news & politics:discussion

[Neil]

looks like the attempt to sell-off channel four is going to fail, because no one can give a stand-up reason why it should be sold.

[steviewevie]

4 minutes ago, Neil said:

looks like the attempt to sell-off channel four is going to fail, because no one can give a stand-up reason why it should be sold.

yeah, yesterday various people in government were arguing that it can't compete with netflix/amazon, when it was set up there were only 3 channels, now everything is so different and the business model doesn't work. Now, I don't know how true any of that is, do the tories just want to privatise it because privatising things turns them on? Or do they not like channel 4 news and their difficult questions about brexit or partygate? Or do they have a valid point?

[Neil]

Just now, steviewevie said:

yeah, yesterday various people in government were arguing that it can't compete with netflix/amazon, when it was set up there were only 3 channels, now everything is so different and the business model doesn't work. Now, I don't know how true any of that is, do the tories just want to privatise it because privatising things turns them on? Or do they not like channel 4 news and their difficult questions about brexit or partygate? Or do they have a valid point?

rumour today is that ITV will buy ity, at which point, the rationale for selling falls apart.

[lost]

28 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

 do the tories just want to privatise it because privatising things turns them on? Or do they not like channel 4 news and their difficult questions about brexit or partygate? Or do they have a valid point?

From what I've read Its the stuff like stopping Micahel Gove taking part in the climate debate and replacing him with a block of ice and the election night coverage, getting a crowd in that was booing and hissing the exit poll and then creating a bear pit atmosphere for Boris's dad that's pissed them off. I think their point is if ch4 wants to be a left wing GB news it shouldn't be publicly owned. I haven't got a clue as I don't really watch terrestrial telly anymore.

Nobodies going to agree as if state owned broadcasters should sit roughing where the overton window sits you've first got to decide where the overton window sits.

Edited April 6, 2022 by lost

[steviewevie]

I love channel 4 news.

[steviewevie]

17 minutes ago, lost said:

From what I've read Its the stuff like stopping Micahel Gove taking part in the climate debate and replacing him with a block of ice and the election night coverage, getting a crowd in that was booing and hissing the exit poll and then creating a bear pit atmosphere for Boris's dad that's pissed them off. I think their point is if ch4 wants to be a left wing GB news it shouldn't be publicly owned. I haven't got a clue as I don't really watch terrestrial telly anymore.

Nobodies going to agree as if state owned broadcasters should sit roughing where the overton window sits you've first got to decide where the overton window sits.

Yeah this is likely a big part of the reason, but it isn't the argument they're making, it is about funding.

[Neil]

1 minute ago, steviewevie said:

Yeah this is likely a big part of the reason, but it isn't the argument they're making, it is about funding.

its not about funding, channel 4 has always been able to fund itself under the current set-up.

[steviewevie]

5 minutes ago, Neil said:

its not about funding, channel 4 has always been able to fund itself under the current set-up.

Something to do with less money coming in from advertising and they could make more money from selling productions.

[Neil]

2 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Something to do with less money coming in from advertising and they could make more money from selling productions.

the  structure doesn't need changing for them to do that.

[steviewevie]

7 minutes ago, Neil said:

the  structure doesn't need changing for them to do that.

Yeah sure, just stating what govt is saying is reason for selling.

[Neil]

Just now, steviewevie said:

Yeah sure, just stating what govt is saying is reason for selling.

the reasons they're giving are crumbling quickly, so they'll find it difficult to follow thru with a sell-off without a reason for it.

[clarkete]

2 hours ago, Ozanne said:

Ignore him mate. He’s just desperate for a bite and not arguing in good faith. 

Ah, I was thinking that every claim I'd made has linked to the relevant experts or scientists, I figured that was due diligence on my part 😉

[steviewevie]

There seems to be pockets of support for Russia on the far left and far right.

For far left they can't get beyond US/Israel being the bad guys, maybe they still see Russia as some sort of super cool communist utopia,  and this whole invasion is the fault of US/Nato expansionism, they hate imperialism except when it comes to Russia...my brother is on board with all this, he blames US, just can't bring himself to condemn Russia...he also thought 9/11 was carried out by US/Israel, and Israel/Jewish lobby control America..I used to respect the guy but now just think he's a bit of a dick.

For far right they just like Putin and his anti-liberal strongman schtick..sticking it to soft, wokey westerners. See a lot of people from both sides just parroting the official Russian lines...that Ukraine is led by Nazis and Russia are liberating them, that Russian war crimes are a fiction or have been carried out by Ukraine, that US has chemical weapon plants in Ukraine....next it will be either genocide deniers like many deny the holocaust or genocides in Bosnia/Syria/Cambodia etc, or that genocides were acceptable because they were nazi supporters/sympathisers anyway.

I mean, it's ok, infact healthy to be sceptical of what you are being told on the news...but the evidence is just piling up. And maybe I'm naive, but I just respect and believe in what BBC reporters like Jeremy Bowen and Orla Guerin are telling us, they have reported from so many wars and conflicts and tell it like it is...

Edited April 6, 2022 by steviewevie

[steviewevie]

Starmer the least negative!

 

[Guest]

Labour are right on it today. 

[steviewevie]

 

[steviewevie]

 

[Neil]

2 hours ago, steviewevie said:

 

the tories trying to bre woke is rather funny....: ) 

 

[steviewevie]

that Chomsky bloke.

 

[Guest]

Keir Starmer is the most popular mainstream politician in the UK at the moment. 

[steviewevie]

21 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Keir Starmer is the most popular mainstream politician in the UK at the moment. 

yeah, it's good...but he needs more...needs to offer a better alternative, a better future...because come the next election Johnson will turn on his usual charm and no matter what policies are on offer he will walk it...unless of course the economy is totally fucked which is looking really quite possible.

[SheffJeff]

I like the fact George Galloway is now listed as Russia State Affiliated Media on twitter... such a bellend.

 

 

[steviewevie]

War crimes goes both ways...

 

[steviewevie]

 

[charlierc]

3 hours ago, steviewevie said:

 

I'm surprised Melenchon is the likeliest person behind Le Pen in this list tbf. I remember seeing a bit about him back in 2017 and thought he was seen even then as an unlikely candidate, yet according to this he's closer that Sarkozy's old party (Pecresse on this list).

I assumed it would be very tight tbf. Even if, after the last ballot in 2017, I assumed neither Macron nor Le Pen would be in the running for 2022.