[Bucksiron]

I’ve stayed away from the site for a long time but want to show support for Siderite on this appalling situation. It is, indeed, extremely complex and too many people are simply revealing their political bias when it comes to taking sides. I disagree with a huge amount of what Israel has done regarding the Palestinians, but a great deal of what we’re witnessing now in this country is racism in the form of anti-Semitism, pure and simple. It’s the same on this board, I’m afraid, and everybody knows who the perpetrators are.

The plain truth is that Hamas and many of their allies want to kill each and every Jew on the planet. That is a fact, which nobody can deny. Given these circumstances and what the Jews experienced in WW2, how can anyone blame them for taking whatever steps they deem necessary to rid the planet of these vile terrorists who care nothing about the Palestinian people.

The vast majority of Palestinians, I’ve no doubt, just want to live peacefully and after this appalling situation is over we can only hope that a long-lasting solution can be found, which will need compromise on all sides. Yes, that means Israel will have to change, but ultimately there were many Palestinians living perfectly happily with the Jews until Hamas carried out their despicable act. What’s happening now in Gaza is absolutely dreadful, but things will only improve when the Palestinians realise how badly they’ve been served by their Isis-like masters.

Meanwhile, Jews have every right to feel safe in this country every bit as much as Muslims or any other person of any colour, race or religion. Yet again, however, we see how certain people — not least on this board — are only too happy to denigrate anyone with religious beliefs; and I say that as an atheist.

[Bucksiron]

Nor is it license, JI. As for Heath, takes one to know one I’d say.

Siderite, the first problem I have with Lineker is that he’s paid a ridiculous amount of money out of a publicly funded organisation. He’s also built a fortune on the back of that organisation. It’s all very well for NI to claim that people “can choose not to have a TV licence”, but in the real world that isn’t the case. Even if I never watch the BBC I still need a TV licence if I want to watch another channel.

The second problem I have with Lineker is a total and utter failure to accept that with the privileges gained from working for the BBC also come responsibilities. The guidelines around working for the BBC aren’t grey at all. In fact they couldn’t be clearer; and if Lineker or anyone else is in any doubt then the fact he’s the highest paid person at the BBC might provide some sort of clue as to his position relative to the organisation. As I’ve said before there’s a very easy way to test this, which is to ask what would have happened had Lineker supported the Government’s position. In that case you lot would have been all over it like a rash; and, frankly, you’d have had every right to have done so.

The third problem I have with Lineker is how this affects his colleagues, all of whom are paid less and many of whom are paid a lot less than him. Despite Deerey’s snide little comments, designed to belittle me just as much as he claims I’m trying to belittle him, I can assure you that a lot of BBC employees are seriously fed-up with Lineker.

The fourth problem I have with Lineker is the self-righteous, “I’m a better person than you are because I stand up for vulnerable people”, which I must say applies to you lot just as much as it does to him. It’s all very well to call the Tory policy ‘hideous’, but it’s not even close to being as hideous as people handing over their possessions to traffickers and dying a horrible death in the Channel.

Good luck to Starmer who is apparently going “to stop the traffickers”. These people are like rats. Get rid of one lot and another lot just come in. On top of that it’s a 100% fact that a lot of healthy young men are exploiting the system and coming in from perfectly safe countries, while France has been useless at stopping what’s happening. It’s a pity Lineker doesn’t aim some of his ire in that direction, but being a remainer, of course, he’ll ignore France’s appalling treatment of migrants.

Finally, Lineker loves to position himself as representing the ‘ordinary, working-class man’. In fact the only people he truly represents are the North London, left-wing elite who wouldn’t know one end of a shovel from another.

[Bucksiron]

Ha ha, you’re right, Siderite, and that was during the cricket world cup final when I retreated to the garden because I couldn’t bear to watch the game unfolding.

Obviously someone up there doesn’t like me watching big sporting occasions…

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Siderite

[Bucksiron]

Black and white TV at home in Ashby. I burst into tears when West Germany equalised. What a moment when Hurst’s third went in, however.

I also recall the old FA Cup Final days when celebs such as Bruce Forsyth were wheeled out if Spurs were involved. Pretty much the only live football available on TV in those days, of course. I once ran up the garden to get something from the shed while the ‘pre-match build-up’ was on and caught my toe on dad’s cold frame, which was next to the garden path. I was in agony but kept quiet because I didn’t want to miss the match.

To this day that toe is crooked as I must have broken it; and, of course, over time it just set.

1 user thanked author for this post.

BobbyGmeister

[Bucksiron]

Well, no surprises there, of course. As usual it’s all the fault of those nasty Tories; and of course ‘Germany in the 1930s’ doesn’t refer to the Nazis. After all, Hitler would have been very happy for those immigrants to die in the freezing Channel having given their life savings to leave a perfectly safe EU country in a dodgy dinghy.

Good old Gary, no doubt he’ll be beatified for putting his £1.35m freelance income on the line, even if that helps him prove to HMRC that he should be exempt from paying over £5m in tax. I mean, what else is someone worth over £25m, built entirely on his BBC career to do from his working-class mansion in one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods? Goodness, he’s even taken in immigrants and rescue dogs. The sacrifices this man makes.

Deerey, quite why someone who worked in London for so many years wouldn’t know people in the BBC is beyond me, especially given that person worked in PR. Of course, I’m forgetting your ignorant, hackneyed and stereotypical view of PR, which is about as close to reality as Gary Lineker’s life is to that of the ordinary working man.

All of that aside, what these comments have confirmed is why the BBC can’t possibly continue as a taxpayer-funded organisation; and, NI, I think you’ll find that being funded by the taxpayer is very different from being paid through taxes, although many would argue that the BBC licence is just another tax in everything but name.

[Bucksiron]

Whatalot of whataboutery, Siderite. Unlike you, however, I have no problem with it. The points about Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Alan Sugar are perfectly valid, even though Neil was a ferocious interviewer of Tory politicians as much as Labour, Sugar was a Labour peer — and donor — for many years and Portillo was actually paid to give his political opinion. Along with Diane Abbott and Alan Johnson it should be said.

Those things aside, however, all that the above comments actually do is support the point I was making, which is that Lineker has holed the BBC below the water line. Whatever happens now Tim Davie has effectively given carte blanche to any BBC person outside news and current affairs to say what they like. That would be fine if the BBC wasn’t funded by the taxpayer.

As for BBC staff being very unhappy, I know quite a few senior people at the BBC, including one journalist currently on a flagship news programme. It’s an open secret that many of the staff believe Lineker’s given special treatment even though he’s not even a BBC employee. It’s hardly surprising that those on a fraction of his income will feel aggrieved.

Regarding hypocrisy, the only real hypocrite in all of this is Lineker himself. His morals surprisingly failed to stop him attending a World Cup in stadia built on the back of thousands of dead labourers in a country with an appalling human rights record. I watched no more than an hour of the whole tournament, which I felt should never have been played. That doesn’t make me any better than anyone else but it does make me wonder how Lineker could work on the tournament when staying at home would have made a much stronger statement than the pathetic monologue at the start of the competition.

[Bucksiron]

Actually, Siderite, I criticise the Tories a lot and if you check back over my posts you’ll see that to be the case.

Yet again, however, all I see here are the usual levels of abuse about ‘non-caring’ Tories, liars, etc, etc, etc, along with Lineker’s appalling comment about the Nazis, which of course he’s entitled to make but which I’m just as entitled to comment upon. Those attempting to defend him should think very carefully about the impact such comments have on diminishing the level of atrocities committed by the Nazis on millions of people. It really is repugnant and to say that it’s “fair” reveals a great deal about anyone making such a claim.

What I don’t see are any comments on how to address the problem, other than saying it isn’t surmountable. Well, that’s sorted it, then. Jeez, just how ridiculous can you get. It’s also highly disingenuous to come out with absurd comments about Government ministers not caring. Of course they care and claiming otherwise is just another example of the gutter comments spouted by the left. Frankly, the only people lying here are those who make such ridiculous claims.

The other thing I don’t see anyone talking about is why people want to come to the UK in the first place. Given how appalling this country is and how wonderful things are in the EU, according to you lot, what exactly is the incentive? Yet people are risking their lives and paying ridiculous sums of money to get out of France to come here.

The truth is that countries such as France have an appalling record of looking after migrants/immigrants. For all of the problems we have in the UK — and I’m not diminishing them for one moment — things are far better here than they are in many other countries, including a lot in the EU.

Criticism is easy and the left is very good at it. Solving real problems is difficult and I doubt very much that Starmer and Labour will fare much, if any better if they win the next election; and for all the doomsayers, it remains if. Immigration is a massive issue that Labour can still screw-up.

[Bucksiron]

No, Deerey, who are YOU trying to kid. The OP is entitled ‘Illegal Immigration’ and the whole point of LEGAL immigration is to allow those with just reason to enter the country to do so. All that you, Fans and your other left-wing mares are doing, as usual, is hurling abuse at anyone and everyone who is looking for ways to stop the appalling trafficking of vulnerable people, many of whom die in appalling circumstances in the Channel, as well as those with no justifiable reason for abandoning their own country in the first place.

By all means tell me you don’t believe that all immigrants who come here are honest, hard-working individuals fleeing appalling conditions; and if you do then tell me exactly how you, Keir Starmer and the Labour party are going to fix it. Starmer’s response to this has been a complete joke. It’s also a complete joke to make absurd claims about this being done because of local elections. Just how absurd can you get.

Of course, you can’t help yourself resorting to type, with the usual nonsense about racism, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. What a complete load of tripe you come out with.

As for being a lovely bunch, I’d take a long hard look in the mirror if I were you and your mates. Using the Nazis for comparisons is absolutely as low as it gets and I can assure you that the reflection you’ll see in that mirror is a bunch of individuals far nastier than anyone you’ll find in the Tories.

[Bucksiron]

The usual suspects in their element. I’ve never had a problem with immigration, but the self-righteous nonsense coming from the left just reveals how naive and dishonest they are.

Naive because whether anyone, including me, likes it or not there’s no question that immigration at levels we’re now seeing causes huge problems for our own population by putting additional pressure on public services and housing. It’s also totally naive to claim that all immigrants who come here are honest, hard-working individuals fleeing appalling conditions. Many are not and anyone claiming otherwise is just sticking their head in the sand. As for dishonesty, of course there are racists — unfortunately there always will be — but the vast majority of people against immigration aren’t remotely racist. Saying otherwise is just one massive lie.

The irony in all of this is that the majority of people you’re all complaining about with regard to views on racism are normal, working fold whom the left claim to be supporting. This is why it creates such a problem for Starmer and the Labour party, which won’t go away just because he’s PM.

As for Gary Lineker, every single person I’ve heard speak out against his comments has made it very clear that he’s entitled to say what he has, regardless of whether they agree with him or not. The problem is that the position he holds has been built on working for an organisation that is meant to be impartial. If Lineker wants to say what he does, fine, but then leave the BBC.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least that some on here believe Lineker was making a ‘fair observation’. Why? Because they’re ignorant bigots with zero understanding of history. The irony, as so often happens, is unbelievable. Far from showing true compassion all they’re actually doing is diminishing the memory of the millions of men, women and children, disabled, Roma, gay people and others who suffered torture and horrific death. The comparison is repugnant.

[Bucksiron]

It has absolutely nothing whatever to do with ‘hell existing’. While Siderite makes a fair comment in that Muslims would be a better word than Islamists, either way the point remains.

If you don’t respect people’s right to hold their religious views then you’re not just disrespecting Christians but all religions.

The OP is just offensive.

[Bucksiron]

I don’t often agree with you, IA, but you’re 100% correct here. It’s crazy to judge a manager on so few games.

[Bucksiron]

Haven’t had much time to visit the site recently but nothing’s changed. Same offensive and idiotic posts from the same usual suspects. I don’t believe, either, but I respect those who do.

Just change the word ‘Christians’ to ‘Islamists’ and ask whether that would be acceptable? Frankly, posting either is obscene.

[Bucksiron]

Yet another part of my younger life gone. Motty in his sheepskin coat, standing in the blizzard. Seems like yesterday.

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TwoWrights, Iron-awe

[Bucksiron]

Given how many in the public sector are “working” from home I’d be surprised if this is updated within the next 12 months, quite frankly.

[Bucksiron]

An excellent initiative but of course more detail is required. Either way, it’s another step in the right direction.

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Sharp_Shooter24, billpuntonsghost

[Bucksiron]

Listened to Dean on Humberside after the match on Saturday and while he isn’t the most eloquent I was impressed by his attitude. He knows what’s needed at this level and deserves to do well. A result tonight would be phenomenal.

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Iron-awe, cassidystash

[Bucksiron]

I remember Peter Fox from school and he was clearly a great ‘keeper even then. He ran into some issues at Stoke over allegations against him for bullying apprentices, which I believe were dismissed at the time, but then re-opened. I remember him being very quiet and he seemed a decent lad. I hope the allegations weren’t true, but who knows.

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Heath

[Bucksiron]

There you go again, Pat, making daft accusations. It’s pointless trying to have a discussion with someone who claims people are lying when all they’re actually doing is offering an opinion.

You make that very point in your comment regarding Nelson, so why make accusations about others when they do exactly the same thing? I certainly don’t see that comment as moaning and groaning. As you say, it’s just an opinion.

As for Swann, I was completely wrong about the man and have absolutely no problem saying so. We can obviously never know what would have happened had he not had his betting issues, but as others have pointed out these things have a major effect on people and must have had a big impact on his ability to run the club. I certainly wasn’t aware of them and it explains why things took such a nosedive for no obvious reason.

Either way, I’ll support the new owner and the club as I always have and always will unless and until there’s reason to do otherwise. I just hope everyone else does the same without jumping on the mistakes, which he — and the club — will undoubtedly make.

[Bucksiron]

It’s always worth reading what the BBC has to say on Brexit and this is from the website today:

“There was an initial dip in the amount the UK exported to the EU. Once teething problems were dealt with, trade volumes, recovered to pre-pandemic levels, according to official figures. But it could be argued trade might have grown more if it hadn’t been for Brexit.”

It might also be argued that trade might have fallen had we remained.

All you lot are doing is the usual nonsense based on confirmation bias. In reality we have no idea and claiming “experts” know the answer is also pure nonsense.

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TwoWrights

[Bucksiron]

Come off it, Deerey, I’m not talking about people questioning things or being cautious. What I’m talking about is people moaning and groaning, which is very different.

I’ve never had a problem with concerns or criticism, but all too often people on here have moaned and groaned about anything and everything. Just because things didn’t work out with Swann doesn’t change that.

Little over a week ago I was convinced the club was doomed, yet here we are. Of course plenty of things can go wrong and undoubtedly will, but I do hope people will be rather more constructive than they have in the past.

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Awaywego, , billpuntonsghost

[Bucksiron]

Pat’s the one who should be put in charge of catering, not me.

On that note, did the pies run out at half-time?

Hilton’s been in charge for less than a week and already some are moaning. Nothing really changes.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Xxx, waltersleftfoot

[Bucksiron]

Well, that really is hilarious, Deerey. I nearly fell off my chair laughing.

I’m beginning to think this really is a Monty Python sketch. Apparently, “I’m certainly not defending him” doesn’t mean I’m certainly not defending him, Siderite’s submitting a dissertation, presumably for a PhD from the University of Scunthorpe and to cap it all, Deerey, you’re claiming there isn’t a massive left-wing bias on this board. Or maybe you’re not?!

If nothing else this has certainly given me a good laugh at the end of the week.

[Bucksiron]

Er, no, Deerey, I think you’ll find I said that Channel 4 is public money, which it is. Just because that money comes from (mainly) the private sector doesn’t make it a private enterprise. In the past Channel 4 was looking for a government bailout and I believe the possibility of taking money from the BBC licence was even discussed.

As to how Channel 4 is funded, its revenue does, indeed, come through advertising, which is why I said “they [Channel 4) don’t force you to pay to watch them”.

Either way, Channel 4 is very much public money.

[Bucksiron]

It isn’t personal, Siderite. All of this is just so symptomatic of the daft stuff now being hurled around the media, much of which has made its way to the public sector and corporate world, with so-called “purpose”; and the Beeb has taken this to a new level. I caught the final few minutes of ‘Newsnight’ last night and couldn’t believe the appalling standard of journalism around a discussion on the sugar tax, attempting to make a story where there wasn’t one. It really was atrocious. What’s happened to the John Tusas of this world, who once made this the best news programme on TV?

For clarification, the point I make when referring to “what about Labour” is not to defend anyone in the Conservative party, which is what your comment was implying. It’s simply to counter the massive left-wing bias on this board, typified by the nonsensical way that 64/Fans or whatever he’s calling himself these days posts anything and everything about the Tories.

That’s it. No more, no less; and when I say I’m not defending Zawahi, surprisingly enough it’s because I’m not defending him. Quite why this needs to be pointed out is beyond me, but apparently I’m attempting to ‘deflect’ or deliberately ‘not criticise’ him. This is complete rubbish. It seems that common sense has gone out of the window.

If TW believes I’m attempting to be superior, I’ll take it as a compliment. If only I was that clever, which I know that I’m not.

[Bucksiron]

That really made me chuckle, Cliff! Never mind the result, just ensure there are enough pies for the half-time rush — priceless.

[Bucksiron]

Last time I looked Channel 4 was set up, i.e. funded, and owned by the state, Heath, in fact by Margaret Thatcher. I did point out that they don’t force you to pay to watch them.

Or maybe the channel’s been privatised and you’re the only one aware of this?

[Bucksiron]

I’m with you 100% on this one, Siderite. Common sense has gone out the window. It’s all getting rather ridiculous.

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Just Iron, Siderite, TwoWrights

[Bucksiron]

Oh Lord, now Heath’s getting in on the act; and, of course, TW just comes out with the usual “you think you’re superior” comment.

This is the problem with quasi-intellectual nonsense about things such as “whataboutery”, which is a ridiculously contrived word that wouldn’t be out of place in some pseudo-cerebral Radio 4 discussion between academic “experts” who know better than anyone else (spot the irony, TW), or some BBC Newsnight reporter dissecting the minutiae of some trivial person’s speech (the once excellent Radio 4 and Newsnight have seriously gone down the pan in recent years, but I digress).

Will it ever be possible again, one wonders, for the simple words “I’m certainly not defending him” actually to mean I’m certainly not defending him. This board gets more like a Monty Python sketch every week — we even have a budgie, which might not be a parrot but is pretty close.

[Bucksiron]

Fantastic news, which I can hardly believe. I really couldn’t see any way the club could be saved without some sort of miracle, so let’s hope that’s what this turns out to be.

In the meantime, let’s keep our feet firmly on the ground and accept things are likely to get worse before they get better.

[Bucksiron]

Siderite, quite why you have to come out with some quasi-intellectual rant about “whataboutery” is beyond me (as for “whataboutery” being a “known logical fallacy”, really? Which ‘expert’ came up with that one? No doubt you’ll enlighten us. I can hardly wait to find out).

The reason I said you’re missing the point was/is because you are (still) missing it. I really have no idea what part of “I’m certainly not defending him” do you don’t/can’t/won’t understand.

I’d also say you have to be pretty daft to interpret “I’m certainly not defending him” as being a deflection; and you’d have to be even more daft to interpret it as a “defence”.

As for chirruping like a budgie, as I’ve said on many occasions I can live with Starmer. The key thing was to get Corbyn and his Communist mates out of the way.

[Author]

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