World News @lemmy.ml stopthatgirl7 @kbin.social 1 yr. ago

'Scandalous': Anger as BBC 'refuse to cover' anti-Brexit rally in London

www.thenational.scot 'Scandalous': Anger as BBC 'refuse to cover' anti-Brexit rally in London

THE BBC has been asked to explain why it has not reported on a large-scale anti-Brexit rally in the centre of London ...

THE BBC has been asked to explain why it has not reported on a large-scale anti-Brexit rally in the centre of London ...

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100 comments

Whilst the BBC is impartial and independent and whatever etc. Key positions have been packed with Tory Party supporters/donors/friends.
It's no surprise they toe the government line, especially for their fellow Tories
- I feel like the BBC's "aura" of impartiality makes it all the more dangerous when it does occasionally engage in propaganda. A lot of regular folks put a lot of trust in the BBC.
  
  Yup.
  Similar to the "equal airtime" or "show both sides" when it comes to science.
  It puts unscientific opinions alongside scientific theory as if they are equal.
  
  The only thing I can say in favour of the BBC is that it seems like the majority of people feel it's coverage is favourable to "the other side".
  So, while we may be saying "BBC is clearly biased" because of things like this, I guarantee there are people that we don't agree with saying exactly the same about other topics.
  So the situation is probably not as bad as it seems.
  
  It does seem the majority of these "scandals" are about the BBC acting in favour of the Westminster UK government. But maybe that just the ones I actually see.
- It no longer is impartial. It just reports what it's told.
  
  It's not the job of a journalist to report that someone says it's raining. They have to stick their head out of the window and check, and then report what they find. They have forgotten this and it's shameful.
- Non-Brit here. Can someone explain to me what makes up a Tory, and why?
  
  Mostly hate and misery, with a good dash of racism.
  
  For a more serious answer, "tory" is the nickname for a member of the Conservative party, the UK's major centre-right party. Much like in the US, they've been shifting further right in the past few decades and focusing more on "culture war" BS.
  
  A Tory is the Conservative Party.
  They are to the right. Although, if it's US politics you are used to they would probably be considered center or old-school right - not this new Right bullshit that's prevalent these days
  
  The Tory are a nickname for the right-wing conservative party.
  
  Historically it has been used in a somewhat derogatory manner. If somebody is a Tory then they tend to engage in more right wing policies than a Conservative who tends to be more center-right. Although technically there's no actual difference and they're all the same party.
  
  Anyway they've lately started calling themselves Tory in a weird "let's take the word back" way, so you can more or less now just use the two words interchangeably.
  
  Internally they have a lot of infighting about this, because some of the Backbenches (politicians who are members of the party but are not actually in government, think the equivalent of senators in the US) are unhappy with the parties direction because they feel that going full on lunatic right wing nut job might harm their chances of getting reelected. And based on current polling data it would seem that they are correct.
Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster, but I feel like it's time to rebrand the cause. The battle is over and the war is lost. There is no point to being anti-Brexit because the Brexit happened. You can't stop it without a tardis (or a Delorean, for my fellow Americans). Rejoining the EU will require an entirely new set of applications and negotiations. Somebody should come up with a new brand and some catchy slogans. Brexit was a brilliant piece of marketing, for example.

Like Breunion but better than that.
- As an EU citizen, I'm very conflicted about the UK just rejoining the European Union.
  
  Your administration made the weird decision to lean on a marginal difference on a referendum, and left with a whole lot of fuss and customised paperwork. Who's to say you won't do it again?
  
  While I do like a stronger Union, the UK will likely try to get back the position they had before (with all kinds of exceptions), but the only way the UK should be allowed to rejoin (in my opinion), should be with a full commitment, not just "we're sort of joining but also not".
  
  Didn't the EU say that if we were to rejoin, the UK would have to adopt the Euro and all the other shit that the rest of the EU got when they joined. I don't think we're really in a position to dig our feet in and demand exceptions that we threw in the EU's face when we left.
  
  As a Brit, I fully support the idea that we should rejoin with full commitment. No way do I want a repeat performance where we can be taken out by a minority of gullible idiots.
  
  When it was clear the referendum was going to be actioned, I never understood why the UK government didn't just try to implement a move to the EEA or similar satellite level. It would satisfy the terms of the referendum entirely. The referendum was to leave the European union. The wording was very succinct.
  
  The UK probably would never have joined schengen (that's really of hugest benefit to mainland Europe), we never took the European parliament seriously (you can argue that we should have, but we sent fucking Farage, so. No, we never took it seriously).
  
  But the common trading area and freedom of movement did benefit us (and the BS use of it to get votes from the right was filled with lies of course). Which (as I understand it) is the main features of being part of the EEA. It still of course means we'd need to adopt trade related laws of course (Oh my gaawwwd our sovereignty!!!!). But we already were and it didn't hurt us one bit!
  
  But no, it had to be full brexit or nothing (for some inexplicable reason).
  
  Yes, before people say anything. We'd need to be admitted into the EEA. I know that. But it wasn't even tried! That's the annoying thing. It was rejected straight off the bat.
  
  This is an entirely reasonable position. The (narrow) majority of the UK voting public has the relationship inverted; they think the EU needs them far more than they need the EU.
  
  There's no way to come to a reasonable lasting outcome in negotiations.
  
  Much like it makes all the sense in the world for the rest of NATO not to trust the US any more.
- They are campaigning to rejoin.
  
  Yeah, I'm just saying they need a new slant, a rallying cry. Rejoin just doesn't have that same catchy feel to it.
  
  Brenter?
- Brea culpa.
  
  That's good!
- I like Bunion
  
  Hmmmm.... it does roll off the tongue, but leaves a sour taste.
- Brepair
  
  Bre-ntry or Bre-united.
- I have a bit of a weird opinion on this. I was very anti brexit. I make multiple trips to Europe every year, probably 4-5 at least. I benefit nothing from leaving the union. My passport is filling with stamps at an alarming rate.
  
  But, to rejoin now after it is done. To rejoin with the basic requirements of a new state rejoining? I don't think it's as great an idea of remaining when we had the perks of an early joining larger state. Certainly you'll find a lot more resistance to replacing the pound with the Euro (I actually could care less, but I'm in the minority here) than there was to leaving on the original terms.
  
  Also, I don't think Europe should have to put up with us (as a whole, the country I mean) whiners. Our bed has been made by the stupidly defined referendum, and the subsequent disastrous implementation and now, we should just suck it up and lie in it.
  
  The sentiment I hear around me is that you have been lied to.
  
  We have kept the lights on, like many of you asked, and we are looking forward to welcoming a new humorous generation.
  
  Sure, it is not going to be under the same conditions. Things have moved around when you left. Empty voids have been filled. Regardless, I'd love for us to see the propaganda of the time for what it was, propaganda and lies, and to bring the actors and platforms responsible for willingly spreading lies to their knees.
  
  Together we stand stronger in a strong Europe, and reuniting is a sign of Europe's resilience to external influences.
  
  Our laws are currently fairly inline with EU laws. It's less work to fully align them now than in 10 years, when the Tories have fully dismantled workers/privacy/consumer/human rights.
  
  And I have no issue with the Euro. We still get to do our own artwork on the notes/coins.
  We clearly need immigration to cover the jobs people don't want to do, despite the fact that the "they took our jobs" group would whine about work they personally don't want to do being done by others.
  It would simplify and clear up our trade, just-in-time logistics for all manor of things, and likely put the UK in a better position as an "English speaking HQ of Europe" for companies.
  
  Ultimately tho, theres going to be a decade of shit to wade through before any potential benefits of Brexit actually come around.
  This was a huge talking point about Scottish Independence ("yeh, but you'd be fucked" "oh sure, but after 5-10 years we would be in a better position"). It's fair to say the same applies to brexit (although the benefits of brexit are a lot less apparent to me)
  
  I think the point I realised how out of step I am with most brexiters was when someone argued with me that now we're out of the EU "they can take all their bloody decimalised currency with them!"
  
  I was completely flabbergasted that someone would still be mad about an objectively better system that's been the norm for over 50 years at this point.
- I can't wait for brentrance or maybe brenetration?
- BR-Back
- You’re right, but needing a catchy slogan and a bit of anger to get us to do something with massive consequences is a stark reminder that at the end of the day we’re just dumb apes.
- Brexit 2: Brentrance
  
  The mascot can be a guy named Brent
  
  Electric Brigaloo?
- I like Breunion a lot, for what it's worth.
- Brentrence
They’ve been at this for years now tbh. Thousands protested Austerity outside the Tory Conference, and not a peep about it on the Beeb. At least they barely even hide the partisan support for the government now.
- They also did it with anti lockdown protests. You might disagree with the protestors in that case, but the Beeb shouldn't be deciding what it covers based on whether the issue.
- I don’t think they’re “supporting” the government - I think they’re cowed by the government.
  
  The net result is the same, agreed. I’m mostly talking about motivations.
  
  The tories would gut the BBC like the opening scene of Dune (the film), each employee drained for sacrificial blood and the party faithful smeared in it as rite of indoctrination.
  
  That's nowhere near the opening scene.
  
  Are you talking about the Sardaukar on Salusa Secondus?
I for one am shocked that a state run media organization is biased in favor of the establishment. Shocked!
Why is BBC going shit now? I loved their impartial coverage but now this is giving me second thoughts on what they have covered till now has been truly impartial.
- Not sure if you're joking or not, but the BBC is always biased towards the current UK government.
  
  That's not to say they are bad at reporting news, you just need to be aware of the biases and tendencies when reading their reporting.
- Impartial coverage from the BBC, when?
- The BBC hasn’t been impartial for at least 20 years. Not only that, but they’re the most transphobic publicly funded institution in the UK.
  
  The BBC hasn't been impartial since it was established, it's sole purpose was to support the British State, that was it's entire purpose of being created in the first place. I mean it's not like there was never any news in England prior
  
  Can you expand on that? They're my main news source and I've never got transphobic vibes from them.
- Impartial coverage? More like Imperial coverage!
- Brits don't realise how bad BBC's coverage always was. They covered for Saville, their foreign reports are a joke for most part and they are more of a propoganda for the government.
wow British state owned media is acting on behalf of the state? craaaazy
- Except that's not how it works.
  
  They're not state-owned they're state-funded, there's a difference.
  
  If the state owns a public park like a national park they're not allowed to just say oh will we own it so we can tear it all down and build a shopping mall on it. Funding it is not the same as owning and controlling it.
  
  So yeah there is something for them to answer. Because they are violating their mandate.
  
  The government do appear to have a hand in picking board members and executives though, and it’s regulated by the govt-appointed body Ofcom.
  
  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64383742
  
  (And yes, I’m aware of the irony of posting a BBC news link)
  
  Just because that's not how it works hasn't prevented conservatives from trying to control them.
  
  See Stephen Harper's efforts to control the CBC in Canada when he was PM, and Pierre Poilievre's (same party) promise to scrap it entirely.
  
  Ah yes, because funding never comes with any strings attached.
Things do not look good on the inside too. The world is changing dramatically right now and if hypothetically the brits were to rejoin, I doubt that this would have a significant impact. Last five years have been crazy for all people of Europe. I would argue that this has been the case for the last 13 years. Financial policies that led the EU in a downward spiral and the UK out of EU
thenational.scot having a pop at the BBC? Who would have thought.
- Sounds like a legitimate pop, is that ok?
  
  Honestly, the BBC never report on protests, and the people behind the protests always get mad about it. They just aren't newsworthy unless something happens besides the fact of a protest.
  
  Essentially, this story is free advertising for the protest.
Is there any good, current article listing the economical consequences of brexit for the UK?
- https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/impact-brexit-uk-economy-reviewing-evidence
  
  This is a fairly recent article.

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