A Labour rebel tabled an amendment to the Queens Speech to keep us in the single market and Customs Union. It was defeated by 322 to 101 votes, with 49 Labour rebels voting for it against their leadership’s view. 3 Shadow Spokesmen had to resign.
The BBC who have run a year long campaign to Keep us in the single market did not report this on the radio news, nor the big split in Labour. I wonder why?
June 29, 2017
I wonder why?
Nothing to do with the BBC being staffed with left wing liberal socialist bigots, I suppose?
June 30, 2017
All this chat about the BBC, yet the govt is blocking Sky for alleged plurality reasons! How can Bradley make false claims when we examine the BBC share of the market and its clear blatant hard left wing bias!
June 30, 2017
Everyone, and therefore every institution, is biased. To be human is to be biased. We are not omnipotent God. It follows that it is impossible for the BBC to be impartial, or even balanced. The government should accept the fact, split the BBC into two (or more) and sell it off. The viewer can then buy what s/he wants.
In the meantime we can apply pressure by not buying the TV licence: it is in our own hands – we must put up or shut up.
June 30, 2017
Many Conservative MPs are boycotting Channel 4 News in protest at Jon Snow’s perceived bias. They should boycott the BBC as well.
June 29, 2017
What more proof do you need about the BBC? Newswatch had documented so much also. The government should act, and pdq. If it does not, then the BBC agenda apparently still suits the government. That is hugely worrying in itself.
June 29, 2017
It’s no secret that the BBC is rather partial to the EU and big state tax and spend policies.
June 29, 2017
Of course we all know why.
But why is nothing ever done about BBC’s blatant bias? The public are forced on pain of prosecution to pay for all this, assuming they watch TV at all. Can you explain JR why the Conservatives never make a huge fuss about this outrage?
If it was the other way round we would never hear the end of it from Corbyn .
June 29, 2017
I am surprised the revolting behaviour of Messsrs Corbyn and McDonnell in seeking to politicise the Grenfell tower fire tragedy isn’t getting more prominence. Far leftists of the past such as Michael Foot and Tony Benn would never have stooped to this kind of thing. I think we are at or near peak Corbyn as the public wises up to what these people are like.
July 1, 2017
And the Mayor of London. The last one would have been down there with his sleeves rolled up, getting stuck in, not scoring cheap party points in the midst of tragedy and horror.
June 29, 2017
Right wing people think the BBC is biased.Lefties think it is biased too only the opposite way round. From this the BBC believes it shows it is balanced and fair. No, that merely shows lefties lack balance and fairness and that the BBC is not truthful enough to say so.
June 30, 2017
Well said TC!
June 30, 2017
Again I’ll post a complete amateurs analysis of what leaving the single market and importantly the customs Union might be worth to the exchequer.
In addition to the famous £350m gross, which excites so much ire amongst remainers, you have to consider the current external tariffs which currently go straight to the EU coffers.
I’ve never seen an adequate estimate of these, partly I think as both ukip and the leave campaign apparently overlooked them. The EU itself regards them as it’s own resources and doesn’t appear to publish a figure. It does appear though that we currently receive over £3bn from tariffs on imports from the rest of the world, through we are only allowed to cover our own costs in collecting them with either 75% or 80% going straight to the EU. Clearly 80% would result in a significant uplift in tariffs, of say between £10 and £12 billion.
Then you have the tariffs on imports from the EU, which our host helpfully estimated to be above £12 billion.
And of course that proportion of vat which currently goes straight to the EU’s coffers.
So £10 billions net saving from our EU contribution, between £10 and £12 billions from external tariffs ( note as I’ve never seen an estimate for current EU imposed revenues it is difficult to estimate one on wto rules, hopefully John can oblige), over £12 billions from wto rules tariffs on EU imports and add a bit for increased vat revenue and potentially fishing licences…
Of course the infamous £350m per week is deeply controversial, though it looks to me as though the actual brexit dividend is roughly twice that advertised, maybe even equivalent to five or six pence off the rate of income tax….
June 30, 2017
This is more like it, thank you.
Then you’ve got fines that used to be mentioned on a regular basis for different things and cross funding support that has been mentioned for science projects and space projects etc.
We were first told about extra taxes on top of our annual contribution because we don’t charge vat on prostitution and drugs.
July 3, 2017
Interesting isn’t it?
Personally I’ve never seen the external tariffs which go almost wholly to the EU mentioned in any brexit debate either online or in the media. Same too with vat, very few already to know that it is an EU tax, a proportion of the total raised going straight to the EU.
Has this money merely been forgotten in the broad sweep of the debate? I must admit that I had to trawl through a 400 page EU document which appeared to deliberately obfuscate the actual amounts.
Same with fishing data. That of a scientific nature appears to bear no relation to the official EU ones.
The theme in common is that the EU arrogantly considers all these to be it’s own resources and holds exclusive right to collect and disseminate the data. The ons for instance can merely publish pointless figures on boat size and engine type.
July 3, 2017
In 2014 I read that we were being charged an extra £1.7bn as the industry for drugs and the sex trade had contributed £10bn to our economy! So those of us that don’t use these trades got hit with a big loan to pay the EU during our time of austerity and interest to pay this off. Because of this new ‘Accounting in the EU’ our spending on overseas aid went up too over £1bn because of the black market drugs and sex trade.
June 30, 2017
Brexit means Brexit. When an entity such as the BBC first considers “What do we, actually, mean by Brexit?” as a mature question, after all the information produced before the referendum, then we are in trouble as a nation and a democracy.
When the PM later still is required by the media to state the obvious: Brexit means Brexit and that is then ridiculed, we are not just in trouble but in intellectual decline as a nation and people.
The BBC does not ask mature questions in the main. It flatters and humours the anti-democratic and undemocratic forces in our society which violate the ballot.
Trump is now sifting which parts of the media. he is determining which ones are worthy. Mrs May should act as he does. She should ban certain journalists and news media if they continue to ask childish questions. The next time the BBC asks “Are you for Hard of Soft Brexit?” give the journalist a cuddly toy and a toffee lollipop and take away their press credentials for at least six months. The PM really should not have her precious time wasted by moronic repetitive questions.
June 30, 2017
“The BBC who have run a year long campaign to Keep us in the single market” The Tory Party in Parliament should after the summer hols decide on a new relationship with the media.
The adversarial journalists Andrew Neil, Jo Coburn,Laura Kuenssberg sound ever so impressive. But spending a week amassing data on 25 years of someone’s utterances and then firing it back at them might make good TV for sadistic viewers. But it’s lousy journalism! In fact, it’s not journalism at all. It’s a lingusitic party trick and after each question they should proclaim “hey presto!
Worst of all these journalists waste everyone’s time seemingly cleverly extracting ” the truth” when in fact they know very well that certain questions do not have an answer. They’ll stupidly ask the result of a negotiation on a particular item with the EU when the negotiations have not even begun and then say ” Ah, so your Party is in confusion, do you yourself know what you want Minister??” smilel, giggle look wryly at the camera so viewers can smile too on cue. That’s not journalism,that just being an Andrew Neil.
June 30, 2017
The TV Licence fee. (! ) I do not approve of the BBC style of questioning of any politician. The cutting short on answers in a pseudo-legalistic crescendo attack. It makes our legal system a farce too. It makes a name for a journalist who has an audience who enjoy belittling the powerful.
I recall the radio jockey who spoke sarcastically and nastily ( acting of course ) to Farage “So you feel UN-comfortable amongst foreigners??” Farage did not handle it well. The answer should have been “Of course!” Foreigners feel, uncomfortable amongst foreigners. It is a natural normal human feeling. Nothing wrong with it at all. Farage could not have detected they were foreign unless by definition they were foreign, looked foreign, talked foreign, acted foreign and had body language which was foreign . Ones body becomes uncomfortable if not in perceived natural surroundings, where one can listen and understand the likings and dislikings of other beings,like a fish out of water.
It is time we spoke freely in our country. Not doing so is foreign to us.
June 30, 2017
Indeed the BBC have run a propaganda campaign to stay in the EU for years. This while also pushing for more and more government everywhere and more and more climate alarmism, overseas aid, greencrap and taxation.
Meanwhile the Sky deal be subject to a 24-week inquiry by the Competition and Markets Authority on the grounds of “media plurality”. What about the appalling, unfairly funded, virtual monopoly of the BBC?
June 30, 2017
Just the same trash which was being spoken about not having enough money to build safe flats like Grenfell. if you cant’ build all flats which are safe then build half the number. If you have an overpopulated area and need more homes than can be supplied then stop too many people coming in and causing overcrowding.
I am tired of people over reacting to a problem caused by themselves. The UK is not responsible for the rest of the worlds problems . Free movement does not mean that anyone can come into this country have six or more children , cause chaos to all services and bleed us dry whilst we who have given our lives sit back and accept the turmoil they bring .
I am tired of labour thinking that everyone should be equal to those who havn’t done much and bully others with their complaints whilst sitting on their backsides or being brought out of a pub to administer health care in a drunken state .AND the services listen to these morons who think it is right to abuse workers in their hoarders homes.
June 30, 2017
Good morning
And what about the vote to end austerity? You won the vote but fell into the trap
June 30, 2017
Yes. Who is responsible for this seeming editorial policy?
June 30, 2017
Perhaps just a labour ruse to smoke out the shadow spokesmen they wish to replace with any Marxist fantasists as yet unplaced.
When Brexit is dusted the BBC must be dealt with.
June 30, 2017
The BBC has fallen a very long way since Reith so that now such irresponsibility if not much worse is no surprise surely.
I rejoice in denying the BBC the oxygen of funding and wish I had the support of Parliament in then being permitted legally to consume its competitors’ live broadcasts.
June 30, 2017
Excellent news
June 30, 2017
Of course the BBC didn’t report it.
I was reading the paper with the 6am news on the TV.
Not a murmur.
Many Labour MPs are worried about the future as their voters are overwhelmingly leavers.
Can only be good for Mrs May.
June 30, 2017
The publicity Corbyn has recently received does not indicate that there has been any change in the popularity of Labour . The split is as big as ever
June 30, 2017
The split may be resolved by further purges and de-selections before the next election.The Blairites will have to form their own party or join the Lib-Dem rump.
June 30, 2017
It appears the BBC can blatantly and with impunity break the terms of it Charter on a daily basis. It is an intolerable situation which if allowed to continue and considering there are too many on the left of the political spectrum that benefit from it’s heavy bias and the current Conservative government is now in an even weaker position fair minded people are powerless to do something about it either. Soon they will be powerful enough to openly declare their hostility to the Tories and any who hold opposing views to their own. Hang on they already do or at least an arm of it does. Jon Snow and Glastonbury comes quickly to mind and the lack censure for his appalling outburst.
June 30, 2017
To repeat a comment I made earlier this week:
http://www.cityam.com/267371/treasurys-economic-models-have-grossly-overestimated-cost
“The Treasury’s economic models have grossly overestimated the cost of Brexit”
One crucial defect being:
“… the Treasury used an average trade gain across all 28 EU members, but neglected to say that the gains to the UK alone were much smaller. This vital point was omitted even though an earlier Treasury paper acknowledged its existence.”
Which is similar to a point I have repeatedly made in the past, that a German study found that the creation of the EU single market had increased collective GDP across the EU by about 2%, corresponding to the estimate accepted by the EU Commission – but the gross economic benefit for the UK was only about half that average.
The conclusion of this new study being:
“Our own worst-case prediction is that per capita GDP could be 2 per cent lower by 2025 than would otherwise be the case, but by 2030 would be higher than it would have been without Brexit. If UK firms find new markets more quickly than the slow rate we have assumed, the outlook could be more optimistic than this.”
Recalling that the UK economy has a trend growth rate of about 2.5% a year, at worse in 2025 UK GDP would be just 20% higher than now rather than 22% higher.
June 30, 2017
If you listen to what these people, but also others on both sides of the debate, say, then they implicitly assume that at present we get tremendous economic benefits from being a member of the EU single market, when that is simply not true.
It’s a failure of the various campaigns against membership of the EU that this myth has not been properly exploded and Remoaners can still repeat it with impunity and vastly exaggerate the economic effects and benefits of the EU single market.
Personally I would not make any firm predictions about the long term economic effects of our withdrawal from the EU and its single market and customs union, beyond a prediction that the effects will be rather marginal, indeed barely noticeable.
But by the same token, on the same logic, I do not expect that we will get huge economic benefits by transferring more of our trade to other parts of the world.
So I’m inclined to think that the net economic effects of withdrawing from the EU and its single market and customs union will be positive rather than negative, but either way the overall effects will be small in the context of the natural growth of the UK economy at a trend rate of about 2.5% a year.
June 30, 2017
Actually the 3 were sacked by Corbyn. I wonder how many of his adoring youth and Glastonbury crowd realise he is against single market and customs union membership and seem rather closer to the Boris position of both having and eating cake.
If Conservatives had a campaigning support such as Momentum with good social media presence this would be getting very much highlighted right now…
June 30, 2017
I note that the Murdoch acquisition is being referred again on the basis of too concentrated control of media. I think the BBC needs to be referred under the same rubric: it is still the 800lb gorilla in the media.
June 30, 2017
The BBC’s budget puts the agreement with the DUP into perspective. £1 Billion will buy you two months of the BBC’s coverage versus having a stable parliament for the crucial Brexit negotiations. No contest. Time to stop the TV tax.
June 30, 2017
Really? I heard it on the radio 4 news last night both at 1800 and 2200. It was also tweeted about extensively by various BBC reporters.
June 30, 2017
On the BBC Labour MP Stephen Kinnock argued that the best solution would be for the UK to “go”, “move” or “drop” into the European Economic Area upon leaving the EU, just for a transitional period. For some reason he did not use the correct word “stay”, given that the UK is already listed as a separate sovereign party to the EEA Agreement, albeit on the premise that it is a member state of the EU. Nor did he consider whether the other parties to the agreement, 30 sovereign states plus the EU, would all be prepared to allow the UK to remain in the EEA, with relatively small but necessary amendments to the agreement, and especially if the stated intention was that this would just be a temporary or interim arrangement before the UK moved on and left the EEA. He is under the delusion that this would keep us in the EU single market when in reality only the EU member states are actually members of the EU single market; the other three EEA countries are not members of the EU single market, but rather have a high but not complete degree of access to the EU single market, and nor are they members of the EU customs union. Meanwhile Lord Hain is joining others in pretending that we could be in the EU adn the EU Single Market but still control immigration from other members, which does raise the question why Cameron went to such trouble trying to negotiate a deal with the EU which would have allowed us just to somewhat discourage, but not actually control or limit, immigration from the other EU countries. While yesterday a Labour MP noisily claimed that the Tories were misleading the public because it would be legally possible to be in the EU customs union even if we were not in the EU,citing Turkey, when Turkey is not in fact in the EU customs union but is in a customs union with the EU customs union …
June 30, 2017
George Osborne writes in today’s Evening Standard that it was too early for Chukka Umana to force a vote on single market membership. He is of the opinion that Remoaners should wait until the “cliff edge” is approaching and then force the vote. The EU also believes that brinkmanship will play into its hands and that the UK will cave in late in the day, perhaps even withdrawing A50. No doubt Osborne and Brussels have been encouraged by David Davis making all the concessions so far. It is therefore far to early to conclude that we will not get the cosmetic brexit that’s Theresa May told J-C Juncker she was hoping for modelled on the cosmetic Justice & Home Affairs opt-out and back in again she ‘achieved’ as Home Secretary.
This is why I vote retrospectively and did not vote for Theresa May this month. When she actually delivers brexit she will win a majority and not before.
June 30, 2017
J, I don’t ever expect to see you without a tie when in the commons!
I wonder if JC’s are pure silk or polyester?
June 30, 2017
The BBC staff are by and large educated well balanced people- they know full well the destructive path that Ukip and the tory right wing heaf bangers have led the country..they can see the future consequenses for the younger generations and the economic difficulties lying ahead..i think they are petfectly correct to point out to the genetal public the folly of our ways if we keep following this rush to the cliff edge..for that’s surely where we are headed
Reply There is no cliff edge!
June 30, 2017
Such a shame that so many ‘educated well balanced people’ are willing to be cuckold to the bullying, dictatorial, oppressive regime known as the EU.
July 1, 2017
“Educated and well balanced ” graduates come out with observations like, “We didn’t have any human rights before we went into the EU”. Presumably because of organs like the BBC. And their “schools.”