Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #BBCQT
Most recents (24)
Tomorrow @bbcquestiontime is coming from my home town Clacton and its audience features purely Brexit voters.
Social media will no doubt be full of negative comments about gammons and xenophobes. But that doesn't tell the full story...
(short thread)
Social media will no doubt be full of negative comments about gammons and xenophobes. But that doesn't tell the full story...
(short thread)
It is true that 69.5% of Clacton (well, the district of Tendring) voted to Leave. But this is a town ignored, allowed to rot and exploited by snake oil salesman promising easy fixes.
People were told they would lose out through Brexit, but what if you have nothing to lose?
People were told they would lose out through Brexit, but what if you have nothing to lose?
Like so many seaside towns, there was a crippling long-term lack of investment which brought the town to its knees. Employers like Butlins, Woolwich and major retailers have all left town in the last four decades.
the chair *CONFIRMED* social media *background checks* are carried out on all applications to be in the audience
with *this in mind* why has this National Front affiliated woman appeared *more than once*??????
with *this in mind* why has this National Front affiliated woman appeared *more than once*??????
this woman STOOD AS A NATIONAL FRONT CANDIDATE but appears on #BBCQT MORE THAN ONCE
Stop what you are doing.
Watch this.
Chris Patten - daring to tell you the truth in 2 minutes about the ocean of shit we are in.
#bbcqt
Watch this.
Chris Patten - daring to tell you the truth in 2 minutes about the ocean of shit we are in.
#bbcqt
Britain needs honesty.
It comes down to this now. You have a choice between the truth about Brexit - or the lies that politicians on all sides are continuing to flog you.
It's a straight choice. Believe the facts or believe the liars. But know this. They know they are lying.
It's a straight choice. Believe the facts or believe the liars. But know this. They know they are lying.
The #bbcqt audience in Bexhill last night were majority Tory voters, by a country mile. And when government minister Helen Whately praised their local Tory MP, they laughed in outright disdain.
This is the kind of thing which should have the Conservatives very, very worried.
This is the kind of thing which should have the Conservatives very, very worried.
Before the show goes live, there's a practice question (to get warmed up, check mics etc). This week, it was about potholes. And while the mood was good-natured, people in the audience were genuinely angry at the government about it. Potholes were a symbol of neglect and decline.
It wasn't simply that the potholes weren't getting fixed, it was that they were getting fixed on the cheap, with shoddy materials. It really wound people up that public money was being spent, but the job still wasn't getting done.
I'm catching up on the last question of #bbcqt on artificial intelligence, and it's a reminder that there's huge danger in having panels discuss topics that no panellist really understands anything about.
(And there's that perennial mistake of mixing up AI and robots too. Gah!)
(And there's that perennial mistake of mixing up AI and robots too. Gah!)
Add to that the risible Tory boosterism at the idea that a drop-in-the-ocean £100 million investment can make the UK one of the global leaders in the AI sector.
Desperate, desperate stuff from start to finish.
Desperate, desperate stuff from start to finish.
The audience, so far, are just as lost.
It's like watching a busload of people who can't swim get dumped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to fend for themselves.
It's like watching a busload of people who can't swim get dumped in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean to fend for themselves.
#THREAD
The Who Funds You? project initially ran from 2012-19. @openDemocracy relaunched the project with a series of new audits.
Organisations are rated on a scale from A to E. A is the most transparent. Organisations given an E grade are the least transparent about funding.
The Who Funds You? project initially ran from 2012-19. @openDemocracy relaunched the project with a series of new audits.
Organisations are rated on a scale from A to E. A is the most transparent. Organisations given an E grade are the least transparent about funding.
I agree with @openDemocracy that debates about important issues that affect us all should be as transparent as possible.
That means we need to know who is being paid what, and by whom, to influence public policy.
#TuftonStreet
That means we need to know who is being paid what, and by whom, to influence public policy.
#TuftonStreet
In the UK – and many other countries – there are organisations that describe themselves as ‘think tanks’ & expressly set out to explore ideas & influence public policy. They usually produce research reports & promote them through the media and in policy circles.
At his first #PMQs, in October 2022, PM Sunak said: “I'm pleased we had a record number of new homes built in the last year.” 🤥
There is no evidence to support that claim, & No 10 declined to provide any evidence for it, despite several requests.
#bbcqt
fullfact.org/economy/rishi-…
There is no evidence to support that claim, & No 10 declined to provide any evidence for it, despite several requests.
#bbcqt
fullfact.org/economy/rishi-…
While the number of ‘net additional dwellings’ technically hit 'the highest point on record in 2019/20', these statistics only go back to the early 90s. Other metrics & housing experts suggest that recent house building is generally far lower than records set decades ago.
#bbcqt
#bbcqt
It’s also important to note that these figures don’t strictly relate to “house building”—as well as new build homes they also include conversions (such as turning a large house into multiple flats) & changes of use such as an old shop into a house or flats.
#bbcqt
#bbcqt
Priest in the audience, "Are our obligations towards to the Geneva Convention on refugees being upheld by the way we are treating refugees at the moment?"
#BBCQT #QuestionTime
#BBCQT #QuestionTime
"The idea for the creation of the ECHR arose in the 1940s during WWII to ensure that governments would never again be allowed to dehumanise and abuse people’s rights with impunity"
"Churchill was an avid supporter" why not the British right-wing?
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/why-w…
"Churchill was an avid supporter" why not the British right-wing?
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/why-w…
A healthy democracy requires a healthy media
Many media organisations are owned by self-interested billionaires like Murdoch
At the Bylines Network, we are turning journalism on its head and giving Citizens a powerful voice, but we do need your support
chuffed.org/project/ng7b7x…
Many media organisations are owned by self-interested billionaires like Murdoch
At the Bylines Network, we are turning journalism on its head and giving Citizens a powerful voice, but we do need your support
chuffed.org/project/ng7b7x…
This lady has just spent 2 mins absolutely eviscerating the Conservatives on their record on EVERYTHING 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 #BBCQT
“ I’m staggered that you think you’re succeeding…
Watch and listen!
“ I’m staggered that you think you’re succeeding…
Watch and listen!
A synopsis for those with small attention spans
They Tories have nothing left, nothing . Just culture wars bollocks that sadly too many people still fall for or accept.
They have 13 years of abject failure and malfeasance
They have 13 years of abject failure and malfeasance
3 Tory MPs interviewing each other on GB News
Meanwhile, the chairman of the BBC Richard Sharp allegedly backed several right-wing organisations wanting the privatisation of the BBC.
But no issue to right-wing @Ofcom Chef Exec Melanie Dawes.
1/
Meanwhile, the chairman of the BBC Richard Sharp allegedly backed several right-wing organisations wanting the privatisation of the BBC.
But no issue to right-wing @Ofcom Chef Exec Melanie Dawes.
1/
And to think they got upset when Gary Lineker likened their messaging to that of 1930s Germany.
This is a full-on takeover of our broadcasting by the right wing.
2/
This is a full-on takeover of our broadcasting by the right wing.
2/
Now with well over 200,000 reads in over 144 countries but still with no response from @bbcquestiontime
@docrussjackson open letter to the @BBC about widely held concerns about bias on #bbcqt
3/
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
@docrussjackson open letter to the @BBC about widely held concerns about bias on #bbcqt
3/
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
#THREAD
I've been researching twenty-first century UK non-broadcast 'news' articles featuring #TuftonStreet's ideologically extreme (deregulatory, anti-welfare, anti-union, low tax, free-market) 'think tank' (lobbyist) the 'Institute for Economic Affairs' (#IEA).
I've been researching twenty-first century UK non-broadcast 'news' articles featuring #TuftonStreet's ideologically extreme (deregulatory, anti-welfare, anti-union, low tax, free-market) 'think tank' (lobbyist) the 'Institute for Economic Affairs' (#IEA).
Counting articles is a relatively crude measure, but it's clear that the overwhelming majority present the the #IEA as disinterested/neutral, often using IEA reports & spokespeople to help frame or initiate stories. With very few exceptions, the IEA's funders are never revealed.
From 2000-2023, across all print & online non-broadcast UK news outlets, the #IEA is mentioned a staggering 9,175 times - predictably, mainly in Murdoch's, Barclay's, & Harmsworth's "newspapers":
The Times: 1,278
Sunday Times: 424
Times online: 457
The Sun: 379
Sun online: 133
The Times: 1,278
Sunday Times: 424
Times online: 457
The Sun: 379
Sun online: 133
"How can the government justify giving tax relief to the top 1% when there are people going to food banks?"
"The people who need it the most help are getting the least." #bbcqt
"The people who need it the most help are getting the least." #bbcqt
Now with well over 200,000 reads in over 144 countries but still with no response from @bbcquestiontime
@docrussjackson open letter to the @BBC about widely held concerns about bias on #bbcqt.
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
@docrussjackson open letter to the @BBC about widely held concerns about bias on #bbcqt.
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
Open letter to the Today programme
Mike Cashman queries his ejection from the BBC before the Today programme debate.
@BBCr4today @BBCRadio4 @MikeCashman1 #R4Today
centralbylines.co.uk/open-letter-to…
Mike Cashman queries his ejection from the BBC before the Today programme debate.
@BBCr4today @BBCRadio4 @MikeCashman1 #R4Today
centralbylines.co.uk/open-letter-to…
#THREAD
After a week of discussing @BBC impartiality, ANOTHER appearance from a representative of the opaquely funded ideologically extreme tax-hating #TuftonStreet lobbyists, the IEA.
There are more than 150 UK think tanks, yet the IEA is CONSTANTLY on the BBC.
#PoliticsLive
After a week of discussing @BBC impartiality, ANOTHER appearance from a representative of the opaquely funded ideologically extreme tax-hating #TuftonStreet lobbyists, the IEA.
There are more than 150 UK think tanks, yet the IEA is CONSTANTLY on the BBC.
#PoliticsLive
#THREAD
Pleased to be quoted in this @ScotNational article, discussing Govt pressure on the @BBC, #bbcqt, #BBCBias, Richard Sharp, & the 'tabloidisation' of the BBC.
'BBC 'pro-establishment bias' shown in first six months of Laura Kuenssberg show'.
thenational.scot/news/23377081.…
Pleased to be quoted in this @ScotNational article, discussing Govt pressure on the @BBC, #bbcqt, #BBCBias, Richard Sharp, & the 'tabloidisation' of the BBC.
'BBC 'pro-establishment bias' shown in first six months of Laura Kuenssberg show'.
thenational.scot/news/23377081.…
"Dr Russell Jackson, a senior media lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, penned an open letter to the @BBC in February raising concerns about bias on #bbcqt's panels & from hosts, BBC management's links to the Tories, & a tendency towards platforming dangerous rhetoric."
"Jackson told The Sunday National that the -astonishing response to that letter [which has now been read more than 210,000 times] suggests that a hell of a lot of people are very concerned about what is happening with the broadcaster."
#BBCBias #bbcqt
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
#BBCBias #bbcqt
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
On @bbcquestiontime tonight, the Govt's Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, who - like his boss & UK PM, Rishi Sunak - in November distanced himself from Suella Braverman's disgusting "invasion" rhetoric.
Here's a #THREAD of important contextual factors about Jenrick.
#bbcqt
Here's a #THREAD of important contextual factors about Jenrick.
#bbcqt
The far-right attacked Robert Jenrick after he rejected Braverman's rhetoric, accusing him on the right-wing Traditional Britain Group Telegram channel of “treason”, & referring to his Jewish faith alongside the alt-right image of Pepe the Frog.
#bbcqt
theguardian.com/politics/2022/…
#bbcqt
theguardian.com/politics/2022/…
On #bbcqt tonight: GB News's Tom Harwood (again); & Climate Minister Graham Stuart, appointed by multimillionaire free-market ex-banker Rishi Sunak. Stuart received campaign donations from one of the largest fuel distributors in the UK, & an aviation consultant & recruiter.
In 2019, Stuart received a £10,000 donation towards his re-election campaign from JR Rix & Sons, a Hull-based business primarily involved in the distribution and sale of fuel, including heating oil, diesel and petrol.
Climate Minister Stuart recently told the all-party parliamentary group for the environment that he firmly supported a new coalmine in Cumbria and backed the latest oil and gas licensing round.
#bbcqt
#bbcqt
Tonight @bbcquestiontime (@MentornMedia) will debate Brexit.
Here's a 2018 debate between Tom Harwood and a Law grad who'd worked in EU Affairs for 3yrs.
One said Brexit + Truss-style policies would make us richer.
The other was RIGHT!
Which do you think they invited? #BBCqt
Here's a 2018 debate between Tom Harwood and a Law grad who'd worked in EU Affairs for 3yrs.
One said Brexit + Truss-style policies would make us richer.
The other was RIGHT!
Which do you think they invited? #BBCqt
It's not even smart!
Gen-z + millennials are their main growing demographic.
And they trust social media voices far more than big news.
We won't let our them forget how the mainstream media guided the UK into disaster.
The MSM is writing its own eviction notice!
@MentornMedia
Gen-z + millennials are their main growing demographic.
And they trust social media voices far more than big news.
We won't let our them forget how the mainstream media guided the UK into disaster.
The MSM is writing its own eviction notice!
@MentornMedia
They CAN give people the truth.
But they're choosing to showcase the people they KNOW are wrong!
So you have to wonder...
What do the people from the IEA & GB News have, to offer @bbcquestiontime and @MentornMedia have, that people like Mike Galsworthy and I didn't?
💰💰💰💰?
But they're choosing to showcase the people they KNOW are wrong!
So you have to wonder...
What do the people from the IEA & GB News have, to offer @bbcquestiontime and @MentornMedia have, that people like Mike Galsworthy and I didn't?
💰💰💰💰?
#THREAD
'This weekend saw us breaking records at Yorkshire Bylines, after an article by Dr Russell Jackson about #bbcqt really hit the sweet spot. It's already been read over 150k times in the space of just 48 hours, & is now our most widely read piece".
- @YorksBylines
'This weekend saw us breaking records at Yorkshire Bylines, after an article by Dr Russell Jackson about #bbcqt really hit the sweet spot. It's already been read over 150k times in the space of just 48 hours, & is now our most widely read piece".
- @YorksBylines
'Analytics show that Dr Jackson's article has been read by people in 144 countries, so the interest in @BBC bias for @bbcquestiontime is widespread.
We're looking forward to publishing their response if & when it comes through.'
Me too!
#bbcqt
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
We're looking forward to publishing their response if & when it comes through.'
Me too!
#bbcqt
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/politics/an-op…
"This also means that our site has powered through five million visits, which is a pretty big milestone to have hit, particularly as we have yet to mark our third anniversary! But exciting as this all is, we didn't set up Yorkshire Bylines for reader numbers."
- @YorksBylines
- @YorksBylines
#THREAD
On #bbcqt, Robert Jenrick INSISTED that #Rwanda was "a safe country". Bullshit. The truth is, Rwanda is one of the most autocratic, authoritarian, & repressive regimes ON EARTH, ranked 150th out of 179 countries on the Index of Liberal Democracy.
On #bbcqt, Robert Jenrick INSISTED that #Rwanda was "a safe country". Bullshit. The truth is, Rwanda is one of the most autocratic, authoritarian, & repressive regimes ON EARTH, ranked 150th out of 179 countries on the Index of Liberal Democracy.
The 2021 US State Dept of 'Democracy, Human Rights & Labour' report on Human Rights Practices in #Rwanda makes it clear that #Rwanda is anything but "a safe country".
Significant human rights issues included:
-harsh & life-threatening conditions in some detention facilities;
Significant human rights issues included:
-harsh & life-threatening conditions in some detention facilities;
-unlawful & arbitrary killings by the government
-forced disappearance by the government
-torture by the government
-arbitrary detention
-political prisoners or detainees
-politically motivated reprisal against individuals located outside the country
Does this sound "safe"?
-forced disappearance by the government
-torture by the government
-arbitrary detention
-political prisoners or detainees
-politically motivated reprisal against individuals located outside the country
Does this sound "safe"?
#THREAD
After last night's appalling episode of #bbcqt, today I've emailed @BBCR4Feedback to express my concerns about Fiona Bruce's inability to properly or fairly chair @bbcquestiontime panels, & about the disproportionate number of right-wing panellists.
Full email below:
After last night's appalling episode of #bbcqt, today I've emailed @BBCR4Feedback to express my concerns about Fiona Bruce's inability to properly or fairly chair @bbcquestiontime panels, & about the disproportionate number of right-wing panellists.
Full email below:
"I'm a @BBC supporter & appreciate that @BBCr4Feedback makes an important contribution to society in helping to maintain the BBC's public service ethos & hard-won reputation for providing impartial, high-quality & distinctive output & services which inform, educate, & entertain."
"I'm writing to raise concerns - articulated and shared by thousands on social media - about @bbcquestiontime.
My concerns are twofold:
First, Fiona Bruce's chairing of BBC Question Time is, at best, unacceptably poor."
My concerns are twofold:
First, Fiona Bruce's chairing of BBC Question Time is, at best, unacceptably poor."
Tonight on #bbcqt:
Descendant of William Gladstone & ex-biomedical venture capitalist, Tory MP George Freeman!
YET ANOTHER #Spiked & GB "News" regular & Brexit Party candidate, Inaya Folarin, a founding director of Toby Young's toxic hard-right Free Speech Union!
Matthew Syed:
Descendant of William Gladstone & ex-biomedical venture capitalist, Tory MP George Freeman!
YET ANOTHER #Spiked & GB "News" regular & Brexit Party candidate, Inaya Folarin, a founding director of Toby Young's toxic hard-right Free Speech Union!
Matthew Syed:
AS USUAL, #bbcqt audiences won't know Inaya Folarin is a #Spiked & GB "News" regular, a Brexit Party candidate, & a founding director of Toby Young's toxic Free Speech Union, & a TORY IMPOSED NPG Trustee, she's framed as just a 'journalist & author' & Founder of Equiano Project.
Here's a great explainer about the wider toxic network of authoritarian fringe groups & individuals who are appointed by the Tories to important institutions & bodies, who shape & influence Govt policy, & who are virtually always represented on #bbcqt
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…
Well I have to say, like every single @CyberLawExpert @CISAgov @cyber as @InternetErasure have shown as much attention as @FBoversight for @MetaforCreators ignored by @LondonCyber have just sat back for 8 years solid to all @ukhomeoffice rip my entire
@HuffPostUKLife without anyone seeing the real problems that @people in @UKParliament @annelongfield @ChildrensComm @MayorofLondon /@SadiqKhan to use @verified to #coverup their #CrimesAgainstChildren #CrimesAgainstHumanity on the same @IWFhotline
And @annelongfield and a senior @CoronersNews #AndrewWalker blamed #socialmediamanagement for poor #MollyRussell death.
You ae all sick.
If you can do to me what you have done no wonder @childrensociety @markrusselluk is talking of how our @BBCCiN are being failed
You ae all sick.
If you can do to me what you have done no wonder @childrensociety @markrusselluk is talking of how our @BBCCiN are being failed
This rhetoric isn't new. It's a rehash. You want to know who wrote the playbook? Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf supported by Goebbels as propaganda minister in 1933. It would form the basis of the Holocaust: dehumanizing, stigmatizing and creating a hostile atmosphere towards certain
communities such as jews, Slava, Roma and yes including gay, transgender and lesbian people too, who all ended up in the same concentration kamps. Key difference being that when the allies liberated the camps, those people that were part of the gay, lesbian and trans community
instead of being liberated , were sent straight to prison. Since 2016 I have been forced to witness a return of the same horrific language being used as back in the 1930s, which has gradually become more agressive, hateful and violent.
It is a cheap rhetorical trick to constantly pretend, as Trans Radical Activists do, that this debate is the same as the Civil Rights Movement or the Gay Rights Movement. It isn’t, because in those debates, there was no conflict of rights between peoples. #BBCQT
A black person being able to vote did not affect a white person being able to vote. A gay person not going to jail for being gay did not mean straight people would now be imprisoned, and lesbians being able to marry had no impact on straight people being able to marry. #bbcqt
However, a trans woman wanting access to female-only spaces, directly contradicts the right of women to areas where males won’t be. These areas are based on scientific reality, decades m of data, & millennia of common sense, regarding the physical advantages men have over women.
