The view from the US embassy

  

The BBC's Dan Johnson (best known as 'the Cliff guy') was on droll form on Radio 4 this morning, making light of the whole Biden/Churchill bust business that the BBC's so absurdly bothered about. 

I think he may have enjoyed writing his Winston Churchill puns:

Never in the field of human sculpture was so much diplomatic significance imagined by so many yet acknowledged by so few. That's the tone of the US embassy's video, that trade links, military co-operation and the working partnership of presidents and prime ministers define the special relationship much more than a bust of Sir Winston Churchill and his proximity to power in the White House. "It's about people, values and trust", the video proclaims. Boris Johnson came to the sculpture's defense in 2016 after it was forced to surrender the sideboard in Barack Obama's Oval Office. It was Donald Trump who restored Winnie to the West Wing, but under Joe Biden those unmistakable features have been banished once more. But where? Shall we find them in the library? Shall we find them in the treaty room, or on the Hill? "An important question", the new White House press secretary conceded, though she couldn't immediately answer. Downing Street isn't making an issue of it, so bust out but no bust-up. The special relationship can grow. Its finest hour, quite possibly, still ahead.

Pressure still grows

 

The BBC's main story this morning remains its main story tonight. Here's the main headline on tonight's BBC One Late News bulletin:

A major revolt by teaching unions over Government plans to reopen primary schools in England on Monday. They say fears over the spread of the new variant of coronavirus means online learning is "the only sensible and credible option" ---- "We don't think it's safe. We think there should be a period of closure to get those cases down, to make sure that they've fallen well below where they were before Christmas."

The teaching unions' demands have led BBC news all day. Pressure growing for English schools to stay shut remains the main headline on the BBC News website even now. 

The BBC are still wanting to have their cake and eat it though, so as to damn the Government either way perhaps. 

Yes, the other BBC theme - the "U-turn" theme - continued too with BBC education correspondent Dan Johnson - yep, the Cliff Richard guy is now their education correspondent!! - citing it in connection with London's schools, and the newsreader later asking Chris Mason, "We've had reversals of policy in the pandemic on education before. Are we likely to see another U-turn in this regard?"

On which subject (h/t Guest Who) their former cash cow Jeremy Clarkson tweeted the following earlier - to which his ex-BBC colleagues will, I'm sure, pay not the slightest bit of attention:

BBC news. Reacting to events does not constitute a “U-turn”. Grow up.

These are present-day BBC journalists, Jeremy. What do you expect? 

Dan Johnson's report was a classic BBC cake mixture. 

It was launched by the words "Good evening. The government is coming under intense pressure, to scrap plans to reopen primary schools in England on Monday due to fears over the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus", and followed by Dan Johnson asking, after children and teachers were invited for tests at Charlton's football ground today, "One way to help keep the virus out of schools - but will it be enough? Some think things are out of control and they want schools to stay closed."

Then came the complaining families highly critical of the Government for not being decisive enough, etc. 

Besides the football, the only other story was a bizarrely-highlighted story about French police raiding an illegal New Year's Eve rave, as if anyone in the UK would consider this a major UK News story. As Cue Bono commented, it's curious but telling which French events, including protests, get reported and which don't.

*******

UPDATE 3 Jan 6.40am

But THIS is the headline on the BBC News website this Sunday morning. It's the other side of the argument:

But, interestingly, BBC Breakfast didn't make that its headline. They went for:

The row over schools intensifies. A growing number of councils urge the government to rethink its plan to open primary schools in England. City leaders in Liverpool go one step further and demand a national lockdown. 

Driving to work

The BBC's Dan Johnson (of Sir Cliff fame) has posted a video of his drive to work.

Being speeded-up, it looks as if he nearly crashes into a bus, twice! 😉

Filmed my drive in for the nightshift @BBCNews HQ and added some @MassiveAttackUK. Starts near Houses of Parliament - Whitehall - Trafalgar Sq - Picadilly Circus - Regent St pic.twitter.com/8niONtAdVw

— Dan Johnson (@DanJohnsonNews) April 4, 2020

Digs

Dan Johnson, BBC North America Correspondent

President Trump went to Paradise yesterday and saw the devastation there. BBC One's main late evening news bulletin reported his visit, and reporter Dan Johnson added the customary BBC digs at the U.S. leader:

The president has shown Paradise, like so many other places, that his words can be divisive and controversial before they are unifying and supportive... 

This is what the President saw. It's a scene that sticks with you, but he seems unshaken in his scepticism about climate change.  

He talked about wildfire protection, saying that other countries got it right. He talked about Finland. But what he didn't mention, of course, is that Finland is a fair few degrees cooler than California.