Wednesday 23 March 2016

Je suis #

Currently top of the “most Popular“ list in the Spectator’s sidebar is Douglas Murray’s article : “A terrorist attack has happened in Europe. Let the standard response begin...”
Not the snappiest of titles but the illustration makes up for the lack of directness:



It was a busy day in our household yesterday so we didn’t have much time to keep an eye on the BBC. When we did switch it on, we plumped for Sky. Lack of directness, in this case anyway, was not one of Sky’s shortcomings.

BBC Watch was keeping an eye on the BBC website, where something funny was going on in the editorial decision-making department. To use the actual “T” word or leave it out? “Brussels blasts” was one solution. "Brussels explosions" was another, and “deadly #BrusselsAttacks” yet another. Finally they gave birth to: “Brussels terror attacks” Phew. Glad they got that out at last.

Today they’re mostly featuring the virtue signalling. Jenny Hill, Matthew Price and various reporters who’ve been enthusiastically dishing out warm welcomes to refugees on behalf of others have now turned their energies towards all the hashtag stuff, the candles, the messages and whatever daft symbols of empathy and solidarity they can dream up to show they care. The Dianafication of #terrorattack.

The search is on for a Muslim ‘good news’ story to represent Good Islam, Douglas Murray reminds us. Look out for the best one.

There are plenty of ‘experts’ ready to analyse and agonise. Who’s to blame? Channel 4 had Matt Frei interviewing a French expert who announced it was the fault of the security services cracking down indiscriminately on people merely because they were living in impoverished neighbourhoods, and, of course the resultant oppression and disenfranchisement. Naturally that would cause one to blow oneself up, non?

There is something inherently Spike Milliganish about blowing oneself up. It’s an enigma - like spontaneous combustion, and quite unlike blowing other people up. It seems like a blunder, so tragic as to be comic.  


Only devout followers of a religion, who believe they’re off to Paradisio would do such a thing. It’s the absolutely daftest thing one could ever dream up. It’s the phenomenon which fits the  epithet “you couldn’t make it up” most perfectly of all. 

4 comments:

  1. I watched Sky News for about half an hour yesterday morning (afternoon your time) with Dermot Murnaghan, and there was definitely a mention at one point from witnesses that they heard shouts of allahu akbar. From what I can tell, the BBC censored that bit until later. Initially it was "not known" if there was any connection to Islamic terrorism. They never, ever learn.

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  2. On the topic of virtue-signaling, I see from the Honest Reporting latest on your sidebar that Belgian Jews have been asked by the authorities to keep Purim celebrations quiet, indoors, and private. The BBC managed to report that...the Belgians cancelled a football friendly. Nothing about Jews being made to essentially cancel celebration of one holiday where the only thing being celebrated is one about how they didn't kill us all.

    Ironic, and @#$%ing sickening that the BBC is so worried about signaling their non-Zionist Shill virtue that they censor the only real backlash against an ethno-religious group in Europe or the UK. They're more concerned about a backlash against Mohammedans and refuse to report something that would make them look bad.

    I recall that groan from Helen "Hugs" Boaden about one of those very young people on very, very low wages asking if it was okay to report that some young black men had committed a crime because it might conflict with the BBC's commitment to diversity. Then, of course, there's that infamous Hugh Sykes tweet essentially admitting that it's sometimes right to censor news like this.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_06_07impartialitybbc.pdf

    (Bottom of Pg67 - top of 68)

    That's what's going on here with what you're talking about. There is a clear pattern. It's a top-down directive, and no mistake, one compounded by groupthink, no matter how much they shrug their shoulders and express their continued mystification over how these things come about.

    I was tempted to submit something on this to the EU Watch site, but can't work out a way to make it on topic without obviously shoe-horning it in (like I've kind of done here).

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  3. Television News, especially from the BBC only comes from places with good hotels.
    Then all the big shots pile in and the local reporter is told to buzz off.

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  4. http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/leo-mckinstry/655116/Current-EU-approach-will-not-defeat-jihadis-says-Leo-Mckinstry

    "One Belgian imam, explaining the actions of the jihadists, told the BBC that the Brussels government “did not give them jobs and education. There is a lot of bitterness and frustration”. "

    Duly lapped up, no doubt. At least he choose his broadcast medium well.

    This excuse effort really does not fly, at all.

    And everyone bad police forces, politicians and media seem to know it.

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