Peter Mandelson Caught Hook, Line and Sinker

For those that missed it...



[Cross Posted from 10 Drowning St]

Peter Mandelson Caught Hook, Line and Sinker

Orwell’s Forgotten Predictions

Since the formatting problems this blog has lacked for contributions, so I reckoned this could be cross-posted from my blog. Apologies to Not a Sheep if I steal any of his thunder!

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Nineteen Eighty-Four is a book from which most people only know one concept, that of being under constant surveillance. It is far from the most important concept in the book.

Not a Sheep highlights today a satirical comparison of 1984 and Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s idea of socialist Utopia. The cartoon goes much further than that shallow idea of being watched, but does not address what I always felt to be the most important themes in 1984, Newspeak and corruption of history. It is too long since I read Brave New World, and I cannot remember if or how Huxley addressed these issues.

In 1984 language was changed to control thought. Words were not to be used, others no longer had all the same meanings and others still had their meanings reversed. In that way it was intended to control thought, because abstract thought without language is very difficult (and all but impossible to communicate) and control of language allowed control of what could be thought in that language.

While I agree with the cartoon that Huxley’s vision is closer in many ways to developing reality, Orwell did get the language concept right. The authoritarian left is quite literally doing what Orwell predicted.

There are words we cannot say, concepts we cannot express without being the object of contempt or hatred. Other words and concepts have been twisted to the reverse of their original meanings. Words such as 'liberal', 'tolerant' and 'progressive', concepts such as anti-racism, anti-fascism and  diversity are used to mean exactly the opposite.

An important slogan in 1984 is “Whoever controls the past controls the future. Whoever controls the present controls the past”. Winston Smith, the protagonist, works is the Ministry of Truth changing the records of history, the control of the past.

The left has altered history, in a wide variety of ways. We are told that European culture is solely responsible for slavery, when the truth is that until European culture developed to ban slavery it was almost universal. We are told that FDR saved the world from depression with his ‘Keynesian’ and other socialist policies, when they actually deepened recession into depression, and Keynes later disavowed them. We are told that racism is historically right-wing, when from the Democrat Party and unions in the Southern USA to Nazis and Communists it has been far more a factor in the left.

Unless we wish to succumb to shrill left-wing authoritarianism we must take back our history and take back our language. In order to do so we need to challenge bias in government, education and the media, especially powerful, influential special interest groups like the NUT and the BBC.

Orwell’s Forgotten Predictions

Impartiality And The BBC

I actually read this story in the Evening Standard, but the Times also has it:

"The BBC is facing a barrage of criticism after forcing one of its most senior newsreaders to step down as patron of a charity that supports farmers in the developing world.

The corporation has told George Alagiah, presenter of the Six o’Clock News, that he must leave his unpaid position at the Fairtrade Foundation because of impartiality rules, although he has held the post for seven years.

A BBC spokeswoman said: 'The BBC has guidelines in place to ensure our reputation for impartiality is protected. That is paramount.'"

Now, leaving aside the fact that Fairtrade is a con designed to make Guardian readers feel better, it's quite incredible how the BBC takes its responsibility to maintain impartiality seriously on some things, but not others. Alagiah has been forced to quit a position which paid nothing, offered no real perks, and which was in an organisation with no real power. Why then, does the BBC categorically refuse to admit how many of its employees are members of the Labour party - or any party, for that matter? Why is it acceptable for BBC employees to have an enthusiastic and sometimes vested interest in the party which forms the Government, but George Alagiah can't sit around in a dank room talking about overpriced Mexican coffee?

Impartiality And The BBC

Who's In Charge At The BBC?

The following video which I found at Fausty's blog give us a clue and is well worth watching.



Hat-tip: Fausty's Blog

Who's In Charge At The BBC?

Where I Should Be Tonight

Tonight, I should be at a meeting in York with Douglas Carswell organised by the University of York Freedom Society. I am not because the meeting was suddenly cancelled yesterday.

Meetings get cancelled all the time but this time it's a bit odd. Gordon Brown suddenly decided to visit Yorkshire this week and - guess what? He's been in York today.

It seems that the cancellation of this meeting may be innocent - Carswell couldn't make it. He has got a baby now and it's a long way to travel. Nevertheless, it being cancelled at the same time as Gordon Brown being in the vicinity made me feel very uncomfortable and led to me asking to join this blog.

Over the past few years I have become an increasingly suspicious person. Today, after a radio programme Brown did for Radio Leeds, a fawning article appeared with suspicious speed on the BBC website. The House of Commons' Culture, Media and Sport Committee also met in York yesterday - a load of media professionals demanding that their companies be bailed out with government money. There is an interesting comment on the article:

The scheduled aims of this public meeting was to get the views of the public. Unfortunately the meeting was monopolised by "professional" journalists and associates, whose views however relevant highlighted their own personal and company interests.There were a few members of the public present but their views were not encouraged by the Chair, the ITV Calendar presenter Christine Talbot herself a media professional.

And these media professionals wonder why their companies are in trouble?

Where I Should Be Tonight