Tuesday, 4 October 2011

More pants on fire from BBC Scotland.



The pro-independence world is in a tizzy this morning after yet another subtle piece of propaganda from BBC Scotland, in which they contrived to wilfully adapt an erroneous translation of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi's deathbed statement into a full bloodied confession of mass murder. The ever excellent Newsnet have a concise skewering of the State Broadcasters murky ways here  See earlier Cheesier rumblings of their corporate shenanigans here and here . The Hootsman continue with their truly vile headline 'Megrahi's death bed confession'. Naturally, the more contentious or deliberately misleading a Hootsman story, the more they ban any comments.

Each time the question of blatant BBC Scotland propaganda comes up, brave cyber-warriors come on-line and claim how they won't pay their TV license. Proudly thumping their their collective chests, looking solemnly in to the mid distance with perhaps a wee hint of lachrymosity in their steely eyes and bellowing that they'd prefer a day in court or even a jail sentence to prove their point. This will never work. The BBC will never report one or two individuals not paying their license, at best the local media might portray non-payers as license dodgers in their pages of shame and blame, alongside the shoplifting and booze imbibing miscreants.

Those peeved at the continual goal post shifting from our State Broadcaster should take a glance askance at the current going ons in the good ole USA, where folk of all stripes, ages and colours are coming together under the #occupywallstreet banner. This campaign, inspired by the Arab Spring to become an American Fall has spread from New York to just about every major US city, where the authorities have found themselves on the back foot, incapable of coping with a sustained peaceful campaign. The mainstream media, permanently on alert for terrorist or tea bagger activity have been forced to give the protesters campaign against the corrupt financial system some media coverage, when direct action inconvenienced the 'new normality', albeit more down to police stupidity than cunning activist machinations.

If, dear readers, those of us tired of the perpetual stream of  blatantly skewed coverage within our own borders, that wishes to retain the Union and re-anoint Labour as our blessed saviours, want to make a difference, then perhaps we can look a wee bit closer to home for an example of a peaceful demonstration, that remained a painful and permanent thorn in the side of the Unionist establishment side for some five years.

The Democracy for Scotland vigil at Calton Hill was a 24 hours a day, seven days a week presence outside the Old High School from 1992 until 1997.  A group of roughly 100 dedicated men and women gave of themselves, to act as a semi permanent reminder of the lack of democracy in Scotland.  Their commitment to changing Scotland's future through night and day, dry and wet inspired many people to look at their place in Scotland a little bit closer.


If we want to make a change in the way that BBC Scotland portrays the nation of the people who pay this state tax, then we have to do more than the tantrum-like withholding of license fees. We have to build a sustained picketing of BBC Headquarters at Pacific Quay.  Embarrass them in their shiny new building. paid for with our taxes, where they contrive every day to feed us a diet of bland crap and skewed views.


Some of the above images were cheekily purloined from the excellent Scottish Political Archive on Flickr, thank you for preserving these.

15 comments:

Dramfineday said...

Well put Mark - waurs the cabin?

Administrator said...

Dunno, but the Democracy tent is in the National Museum of Scotland.

Conan the Librarian™ said...

I'm shocked and disgusted Mark.

Get the cheese lassies back on!

Administrator said...

Whoah Tiger, rein that testosterone in a bit. I was asked for some semi-clad cheesey blokes by the delicate flowers of the blawgosphere, who tire of the gratuitous near nudity of les dames de fromage. So I unwisely undertook an internet search for 'near naked men and cheese'. The unhygienic sites I've been witness to, have frankly shaken me to my very core, therefore these two wholesome heterosexual lycra clad chaps standing either side of a round of manly manchega will have to suffice us all, before the unclad cheese lassies make a return...

Weegiewarbler said...

It's past time for a noisy - peaceful - demo lasting weeks, right on their doorstep.

Administrator said...

Can we count on you attacking them from the starboard bow Hazel, after sailing up the Clyde on your boat from the banana producing islands?

Stevie said...

Nice to see the return of the cheese. Your talents are unique and have been missed.

Administrator said...

Many thanks Stevie, I only step into the mire these days when there's something that deliberately gets my goat. Particularly when it's hypocritical cant from our supposed impartial media.

Yes, I spelled cant correctly...

Quinie frae Angus said...

LMAO.

First of all, your excellent summary of the blatant BBC Scotland bias and what needs to be done about it.

Secondly, your wonderful wee "Ruggeds au Roquefort", in kind response to the demands of your female lectrices du fromage.

You are a one off, Mark, make no mistake.

More power to your elbow, and all that.

Administrator said...

Dearest Quinie, I doff my tifter in your fragrant direction and look forward to discussing something of similar import with you in the coming days, anticipate cheesemail!

Quinie frae Angus said...

Super!

My table water biscuits are crisp, dry and ready.

MacSkroinkie said...

The bbc enjoy their role of misreporting Scottish news and see no reason to stop, although their gaffes are beginning to catch them out.

The bbc doesn't get away with their kindergarten unionist perspective of the news quite so much ('british riots anyone' and have made the news by having to withdraw this and the Megrahi biased translation of his words.

As to having a vigil outside PQ or suchlike, I would do it Mark, but I think we should rip it by wearing gas masks (to avoid bbc contamination) and inviting the media.

Denying them your licence fee could be seen as a 'second phase' of the protest if enough people pay attention to peaceful protest or it becomes more widely reported.

As you say, protest has to start somewhere, why not get ten of us to find a prominent part of the area to occupy without being arrested and take it from there?

I cannot abide the cheese mechanics of the media, but I do applaud the Cheese professor himself, that's you!

Vronsky said...

Fun idea, Mark, but I think organised licence fee refusal would be more effective. And rather than just refuse, send the equivalent amount somewhere else, perhaps to - um - a lawyer. How keen would the BBC be to face a class action in a Scottish court with a well-funded refusenik saying he had no requirement to pay the fee as the BBC was in breach of its charter, and offering a counter suit of some kind (refund of monies paid in licence fees for the last 10 years, say)? Somehow Robbie The Pict springs to mind - I'm sure he wouldn't mind being bankrupted again in a good cause.

The Beeb's debt collectors have really lousy IT. I once really fucked them up, quite accidentally and without malice - their system doesn't handle flats (1a? 1/1? G/1? etc) and they tried to charge me for not having a licence for a non-existent address. Naturally I allowed the eedjit at the to door fill out all the paperwork in quadruplicate before pointing out the error. I also noticed that the people who come knocking at your door are the same labour grade as those who ask you who your present electricity supplier is. Scope for merry japes there too, I think.

Cheese. I mean, cheers.

Stevie said...

Stilton, roquefort, gorgonzolla, cheddar, camembert, St Agur, brie, morbier, emental, comté...

any will do

Stoo said...

Right, so has anything been done about a protest yet? I haven't much in the way of contacts on the web but Newsnet could publicise it along with several good quality Facebook groups like YES to an independent Scotland, and Liberty Ecosse. You can count me in. I'd happily stand in the pissing rain for a day or two if we could get some high profile media coverage

Smell the cheese.

Smell the cheese.
Former vile blogger Montague Burton aka Mark MacLachlan

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