Dens of Iniquity...

[Workingman]

... or Houses of Cards?

Two cohorts of so-called "elites" are coming in for some scrutiny and no little amount of criticism.

In the one corner we have those with wandering palms, and worse.

In the other sit those with secret stashes overseas.

Bring on the Illuminati and the Bilderberg Group.

[Suff]

Apart from the rapes and serious abuse, most of it just makes me want to laugh. We've moved on from pink frilly skirt to Barbie. I wonder what next? My Little Pony?

It's clear that this was an attack on the Tories gone wrong, for the sexual stuff. I mean, it worked in the Major years, why not try it again, they might even bring the government down if there are enough by elections...

As for the money stuff? 90% of the sensationalising articles I've seen wind up mewling about "oh yes but it's legal" after having virtually slandered the people in the headlines.

I find that this level of reporting just turns me off. By all means, go after the predators. But the rest of it? It wouldn't change my voting intentions for a second. OK if it means that overly "touchy" men learn to keep their hands to themselves. But Women should be able to cope with that and we should stop sensationalising it.

I've stopped even looking at them and that is a real shame because there has been some pretty serious abuse in the past and that needs to stop. But if people like me are turned off from the sensationalising, then the real message is going to get lost and people are going to continue to be abused.

[TheOstrich]

As far as I can see, the so-called Paradise Papers disclosures have not actually disclosed anything illegal, have they?

What I have found somewhat sinister is the tone and attitude taken by that BBC reporter pursuing the investigation. His door-stepping of Lord Ashcroft and the Mrs Browns Boys actress was little short of harassment. If he carries on like that, one day someone will turn around and flatten him - and they will have my full sympathy. It seems to be an increasing trend these days - Kuennesburg and the other BBC political reporter (Norman Smith) shrieking at Theresa May from across the road last week was just plain boorish.

[cromwell]

Hear hear, Os. The BBC seem to want to be the moral guardians of the nation. After the gender gap pay row they don't have any moral high ground to occupy.

Some of the wandering hands brigade need to be either expelled from politics or given a good hard lesson in the realities of life, like getting a job. One way of fixing this may be to return all erring MP's to sit in front of their constituency party, who are asked "Is this the sort of man you want to represent you?".

[AliasAggers]

The lesson that appears to be coming out of all this business is....

If you are a boss man, don't fall in love with any of your staff.

[Kaz]

I don't think falling in love, or having a real relationship in the issue - it's as I said on the other thread, the problem is when power or coercion are used!

[TheOstrich]

Now the BBC are getting into a twist over Prince Charles, with accusations of a form of insider trading over a Duchy of Cornwall stake in an environmental carbon-credit promoting firm. As I understand it, Charlie bought the shares, made a number of speeches urging the roll-out of the credit scheme to Third World forests, the shares went up, and they were subsequently sold at a profit of $200k or similar.

The thing is, Charles's suggestions were in fact rejected, yet the shares went up despite this!
The profits made were chickenfeed in the scheme of things.
And I'm darn sure, knowing Charles's mindset, that environmental issues were a far more important motivation for his actions than increasing his wealth.

[manxie]

Here in the Isle of Manmost are incensed by the panarama reporter who has picked the odd sentence or paragraph out of context to the whole and made assumptions many of witch are incorrect and misleading.
Feelings here are that if we have done wrong it will be rectified but are sure everything has been on a legal basis initiated by the income tax authorities of the world a great deal here is the transparancy issues that we adhere to.
Also a lot have the opinion that the IOM government should take the BBC to court over the whole issue because essentially they are basing their arguement against the Isle of Man and other countries on information they recieved illegally if their documents were stolen as is believed here then the BBC is guilty of recieving stolen property same as a burglar selling to a fence a criminal offence .........BUT is there the will to go that far and take out legal proceedings against either the BBC or the reporter.
A small aside here regarding the programmes I bet the reporter didn't pay for his travel and accommodation in all the countries he visited in making the programme....NO....we all paid for him to joyride round the world through the TV license fee all wrong.

A furious Manxie here

[TheOstrich]

And there's me thinkin' you had it all stashed away under the bed, Manxie!

I'm also one who would just love to see the Manx Government sue the BBC - and I also wonder how many of those BBC fat-cat reporters have got tax-avoidance schemes in place.

[Workingman]

Am I right in thinking that Mrs Brown's Boys was a BBC programme, though probably made through a production company?

So did the BBC just hand over wads of cash to the production company and let it divvy the money up between the actors, or was it paid to actors' agents, or what?

Does the BBC itself not have some questions to answer?