs technically you are not liable, tho' they make a fuss. But you can also do what we have done, which is to write them a letter formally withdrawing their Common Law right of access to your property. Demand a reply and harass them until you get one, again, threatening legal action if necessary.
If they threaten to send a van, as they do, note that the above is withdrawn if the guys in the van need a pee, and that they are welcome to come and ask for a cup of tea any time - in other words, make clear your utter contempt for them.
There's lots out on the web regarding this, judicious searching will find it. Just say NO to funding the BBC.
What is require is the complementary program called Unearthing the Cost.
Somone confused programming titles with 'Lost in Space'.
May 7, 2014 at 5:05 AM | Jeremy Poynton
Or you could just say you don't need a license and not psy and just ignore anything else from them. The rules surely have to change soon anyway as any smartphone can watch live TV and potentially need a license but think of how complicated that gets when say you use it in someone else's house for example.
I don't watch BBC TV. I don't listen to BBC radio. What am I missing?
May 7, 2014 at 12:07 AM | Martin A
- Some quite nice music and plays on Radio 3. Mind you, that's not what it used to be either.
Don't vegans know that vegetables have feelings too?
Well, I tried... I had to give up when that chappy talked about deforestation to feed the west and the "biohazard" created by... you guessed ... "climate change"! (Mind you, it being just a few minutes in, it also shows what a low level of tolerance I can have!)
There might have been some opposing views in the audience, but, this being the BBC, I doubt it (which is such a sad, sad thing to acknowledge, given the reputation of balance that the BBC strived so hard to achieve, and may their bespoke-suited management hang the heads in shame at squandering it) – even if there were, I doubt they would ever have made it on-air.
That's a brave title Bish. The BBC is capable of almost infinite bad.
At least there is one piece of good news from the BBC this week, albeit très petit. The baggy trousered Patton is leaving.
Vegans ! I believe are a spur from vogons,should realise there are many many living animals inside a carrot (nematodes, bacteria)
How can they be so cruel to eat that?
that said I feel an animal must be killed humanely, inside a carrot by gently putting the carrot in boiling water, and by stunning the bigger animals first.
anyway this professor Stewart is that the little fcuktwit that came with goebbelsian propaganda and a bottle of co2 on the bbc ?
after another display on how dysfunctional they are, they deserve all another self set raise in pay and further indefinite protection and privilege from the nasty world, outside.
At least that's their modus operandi for the past 50years
because they, you know, just try hard and "are worth it". Or something to that extent
@ Mailman May 6, 2014 at 10:10 PM
The beauty of WOIRA is that should a TV-tax inspector attempt to gain entry <to your property, not just your house, then they commit an offence for which you can gain financial reward.
Without WOIRA, you have to deny them access every time they visit.
This may be useful if you do not watch live broadcasts:
https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/no-licence-needed/index.app
PTW - Vegans and Vegetarians would argue that the carrot has not got a central nervous system.
Made a lifestyle choice 28 years ago to be a vege, lived for a few months as a vegan but did not like it very much. Not all of us are left wing nuts incapable of free thought.
Jack
I managed to sit through twenty minutes worth. There was at least one voice of sanity on this panel, Sean Rickard, but his views were clearly not favoured by his co-panelists or, by the sound of it, by some sections of the audience.
Whatever problems the poorer elements of human kind might face in obtaining food over the next 50 years they can expect little practical help from the green lobby. They are in the business of striking noble attitudes( or what they mistakenly think are noble attitudes) rather than being useful. I do recall listening to a lecture by Colin Tudge about ten years ago where he was castigating modern farming . When asked what system he would favour in its stead he pointed to arrangements we had in Britain during the Second World War or, as an alternative, the way Mao ran Chinese agriculture in the 1950s and 1960s. I think it would have amused, or bemused, the civil servants in the Ministry of Food to know that what they thought of as draconian measures to make the best of dire circumstances would be seen by some academic, fifty years later, as a model to replace the cornucopia of modern food production. The laughter of the Chinese peasants might have been a touch more sardonic.
- Do you criticise the BBC for not having athiests on THEIR OTHER religious programmes ?
I don't see any point in criticising the Guardian for the last 10 years, as they adopted Climate Alarmism as their revealed truth beyond question "the science is settled, we don't need to listen to skeptics" and it's the eco-warrior crusading all the way, with spinning for the cause being the normal.
- Seemingly around 80% of BBC programme makers have also adopted EVANGELISING the Green Religion. So there isn't going to be any proper challenging of green dogma on the part of the BBC Eco-Warrior team : Harrabin, Richard Black, Matt McGrath, Adam Rutherford, Jim Al-Khalili, the entire BBC Comedy team * John Craven and Countryfile, Tom Heap, Question Time & Any Questions teams, Justin Rowlatt **, Iain Stewart, geneticist Steve Jones, BBC Science in Action etc. Green Loony presenters like Richard Baker ..and the numerous other "BBC Climate-Truthers" I have missed.
.... and with Roger Bolton & Feedback team on board there isn't going to be any criticism of eco-warrioring, rather activists are given an extra free platform.
BTW The Bish previously described Feedback as the Worst BBC programme of all time?
*(especially Marcus Brigstock, last Friday he ranted we are all £2000/year poorer thru Osbourne's cuts (nothing to do with Brigstocks green energy price rises !)
** (whose element show has a new episode about practical carbon, just added on as the first one on carbon was entirely eco-loony.. oops no it's still all about recycling !)
Discussion page a hopeless attempt to log BBC climate bias
- NOW the BBC Climate bias is exactly what we want ..it is so outrageously biased it is obvious to most of the public that most of the BBC are just interested NOT it truth ..it's green religion all the way
.. note how the BBC didn't mention the UK poll: 62% don’t believe in man-made climate. (Educated high income classes more skeptical than unskilled) reported on JoNova
- If you all held the "Tom Heap No-recycling Week", it would annoy them a 100 times more than abandoning licence paying.
BBC environment programmes are aimed at serving only the eco-faithful minority.
just like Sunday worship is aimed at serving the chrisitian-faithful.
- Since they are taking our money I guess it only fair that they make ALSO some special progs for the non-faithful
ie the skeptical MAJORITY
"It is the possession of "TV receiving apparatus " that requires a licence
"To legally be in a position NOT to pay the Beeb tax requires you to demonstrate that none of your video equipment is capable of receiving "off air" broadcast - either satellite or terrestrial. You also need a licence if you use the internet to watch TV in real time eg IPLAYER etc. (it is unclear if this only applies to UK sourced broadcast services).
"So as a minimum
Terrestrial TV tuners disabled (permanently) - including Video/DVD equipment
No satellite equipment"
Quite a number of earlier flat screen tvs had analogue tuning only - so these are fine without a licence.
PS I have a working 32in FS of such a kind awaiting disposal. free on cllection. I live near Huntingdon philip.foster17 at ntlworld.com