I don’t want to be “Angry From Newcastle”.
There are newspapers I have written off. The Daily Mail is simply evil. I don’t believe that to be the slightest over-statement.
Like you’d ever write a letter of complaint to the Daily Mail? Why bother. Just as you wouldn’t write a letter to the BNP to complain it’s racist. It’s somewhat stating the obvious.
But I did recently write to the BBC. I expected better. But all I seem to hear from them these days is one anti-migrant story after another.
There is little or no attempt to balance these issues. No one speaks out for the migrants. Instead you get politician after politician jumping on a bandwagon to please the more moronic elements of the voting population.
Has anyone also noticed that these reports hardly ever actually interview migrants?
When did the BBC swing to the right on these matters? When did it become acceptable, even for them to take this “grrrrr bloody foreigners” line?
In trying to be non-biased are the BBC also trying to reflect the views of small race-hate organisations?
Watching it in front of my non-British girlfriend, I am absolutely mortified and left entirely embarrassed by views that now even the BBC seem to regard as fair.
17 comments
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October 31, 2007 at 4:15 pm
John
Yep. I heard the BBC talk of migrants “swarming” recently. Their attitude has disgusted me.
October 31, 2007 at 5:05 pm
ourman
That’s just it. It’s all the language and the treatment of the stories. The language used is like that of a BNP leaflet - almost calculated to cause fear.
There doesn’t seem to be any attempt at all to be balanced. This most recent story about foreigners taking all the newly created jobs completely misses the point. Ie how come are own population are so absolutely unable to compete for jobs?
And also surely if migrants didn’t take the jobs we’d be having scare stories about jobless foreigners causing havoc.
As I said, you expect it in the Daily Mail and they are really not worth bothering with. But on the BBC? What the hell happened.
October 31, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Abby
I’m surprised the BBC news could find time in between it’s blatant film/books/cd promotion stories and hour after hour of sports stories to fit in any other “news” stories. I remember when the BBC news provided the authoritative news story to trust. I am forever either turning it off or shouting at it these days.
The country would grind to a standstill if we didn’t have migrant workers. There are a lot of British people who think they are above the service industry roles these people are filling, and would happily sit on their behinds, taking handouts from the welfare state for eternity rather than clean offices, wait on tables etc.
Grr!
October 31, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Bob Piper
Actually if you listen to Liam Byrne, the ‘immigration minister’ his language is not much different. New Labour dumbing down to play to the Daily Mail/Murdoch agenda.
October 31, 2007 at 8:31 pm
John
True Bob, it’s painful to see/ hear wherever it comes from, it’s just that in some places you expect better - such as the Labour Party and the BBC. I want to believe in the BBC, but I find myself more and more annoyed lately, and don’t get me started on Nick Robinson!
October 31, 2007 at 8:47 pm
ourmanwhere
It’s strange - the BBC I guess tries to take the centre ground but when there has been such a huge shift to the right by everyone - the BBC seems to think it has to move too.
So now, like the parties themselves, there is no real middle ground just a spot between right and far right.
There was a time when the far far right was dismissed as dangerous bigots but now seem to be deemed worthy of air time. Worse still, many of their ideas and their language is taken up as apparently normal. It is quite frightening. It’s hate driven and promotes hate crimes.
People can dress it up as politics but it isn’t. This free market we are always having rammed down our throats requires free movement of workers. Such racism doesn’t really even fit the classic Tory agenda - unless you count its blue rinse/skinhead pleasing nasty party route.
October 31, 2007 at 8:48 pm
ourmanwhere
Abby - nearly missed you. Spot on. This country needs migrant workers and its a situation that benefits us both.
Somebody even told me recently that migrants were a “drain on the NHS” which is rich considering they are the ones keeping it going.
October 31, 2007 at 10:34 pm
James
You should read the ‘Have Your Say’ comments on the BBC website.
November 1, 2007 at 9:41 am
ourman
Why, what did it say?
November 1, 2007 at 11:54 am
Abby
A drain on the NHS? Oh, that makes me SO mad!
You’re right, they are keeping it going. As someone who works for the NHS, I have to say that the majority of people who come into my library and ask for me for training so that they can develop their career were not born in this country. I love working for the NHS in so much that it’s such a multi-cultural place to work, it’s fabulous. In any one day I can be working with people from India, to Ukraine, to the Philippines, to Nigeria. Oh, so mad!
November 1, 2007 at 1:17 pm
ourman
That’s just it multiculturalism benefits everyone. I was just writing about the influx of Asian students in Newcastle.
Fabulous - we get these smart, enthusiastic young kids who want to come to our city, spend their money and, in many occasions, stay behind to help our local industries.
It costs money to look after people - be they locals or foreigners. Who cares as long as they are contributing? If they aren’t contributing then whether they are locals or foreigners makes no difference - it’s up to us to find a way so they can.
November 5, 2007 at 12:26 am
Diehard Geordie
I have yet to meet anyone who says they are ‘English or British’ who does not have some ‘foreigner’ in their background (genealogy).
If someone does meet one - please let me know.
We are mongrels (or Heinz 57 varieties) and that is why these tiny islands survive and have had and continue to have such a loud voice.
Our greatest export and import figures are ‘people’.
And that’s fine by me.
November 5, 2007 at 10:54 am
minxlj
It p*sses me off no end that a lot of people here seem to think it is NOT okay for foreigners to come here and live in our system, yet we can and should emigrate to other countries to do the same!! I for one appreciate the opportunity to talk to nice, polite and hardworking people as most immigrants are. Of course we’ll get the odd one intent on sponging off the system, but I’d like to point out a huge NEWSFLASH here: a damn sight more British people already do that themselves!!
One thing these ‘articles’ don’t often cover is how many people actually LEAVE the UK every year. We need skills to replace the ones lost!! Don’t they even see that? Or the fact that most of our ancestors came from somewhere else, so we’re not actually ‘British’?
We have a lovely Polish man working in our office as a cleaner - he’s polite, friendly, speaks very good English, and is VERY hard-working. I’m embarrassed on behalf of the UK that he has to settle for such work when he’s obviously capable of much more. I was also embarrassed when after a few late nights, he told ME that I was working too hard! I’m also embarrassed that I am the only one to make the effort and learn to speak a few polite words in Polish. :-(
November 8, 2007 at 11:01 am
Diehard Geordie
Newnight (BBC2) and Radio5live are doing a joint programme tonight at 10.30pm on Immigrants.
Interesting.
November 8, 2007 at 1:27 pm
minxlj
I heard someone on the bus the other day complaining about being given an ‘Asian doctor’ (said in hushed tones!) because the English doctor she used to have wasn’t there any more. I was absolutely stunned that she actually thought the mere fact of being English would make him/her a better or more able doctor. Do they realise that firstly, many of these ‘Asian doctors’ were actually born and raised in Britain, and those that weren’t still have to have the relevant qualifications to practice as a doctor in this country? That they invariably bring skills and knowledge we may have little experience of here? That if we have a skills shortage for doctors - who are obviously essential - that we must recruit from overseas? In short, would they refuse treatment from an ‘Asian doctor’ in their time of need? I think not.
I have a lovely doctor living and working in Darlington, who is Turkish with a Glaswegian (now lilted with Geordie!) accent. One of the nicest and most straight-forward doctors I’ve ever had - does it matter a jot where he grew up, studied or practiced as long as he is qualified and capable??
November 8, 2007 at 5:22 pm
ourman
Mrs Geordie - something tells me in the interests of being fair on the BBC I should watch it. But something else tells me it would only make me angry and harm my blood pressure. Report back if you tune in.
Minxlj - my mum was a nurse all her working lives and spent her time dealing with people who didn’t want the Asian doctor. I’d have let them die of their ailments and write it off to natural selection but she’s a little more caring than me.
November 9, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Diehard Geordie
I did not tune in - unfortunately it was a ‘bad’ day for me.
Nearly slept the clock round - but up and about this pm. Tomorrow will be a good day hopefully.