Daily Fail on top form once again...

[GREED]

BBC News - Harriet Harman condemns paper's 'smear campaign'

 

Question: when does it become ok for them to run with any story they can think up, or put the loosest of links to, but my other pet hate The Sun gets chastised on a virtual daily basis for their made up stories?

[AngryTechnician]

The DM is actually the worst offender for PCC complaints (Daily Mail tops the league of press regulation code breaches | theguardian.com), but astonishingly their editor is chairman of the PCC's Editors' Code of Practice Committee.

 

If this isn't proof enough that the PCC is a waste of space, I don't know what is.

[GREED]

Here is a debate starter: when does freedom of speech become blatant lies and smear? When will the press be stopped from writing whatever drivel to make headlines and controversy and ruin lives...

[Earthling]

A society gets the journalism it deserves.

[zag]

Don't forget the BBC is a VERY left leaning news organization.

 

Its funny how they didn't report the allegations all week, then when they did, the headline of the story was about a smear campaign, not the actual allegations.

 

Not saying its a proper story, just be careful which news organizations you believe, left or right, they usually have a Bias.

[localzuk]

You can't expect anything better from a paper that puts as it top story yesterday "My girl isn't a gold digger" about some young thing clinging to a lottery winner who left his wife, when the Ukraine is in turmoil, the Cabinets of both the UK and Scotland are meeting to discuss the future of UK oil and gas, and a million other more important things are going on...

[GREED]

Oh I agree I take the BBC very lightly too. However the details of the story, it is a very very loose link but has been massively blown out of proportion, as usual by the Fail.

 

This could cost her her job... and for what? I have no particular love for Harmen but still...

 

It's like saying if you had a dodgy teacher on your books (you know what I mean) then by association all other teacher are dodgy too...

[TechMonkey]

It's a curious case. I hate the DM & have no illusion that this is a smear piece rather than an attempt at investigative and public interest journalism but this link has been made for a long time by other papers as well (Telegraph, Private Eye, Mirror). The main issue is why all involved have not come out and said that it was a mistake to associate with this group and it should have never happened. Liberty itself has done this.

[localzuk]

The link appears to be that the NCCL gave affiliate status to PIE before Harman worked there. The Daily Mail then wanted her to denounce that link, even though it was a) nothing to do with her and b) before she started there.

 

Should we all behave in that way? We'd all spend all day apologising!

[zag]

As someone else said, its not just the daily mail who have brought this up before. The Mirror which is very left leaning also did in the past.

 

And check out some of the more stories:

 

Harriet Harman, the NCCL and paedophilia: my article from 2012 – Telegraph Blogs

[Earthling]

Here is a debate starter: when does freedom of speech become blatant lies and smear? When will the press be stopped from writing whatever drivel to make headlines and controversy and ruin lives...

 

Q1. It's the other way round. Whenever the press, right-wing, left-wing, off the wall, independent, whatever, are taken to task over lies and smearing, then it becomes 'Freedom of Speech'.

 

Q2. When we all stop buying, reading, believing and being titillated by their worthless lies, when we all stop being more concerned with which celeb is knocking off which other celeb than what's really happening to our society.

 

I don't buy newspapers, I don't read their websites, I haven't for a very long time. When I did buy a newspaper, it was in the morning to do the crossword on the train to work.

[sted]

BBC News - Harriet Harman condemns paper's 'smear campaign'

 

Question: when does it become ok for them to run with any story they can think up, or put the loosest of links to, but my other pet hate The Sun gets chastised on a virtual daily basis for their made up stories?

 

the honest answer?

when they can use it to sell more papers.

 

The problem is that newspapers are in the business of selling papers not selling news same as i believe 24 hour news channels are a bad thing they need viewers so report things as soon as they arrive with no factchecking and appoligise later if at all

[localzuk]

That link from the Torygraph is interesting and sums up why this is a ridiculous witch hunt as far as I can tell:

 

In 1978, she became legal officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL), which – in its evidence to the Criminal Law Revision Committee in 1976 – had said the following:

“Childhood sexual experiences, willingly engaged in, with an adult result in no identifiable damage… The real need is a change in the attitude which assumes that all cases of paedophilia result in lasting damage.”

To be fair, the NCCL’s quite revolting parliamentary submission was written two years before Harriet joined its staff. But one wonders why she wanted to work for an outfit whose views on sex with minors were known to be extreme, even by the standards of the day.

 

So, the organisation wanted the attitude to be changed somewhat. That submission could be taken in various ways - and many have agreed with the concept very recently, with comments about more 'mature' teenagers and the various 'stars' who abused them.

 

However, the fact that she wasn't even working there when that submission was made is very important. Asking why she would want to work for the NCCL, an agency that works for human rights, is a bit ridiculous based on one view! If we all worked like that, we'd all refuse to work for anyone as there are views all over the place which we don't agree with.

 

The rest makes some sense as well - she was worried that a bill being proposed could be overreaching and potentially damage scientific research. So, I'm still of the mind that in her individual case, this is a witch hunt.

 

The NCCL worked on human rights issues like ending slavery! I think that was pretty important work!

Edited February 25, 2014 by localzuk

[zag]

The front page of the Times is also reporting she has 'Regret' about the affiliation.

[Gibbo]

Here's another Telegraph article from 2012:

 

Jimmy Savile: Labour faces embarrassment over former child sex claims - Telegraph

 

I'm not sure what the DM's agenda is, they've never nailed their political colours to the Tory mast have they?

 

Maybe this is why the BBC is taking it lightly - scratch the surface and you get the link to Savile.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Gibbo

[JJonas]

The link appears to be that the NCCL gave affiliate status to PIE before Harman worked there. The Daily Mail then wanted her to denounce that link, even though it was a) nothing to do with her and b) before she started there.

 

Should we all behave in that way? We'd all spend all day apologising!

 

Having watched some of the BBC's 'Interview' with her last night - before I turned it off, it appears that getting affiliate status required paying a small annual membership fee and it looks like very little attention was being paid to what sort of groups were paying the fees. Not sure how this is her fault if they were given affiliation before she worked there.

Edited February 25, 2014 by JJonas

[mats]

I'm not sure what the DM's agenda is, they've never nailed their political colours to the Tory mast have they?

 

Maybe this is why the BBC is taking it lightly - scratch the surface and you get the link to Savile.

 

The DM's political agenda is pretty clear. It's owned by very wealthy individuals who want low taxes, small state and the best possible environment in which they can make even more money (eg weakened laws on pollution / wages / etc etc). The Tories are clearly their party of choice.

 

As for "the BBC are left wing" elsewhere in this thread - so how come they've almost completely ignored the NHS run down and sell off agenda the government are currently pursuing?

[Gibbo]

As for "the BBC are left wing" elsewhere in this thread - so how come they've almost completely ignored the NHS run down and sell off agenda the government are currently pursuing?

 

Maybe because all parties have a grubby paw in it?

 

Social Investigations: MPs financial links to companies involved in private healthcare

 

1. David Blunkett: MP for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough - Received fee of £4,250 from Civica 28th January, 2013. More than 70 NHS Commissioners use Civica Health & Social Care's industry standard SLAM NHS Commissioning software to help manage service level agreements with providers, including Payment by Results, local tariffs, local agreements, block payments and other variants.Received a fee of his apparent going rate of £4,250 for a speech at Runwood Care homes in December 2012. Recently acquired eight care homes from Warwickshire County Council.

 

2. Rosie Cooper: MP for West Lancashire - Paid by Cumberlege Connections for £300 for work with a focus group of health professionals. Company run by Tory Lord Baroness Cumberlege who broke the rules with this company in 2009, by failing to declare it in her registered interests, ran the business from her Westminster office. The company offers courses in power, politics and persuasion to leading staff in the NHS. Five Labour Lords, and several MPs have been paid for providing for her courses. The company is involved in bidding for the transition development of the new Clinical Commissioning Groups.

 

3. Simon Danczuk - MP for Rochdale - Fees from Cumberlege Connections Ltd, (See Rosie Cooper). Received fee of £300 for speaking at Fringe meeting of NHS Alliance Conference. Hours: 1.5 hrs (Registered 8 August 2012) March 2012 , received fee of £300 for speaking at Westminster Experience training workshop. Hours: 3 hrs. (Registered 8 August 2012) June 2012, received fee of £300 for speaking at Westminster Experience training workshop. Hours: 3 hrs. (Registered 8 August 2012) 11 September 2012, received fee of £300 for speaking at Westminster Experience training workshop. Hours: 1.5 hrs.

Non-Executive Director, providing business advice for Shine-Bid Services Ltd – Company provides support for bids which include the areas of healthcare procurement and PFI.

 

4. Alistair Darling: MP for Edinburgh South-West: 7 April 2011, He received a fee of £10,200 for addressing a dinner organised by Cinven, London. Hours: approx 6 hrs. On its website it states: ‘Cinven has been involved in European healthcare over a 20-year period and invests in market-leading, cash-generative companies.’

 

Cinven is a leading buyout firm, who bought 25 private hospitals from Bupa. Other UK investments include. Spire Healthcare, who run private healthcare hospitals, and whose clinical director Jean-Jacques de Gorter said the use of private sector would spiral as a result of Andrew Lansley’s reform proposals. General healthcare group, which runs healthcare services, and whose group includes: BMI healthcare. The other company is Générale de Santé who are France’s leading healthcare provider.

 

Patricia Hewitt (see below) was an advisor to Cinven.

 

5. Frank Dobson: MP for Holborn and St Pancras: Received payment from Cumberlege Connections: (See Rosie Cooper)

 

6. Frank Field – MP for Birkenhead: Is a non-executive director of Medicash Health Benefits Ltd a private health insurance company – he was appointed Chairman of the board on 20th of June 2011. Frank Field has worked with Medicash for 8 years having first been appointed as a non-executive director in 2003. The register of interests says his role is to ‘attend meetings offer advice.’ For this work he receives a monthly payment of £1,030, which according to the Medicash website will be given directly to local charities. What’s the problem with this? Private health insurance companies are set to profit from a privatised NHS.

 

7. David Lammy: MP for Tottenham: Received several payments from Cumberlege Connenctions for participating in 'Westminster Experience' conference: (See Rosie Cooper). January 2011, received fee of £229.70 for participating in the King’s Fund ‘High Potential Executive’ Programme. King’s Fund are a charity that ‘shapes NHS policy and practice, provides NHS leadership development and information, and hosts health care events.’

 

8. Owen Smith: MP for Pontypridd. A former UK lobbyist for the American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, where he was head of government affairs from 2005-2007. Director of Corporate Affairs and Health Economics for the UK’s biggest biotechnology company Amgen Ltd from 2008–09.

 

9. Gisela Suart: MP for Birmingham, Egbaston - Speaking at seminars for Cumberlege Connections. (See Rosie Cooper). Her Cumberlege Connections work includes: Payment of £350 for taking part in workshop. Hours: 2 hrs. Payment of £900 for taking part in workshop in Winchester. Payment of £1,900 for NHS leadership programme. Hours: 2 days. (Registered 6 April 2012). Payment of £300 for parliamentary programme workshop. Hours: 2 hrs. (Registered 6 April 2012.

 

10. Shaun Woodward: Shares in J Sainsbury PLC. Sainsbury run pharmacies and provide food for the NHS

[mats]

Oh yes, it's wrong that MPs get to vote for things that benefit companies they profit from.

 

If you're still not sure about which side of the political spectrum the Wail is on - how about the "The man who hated Britain" hatchet job they did on Ed Milliband's dad?

[zag]

Oh yes, of course, the man who arrived in Britain as a refugee and joined the Armed Forces to fight the Nazis- yes, definitely hated Britain - never let the truth get in the way of a good story

 

The Marxist you mean?

[witch]

The Marxist you mean?

 

Yes, that's right, the evil Marxist

 

Re-reading the whole issue though, I think it would have been prudent of Harriet Harman to express regret that PIE were affiliated with something she was involved with right at the get-go. She is an experienced politician and she KNOWS what the press would do to her. Seems a bit silly not to just cut them off right at the beginning.