Breezzy

Sometimes I wouldn't mind having Rebecca Long-Bailey's extraordinary eyebrows, if only to watch them in the mirror reacting to this kind of thing:

Wonder if any at the BBC are starting to worry that they might be, ever so slightly, overdoing the whole Stormzy thing?

Omnipresence

Ed Potton in The Times records "the next stage in the anointing of Saint Stormzy": Yes,, Stormzy will be playing Jools Holland’s Annual Hootenanny, "that staple of Middle England’s New Year’s Eve". As Ed says, Stormzy's "stock is so high that he’ll probably be rapping the Big Ben bongs".

So Stormzy didn't 100% say that the UK is a 100% racist country

Stormzy Weekend has taken another dramatic twist: ITV has 'clarified' an earlier 'viral' tweet:

We reported on an interview with Stormzy who, when asked if the UK was a racist country, said: "Definitely, 100%. It's like: 'Oh no, we're not racist'. But there's a lot of racism in the country."

We have now made this clear in our story and deleted the original tweet.

— ITV News (@itvnews) December 22, 2019

So it seems he didn't say that the UK is "definitely" a "100% racist" country after all.

For God's sake, the state of broadcast journalism in this country! Just because some ITV journalist bungled a tweet and ITV then took an age to correct it, all Hell has descended on Stormzy this weekend for saying something he didn't actually quite say (though almost said).

(Update: ...though what he appears to have actually said is divisive and inflammatory and open to question too. It's just somewhat less extreme).

Close attention to accurate reporting, including of what people actually say, needs very urgently reviving as a basic journalistic skill. 

Conversations

I

Peter Hitchens: The BBC has no right to meddle in this crude cheap way with Charles Dickens's 'Christmas Carol': "The BBC plans to rewrite Charles Dickens tonight, complete with the f-word and a scene showing a character urinating on a grave. It has no right to do so."  

David: No doubt done deliberately to get media backlash & increase audience figures.

Peter Hitchens: I’m not sure this is true about the ‘backlash’. Though yes, it is about numbers. The BBC genuinely think the ‘Peaky Blinders’ appproach to the past is a good one. This mad incomprehensible rubbish gets good ratings. 

II

BBC One: We are thrilled to announce that Stormzy will be bringing Christmas Day to a close this year on BBC One, telling the story of the first ever Christmas with a reading from Luke’s Gospel. On Christmas Night.

Allison Pearson: This is the man who just said the UK is “100% racist”. And he’s allowed to read the CHRISTMAS STORY on the BBC funded by the licence payer. The very people who are 100% racist? A new low for public broadcasting. #bbc

III

Iain Dale: Somewhat appalled by the idiots piling in on Owen Jones for no apparent reason other than he is Owen Jones. Grow the f**k up, He has as much right to a voice as anyone. #whycantwealljustgetalong. #ItsChristmasFFS. #SolidarityWithOwenJones.

Andrew Neil: Agreed. Even though he has run a campaign to shut me down.

Laurence Fox: Owen Jones has sought to divide people at every opportunity. I am enormously encouraged that his narrative has been so roundly rejected by the electorate. Do I feel that mocking him furthers the cause of reason? Not really, but you live in the sun and you die in the sun. X 

IV

Dr Paul Stott: If there's one thing the British are rubbish at, it's racism. After Stormzy's dad did a runner, our welfare state helped bring him up. It may not have been perfect, but it was better than what was on offer in Ghana. As a celebrity, we invite him to our schools, where he tells the next generation our society is 100% racist. Our national broadcaster (presumably funded by 100% racists) gives him a platform on the most important day of the year. Although he does not realise it, half the world would swap places with Stormzy in a shot, if they could. If there's one thing we need to hear from this young man in 2020, it is surely thank you Great Britain.

V

Michael Swadling: Are they finally starting to get it? “THE BBC is looking at restricting its journalists use of Twitter, following the waves of online criticism...It comes as Channel 4 reportedly have told non-political staff not to tweet about current affairs”.

Suzanne Evans: Ludicrous idea. Twitter is now my primary source for news and I want to read what journalists are reporting here. Shoving them off social media isn’t the answer - reinforcing principles of objectivity, factual reporting and ensuring sources are checked, is.

VI

Bruce Lawson: BBC Editorial meeting: “So who are we going to get to close Christmas Day by reading from the Bible? How about a misogynist, homophobic millionaire who thinks our country is 100% racist and shouts “f*ck Boris, f*ck the government” at every opportunity? Yes, that’ll do nicely.”

More Stormzy

It was only yesterday that I wrote:

On the question of whether we as a country had fewer "shared moments" during this past decade, Kirsty Wark suggested a couple - one of which was Stormzy. That made me smile. It's very BBC. The BBC loves Stormzy and has shared many a Stormzy moment over the past few years. Others may take the Brendan O'Neill line that Stormzy is "a Guardian editorial made flesh".

This, then, couldn't be less of a surprise: 

We are thrilled to announce that @stormzy will be bringing Christmas Day to a close this year on @BBCOne, telling the story of the first ever Christmas with a reading from Luke’s Gospel. #OnChristmasNight https://t.co/FIhYhCwmJH pic.twitter.com/2yLwTh8DHx

— BBC One (@BBCOne) December 18, 2019

The BBC are so down with the kids.

But this latest "shared BBC Stormzy moment" doesn't look to receiving universal acclaim - at least if the top-rated comments in response to the BBC's tweet are anything to go by:

• What a great way of making everyone turn over. Well done BBC1
• Nice one BBC, the guy just called us all racists so let's give him a platform. Who's reading the night before Christmas? Abu Hamsa?
• Thanks for flagging it up for me so I can remember NOT to watch it.
• That successfully alienates about 95% of your viewers & licence fee victims. Count me out.
• .,. gouges eyes out with a spoon then perforates eardrums drums with the sticky end.

Shared Stormzy moments

Also on the subject of last night's Newsnight:

On the question of whether we as a country had fewer "shared moments" during this past decade, Kirsty Wark suggested a couple - one of which was Stormzy. That made me smile. It's very BBC. The BBC loves Stormzy and has shared many a Stormzy moment over the past few years. Others may take the Brendan O'Neill line that Stormzy is "a Guardian editorial made flesh".

Kirsty's other suggestion, if you were wondering, was the 2012 Olympics. (I'm assuming she meant the opening ceremony rather than the sporting success of Team GB that year). 

Glasto: like being hit over the head with a copy of the Guardian

So much to say - so little time  - but I thought this was worth a read. Brendan O’Neill is spot on here! (and it’s BBC related)

The great irony of Stormzy’s Glastonbury set. (£) Poor you if you haven’t got access to Speccie online. Here’s a taster:

“Watching Glastonbury feels increasingly like being hit over the head with a copy of the Guardian. David Attenborough rocked up to congratulate the festival on giving up plastic. ‘Yaaay!’, screamed the crowd, before heading back to their plastic tents. (Attenborough rather overlooked the fact that, thanks to the plastic-bottle ban, people had to queue for ages in blazing heat for water refills…) 

Olly Alexander of Years and Years gave a five-minute lecture on the meaning of the word ‘queer’, because that’s exactly what you want when you’re at a rock gig, right? There were anti-Brexit posters — put up by the billboard movement Led By Donkeys — and what could be more establishment than loathing Brexit? 

Columnists caught the spirit of the new, stiff, PC Glastonbury with articles titled ‘Beauty tips for Glastonbury that don’t include cultural appropriation’ and ‘Can Glastonbury help me shed my toxic masculinity?’”

If you’re not a subscriber you’ll miss the comments, they’re mostly spot on too. Of course, there’s one jarring note (Isn’t there always?) It’s the first para. B O’N calls Stormy a talented guy and says he likes his new single.

Well, I suppose one might flag that up in one's intro if one doesn’t want to seem like a grumpy old codger.

Me? Just call me Mrs Pickles.

His Honour James Pickles. R.I.P.

Gettin' Merky

Oh dear! I think Stormzy is making me racist. Forgive me, but definitely having racist thoughts. 

‘Yeah, f***ing repping, innit, I get merky, they get worried If you got a G-A-T, bring it out.’ 

It might be partly down to the lyrics and partly down to the BBC’s wall-to-wall promotion of Glasto.

(Neat patriotic stab-vest, though.)

It all began with Desert Island Discs. I’m having slightly ‘racist’ (elitist (?)) thoughts about Lauren Laverne, if I’m honest. Let’s just say she’s no Roy Plomley. Such intrusive thoughts even led me to question the rationale behind inviting Emily Eavis to present her eight of the best. A particularly dreary selection I thought. That says something - I’m not quite sure what. Oh dear, that’s another mean thing to say. I am a bad person.

‘Shut up’ seems like a catchy number. So I will.