"Don't Switch Us Off" - Protest outside Media City 12 noon Friday 21 June!

Dear All,

DEMAND GOVERNMENT FUNDS LICENCE FEE FOR PEOPLE OVER 75

Don't Switch Us Off, 12 noon, Friday 21 June, MediaCity, Salford

We are making our protest at Media City. this Friday. Our banner will be joined by Salford Trades Council, Unite Community branch, PCS ARMS branch and others.  There will be protests at local BBC offices across the country. As the National Pensioners Convention says 'I f we fail to protect this concession, the government will begin looking at the winter fuel allowance and the bus pass.'    See below. 

There is a tram to from Piccadilly (Eccles tram) to Media City, also Stagecoach No 50 and GNW ( ex First) No 53,

In solidarity,

Geoff

TOMMY ROBINSON AT MEDIA CITY

Editorial note:  At last Saturday's Tommy Robinson event reported below. an editor from Northern Voices and an editor from 'The Word' went into the Tommy Robinson enclosure to cover the story as presented by the Robinson contingent.   Our view was that based on the material released prior to this event by Robinson in his You Tube excerpts neither the BBC or the Panorama presenter, John Sweeney, had covered themselves with glory in their approach  in producing a proposed Panorama program entitled 'Tommy Takedown'.  As such the screening of the Robinson film purporting to document the BBC's research methods used was a newsworthy story.

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YESTERDAY up to 5,000 people supported the former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson in a protest against the BBC's allegedly unethical methods of producing a forthcoming program entitled 'Tommy Takedown'.

The theme of the event was to criticise the Panorama journalist John Sweeney's conduct and alleged use of fake news to discredit Mr. Robinson.  The demonstration took place in Media City in front of the BBC's Salford offices.  Only some 500 people attended a counter-protest by anti-fascists.

The BBC has insisted that the proposed episode will follow its 'strict editorial guidelines'.

Mr Robinson said the aim of the protest was to make a stand 'against the corrupt media' and effectively called for people to withhold the BBC licence fee.

During the protest, undercover filming of BBC Panorama journalist John Sweeney, carried out by 'a mole' and a supporter of Mr Robinson, was broadcast on a large screen.  This all presented Mr. Sweeney in an unflattering light.

At one point Sweeney is heard saying 'one of my political heroes is the former head of the IRA Martin McGuinness', which the BBC says was taken out of context as Mr Sweeney was referencing Mr McGuinness's role in the peace process.

Mr McGuinness, who, as a prominent Sinn Fein politician, became Northern Ireland's deputy first minister, had acknowledged he was a member of the IRA. He died in 2017.

Mr Sweeney was also recorded making remarks which Tommy Robinson has described as racist, homophobic and anti-working class.

In response, a BBC spokeswoman said:
'The BBC strongly rejects any suggestion that our journalism is "faked" or biased.
'Any programme we broadcast will adhere to the BBC's strict editorial guidelines.
'Some of the footage which has been released was recorded without our knowledge during this investigation and John Sweeney made some offensive and inappropriate remarks, for which he apologises.  BBC Panorama's investigation will continue.'

At yesterday's event the UKIP leader Gerard Batten told demonstrators that Mr Robinson 'speaks up for things that are right, he tells the truth and he can mobilise lots of people like you, and that's what they fear'
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The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said they 'roundly condemn Tommy Robinson... and his fellow, far-right thugs who intend to intimidate staff at the corporation, particularly those working on Panorama.'


The case of Tommy Robinson has been a long running affair, and in October 2018, the judge retrying Robinson for contempt of court referred the case to the government's top legal adviser.  Mr Robinson faced an allegation that he had committed contempt by filming people before a criminal trial.  But now Judge Nicholas Hilliard QC has ruled that the case needed to be referred up to the attorney general to decide and that is the current position.  Robinson is still awaiting his decision.

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Tommy Robinson & Anthropological strangeness in the Green Room

  Panorama’s John Sweeney puts his foot in it!

BILLY Holiday sang 'Strange Fruit on the Poplar Trees' about the hangings by the Ku Klux Klan of negros in the Deep South in the USA.  Similarly, Panorama journalist John Sweeney in an moment of gay abandon described how he encountered a proletarian in the Green Room while he was working on 'some film on Newnight'.  And it was so rare, he says, 'to meet a white working class male in the newsnight green room' that he and one of his mates 'went down there to have a drink with him'.

Pity Mr. Sweeney didn't realise that curiousity killed the cat.  For the tedious Tommy Robinson, who fancies himself as an investigative  journalist, was then able to entrap poor John by the short and curlies.  Somehow Tommy Robinson caught him out as saying 'it was so unusual...in the way that you would do with somebody, from the, you know a CANNIBAL from the Amazonian, erm Amazonia or maybe a CREATURE from OUTER SPACE'.


The footage was posted to Robinson’s social media accounts on both Facebook and Instagram over the weekend and shows the former English Defence League leader confronting Sweeney over his comments.

As a consequence of  this the The Unity News Network now reports that 'over the last few weeks the internet has been ablaze with chatter as to how Tommy Robinson managed to snare the senior Panorama reporter John Sweeney.  In a further teaser trailer Tommy posted tonight it reveals that his ex-employee Lucy Brown was playing a double bluff with Panorama.'

Mr. Sweeney on these social media videos, cuts a Rumpole of the Bailey figure, treating a young woman to a largely liquid lunch of champange rather than red burgundy and flaming Sambuca as a digestive with the desert course.  All for £220 with or withour service charge, pressumeably all on BBC expenses.
 
Robinson has also said that the full footage will be compiled into a documentary that will be shown in Manchester on February 23rd outside of the BBC’s offices in the city. He has also revealed that he will post further footage from the documentary every 72 hours, starting on Tuesday evening.
So far, neither Sweeney, the BBC, nor HOPE Not Hate have addressed Robinson’s released footage or claims of further revelations, although HOPE not HATE senior researcher Joe Mulhall briefly locked his Twitter account following the release of the footage.

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'Mangy Kerr', Colin Trousdale & 'Media City'

TODAY'S Private Eye reports on the 3,200 trade union activists in the British building trade who were on the blacklist of The Consulting Association run by Ian Kerr, and denied the ability to earn a living.  The Information Commissioner (ICO), who raided the offices of Mr. Kerr's Consulting Association three years ago, has informed MPs looking into the scandal that the files he took represented only about 10% of the stuff held by Kerr.  Mr. Kerr has now told the MPs that he has now destroyed everything that wasn't taken by the Information Commissioner.

It was admitted by Kerr that some 200 environmental activists were also on his books.  Private Eye says:  'He did not identify who had requested the information, but at the time the affair caused controversy, when it emerged that the Department for Transport was paying private detectives to spy on and serve writs on protesters.'

Private Eye concluded by asking if The Consulting Association 'provided information which led to workers being prohibited from working on the (construction of) BBC's new "Media City" in Salford, which opened last year, Kerr admitted to being consulted about unnamed "media centres" and Manchester electrician, Colin Trousdale, who had an extensive Consulting Association file, claims he was blacklisted from the project.'

BBC Media City Accused of Exploiting Salford Youngsters!

Child exploitation in the good old days!

As part of the BBC's commitment to the local economy and young people living in 'deprived communities', the Beeb, have recently been advertising for young people in Salford and Trafford, to work as meet and greet BBC 'Ambassadors' at their new HQ in Salford's Media City.

The job specification says that the job involves working on reception and welcoming and looking after guests. It also states: "Please note this role is not a production role, so you will not be working on making programmes." For those youngsters who make the grade, the BBC, says that other opportunities are on offer - "with our partners Balfour Beatty" - such as learning how buildings are managed, giving guided tours, and working in security, housekeeping, and in the post room.

As regards the type of person the BBC are looking for, they state:

"The kind of person you are and your attitude to work is much more important to us than your knowledge, experience or qualifications."

While some people might think it a wonderful opportunity to work for the Beeb, they have nevertheless, been accused of exploiting youngsters by paying low wages to local young people. The 12 full-time jobs on offer, - which will last for six months - pay £3.64 per hour for 16-17 year olds and £4.92 for 18-19 year olds. A Salford mum told the 'Salford Star' that she was disgusted that her daughter had been asked to work for such low wages when consultants and BBC staff were earning megabucks.

While Salford's youngsters are pocketing a pittance for working for the BBC, the consultant who is responsible for finding jobs for kids from 'deprived communities', Chris Marsh, is being paid by cash-strapped Salford City Council, the obscene sum of £46,800 for just 12 days work a month, or £650 per day.

Peter Salmon, the Director of BBC North, said:

"As we begin to make a home for the BBC at Media City UK, I am proud that we are making good on our promise to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to recruitment."