Every half hour BBC News is running a three minute puff piece which is even more sinister for what it hides than for what it says – and By God! That is sinister enough.
“Now the BBC has learned about an alternative No campaign which calls itself No Borders a group determined to rouse the emotions many feel about being Scottish but also British. Gavin Essler has this exclusive report:”
GAVIN ESLER: “A recording studio on the outskirts of Edinburgh. A group of musicians putting the finishing touches to a song which they hope could save the United Kingdom”
(Pretty girls caterwauling unpleasantly). The song is part of a new campaign called No Borders. Their website goes live today on the anniversary of the Union”
(Long speech by Malcolm Offord of No Borders – not a single question asked).
GAVIN ESLER (orgasmic voice): “Here in the very heart of Glasgow in fact almost anywhere you go anywhere in Scotland you’re never far away from our three hundred years of shared British history…. Putting the passion into the campaign to save the United Kingdom is exactly what No Borders say they are about.”
(Another statement from Malcolm Offord. Still not asked any questions).
GAVIN ESLER ‘The idea is a grassroots campaign to rival that of the pro-independence campaign, based on those who wish to remain in the UK. A retired care nurse from Glasgow Elizabeth Bashir is one of those who has given her testimonial.
(Pro-union view from sweet old lady.)
(14 seconds to spokesman for Yes campaign – presumably this is BBC “balance”.)
(Pretty Girls Caterwauling Again).
GAVIN ESLER “In the music industry they say you should never rewrite a hit, and No Borders say the Union has been a great hit worldwide for three hundred years. But others say it might be time to sing a new song.”
Now this long propaganda piece for the No campaign is disgusting in itself for its internal bias, and for the fact that the very much larger grassroots movement the Radical Independence Campaign has never been given any publicity by the BBC (and the failure to reference the longstanding anarchist No Borders movement). It is not even news – it is two days since “Vote No Borders” was given an even longer bout of free publicity on Newsnight Scotland.
But what makes this propaganda utterly unforgiveable is that Vote No Borders is not a grassroots campaign at all but a government organized campaign which has mysteriously acquired start-up cash of 400,000 pounds with no declared origin.
The registered office of Vote No Borders, a private limited company, is at 24 Chiswell Street, London, EC2Y 4YX . Which is perhaps surprising for a “Scottish grassroots campaign”. The directors are Malcolm Offord and Fiona Gilmore.
Now pay close attention: Fiona Gilmore is chief executive of Acanchi a PR Consultany which specializes in “Country Branding”. Its clients include Israel, Dubai, Bahrain and “England”. Yes, it actually specifies “England” on the company website. Acanchi also works for DFID – in short, it gets UK taxpayers’ money, plus Israeli and Gulf Arab money. Are you familiar with the word fungibility?
Malcolm Offord, it turns out, has donated over 120,000 pounds to the Conservative Party plus made personal donations to Michael Gove. He is the author of the report “Bankrupt Britain” on the Conservative Home website. In his paper Offord suggests that further cuts in UK public spending should continue to be made even after the present debt crisis has been passed and urges government to:
“Reform the bloated benefits system of this country to reduce the burden on the state and, just as importantly, boost the growth rate of the country”
And the wee retired care home nurse Elizabeth Bashir? Well, she’s not quite as “grassroots” as shown by the BBC either.
That picture is definitely the “grassroot” Elizabeth Bashir interviewed by the BBC. There is also an Elizabeth Bashir from Glasgow on Facebook who “likes” Vote No Borders [reference here deleted as it has been pointed out, I think fairly, it was to something probably meant as a joke]. This lady has expensive tastes for a grassroot, her other “likes” are Svarovski Crystal, the swanky Aura club in Mayfair and Faz Collection clothes. Strangely although she calls herself Elizabeth Bashir, Glasgow and supports Vote no Borders, everything she “likes” which has a geographical location is in London. It is conceivably a different Elizabeth Bashir from Glasgow, perhaps a daughter, but the coincidence of the Vote No Borders like is very strong.
It took me an hour with google to find all this. That the BBC continues to propagandise this fake “grassroots campaign” without revealing Offord’s Tory Party credentials, his belief in never-ending cuts in public spending and welfare benefits, and Acanchi being a consultant paid by government to boost the UK image is completely beyond anything that can remotely be described as legitimate.
It is the most abhorrent example of a fake story, entirely contrived state propaganda, being put out by a state broadcaster.
UPDATE
From commenters below: The “Vote No Borders” website domain was registered by Gary Waple, who works in the Prudential Regulatory Authority of the Bank of England!!!! Before that he worked at the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates – that British government and Gulf money connection pops up again.
ANOTHER UPDATE
The Guardian also is pushing it. Amazing how neither the BBC nor the Guardian noticed who Mr Offord was, or who his fellow director is, or asked where the money came from. We have a huge responsibility in social media to combat the ultra-powerful combination of the entire mainstream media with the British state, the City of London and their overseas neo-con allies.
I ask every single person who reads this to do what they can do to get this news out – it may open eyes about the BBC, media in general and the hidden hands behind the No campaign. Feel free to copy and paste anywhere you want. But please everybody either blog or tweet about it, put it on your facebook page, email people about it or if you can’t do any of those, just tell three people. The only way we can beat the massed forces of the state and the ultra-rich is by a deliberate and purposeful exercise of people power. That will never happen unless everybody tries. Do something. Now. It does not matter where you are in the world. Knowledge is universal – that is the root of every power the people can hope to have.
FURTHER UPDATE
Brilliant! This post is currently being read by more than one person every two seconds. I hope it’s being read some other places by now too. Don’t stop, we need much more than that to equal the numbers who will view the execrable mainstream propaganda.
I shall find it difficult to sleep peacefully tonight. This is what comes of reading Wings, Craig Murray and Derek Bateman on the “Vote No Borders” scandal which has revealed just how perfidious and unscrupulous the UK establishment and its unabashed principal propagandist, the venal BBC, really are. As each day passes, I become more and more enraged. Enraged by the increasingly blatant viciousness and duplicity of the archtects and manipulators of the No campaign and enraged because their actions are spawning a terrible legacy of mistrust and animosity which will destroy for many a year any mutual respect between the populations of the British Isles. I cannot believe that any member of the Scottish electorate who knows even a fraction of what is being orchestrated by Westminster, its agents and its allies would wish to continue to have all fundamental political and economic decisions taken by such a true “parcel of rogues”. To all the “Undecideds” and even the innocent but uninformed “Noes”, my earnest plea is, “For whatever hope in the future you have, OPEN YOUR EYES!”
Craig… Through Odessa reporting I was giving another example of outrageous BBC bias (or downright untruth…) Current debate on the BBC about Scotland is highly biased, but not the only example. The only place you can get unbiased commentary is BBC Sport.
Calum…
Thanks for that…but it’s Craig’s words that you Quote.
I live in Inverclyde… i’ll look into the matter on Monday
P.s as Sofia says… Welcome all newbees.
Don’t be fooled Michael Murphy: the videos not look much to you, but they’re quite carefully engineered to pick at the worries of conventional thinkers who are change-averse, which is a very significant demographic including many older folks, and worry them into voting No. They make independence seem like a huge frightening risk, by showing such people that others who seem like them are really concerned, but being careful not to let on any reasons why they’re worried, as any facts would be vulnerable to being shown false by the Yes campaign. This is far more canny than it appears, and should be taken seriously.
“Except that, until you actually address the question of the hype by the BBC of the entirely fake grassroots VNB campaign, anything else you post will be deleted. After that you can return to your usual stream of drivel.”
Go ahead and prove you are a censoring hypocrite if you like. Show you’re no different than the people you criticise.
I made my point and it’s a valid one. I don’t see too much wrong with people singing. Intimidating people to prevent them speaking is akin to fascism.
Fred
I am just trying to draw out of you what you think of Mr Esler’s work and of Mr Offord
Am I right in thinking that Acanchi’s involvement in Israel was during the invasion of Gaza? There were some pretty shocking incidents in that operation as I recall.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-armys-use-white-phosphorus-gaza-clear-undeniable-20090119
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/israeli-army-shells-un-compound-20090115
There is another Offord here – Matthew – who is a Tory MP and, surprise surprise, was previously a “political analyst” at the BBC. Why do we pay for those at the BBC? No obvious Scots connection, but a second senior Tory called Offord with an in to the BBC – I wonder if they are related in any way.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2220861/Foul-mouthed-MPs-boozy-clash-Army-chief-looks-on.html
Esler was spotted at a young age as a pliable useful idiot.
They always try to spot ’em young.
What do ya think your professor and Dean were really at Uni for?
Your grades?
Ho ho ho..
quick google brought up 192.com. Shows a Gary Waple at the same address as another lady by the name of Gilmore who by 2013 is at another London address (alone) now surnamed Waple.
In other words, it appears that Waple and Gilmore are in-laws; or related by marriage in some way, anyway.
From Duedil: [The age of this indiviual matches that on 192.com. It’s possible that he’s an older generation in-law of Fiona Gilmore rather than brother-in-law.]
Mr Gary Waple FCA MBA
Ex-Director of Acanchi Limited
Born 58 years ago: 1956
Nationality: British
About
Mr Gary Waple is British and was born in 1956. The first directorship we have on file for him was in 2006 at Acanchi Limited. His newest directorship was with Acanchi Limited where he held the position of “Chartered accountant”. The company was established 14 Mar 2003 .
More on the in-laws from 192.com
Fiona Gilmore’s family and Gary Waple’s family have lived at the same Hampstead property (can’t tell if it would be same apartment or not)
By 2013, (see my earlier post) the female relative of Fiona’s had moved and also had become Mrs Gary Waple.
http://www.192.com/atoz/people/gilmore/daniel/nw3/3341233360/
Grassroots initiative – Hampstead family business!
Habbabkuk
Excellent question at 10:38 pm.
Now that Craig is sufficiently sophisticated and well versed in state propaganda, perhaps he would like to comment on the £millions the BBC receives in funding from the EU, and the bearing this may or may have on its evident bias towards continued UK membership. Not immediately on-topic, but relevant to the above post and perhaps something for a future investigation? I’m sure he is absolutely fuming about it.
And kudos to you for making that point about the 1975 referendum despite being pro-EU yourself.
“Yes – there is also a Tory MP surname Offord – don’t know if related. Malcolm Offord’s dob is given as 1964 but I can’t find a birth certificate for a Malcolm Offord, Greenock, 1964. ”
Search Scotland’s People for Renfrew and you will find one – he is as Scottish as you are.
Always nice to start the day by squashing another conspiracy theory.
For the less well informed Greenock belonged to the old Scottish county of Renfrewshire.
Anyone who knows the political scene and media in Scotland will know that it is a virtual certainty that every aspect of the referendum from every perspective will be covered and then that both sides will engage in endless ritual mudslinging at the other – working out who is slinging mud at whom, as in this example, is a pretty pointless exercise. I’m afraid this is how politics are conducted in Scotland – and I suspect most ordinary Scottish voters, including even the 16 year old ones, are thoroughly sick of it already and past experience will allow them to extract the genuine facts out of either side’s mud.
Why do certain contributors here use the phrase ‘conspiracy theories’ so often? Is it the Aaronovitch effect?
Anon
“…perhaps he would like to comment on the £millions the BBC receives in funding from the EU,…”
________________
Does it receive anything? I’m doubtful, but feel free to develop that and show me I’m wrong!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“And kudos to you for making that point about the 1975 referendum despite being pro-EU yourself.”
____________________
Well, what I presented about the 1975 referendum was just facts – facts which were known to some extent at the time but which of course became more evident with the passage of time and with the benefit of hindsight.
As Craig surely understood – and as you do too – the point I was trying to make by asking him the question was that there’s an entirely human tendency when analysing any (propaganda) campaign to overlook or at least not to criticise imbalances such as the ones I identified when the intended result is one which the commenter supports and to do the opposite when the intended result is one which the commenter opposes.
And also that, in general, the intended result should stand or fall on the merits of the case itself (insofar as these can be ascertained) and is neither validated nor invalidated by the moral quality of (some of) those who seek to bring it about.
“I’m afraid this is how politics are conducted in Scotland.”
Of course.
BBC, Broadcasting House, London, Scotland.
No Borders, 24 Chiswell Street, London, EC2Y 4YX, Scotland.
You have a thankless task RD educating the tin hat brigade. I bet, despite your efforts, the conspiracy theorists will ignore you and continue to bleat on about interference from England.
For the less well informed, London, despite it’s slightly southern location, has always been a part of the old Scottish county of Renfrewshire.
Why do certain contributors here use the phrase ‘conspiracy theories’ so often?
It is a polite euphemism and a convenient shorthand for the mechanism commonly used here whereby certain other contributors start with a political position (almost always the same one) and then use selective facts, insinuations, half truths and occasionally outright porkies in order to support and justify that position, and then in the worst cases use it as a basis for outright condemnation and disavowal of those who disagree with the political position.
Mr Aaronovitch has produced a useful book outlining many examples of this technique – but please be assured I for one was well aware of its existence before reading his book. Of course any favourable reference to Mr Aaronovitch automatically means relegation to the league of non persons (or worse).
“I bet, despite your efforts, the conspiracy theorists will ignore you and continue to bleat on about interference from England.”
Not with me.
BBC, Broadcasting House, London, Scotland.
No Borders, 24 Chiswell Street, London, EC2Y 4YX, Scotland.
And where does Craig live – or yourself and the other supporters of Scottish Nationalism on this blog?
“Mr Aaronovitch has produced a useful book outlining many examples of this technique.”
RD. While I agree the book has a use, I have to to be honest with you and point out that the paper is too scratchy and the pages doon’t tear away very neatly.
In my opinion Mr Aaronovitch could do better. But then, if it works for you…
““Mr Aaronovitch has produced a useful book outlining many examples of this technique.”
RD. While I agree the book has a use, I have to to be honest with you and point out that the paper is too scratchy and the pages doon’t tear away very neatly.”
___________________
Lavatory “humour”?
I’d bet 10 shekels that Bogbrush hasn’t read the book.
But I’m told that most Bogbrushes lack literacy skills anyway 🙂
RD.
Where any of us live has no bearing on the legal right of people to decide their own destiny in the international order.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/self_determination_international_law
@Resident Dissident
Wow. Such a sweeping generalisation of the political and media scene in Scotland. That’s not my experience.
The “ritual mudslinging” is coming, almost exclusively, from one side of the debate, which may, indeed, cause the “ordinary Scottish voters” to become “thoroughly sick of it’.
But that’s probably the point, isn’t it?
“All the talk about branding has made me decide to be a brand myself when I grow up. With my amazing intelect, stunning good looks, breathtaking modesty and Dad’s negotiating genes, what could possibly go wrong?”
Let’s hope Sofia you got more than your stunning good looks from your mum! 🙂
As you say, welcome to all the newcomers.
“I am just trying to draw out of you what you think of Mr Esler’s work and of Mr Offord”
I have now seen the Newsnight piece broadcast on the 30th.
They made it clear the campaign was financed by Malcolm Offord, they say he is an investment banker, they tell you he made a large donation to the Conservative party. So when you said “Malcolm Offord, it turns out, has donated over 120,000 pounds to the Conservative Party” and “mysteriously acquired start-up cash of 400,000 pounds with no declared origin.” I assume you were trying to mislead people into thinking they had tried to hide something. You said you found out about Offord from tracing the registration of the web site.
Oh and nowhere in the piece did they claim it to be a grassroots campaign. They said it was a campaign aimed at the grassroots.