Do They Think You're Stupid?

As a conservative, I've long believed and long felt that there is inherent media bias. And I would think anybody with objectivity would believe that's the case.

On Sunday Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney's running mate, said this.

As a subjective overseas observer it seems to me that US political campaigns are a triumph of style over substance and so nobody ever bothers to pick apart the more complex codswallop.

Let us examine this. He says, in effect:

The US media is biased.

I am biased.

If you are not biased you will think what I think.

This 'All sensible people will think the same as me' argument is often used in campaigns. If you don't unpack it you will subconsciously believe that you cannot be sensible if you disagree with this sensible-looking person. But remember - the good-looking can be wrong.

Secondly, and perhaps more interestingly, who is this objective person who has no bias in the matter of the future POTUS? Can there posibly be one?

It's nonsense. I'm sure all good-looking, sensible people will agree with me.

The title of this post is taken from an excellent book by Julian Baggini which lists 100 ways of spotting spin and nonsense from the media, pundits and politicians.

Olympic News 3

Lord Coe on Radio 4's Today did a good job just now of keeping positive about what, if you pay attention, has been a very good preparation for the games. To correct yesterday's spin:

1. One coach driver missed one turn in the job of transporting competitors from the airport to the site.

2. The simultaneous holding of 26 World Sporting Championships in a week's time is on schedule and target.

3. 'It was only on July 11 that G4S said, 'No, we're not going to get the numbers we wanted,' at which point the plans that had sensibly been put in place in advance were actually put into action.' (Immigration Minister Damian Green on BBC2's Newsnight)

Leadership is about vision and reaction. The vision to dream a dream of what might be and the reaction to those problems that crop up as you pursue it.

Voting System

I have been listening to the arguments about changing the voting system carefully. I do not think that AV is the best possible alternative to first past the post but I am convinced it is better. The No to AV campaign has been run well politically. Philosophically it has been run deceitfully. The reason most of the nos want to keep the voting system the same is because it will keep more of their party in their seats.

AV does not involve some people getting a second vote. If one candidate has failed to get more then 50% support everyone gets a second vote. Any other spin on this fact is a lie. Cameron is on the radio at the moment and just told Humphrys to go back to school for not believing his lie. Cheeky git. He is saying 'Conservative supporters want to back the No campaign because it is simple, it is fair and it is decisive.' He didn't mention they will vote for it because they will get more MPs.

First past the post does not make it easy for people to vote for their first choice candidate. In many constituencies in which I have lived, a vote for my first choice would have been a wasted vote. I have had to vote on several occasions to try and make sure my least favourite candidate did not get in by voting for my second or even third preference.

Yes to AV will be a small and helpful change and, although sadly the polls make it look as if it will fail, I support it fully.

Sport Spin Spot

Whilst us Baggies are enduring a desperate run of results at the moment, how about this, from the BBC website after Fulham's 3-0 win yesterday?

'...the home side were happy to play out a convincing victory which leaves them in mid-table and leaves West Brom in freefall after five straight defeats.'

The table now reads:

Fulham played 21 points 22 position 13th
West Brom played 21 points 22 position 16th

9th place in the table is one win away for both of us.

Cricket news is better though. Well batted England.

Dr Spin

Mustard Seed Shavings welcomes Dr Spin, a new member of the team who will help us through the tricky business of the day's immigration debate. Welcome doc:

Dr Spin

Thank you. How can I help? 

MSS

Well it seems immigration is up. 

Dr Spin

Who told you that? 

MSS

The BBC 

Dr Spin

Ah, no they didn't. 

MSS

But I heard them say net migration is up 20%.

Dr Spin

See? 

MSS

See what? 

Dr Spin

Net migration is what you get by subtracting the number who go out (emigration) from the number who come in, immigration. What we have here is a steady rate of immigration and a lowering of the number who left the country. Immigration is actually down. 

MSS

Why are fewer people leaving the country? 

Dr Spin

Well if I was spinning this answer I'd say it's clear Britain isn't quite as broken as some people say it is, but the truth is a bit more complex. 

MSS

And that is? 

Dr Spin

The number of non-British citizens leaving the country stayed about the same - it dropped a bit - but there was significant drop in the number of Brits leaving. By the way some of the immigrants were returning Brits. 

MSS

So immigration is down and the number of people who previously immigrated now emigrating is roughly the same. 

Dr Spin

Yup. 

MSS

There was a lot of fuss over the last few years about seasonal and migrant workers coming here to gut fish and pick fruit. 

Dr Spin

Yeah, apparently back in the day you could get paid more for gutting fish in Scotland than being a doctor in Budapest. That's no longer true but it's still hard to persuade people to gut fish for a living. 

MSS

OK, so what about this massive rise in overseas students when our young people can't get to university with 4 A* grades? 

Dr Spin

Our universities are quite good and attract foreign students. These students have to pay and so setting the budget for a university involves taking into account as much foreign money as you can get in. It does actually make life easier for our own students, the places for whom are fixed by the government so no-one has 'taken their places.' 

MSS

So no need to panic? 

Dr Spin

Oh plenty of other reasons not to do with immigration, but no need for headlines such as this on the Sunday Sun web-site. It's scaremongering spin of the worst sort:

'Net immigration rose by 20% in 2009'

Smokescreen and Co

We've had a good week. Managed to get Patricia Hewitt's poor reception at the Royal College of Nursing's annual conference and Charles Clarke's 'oops I lost nearly three hundred dangerous subversive illegal foreigners' into slightly less prominent positions by persuading Mr Prescott and a former aide to admit an affair. Mrs P was in on it. The story that is, not the affair. Very surprised that anyone bought the idea of old two-chins being fanciable but it seems to have worked.

Then a plane ticket to Portugal and back convinced several newspapers to announce Scolari as the new England football manager, keeping the heat off Sven for another few weeks.

If you have a story you want burying give us a call.

OK it's nonsense but so is the truth.