Sunday 10 March 2013

BBC QT audience rigging revealed

Its great the BBC underhand tactics of last Thursday have been outed. Click on link for the sordid tale of one Amy Rutland, a paid Labour party staffer who attacked Diane James in most abusive terms and was rightly put in her place by Melanie Philips. Worse Ms Rutland boasted on Twitter she had been in touch with the Labour panelist  Stephen Twigg before the show and as the show is pre-recorded then boasted on Twitter before the show was broadcast that she had 'ripped into' Diane James.

I wrote on Friday that based on my watching the show she was a Labour plant. That has now been confirmed. She was clearly there with the young man on her right who also was favoured by Dimbleby. On that man's right there was a dark haired woman who said she was a teacher and was also allowed a long spiel. On the front row, extreme left there was another 30 something woman who was called by Dimbleby twice and repeated the same accusations of scaremongering against Mrs James. Dimbleby was clearly listening to his producer before he went to these three women.

The young more abusive one featured in camera shot three times before she was called. The BBC were clearly checking their camera shot angles before the big attack. It was quite incredible that when Mrs James attempted to answer the properly put audience question about the effect of Eastleigh Dimbleby did not let her answer but insisted she answer the abusive attack from Ms Robson. What is going on? I have never seen a member of the audience allowed to repeatedly use such abusive, unsupported language to a panelist. Clearly Twigg knew the young woman.

I have never been in the Question Time audience but I suspect that these womem were placed in these seats deliberately by the BBC so they could be easily featured. I would be grateful if anyone who has could comment on my suspicions. Does the BBC place audience questioners in suitable seats?

I am often portrayed by the Farage trolls as anti-UKIP. I am nothing of the sort. I am very pro the UKIP cause and have been since 1972 but I do not think Farage is a suitable leader. The  Guardian has already started in on him click on link to read. UKIP is currently a Farage cult and what worries me is if the media take out Farage, which they surely will, our cause goes with him.

I will go on doing what I can for UKIP and to that effect I will submit a FOI request to the BBC on the statistical breakdown of their QT audience along the lines of their audience application form. Click on link to read it. I expect to be fobbed off but its something UKIP should pursue.


8 comments:

Ed P said...

Astounding stuff This needs to be mainstreamed

Eric Edmond said...

I would be delighted to talk to any paper, TV or radio programme about it but of course the BBC is the mainstream and is judge and jury on ts own case.

Eric E

ALAN WOOD said...

There are two other aspects to this: there is the BBC's need to create confrontational TV and the need to probe weaknesses in any party.
With the BBC there is bound to be anti-right wing bias whether it's UKIP,BNP or Conservative as I have said previously.
A clever politician has a way of answering these difficult questions but it is not easy for a novice like the UKIP candidate.
The former UKIP Press Officer (Page ?) used to second guess the likely subject areas that would be covered on the programme to give Farage time to think of suitable replies.
Melanie Philips is a hardened jounalist and knows how to deal with these situations.
Was it wise for UKIP to let the UKIP candidate be subjected to QT before she had had more experience ?

Richboy said...

May I draw your attention to this:

"In BBC1’s Question Time in May [2009], a woman asked if the MP expenses scandal would give a boost to “...extremist parties like the BNP?” David Dimbleby asked her “By extremist, do you also mean UKIP?”

Why? By whose criteria (apart from Dimbleby’s) is UKIP considered “extremist”?"

http://bit.ly/ZDcjjA

Eric Edmond said...

Yes and on Thursday he gave K Clarke extra time as he was outnumbered 3 to 2 by EU sceptics. I can't remember him doing that when Farage et all were outnumbered 4 to 1 by the the Europhiles.

Me Again said...

Hope you get your wish and someone in the press picks up on this. I was rather hoping that Melanie would.

Anonymous said...

Good article, I downloaded the video and ran through it, the camera falls on her at 2:50, 11:15, 13:44, 18:12, 19:25, 20:02, 23:50, 24:32, 27:47, 32:59 friend question, 36:15, 36:24 - 39:20 her rant, 39:43, 41:43, 42:50, 43:02, 43:17, 43:26, 46:54.
I daresay she has opened herself up to some frosty receptions next time she is out canvassing for Labour votes.

Eric Edmond said...

Thx Anon,

that's exactly what I did as well. It repays careful study. i am sure the dark haired 30 something front row left was also a plant.

UKIP has to get a handle on this quick.

Eric E