The Politics Thread 2020

[Highgate]

1 hour ago, TramRam said:

The General public are made up of many social structures, Not all will read or watch the media(news channels), What is actual honest reporting?, Do you believe in all if any news story, These news worthy stories are there to get our attention, Brexit(Leave and Remain)had huge holes in each of their truths, Covid-19 will be no different, I neither watch news on TV or read any news papers, I get all information from the internet whether Fact or Fiction from there I make a valid judgement.

Paul71 is spot on on his assesment our our media ?

I'm not disputing any of that, nor Paul's assessment.  What I'm saying is that I find it surprising that has been a recent sudden decrease in trust in the media, as was shown in the graph posted.  Why is it a recent phenomenon is my question.  Surely their shortcomings and bias should have been common knowledge long before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Not that I disregard the media entirely, there is still some good reporting to be found.

[Highgate]

1 hour ago, i-Ram said:

Genuinely disconcerting to have Trump agree with me.  Thanks for that. ?   I need a shower.

[maxjam]

4 minutes ago, Highgate said:

I'm not disputing any of that, nor Paul's assessment.  What I'm saying is that I find it surprising that has been a recent sudden decrease in trust in the media, as was shown in the graph posted.  Why is it a recent phenomenon is my question.  Surely their shortcomings and bias should have been common knowledge long before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Not that I disregard the media entirely, there is still some good reporting to be found.

Maybe people are starting to notice more now-a-days?  Prior to covid-19 a lot of people would perhaps just take in the headlines and carry on with their busy lives.  Now people are actually sat at home with little else to do watching the daily news conferences and can see for themselves how the 'journalists' act and the questions they ask.

Dunno really, just surmising. 

[Chester40]

21 hours ago, GboroRam said:

British values. ?? ?? ?? 

The Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Andrew. Boris and Maggie. The SAS. Winning two world wars. Up yours Delors. Sinking retreating enemy ships. Shoot to kill suspected terrorists. Kicking striking miners heads in with cavalry and batons. Blue passports. Roast beef and gravy. Leather on willow. Big Brave Soldiers. 

Everything that makes this country great. 

I normally grudgingly vote Labour.... But if you are standing as an independent candidate on this platform you have my vote!!

Although you have missed out 1966, Trafalgar, Wimbledon, Agincourt and Bucks Fizz (obviously both the drink and the pop group before you ask). 

 

[Highgate]

9 minutes ago, maxjam said:

Maybe people are starting to notice more now-a-days?  Prior to covid-19 a lot of people would perhaps just take in the headlines and carry on with their busy lives.  Now people are actually sat at home with little else to do watching the daily news conferences and can see for themselves how the 'journalists' act and the questions they ask.

Dunno really, just surmising. 

Seems like a reasonable guess to me.  But a 20% decline in public confidence in the media in the UK and Sweden is alarming.  I haven't been watching the media in the UK since the COVID-19 crisis started.  Have they been embarrassing themselves to such an extent that would account for such a precipitous decline in public confidence? Or could it be that the data in that graph is somehow flawed? 

[angieram]

I think it is headlines like this one that are making the public exasperated. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52279871

The headline quote is that the economy could shrink by 35%. If you bother reading the full article it then goes on to say 'Once restrictions are lifted, the OBR expects no lasting damage to growth.'

But that wouldn't have the same impact, would it? 

I used to think only the Mail and Sun did this, but the BBC have increasingly been posting these controversial headlines and it makes you wonder how many people take these as gospel without digging down into the full articles to get a bit of balance.

[TramRam]

31 minutes ago, Highgate said:

I'm not disputing any of that, nor Paul's assessment.  What I'm saying is that I find it surprising that has been a recent sudden decrease in trust in the media, as was shown in the graph posted.  Why is it a recent phenomenon is my question.  Surely their shortcomings and bias should have been common knowledge long before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Not that I disregard the media entirely, there is still some good reporting to be found.

For what it's worth i'll put my £5 on the reporting of Brexit on the BBCs Politics show with their constant remain bias, Question Time when it was moved from a Northern Leave area to a Southern Remain area for Political bias(altho the BBC at the time flounced about the move)Sally Bundock haranguing Tim Martin in an interview live on air which was clearly her Political views when the BBC are supposed to be impartitial, Channels 4 and 5 with their armourgedon future if Brexit comes about.

Northern towns ie the Red Wall were supposed to be seen as thick and uneducated, All the above channels sent main reporters there to prove their point with selective questions in their town centres and local boozers, The Northern elecorate didn't come across well on TV unfortunately, It's this supposed class divide that has seen Labour lose their support as they also thought they could take the Pi$$ out of them.

Maybe just maybe Brexit has brought some chickens home to roost from some enclaves ?

 

[Highgate]

8 minutes ago, TramRam said:

For what it's worth i'll put my £5 on the reporting of Brexit on the BBCs Politics show with their constant remain bias, Question Time when it was moved from a Northern Leave area to a Southern Remain area for Political bias(altho the BBC at the time flounced about the move)Sally Bundock haranguing Tim Martin in an interview live on air which was clearly her Political views when the BBC are supposed to be impartitial, Channels 4 and 5 with their armourgedon future if Brexit comes about.

Northern towns ie the Red Wall were supposed to be seen as thick and uneducated, All the above channels sent main reporters there to prove their point with selective questions in their town centres and local boozers, The Northern elecorate didn't come across well on TV unfortunately, It's this supposed class divide that has seen Labour lose their support as they also thought they could take the Pi$$ out of them.

Maybe just maybe Brexit has brought some chickens home to roost from some enclaves ?

 

I don't know of the reporting that you are referring to, but wouldn't all that have predated the effect shown on the graph?  It claims to show a 20% reduction in confidence in the media since the outbreak of Covid-19.  Which is all very recent.  So I assume there is a baseline figure from around the start of the outbreak which is the basis for the the comparison. 

[TramRam]

14 minutes ago, angieram said:

I think it is headlines like this one that are making the public exasperated. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52279871

The headline quote is that the economy could shrink by 35%. If you bother reading the full article it then goes on to say 'Once restrictions are lifted, the OBR expects no lasting damage to growth.'

But that wouldn't have the same impact, would it? 

I used to think only the Mail and Sun did this, but the BBC have increasingly been posting these controversial headlines and it makes you wonder how many people take these as gospel without digging down into the full articles to get a bit of balance.

The BBC know that the Tory Government are after them, So headlines like this is a weapon to beat them with...BUT!

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that this was based on an assumption that the current lockdown would last for three months.

It wouldn't have looked so good if the headline was.

The Office of Budget Responsibility are only assuming there would be a 35% hit to the economy.

There's lies, Damn lies and crap reporting.

[TramRam]

2 minutes ago, Highgate said:

I don't know of the reporting that you are referring to, but wouldn't all that have predated the effect shown on the graph?  It claims to show a 20% reduction in confidence in the media since the outbreak of Covid-19.  Which is all very recent.  So I assume there is a baseline figure from around the start of the outbreak which is the basis for the the comparison. 

Just a guess, Their suspicions started pre 2019 election and Confirmed during Covid-19.

[Tamworthram]

4 hours ago, maxjam said:

Interesting series of 7 tweets here (just linked the first, click on the tweet to view the rest);

Basically since Covid-19, trust in the government is up (regardless of left/right divide) and trust in the media has never been lower...

 

One caveat to this report.

I understand that the data is drawn from a survey of 1000 people for each county. If my maths is right, that is only 0.0016% of the population in the UK.

[JoetheRam]

I don't regularly tune in to the Daily Briefings, and this wasn't really within the context of Coronavirus, but have to say I was impressed with Rishi Sunak's performance.

Seems capable.

[maxjam]

Potentially disturbing UK/China news...

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-made-promises-to-china-over-how-it-would-refer-to-covid-19-china-claims-11973178

Two points of note;

1.   Has the UK has made such assurances it will be seen as siding with China in a growing international row over the country's handling of the fallout of the pandemic which began there.

2.   Chinese authorities have also in the last few days placed restrictions on any scientific or academic research into the virus.  Studies on the origin of the virus must now be approved by central government officials.  The cover-up and under-reporting in China is likely to have led Western countries to greatly underestimate the threat of COVID-19 and fail to prepare for their own outbreaks sufficiently.  If China also suppresses its own findings into the causes of the virus, vital lessons will go unlearned making another future pandemic more likely.

[Pearl Ram]

1 hour ago, angieram said:

I think it is headlines like this one that are making the public exasperated. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52279871

The headline quote is that the economy could shrink by 35%. If you bother reading the full article it then goes on to say 'Once restrictions are lifted, the OBR expects no lasting damage to growth.'

But that wouldn't have the same impact, would it? 

I used to think only the Mail and Sun did this, but the BBC have increasingly been posting these controversial headlines and it makes you wonder how many people take these as gospel without digging down into the full articles to get a bit of balance.

This kind of thing makes me puke. At a time when we are crying for a morsel of positivity some bright spark thinks it’s good idea to publish that kind of garbage. Really, who gives a stuff about the economy right now, if we are not concerned for our family and friends’ wellbeing, our thoughts are with those on the frontline at hospitals and care homes, if it’s not either of those it might be how we’re going to get by financially in the coming weeks and months.

What can the average Joe/Joanne do about the duckin’ economy ? It’s not as though we are choosing to not be in the workplace. I think that it is irresponsible reporting, hit us with that poo when we’ve come out of all this, I don’t think it’s good for the nation’s morale when we’re pretty much at a low ebb anyway. *********.

[AndyinLiverpool]

4 hours ago, Paul71 said:

The media are a lot to blame for the panic buying that happened....they reveled in posting images of it and it made big headlines, this caused a domino effect. If they hadn't done this and forced hundreds/thousands into confined spaces maybe the spread may have been managed better.

They were a lot to blame for the banking crisis too but publishing scaremongering stories which led to people queuing round the block to withdraw their savings from the likes of Northern Rock.

 

I wonder what kind of reporting would not be 'scaremongering' under these current circumstances. Are we as individuals not responsible for the interpretation we put on what we read or hear? There were those of us who rushed out and bought all the bog roll and those of us that didn't. We read the same things. The media didn't make morons buying toilet rolls the big headlines; morons buying toilet rolls did. Not publishing at all is a heinous dereliction of duty.

Some people will panic regardless of circumstances (you only have to read the matchday thread on here when we go a goal down).

[AndyinLiverpool]

54 minutes ago, maxjam said:

Potentially disturbing UK/China news...

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-uk-made-promises-to-china-over-how-it-would-refer-to-covid-19-china-claims-11973178

Two points of note;

1.   Has the UK has made such assurances it will be seen as siding with China in a growing international row over the country's handling of the fallout of the pandemic which began there.

2.   Chinese authorities have also in the last few days placed restrictions on any scientific or academic research into the virus.  Studies on the origin of the virus must now be approved by central government officials.  The cover-up and under-reporting in China is likely to have led Western countries to greatly underestimate the threat of COVID-19 and fail to prepare for their own outbreaks sufficiently.  If China also suppresses its own findings into the causes of the virus, vital lessons will go unlearned making another future pandemic more likely.

So will I get it from a 5G phone or not?

Should I soak my phone in bleach?

[i-Ram]

3 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

I wonder what kind of reporting would not be 'scaremongering' under these current circumstances. Are we as individuals not responsible for the interpretation we put on what we read or hear? There were those of us who rushed out and bought all the bog roll and those of us that didn't. We read the same things. The media didn't make morons buying toilet rolls the big headlines; morons buying toilet rolls did. Not publishing at all is a heinous dereliction of duty.

Some people will panic regardless of circumstances (you only have to read the matchday thread on here when we go a goal down).

I agree with this other than the last paragraph. Many on the matchday thread are in full panic mode one hour before kickoff.

[Sith Happens]

11 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

I wonder what kind of reporting would not be 'scaremongering' under these current circumstances. Are we as individuals not responsible for the interpretation we put on what we read or hear? There were those of us who rushed out and bought all the bog roll and those of us that didn't. We read the same things. The media didn't make morons buying toilet rolls the big headlines; morons buying toilet rolls did. Not publishing at all is a heinous dereliction of duty.

Some people will panic regardless of circumstances (you only have to read the matchday thread on here when we go a goal down).

i agree with some of that, afterall there are those of us rushing out to burn down phone masts and those that don't 

 

[Sith Happens]

13 minutes ago, AndyinLiverpool said:

So will I get it from a 5G phone or not?

Should I soak my phone in bleach?

I'm ok when I use my phone I stand at least 2 meters away from it

[Uptherams]

46 minutes ago, Pearl Ram said:

This kind of thing makes me puke. At a time when we are crying for a morsel of positivity some bright spark thinks it’s good idea to publish that kind of garbage. Really, who gives a stuff about the economy right now, if we are not concerned for our family and friends’ wellbeing, our thoughts are with those on the frontline at hospitals and care homes, if it’s not either of those it might be how we’re going to get by financially in the coming weeks and months.

What can the average Joe/Joanne do about the duckin’ economy ? It’s not as though we are choosing to not be in the workplace. I think that it is irresponsible reporting, hit us with that poo when we’ve come out of all this, I don’t think it’s good for the nation’s morale when we’re pretty much at a low ebb anyway. *********.

Hold up. The economy matters because as many left wing posters have highlighted in the past, austerity has a death toll and taxation, from a functioning economy, funds the NHS. We don't know how many people in the coming months or years will no longer be contributing to national insurance, because they are now potentially out of work. 

You don't decide what is and isn't important to discuss. Dismissing the topic outright is far more dangerous than any scare story.