Ashamed of the BBC

As a former BBC employee I am ashamed of the decision not to broadcast an appeal by the DEC for aid for the Palestinian people of Gaza.
Does impartiality come into this decision? Are the Isreali victims of the ongoing dispute in the same need as those in Gaza whose infrastructure and resources have been smashed. Israel is a relatively wealthy nation and able to look after it’s own. The people of Gaza not so.
Jesus set the example that we should always be on the side of the poor.
So come on Mark Thompson. Be merciful and allow the DEC to make its appeal as a public service to the British people who think you should.

Nervous or what?

“You wouldn’t want to be reincarnated as one of Gordon Brown’s fingernails this morning.” John Pinaar in a two way on BBC 5Live’s Lunchtime News

World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe on Sunday 27 April 2008

Anglican Communion News Service: World Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe on Sunday 27 April 2008
CrestA desperate cry from the hearts of Zimbabwe screams across the world

It calls upon all Christians of every denomination in every nation to focus their prayers, in churches, halls, homes or elsewhere, on Sunday 27th April, 2008 on the critical situation in Zimbabwe, a nation in dire distress and teetering on the brink of human disaster.

Let the cry for help touch your heart and mind. Let it move you to do what you can immediately to ensure this Day of Prayer takes place in your country and neighbourhood.

A plea for help from Bob Stumbles, Chancellor of The Anglican Diocese of Harare. If you pray make the people of this oppressed country the focus of your prayers on Sunday.

Tax the poor

I am sick of hearing Labour Cabinet minister defending the abolition of the 10p tax band. It’s so pathetic they have lost all credibility. They have to hold their hands up and admit they’re robbing low paid single people of some of their income.

There’s no point in arguing how much better they all are since Labour came to power, or that they will sort it out sometime never. Just give them their money back. Take it out of my tax bill if it makes you feel better but stop being so stupid.

Just because people are single and low paid they aren’t stupid. Many of them are loving caring people like the staff who look after my son who has learning disabilities. They are low paid but they care. And at the moment Mr Darling, Ms Cooper, and the rest of you treasury wonks – you clearly don’t. 

Give Chris Evans the chancellors’ job

David Cameron’s first criticism of the budget speech was that it was delivered with all the enthusiasm of someone reading out the telephone directory. So I assume he thinks the job should be given to a presenter.

Chris Evans
Chris Evans

I switched off – that’s the prerogative of a listener – assuming that, as the opposition leader’s prime criticism, there was little to follow.

Presentation over content is the scourge of the modern age. Make your talk glitzy enough and no one will notice you have nothing to say.

David Cameron

So if David Cameron is elected to power and you want to be Chancellor now would be a good time to put in some broadcasting hours to up your game. Or perhaps David Cameron himself should be given a radio show of his own. If he wants even more popularity he should be a gameshow host, “Vote or No Vote“, or “Who wants to be a Millionaire Tax Exile” with a “Giveaway Budget Jackpot“. The audience figures would be a painful gauge of his popularity.

This is not a defence of Alistair Darling’s budget, just another example of how easily David Cameron can get up ones nose, in the same league as Noel Edmunds and Chris Tarrant.