[Boiler]

I see that Johnson's piped up now. Considering the man's a pathological liar, he should STFU as he is in no place to pass moral judgment.

[The Weeping Angel]

I couldn't give two fucks what someone did to land an interview 26 years ago. I couldn't care less about any of the repercussions on the royal family either. What does concern me is how the entire national press and the government are piling onto the BBC over this, as if there's not anything else worth reporting on, or the agenda isn't patently clear.

If a Daily Mail journalist did what Martin Bashir did would you be taking such a blase attitude?

[Boiler]

As an aside: it's odd how this forum does fuck all in the way of "Mail watching" these days, but plenty of "BBC watching".

Perhaps it should be renamed.

Sorry - as you were...

[The Weeping Angel]

At the end of the day, no one stopped her doing the interview, she was the one who answered the questions and knew what she wanted to say. I don't think Bashir needed to do what he did, she was up for it. Also no mention of the Charles interview where he admitted having sex with Camilla the day before his wedding to Diana.

Except that's not what happened by forging those bank statements Bashir was able to manipulate Earl Spencer so he could get him to persuade Diana to do an interview.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/ ... tin-bashir

Bashir also bluffed Spencer, claiming that Diana could vouch for his story that Waller was being paid for stories. He claimed he had developed a “close relationship” with Diana in the summer of 1995 and that she had told him that Waller was one of Spencer’s “pet hates”. Bashir even said that Diana had given him detailed accounts of the payments involved. Dyson dismissed Bashir’s claim of a previous friendship with Diana “incredible” and “unreliable”.

He said: “I do not accept that Mr Bashir and Princess Diana had met and formed any kind of relationship before Mr Bashir showed the fake Waller statements to Earl Spencer.”

At a meeting with Spencer at his Althorp estate on 14 September, Bashir also showed him fake statements that he had forged himself, suggesting Prince Charles’s private secretary, Commander Aylard, was being paid by “dark forces” hostile to Diana.

Bashir denied this, but Dyson did not believe his account. He accepted Spencer’s version of events and that the phoney Aylard payments were “the absolute clincher” in Bashir being introduced to Diana.

Bashir met Diana for the first time on 19 September, with Spencer, Dyson concludes. “Mr Bashir had established no kind of relationship with Princess Diana before” this meeting, Dyson found. He added: “Mr Bashir invented the idea that he and Princess Diana had already established a relationship before he showed the fake Waller statements in order to prove that … he did not intend to use Earl Spencer to secure an interview.”

[Andy McDandy]

I couldn't give two fucks what someone did to land an interview 26 years ago. I couldn't care less about any of the repercussions on the royal family either. What does concern me is how the entire national press and the government are piling onto the BBC over this, as if there's not anything else worth reporting on, or the agenda isn't patently clear.

If a Daily Mail journalist did what Martin Bashir did would you be taking such a blase attitude?

Yes, falsifying bank statements and making up bullshit is unethical and wrong. And I'd be less surprised (i.e. less than fuck all) if a Mail journalist had done so. My opinion on the vast majority of journalists - particularly print ones - is pretty low, as are my expectations of them.

My main concern is how this case is being actively used to drive through an agenda of neutralising the BBC as a news organisation, in particular as one critical of the government (which it should be, regardless of the makeup of said government).

[Boiler]

I know Fenton's not particularly popular on here, but observe the contemporary Littlejohn headline.

https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... ff-it.html

[Watchman]

I take utterances from Spencer with a very large pinch of salt

[Boiler]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57202578

Former BBC chairman and broadcasting executive Lord Grade has suggested an independent body of journalists should oversee standards at BBC News.

Where will he find those?

The Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said the BBC's failings are serious enough for the government to consider taking action: "Clearly the wider issues of governance and the way things are run now need to be looked at."

Just can't resist interfering, can they?

[Bones McCoy]

I couldn't give two fucks what someone did to land an interview 26 years ago. I couldn't care less about any of the repercussions on the royal family either. What does concern me is how the entire national press and the government are piling onto the BBC over this, as if there's not anything else worth reporting on, or the agenda isn't patently clear.

If a Daily Mail journalist did what Martin Bashir did would you be taking such a blase attitude?

If a Daily Mail journalist did what Martin Bashir did, we would never hear a peep about it.

[Bones McCoy]

I couldn't give two fucks what someone did to land an interview 26 years ago. I couldn't care less about any of the repercussions on the royal family either. What does concern me is how the entire national press and the government are piling onto the BBC over this, as if there's not anything else worth reporting on, or the agenda isn't patently clear.

If a Daily Mail journalist did what Martin Bashir did would you be taking such a blase attitude?

Yes, falsifying bank statements and making up bullshit is unethical and wrong. And I'd be less surprised (i.e. less than fuck all) if a Mail journalist had done so. My opinion on the vast majority of journalists - particularly print ones - is pretty low, as are my expectations of them.

My main concern is how this case is being actively used to drive through an agenda of neutralising the BBC as a news organisation, in particular as one critical of the government (which it should be, regardless of the makeup of said government).

Spot on.
The tories and their outriders have held a grudge for a long time.
Their openly stated mission (Conservativehome again) is to eliminate any dissenting voices from public access.

This is their Reichstag Fire day.

[Bones McCoy]

Meanwhile tabloids are incandescent with rage - that they didn't think of forging some bank statements.

[davidjay]

I know Fenton's not particularly popular on here, but observe the contemporary Littlejohn headline.

https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... ff-it.html

One thing ultimately killed Diana - not wearing a seatbelt.

[Boiler]

I know Fenton's not particularly popular on here, but observe the contemporary Littlejohn headline.

https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... ff-it.html

One thing ultimately killed Diana - not wearing a seatbelt.

Something I pointed out earlier. The only survivor of that crash was the only person wearing a seat belt.

Rightly, questions are being asked now as to why Bashir was re-employed in 2016.

[Bones McCoy]

I know Fenton's not particularly popular on here, but observe the contemporary Littlejohn headline.

https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2021/0 ... ff-it.html

One thing ultimately killed Diana - not wearing a seatbelt.

Something I pointed out earlier. The only survivor of that crash was the only person wearing a seat belt.

Rightly, questions are being asked now as to why Bashir was re-employed in 2016.

Reasons similar to why Fox and Patel were reemployed, I'd guess.

While I understand the questions have justification (surely we want the bad apples out of our national broadcaster as much as w'd want bent coppers out of the '70s Met), it's the relish of their delivery that is so irritating.

We all know what they're up to, and we have all witnessed issues disappeared and forgotten when the pecking order is reversed.

[Boiler]

I've said it before, and will say it again: the BBC's News and Current Affairs Directorate both needs drastically cutting back and reforming. It has long thought it IS the BBC and everything else should be subservient to it.

Scrapping the News channel would be a good start.

[Boiler]

First scalp claimed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57212959

[Bones McCoy]

I've said it before, and will say it again: the BBC's News and Current Affairs Directorate both needs drastically cutting back and reforming. It has long thought it IS the BBC and everything else should be subservient to it.

Scrapping the News channel would be a good start.

Buy you know they won't because they need LauraK and Question time to tap out the party line.

[Bones McCoy]

First scalp claimed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57212959

I've little objection to Aristocrats knocking lumps out of each other for our entertainment.
(Why the fuck do we need a Lord to run a painting museum).
I am extremely worried that hard working honest BBC staff will be caught in the crossfire.

Maybe - just maybe - a few calls to defund the Aristocracy / Royals could be mixed in with those aimed at the BBC.

[Boiler]

BBC's reputation highly damaged by Diana interview report, says Patel

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57217853

Remind me, what were YOUR recent transgressions, Priti? The little trip to Israel, perhaps?

Ms Patel also said that work has to be done on "regaining trust and confidence", adding that the mid-term review of the BBC's royal charter next year would look at how it is funded and run.

Reichstag Fire.

[Watchman]

Bastards at the BBC, giving Jimmy Saville a knighthood