The LibDems have cut out the middle man and are now trying to pump their cr*p directly into the homes of voters. This week they’re insisting the government should force water companies to simply “switch off” storm overflows over the weekend, with Tim Farron appearing on BBC Breakfast to sell this genius idea to the public. All they need to do is “ban sewage discharges” for a few days. The beaches will be cleaner, and the country will be happier.
The only problem with this, as even Naga Munchetty repeatedly told Farron, is this isn’t possible. Unless the LibDems would rather see tonnes of sewage pumped directly into voters’ bathrooms, or causing pipes to burst in the street. This morning DEFRA released a statement pooh-poohing the idea:
“Storm overflows are an automatic safety valve that release excess pressure on the network. This prevents sewage backing up into properties and stops widespread mains pipe bursts across the country. This is a reckless suggestion that risks the safety of homes and businesses.”
A government source added:
“We’re used to the LibDems making-up ridiculous policy but this is the most dangerous one yet. It would mean people spending their bank holiday with sewage backing up through their toilets.”
A total stinker…
As TransPennine were stripped of their government contract over poor service this morning and amid a period of widespread strike disruption, BBC Breakfast put out feelers for an impartial expert for their analysis. A fellow comrade was soon found in former Labour Party city councillor and one-time Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Keighley and Ilkley, Henri Murison.
Murison was introduced as “chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, the organisation that has been campaigning for better connectivity in the North,” before he launched a tirade on the “tokenistic” and “politically symbolic gesture” of the government scapegoating TransPennine. Though Murison honourably noted that he was “not here to give a political view…”
The former Labour parliamentary hopeful then continued to not give a political view by saying:
“The government’s got to answer: What are they going to do to solve this national pay dispute? Two transport secretaries ago, they picked a fight with ASLEF and other rail unions to try and position the government for a culture war against workers,” before adding that the prime minister must personally “make sure ASLEF get the deal they need to go back and get the members to agree to it.”
Murison ran for Labour selection in Keighley and Ilkley in 2013, losing out to John Grogan. Guido’s not saying that Murison should not have been on BBC Breakfast, just that as per BBC guidelines, it might have been an idea to mention his partisan affiliations…
Viewers tuning into BBC Breakfast this morning would be forgiven for not knowing Labour have been caught lying and covering up facts to do with Sir Keir’s beer party up in Durham. Despite the Daily Mail’s massive splash on Angie Rayner’s participation, BBC Breakfast’s paper review seemed to miss it out…
When they finally got around to discussing the exposé, political correspondent Iain Watson was at pains to emphasise Labour’s absurd line that it was just an “honest mistake”, incredibly kind framing Guido’s sure Downing Street would not receive. The Metropolitan Police decided to U-turn and investigate No. 10’s parties after months of media pressure; now Labour’s been caught out, the establishment media is doing its best to downplay the rule-breaking. Labour must be thanking their lucky stars…
Following Guido’s story on Monday pointing out Lisa Nandy’s repeated U-turns on Afghanistan, the Shadow Foreign Secretary had a rough time on this morning’s media round. Pushed repeatedly by Richard Bacon on GMB, Nandy claimed:
“I haven’t changed my position on the UK’s decision about withdrawal. When the United States made the decision to withdraw from Afghanistan it became virtually inevitable that the United Kingdom would follow suit.”
She got the same treatment on BBC Breakfast, where she admitted it was fair to say she previously agreed with the withdrawal policy. Given Nandy insisted in July that “there is no military solution for, no military future for the Afghan people”, she was never going to have a credible explanation for her sudden pivot to outrage on Monday about a policy she had advocated. Good to see breakfast TV’s producers read Guido…
Despite causing a furore with the “flag-shagger” saga, Naga Munchetty still had trouble containing herself on BBC Breakfast this morning. After playing footage of Boris’s meeting with the Queen, in which the PM interrupted the Monarch to say that Matt Hancock was “full of beans“, Naga muttered “I wonder if she was going to say full of beans…”. What might Naga have been suggesting? Guido couldn’t possibly say…
After Guido made headlines last year revealing BBC Panorama’s PPE documentary was, in essence, a Labour party political broadcast – rammed with anti-Tory activists who weren’t flagged to viewers – the corporation admitted it had made a mistake. Specifically in the case of Dr Sonia Adesara, a Corbyn activist and former Labour candidate, where the failure to flag her long-time political activity had breached guidelines. It led to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden writing to the BBC to remind them of their duty to be impartial…
The message has penetrated to presenters, it was good to see the corporation learning from past mistakes this morning, as Adesara appeared on BBC Breakfast and was flagged as a “Labour activist” at the end of the interview by Naga Munchetty. Almost there – now the BBC just needs to make sure these biases are flagged at the outset of the interview before everyone tunes out…
Prior to the last-minute declaration by Munchetty, Dr Sonia’s appearance was shaping up to be a classic example of a biased ‘expert activist’ making claims from an anti-Tory point of view, rather than their area of expertise; that the PM is delaying the Covid inquiry to avoid it coming out before the next election – something the government strongly deny – and stems from her political views rather than her medical expertise. Munchetty clearly hesitated before reading the scripted warning – hopefully she’ll get more comfortable doing it from here on out…
