U.K. Politics: Boris Johnson referred to police (AGAIN) over potential Covid rule breaches

[Thriller]

Even though I'd heard about it, I don't think their publicity was very good as plenty of people hadn't! I'm surprised it didn't cause chaos for some.

[CrazyCrazy]

I didn't know about it either Spartan so don't worry, however I didn't receive it...I think I may be on their list of people they desperately want killed off!

[Artoo]

Maybe I was living under a rock but I hadn't heard anything about these alerts until today.

They were announced a few months ago. It was originally scheduled for 6pm but they moved it so it didn’t happen during the football. Sometimes this who country seems to be scheduled around sodding football.

[Spartan]

Maybe I was living under a rock but I hadn't heard anything about these alerts until today.

[greek_boy]

i did not get the alert

If there’s a nuclear bomb and the alerts are going to be ten minutes late, then there’s really not much use in sending one anyway

exactly

[Artoo]

My alert came through early and the mother’s was ten minutes late, and people on Three didn’t get one at all

I have no issue with them having the technology to issue such alerts, but I’m not sure what the point is - we’ve managed this far and even with covid, I don’t see what use it would have done.

If there’s a nuclear bomb and the alerts are going to be ten minutes late, then there’s really not much use in sending one anyway

[Wayne]

The emergency alert was a bit sinister!

I know! My Nanna and my sisters all disabled the alerts (god knows why) and my Mum thought she'd done the same but hadn't and so had a fright. glad we've tested it but hope to never hear it again.

[Thriller]

The emergency alert was a bit sinister!

[greek_boy]

[Thriller]

That first guy in that video symbolises a lot of what is wrong with this country, why we have Brexit and why we
have had 13 years of Tories.

[greek_boy]

eeeeek what's going on with this country?

[Thriller]

We’ll see so much more of it too once climate change really ramps up over the next 50 years and there’s mass migration.

[HouseTargaryen]

Homelessness is such a global pandemic that is horribly ignored.

It's only getting worse

[Artoo]

We just need a new party to come along and put real people back into parliament, not this Eton lot that haven’t got a clue. I know we vote for them, but the parties we have keep the gates locked in terms of who they’ll allow to represent them in each constituency. It’s very frustrating and the days of being educated in an expensive environment no longer means you have superior knowledge or intellect.

Career politicians wind me up.

[Thriller]

Yet according to the Tories we're 'world-beating'! Never has a parliament been so out of touch with the real issues.

[Wayne]

Its an absolute disgrace that in a civilised society, we have 1,300 people die while homeless - it shouldn’t happen.

[greek_boy]

Bank of England expected to raise rates in May

The odds of the Bank of England raising interest rates again next month have jumped.

The money markets indicate there is a 97% chance that the BoE lifts Bank Rate by a quarter of one percentage point to 4.5% in May – up from an 82% chance yesterday.

The markest also imply there’s a good chance that rates will hit 5% by the autumn.

The Bank will be concerned that UK inflation looks to be stickier than hoped.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...-business-live

Meanwhile, our government is focusing on small boats and culture wars.. priorities!

[westhammer]

Is this another Black Mirror episode?

Her parents are both immigrants - I just don’t understand how people can behave like this when their families were given all these opportunities themselves. The hypocrisy is vile.

[Artoo]

BBC reporting Sturgeon’s husband has been arrested over party finances - I’m guessing this is the real reason she stepped down as First Minister.

[Plym]

Is this another Black Mirror episode?

nah, just one of our rancid ****s

[greek_boy]

Is this another Black Mirror episode?

[jordi_89]

The UK isolating itself from Europe and the world is shotting itself in the foot imo.

[greek_boy]

a BBC guy was punished for telling the truth in his social media?

a land of individual freedom

To them, free speech applies only if you support the government and (extreme) right-wing ideology. Many right-wingers have expressed hateful opinions about immigration, yet they have been working for BBC and other media outlets and were not forced to step down. The problem here is that Gary (who is very influential with a big following) has openly criticised the government on his personal twitter account (not on BBC social media) and the snowflakes freaked out.

I remember some Karens thought that Jeremy Clarkson should not be fired after his horrific remarks against Meghan Markle and they claimed the freedom of speech...

[Artoo]

He isn't employed by the BBC though, he's a freelancer - by trying to exercise this level of control over its media personalities, the BBC creates itself a potential tax issue from an IR35 perspective (though that's another matter entirely).

Further still, the BBC can harp on all it likes about impartiality - it hasn't reinforced this so-called policy with other media personalities, who have gone further with their own political comments (people like Alan Sugar, Andrew Neil or even Gary himself, who politically criticised Qatar last year while fronting MOTD) - it's this that ultimately infuriates so many people. It isn't cut and dry that Gary shouldn't have publicly held political views, he made these via his own personal social media account and he works for the BBC in a non-political/news capacity - the BBC have ultimately handled this in the worst possible way and pandered to right wing pressure once again.

The BBC is one of our great institutions but so long as it panders (and caves) to right wing influences within its own senior management structure, it'll never be the organisation that it should be.

He’s a freelancer but is still in a direct contract with the BBC, thus subject to terms and conditions and public salary disclosure. He is the BBC’s highest paid presenter and the only one earning over £1M.

I agree there’s a discrepancy between how the BBC handles certain social media comments, but their hands are tied at times. For example, The Apprentice is not an in-house BBC production so Lord Sugar is not in contract with the BBC directly, and therefore they are not in a position to reprimand him (there’s also an argument to be made that buying a TV show fronted by a member of the House of Lords will result in political commentary).

In contrast, BBC News reader Martine Croxall was taken off-air whilst she investigated for impartiality towards the end of last year, after saying she was ‘gleeful’ Boris wasn’t running in the leadership race.

There’s also the issue of who is in contract and at what time - Gary presents a live TV show (or at least a show recorded same day). Most shows are pre-recorded months in advance so any contract is probably over by the time transmission comes around.

I don’t disagree with Gary, but the BBC is in a very difficult spot. It has to uphold and maintain its impartiality and balance that against its own integrity in the face of constant scrutiny from the government - a government that has already changed how it operates, and is minded to defund it in 2027 (should they remain in power).

Gary has been criticised for his political commentary before and continues to ignore the BBC’s position. It is right he is asked to step down, even if it’s temporarily, and he probably expected it - you can only poke a bear so many times. But the fact he keeps doing it shows a level of disrespect to the organisation he was contracted himself to, and no company puts up with that.

[Wayne]

That’s exactly what you agree to when you undertake employment with the BBC. Most companies have a social media policy nowadays. The BBC has to remain impartial and is a fundamental core principle, and with its very existence depending on the attitude of the government of the day.

Gary isn’t wrong in what he’s saying, but either he wants to be a football host and commentator for the BBC or an independent political commentator - he cannot be both.

He isn't employed by the BBC though, he's a freelancer - by trying to exercise this level of control over its media personalities, the BBC creates itself a potential tax issue from an IR35 perspective (though that's another matter entirely).

Further still, the BBC can harp on all it likes about impartiality - it hasn't reinforced this so-called policy with other media personalities, who have gone further with their own political comments (people like Alan Sugar, Andrew Neil or even Gary himself, who politically criticised Qatar last year while fronting MOTD) - it's this that ultimately infuriates so many people. It isn't cut and dry that Gary shouldn't have publicly held political views, he made these via his own personal social media account and he works for the BBC in a non-political/news capacity - the BBC have ultimately handled this in the worst possible way and pandered to right wing pressure once again.

The BBC is one of our great institutions but so long as it panders (and caves) to right wing influences within its own senior management structure, it'll never be the organisation that it should be.