Unthreaded
Con' Home A review of The Noble Liar:
How and Why the BBC Distorts the News to Promote a Liberal Agenda by Robin Aitken
"The BBC has wholeheartedly thrown its lot in with the liberal reformers; there has been no ‘impartiality’ on any of the big moral issues of the past half-century. In every instance, the socially conservative argument has been depicted as callous, reactionary and dogmatic. Any counterargument to the prevailing liberal consensus is now ignored altogether; social conservative voices are conspicuous by their absence on mainstream current affairs programmes.”
(By fake news) “Trump wasn’t saying that the press and the TV networks were getting the facts wrong, rather, they were telling the wrong stories. (to make an overall false perspective)
And Trump had a good point: it’s a question of fairness, not facts.
A report can be accurate and yet deeply unfair whether by selection or omission.
‘Fake news’ is not so much about factual inaccuracy as about ideological bias…”
stewgreen
I quote Michael Urry :
When the International Investors Group for Climate Change was set up
the original Chairman was Peter Dunscombe who was also Head of the BBC pensions investment department.
The problem of the BBC’s attitude to climate change is all to do with money -just as is the case with our Universities. //
stewgreen
"Under far-right pressure, Europe retreats from UN migration pact
Populists seize chance to put favorite issue on agenda ahead of EU vote, causing ructions among governments."
https://www.politico.eu/article/migration-un-viktor-orban-sebastian-kurz-far-right-pressure-europe-retreats-from-pact/
"A previously obscure 34-page, jargon-filled document is causing political convulsions across Europe — even though it’s not even legally binding.
Italy this week became the latest in a string of European countries to say it would not sign the U.N.’s Global Compact on Migration at a ceremony in Marrakech in just under two weeks. From the Netherlands through Belgium and Germany to Slovakia, the pact has triggered infighting in ruling parties and governments, with at least one administration close to breaking point."
The piece ends with a quote from the UN official in charge of this:
"Arbour said it’s too late to start making changes to the pact itself. Renegotiating the text or attaching an extra statement is “not what other [countries] have signed up to,” she said."
Sound familiar, in another context?
Mark Hodgson
"Bulgaria to proceed with plans to transport Russian gas to C. Europe"
https://www.rt.com/newsline/445265-bulgaria-gas-russia-europe/
Bulgaria will go ahead with plans to spend €1.4 billion ($1.59 billion) to build a new gas link to Turkey in order to transport Russian gas from the TurkStream pipeline to Europe, bypassing Ukraine to the south. Lawmakers gave the green light to the state gas company Bulgartransgaz to launch tenders to build a new 484km (300 miles) gas link that will carry mainly Russian natural gas, Reuters reports. “What follows from now on is strict observation of European Union rules and procedures, so that we can eliminate all eventual mistakes that in the past have led to the cancellation of South Stream,” Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova said.
Mark Hodgson
And still les gilets jaunes carry on:
"Police use tear gas as new Yellow Vest rallies against govt fuel tax reforms hit Paris (WATCH LIVE)
Published time: 1 Dec, 2018 08:28
Edited time: 1 Dec, 2018 09:07"
https://www.rt.com/news/445314-france-yellow-vests-protests/
Police deployed tear gas at Yellow Vest protesters in Paris. The unrest, which follows last week’s mayhem in the French capital, is triggered by fuel price hikes and tax increases.
December 1 rallies are being held with the slogan “on the way to Macron’s resignation.” The event’s Facebook page has already seen tens of thousands of people promising to either attend or considering taking part. A prominent trade union confederation (the CGT) also called on its 46,000 followers to join in.
As the rally gained momentum, the area close to the iconic Champs-Elysees avenue has been covered by thick smoke. While pelting law enforcement with various projectiles, protesters have also resorted to symbolic yellow paint during the standoff. To their delight, quite a few shots have landed on the shields of riot police.
This Friday, the government failed in its bid to settle the issue after only two of the protesters’ representatives turned up for a meeting with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. One of them walked out after he was told he could not have TV cameras covering the negotiations. A recent poll shows that despite the mayhem, two-thirds of people in France still back the ‘Yellow Vest’ cause.
The movement has also inspired rallies in neighboring Belgium, where protesters on Friday called on the prime minister to resign. A standoff there also ended up in clashes with law enforcement.
Mark Hodgson
idau
It might be an urban myth and comes over as a tall tale worthy of a 1930s Ealing Comedy film....
the tale I heard was that there was long running fractious relationship between Texaco (iirc) as the JV primary plant operator / filling station operator and Dublin politicians who were purportedly really pissed at Texaco being somewhat monopolistically opportunist with their pricing (I heard the pols described it as taking the piss) and Texaco were approached repeatedly to align their prices with UK mainland - Texaco (with purportedly Texan bluntness) told Dublin to go take a hike - it all got very seriously feisty - Dublin seized the refinery and all the filling stations.
In the version of the story I heard the filling stations were all picked up by Statoil....
The oil majors closed ranks and wouldn't ship/sell crude to Ireland so a government minister grabbed an Aer Lingus 737 and flew out to see Sheikh Yamani ... who agreed to supply the Irish State.
yup ... a tall tale
tomo
tomo
History of Whitegate refinery:
01 May 2012 Present Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery Limited
10 Dec 2003 01 May 2012 Phillips 66 Whitegate Refinery Limited
27 Mar 2002 10 Dec 2003 Conocophillips Whitegate Refinery Limited
08 Nov 1984 27 Mar 2002 Irish Refining Limited
14 Jun 1957 08 Nov 1984 Irish Refining Public Limited Company
14 Jun 1957 14 Jun 1957 Irish Refining Company Limited
Irish Refining Co was a JV between 4 majors (IIRC Shell, BP, Esso, Texaco with unequal shares), but INPC was certainly responsible for buying their crude I would have said before 1984 until it was sold:
The Irish National Petroleum Corporation (INPC) was established, under company law in 1979. The Whitegate refinery, (Cork) was acquired by the Irish National Petroleum Corporation (INPC) on behalf of the State in 1982 when the refinery's then shareholders (Esso, Texaco, Shell and BP) decided to permanently cease refining at Whitegate.
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/sale-of-irish-national-petroleum-corporation-agreed-for-116m-1.310382
Irving are consolidating their position in Ireland:
https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/owners-of-irelands-whitegate-refinery-strike-deal-to-buy-top-oil-37237618.html
It doesn't add up...
Nigel Farage says it as it is in hard hitting rant
Nigel Farage exposes Theresa May’s duplicity
Kleinefeldmaus
Suddenly, something may have moved, a little bit.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2018/11/30/climategate-continues-mann-tries-to-get-ahead-of-his-legal-problem-releases-his-own-version-of-emails/
golf charlie
Le Monde is reporting ‘il y a trios minutes’ that the barricades are already going up in Paris, and tear gas already in use.
But.... but... isn’t Europe some kind of Garden of Eden we’ll be mad to leave?
Where’s me popcorn? And if yesterday’s riots in Brussels are repeated I may crack open a tinny of beer watching it all unfold. Is that Schadenfreude? You bet!