Interesting post on the excellent politicalbetting.com. Mike Smithson has asked whether the strict rules that prevented the BBC giving me any coverage in Norwich North, relating to evidence of past electoral support in the area, will be applied to Esther Rantzen.
The answer is probably no, they won’t be, as they were not appled to Martin Bell. That is a good thing – they should not be applied, and should not have been applied to me. Fashionable though it is to decry Ms Rantzen, I wish her every success. The point of having more independents in parliament is that they should be independent, not that they should agree about everything.
But I was drawn particularly to a comment on the website. There seems an exponential increase in comment activity on the web designed to portray me as nuts, and this seems to me a particularly egregious example. I post it here with my response:
Comment 40 FPT – Is Craig Murray of Uzbekistan and Norwich North the same one who is lecturing on Out of Body Experiences and Near Death Experiences at the Society for Psychical Research?
No, I am not. Neither am I the film producer, ice hockey player, comedian, aviation photographer, naturalist, police chief, or Duke of Atholl, who all have the same name. Interesting you didn’t choose any of them, but attempt to portray me as someone of curious views.
Craig,
From the politicalbetting website, here are some very fair comments posted by “Bunnco” about Norwich North:
“The BBC will have to learn lessons. They excluded UKIP from the televised debates, a decision made away from Norwich in Birmingham or even London. It’s not the BBC’s job to ‘pick winners’. They should report the news, not make it.”
The BBC, of course, misjudged this one as well. The Greens, who did well out of BBC coverage, finished behind UKIP, who got left out. UKIP are quite entitled to wonder how much better they might have done with a fair share of the BBC’s publicity.
We don’t pay license fees so that the BBC can make the news!
After the Planet of the Apes remake came out I got what appeared to be a serious email from someone (very young, I presume), asking me about space travel.
I’ve got my own action figure, too:
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Apes-Major-Davidson-Figure/dp/B00005LZNJ
I’ve touched on this before, but I’ll be more explicit. If you’re campaigning, don’t denigrate your opponents. Anyone who bothers to think about it knows what shits they are. The average voter has absolutely no problem being negative. With every possible justification, he has problems being positive about anyone, and that is a bridge you (we) have to find a way over. The fascist (let’s not mince words) consensus calculates to survive on this general disillusionment – they insist that we believe that all are rogues, and therefore voting doesn’t matter. Usefully, this is untrue.
No matter how egregious the crimes of the Lab/Lib/Tory axis of insanity, and how seductively easy it is to point them out, you must instead argue for your own positives and possibilities. Everyone knows that *they* are rascals – but what grounds has anyone to believe that you are different?
Dial down the anger, Craig (although we all love you for it) and talk about possibilities. A donde vamos?
And in particular, ignore Dale and the other Tory twits. Pretty please?
Ian Dale is a goldmine. You get a 100g nugget for every cubic metre of shit.
Some people think googling someone of the same name is solid proof you are the same person. When the Herald used to allow comments on its website i was repeatedly told i was the Chairman of Friends of the Earth Scotland – who didn’t even have the same second name.
Your critics really need to try harder Craig.
You’ve beat me to it CM.
I was just going to comment about the BBC giving free publicity to Esther Rantzen.
The BBC mentioned her standing for election to Parliament today, on BBC Radio 3 news bulletins and also on its UK news webpage.
All right for some.
Sarah Dunant, another former employee of the BBC, recently had a novel of hers serialised on BBC Radio 4. Just a few weeks ago I think it was. She also turned up that same week on other programmes, on both Radio 3 and 4.
All right for some.
And then there are those BBC junkets to UK pop music festivals, where hundreds of BBC staff are required on-site.
All right for some.
ps
The bond between a Westminster MP and their constituency is sacrosanct, and what gives British Parliament one of its unique strengths –
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Labour’s Democratic Deficit
Wardog
28 July 2009
Strict rules? Does this mean there are real rules that specify the amount of coverage the BBC should give to each candidate.
It seems to me that in a parliamentary election all candidates that are allowed to stand are equally valid. And none of them should start the race handicapped by the BBC. It is only fair that all candidates get equal coverage from the public service broadcasters. That means all candidates, even the Monster Raving Loony and the BNP. If they are legal, and can put up the deposit, and have nominees, then they should be equally treated by the BBC.
I’ve not posted a message here before and am not close to Norwich but was rooting for you to win Craig. Hope you do better next time.
All the small parties, and the Liberal Democrats should get together, with their supporters, and demand reform of our electoral system. I think it could be successful, with a united front. The BNP and UKIP, the Greens, the Loonies, all of them, even if they don’t like each other, must be included. If they do, it could work. Otherwise it will never work. Couldn’t you all get together as one for the greater good, putting aside your differences for the benefit of the campaign?
I wouldnt mind getting together with most of the small parties. The only exception are the BNP who are racists both in their constitution and in what they say if you actually challenge them on their racism.
Craig wrote “Comment 40 FPT – Is Craig Murray of Uzbekistan and Norwich North the same one who is lecturing on Out of Body Experiences and Near Death Experiences at the Society for Psychical Research?
No, I am not.”
I once had an out of body experience in Bradford in 1980. It wasn’t a monastery or a hospital. I remember it extremely clearly. From my own visual perspective I came out of my body and literally went up to the ceiling corner of the room where I was sitting with my girlfriend and some friends. The conversation carried on below me, and I could quite clearly see myself below taking part.
I did tell everyone around once I came down – but they thought I was mad. Whilst this was undoubtedly true, I still went to work the next day, but decided not to mention it, as they would think I was nutter and it wouldn’t do my career prospects any good.
I have never met anyone else who has admitted that they have had such an experience, but I suspect it is much more common than is generally appreciated. People tend to keep quiet about such things or go all religious.
Personally, I think this psychic stuff is nearly always a manifestation of what psychiatrists will describe as various forms of mental illness, but I also think most psychiatrists are even more insane than some of their patients.
I have also had a “Near Death Experience”, when time literally appeared to slow down. The problem I had was that I was riding a Suzuki GS750 motorcycle rather too quickly. I was fighting hard not to lose total control of it and probably about to kill myself (though had no fear). I was almost completely unhurt – but my new bike was smashed to bits and I was very annoyed with myself for seriously damaging it. I had it back on the road within 2 weeks.
suzukicycles.org/photos/GS/GS750/1977_GS750_blue_450.jpg
Tony
Would those be the same trolls that have plastic bodies with fluorescent hair coming out the part of their heads where a brain should be, or the rather more scary ones who come out from under bridges in fairy tales?
Web Trolls are the nearest thing the internet has to ‘con-trols’ and they try to muddy the waters to discourage people from believing real information. Magic is similar. If you can get people to believe that inanimate objects are exercising power over human affairs, sometimes people will get confused panic and suspend their self-control.
Cabbalism confuses, while true religion concerns itself with and clarifies righteousness, justice and Who is in control of every second and atom of this universe. Our minds constantly check received information against our own inner reality. Being human we get confused, but manage to understand who is trying to confuse us and why.
1000 votes by persuasion and discussion on the doorstep, is worth many thousands of automated voting reflexes at the ballot box. No time for trolls to relax, when a serious threat to the status quo appears.
Internet trolls acting on behalf of the powers that be surely don’t exist… Or do they? 🙂 I digress briefly, but what are your reasons for not liking UKIP Craig?
Edwina Curry and Martin Bell currently on BBC 1 (Breakfast) being asked about *Independents*, like Esther Rantzen …
The press don’t really like you though Craig. Not trolling, just short post, seems to be true though. Nice effort in NN too. And Rantzen is an evil oap product hawker.
Comedian? Are you sure?
http://politicalscrapbook.net/2009/07/by-election-candidate-discovers-cure-for-insomnia/
I have just started a campaign of discussing Ms. Rantzens professional affairs with Ms. Boaden, who so seemingly has turned into an Esther lovey., last nights ding dong with Anne Widdecombe under the rubric’ getting to know the candidate’was just for starters.
Here is what I wrote elsewhere.
Watch out for the special relationship Esther Rantzen has with the BBC. Their plan is to publicise her and groom her into becoming an MP they then can mould like putty, the latest game of large multinationals or large public bodies like the BBC.
To have insiders in the Government or the House of Commons guarantees one has a voice when it comes up to the franchise agreements.
Ms. Rantzen has no history of electoral activity or a proven electoral record. A certain Ms. Boaden, the arbitrary king pin in news coverage making decisions on candidates, decided to rate Craig Murrays campaign as ‘insignificant’, regardless of his history of standing in Blackburn against the ghastly dodger Jack Straw.
We are now waiting with baited breath as to what her decision will be to cover Esther Rantzens new self publicising campaign around Luton south.
Last nights ‘getting to know Esther’ on Radio 4s PM programme was just a starter.
I do not know whether Ms. Boadens decision over Ms Rantzens new political career has a distinct ‘girly’ feel to it, or whether any of her judgments actually have any rules to it, but one thing has already become clear, she is thouroughly biased and beyond approach by anyone in the BBC’s hirarchy, not even the Board of Governors who so seemingly must agree with her skewed judgement.
Well, like Craig, I’d like to see Esther Rantzen get into Parliament as an independent voice. Whether the BBC are behaving properly (they sure aren’t) is a separate issue.
Unfortunately, Esther won’t. She has made the cardinal error of plumping for a seat where the sleazy incumbent will not actually be standing again. The Tory candidate has already started to make a perfectly fair and reasonable point, to the effect that local Tories should not be persuaded to abandon him, just because the past Labour MP did wrong!
Couldn’t Esther be persuaded to try somewhere else, where she would have a real chance, I wonder? Against Hazel Blears for instance?
the BBC has been at this for sometime.
During the last scottish elections the BBC held a ‘hustings’ with labour(50 seats),the snp(27),the tories(18) and the lib dems(17), missing were the socialists and the greens (13 MSP’s or approx. 10% of parliamentary seats). When I queried this I was told in the interests of balance they could not be included!
I agree that Craig deserved more coverage than Esther Rantzen’s getting, but, like Craig, I have nothing against Esther and criticising her personally is probably counter-productive. Pointing out that she has no background in politics yet is getting more BBC coverage than Craig or other independents who do is completely right though.
I just did a double take… there is a Duke of Atholl whose real name is also (Craig?) Murray, and on your election website bio you are Executive Chairman of Atholl Energy Ltd. amongst many other things.
I did five minutes of research on this, and I gather this fellow is the hereditary chief of Clan Murray. Is this why you chose that name for your company? Just curious.
Also I note that the Dukes of Atholl’s traditional residence is the unfortunately-named Blair Castle, and the holder of the title also commands the only legal private army in Europe, the Atholl Highlanders. Interesting kin you have!
I was really disappointed with the way NN unfolded, but not surprised. I am probably not the first person to coin the term “sham-ocracy” as a drop-in replacement for what passes for democracy. I think you conducted an admirable campaign in the circumstances, and it was not rubbish.
“We just report the news, we don’t invent it…..That’s the Government’s job”
The BBC likes giving coverage to the “bigger small parties”, like Greens or BNP, because these parties always seem to boost viewing figures. Get Nick Griffin on the 6 o’clock news and watch the complaints roll in, that sort of thing.
They will cover everything Esther does because she’s an ex-BBC presenter going a bit loopy (cf. Robert Kilroy-Silk).
They won’t cover you because, well, the truth has always been hard to report, has it not….
Frankly I wouldn’t like to see Esther Rantzen get into a public convenience, never mind the House of Commons.
There seems to be this idiotic ‘Independent is good’ mantra that means we are supposed to vote for any unqualified ignoramus that sticks the label on him.
With a main stream party member you only get a very vague idea of what he will actually do from the manifesto, but the present craze seems to be to vote for people about whose politics you have no idea.
I am absolutely convinced that you are Craig Murray…
the Alaskan fish-farmer.