I'm just starting to listen to that Nick Robinson/Jacob Rees-Mogg interview now and was immediately brought up short by Nick's introduction to his two guests - Jacob R-M and Charles Grant from the pro-European think tank the Centre for European Reform:
(Jacob Rees-Mogg) is chair of the European Research Group, a pro-Brexit Conservative Party organisation, and Charles Grant is the man who he claimed had said all this, head of the Centre for the (sic) European Reform, a think tank.
As for the 'complaints from both sides'-related point from barrister Tim Baldwin quoted in the previous post about Nick Robinson "not challenging JR-M head on in promulgating this acknowledged lie", well, it shows the nonsense of the 'complaints from both sides' argument. Mr Baldwin, despite being a barrister, was just plain wrong. Nick Robinson didn't just challenge Mr Rees-Mogg head on, he placed him in the firing line and kept on firing (hectoring him, you might say). If anything, the bias went in the exact opposite direction to that claimed by Mr Baldwin, especially as Charles Grant didn't get anything like so rough a ride from his BBC interviewer.
Grant is not very likeable is he? He claims that the Treasury have a legitimate interest in keeping the UK in the Customs Union, as being compatible with the EU Referendum result. It is not. Not even Norway, Iceland or Switzerland are in the Customs Union! Monaco and the Vatican are...big deal. The only significant non-EU country in the EU Customs Union is Turkey and that is simply a bribe to keep them out of the EU, somewhat paradoxically...
ReplyDeleteSuggesting staying in the EU Customs Union can only have one purpose - to deny us the benefits of leaving the EU and so build the case for rejoining in short order. The Treasury is a nest of vipers. Civil servants are not neutral. FO officials favour Arab countries over Israel. Home Office officials favour release over jail.
That "interview" with JRM on today this morning was disgraceful. Hectoring doesn't do it justice!
ReplyDeletePlain aggressive with long-winded statements masquerading as questions, interrupting and talking over the answers, etc., etc..
I concluded that RemainBBC are now targettng JRM since he has spoken out against Remain plans to dilute Brexit out of existence.
JRM is a top target of course - across the board...all the so called comedy shows now have him in their sights as BBC Enemy No. 1...knocking Boris off the top of the charts.
DeleteIf the BBC was once subtle, and deadly, in its bias, they seem to be losing their edge. Panic?
DeleteKirsty, Laura, Nick... all of them giving up any pretence and only in so doing managing to see a 'Cathy Newman Career Memorial' awards set up with them on the shortlist.
Not bad considering the hit list they are on anyway, and no matter what, is physically dangerous as opposed to career.
BTW this is a very helpful Venn diagram showing how European institutions overlap.
ReplyDeletehttp://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5509980924_8227fac906_b.jpg