Pete Husky
@petehusky.bsky.social
#nffc Nottingham Forest |Health Equity Economist | Fair Weather Cyclist | Urban Vineyard hāhi | Faith & Social Justice | Tangata Tiriti | Auckland, Aotearoa | Nicky's husband | Mark's dad
Reposted by Pete Husky
The government needs to stand up for a truly independent BBC free from political meddling.
That means sacking Robbie Gibb and ending the political grip on the BBC board.
That means sacking Robbie Gibb and ending the political grip on the BBC board.
November 11, 2025 at 6:45 PM
The government needs to stand up for a truly independent BBC free from political meddling.
That means sacking Robbie Gibb and ending the political grip on the BBC board.
That means sacking Robbie Gibb and ending the political grip on the BBC board.
Reposted by Pete Husky
Nigel Farage will probably use his 39th appearance on Question Time to complain about the BBC's leftwing bias
November 11, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Nigel Farage will probably use his 39th appearance on Question Time to complain about the BBC's leftwing bias
Reposted by Pete Husky
Conservative Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston tells GB News that the BBC should "grovel" to Trump.
Amazing how many British 'patriots' are spending their time telling our national broadcaster to prostrate itself before a hostile foreign leader
Amazing how many British 'patriots' are spending their time telling our national broadcaster to prostrate itself before a hostile foreign leader
November 11, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Conservative Shadow Culture Secretary Nigel Huddleston tells GB News that the BBC should "grovel" to Trump.
Amazing how many British 'patriots' are spending their time telling our national broadcaster to prostrate itself before a hostile foreign leader
Amazing how many British 'patriots' are spending their time telling our national broadcaster to prostrate itself before a hostile foreign leader
Reposted by Pete Husky
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
Reposted by Pete Husky
The Telegraph had to correct its multiple lies about "illegal immigrants" in London at least three separate times.
It takes an obscene amount of hubris to lecture the BBC when you have The Telegraph’s record on truth-telling.
Some of the paper’s errors this year are so bad they’re almost laughable 👇🏻
Some of the paper’s errors this year are so bad they’re almost laughable 👇🏻
The Telegraph’s BBC hypocrisy
A paper that knows a thing or two about editorial f*ck-ups...
writesbright.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:06 PM
The Telegraph had to correct its multiple lies about "illegal immigrants" in London at least three separate times.
Reposted by Pete Husky
Trump wants to destroy the BBC and take our money. And Nigel Farage is egging him on.
All true patriots should tell them both: hands off our BBC.
All true patriots should tell them both: hands off our BBC.
November 10, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Trump wants to destroy the BBC and take our money. And Nigel Farage is egging him on.
All true patriots should tell them both: hands off our BBC.
All true patriots should tell them both: hands off our BBC.
Reposted by Pete Husky
I wonder when he will start suing news outlets for describing his barefaced lies about the 2020 election as barefaced lies…
November 10, 2025 at 4:30 PM
I wonder when he will start suing news outlets for describing his barefaced lies about the 2020 election as barefaced lies…
Reposted by Pete Husky
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
The BBC belongs to all of us, and it is under attack as never before. The government must defend it from its enemies, within and without, says Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
Reposted by Pete Husky
"You cannot unify a country by tearing apart millions of the families within it. You cannot bring social peace with brutality and violence on a massive scale."
The Tories’ Dangerous Drift
In the U.K., a shocking proposal from a Conservative MP elicited pushback from her party only belatedly. It signals darker things to come.
www.thebulwark.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"You cannot unify a country by tearing apart millions of the families within it. You cannot bring social peace with brutality and violence on a massive scale."
Tbf if Trump sues the British taxpayer (via the BBC) WLTS govt make clear it will mean
1. open court testimony about whether the inferrence that he incited a violent insurrection created is accurate
2. Whether his reputation for doing so is well established so can't suffer new harm by the footage
1. open court testimony about whether the inferrence that he incited a violent insurrection created is accurate
2. Whether his reputation for doing so is well established so can't suffer new harm by the footage
November 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Tbf if Trump sues the British taxpayer (via the BBC) WLTS govt make clear it will mean
1. open court testimony about whether the inferrence that he incited a violent insurrection created is accurate
2. Whether his reputation for doing so is well established so can't suffer new harm by the footage
1. open court testimony about whether the inferrence that he incited a violent insurrection created is accurate
2. Whether his reputation for doing so is well established so can't suffer new harm by the footage
Reposted by Pete Husky
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
I foresee the #BBC being taken to court after a show claims half of Trump's backers lack critical reasoning or ethical backbone.
And being ordered by a judge to do a show for balance that claims half of Trump backers DO NOT lack critical reasoning or ethical backbone
H/T Tony Benn RIP
#ukpol
And being ordered by a judge to do a show for balance that claims half of Trump backers DO NOT lack critical reasoning or ethical backbone
H/T Tony Benn RIP
#ukpol
this is brilliant satire:
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
Crisis at the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation!
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Pete Husky
One nice detail that can easily be lost in this graph - even right wingers trust the BBC more than the right wing tabloids
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
November 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
One nice detail that can easily be lost in this graph - even right wingers trust the BBC more than the right wing tabloids
Reposted by Pete Husky
A study earlier this month found that America’s more fragmented media landscape — particularly the takeoff of cable news — accounts for fully one third of the increase in cultural conflict in the US since the year 2000.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
A study earlier this month found that America’s more fragmented media landscape — particularly the takeoff of cable news — accounts for fully one third of the increase in cultural conflict in the US since the year 2000.
Reposted by Pete Husky
How the BBC kowtowed to Boris Johnson. Amazing that, even though we now know what a corrupt, mendacious, useless Prime Minister Johnson was, the BBC are kowtowing to him again
🚨 The BBC’s Road to Appeasement
As the BBC comes under growing criticism for its coverage of Reform, we republish @adambienkov.bsky.social and @baghdaddi.bsky.social’s 2024 investigation into how the corporation's leadership became cowed by the right
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/the-bbcs-r...
As the BBC comes under growing criticism for its coverage of Reform, we republish @adambienkov.bsky.social and @baghdaddi.bsky.social’s 2024 investigation into how the corporation's leadership became cowed by the right
www.bylinesupplement.com/p/the-bbcs-r...
The BBC’s Road to Appeasement
As the BBC comes under growing criticism for its coverage of Reform, we republish Adam Bienkov and Patrick Howse's 2024 investigation into how the corporation's leadership became cowed by the right
www.bylinesupplement.com
November 9, 2025 at 11:36 PM
How the BBC kowtowed to Boris Johnson. Amazing that, even though we now know what a corrupt, mendacious, useless Prime Minister Johnson was, the BBC are kowtowing to him again
Reposted by Pete Husky
See what’s happening. A Trumpist US media company has taken over Channel 5. Another US company is gunning for ITV. Our social media is saturated by Musk’s calls for civil war in the UK. The BBC is the last thing standing, and Trump/Johnson are trying to bring it down
November 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
See what’s happening. A Trumpist US media company has taken over Channel 5. Another US company is gunning for ITV. Our social media is saturated by Musk’s calls for civil war in the UK. The BBC is the last thing standing, and Trump/Johnson are trying to bring it down
Reposted by Pete Husky
One thing not being said - indeed, I think everyone misses this - but the requirement for the BBC to show impartiality and balance relates to the politics of *this* country, there’s no requirement to show some mythical balance globally, only to report the truth without fear or favour.
November 10, 2025 at 8:40 AM
One thing not being said - indeed, I think everyone misses this - but the requirement for the BBC to show impartiality and balance relates to the politics of *this* country, there’s no requirement to show some mythical balance globally, only to report the truth without fear or favour.
Reposted by Pete Husky
Objectivity, impartiality and balance are all *different things*, and the lazy tendency to treat them as synonyms, and to use partisan balance alone as a proxy for the others, is the root cause of a vast amount of nonsense.
Robbie Gibb once suggested that reporters should reflect if they were getting more retweets from one side than the other - a braindead analysis that ignores that fair and impartial reporting of education might get more Tory retweets than say, criminal justice.
Stephen really does have the best take on this. It’s not clear that the BBC Board or indeed the rest of the News team really understood the message of the previous reviews, which were about getting detail right. Instead they wanted to know what was ‘biased’ or not like they were blotting out stains.
November 10, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Objectivity, impartiality and balance are all *different things*, and the lazy tendency to treat them as synonyms, and to use partisan balance alone as a proxy for the others, is the root cause of a vast amount of nonsense.
Reposted by Pete Husky
Also that lots of people talk about these three things but don’t actually want them, they want news they agree with.
We all insist that’s something *other people* do, not ourselves, but there’s a lotttt of it about.
We all insist that’s something *other people* do, not ourselves, but there’s a lotttt of it about.
Objectivity, impartiality and balance are all *different things*, and the lazy tendency to treat them as synonyms, and to use partisan balance alone as a proxy for the others, is the root cause of a vast amount of nonsense.
Robbie Gibb once suggested that reporters should reflect if they were getting more retweets from one side than the other - a braindead analysis that ignores that fair and impartial reporting of education might get more Tory retweets than say, criminal justice.
November 10, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Also that lots of people talk about these three things but don’t actually want them, they want news they agree with.
We all insist that’s something *other people* do, not ourselves, but there’s a lotttt of it about.
We all insist that’s something *other people* do, not ourselves, but there’s a lotttt of it about.
Reposted by Pete Husky
Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?
November 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?
Reposted by Pete Husky
The current crisis gives the government a useful excuse to conduct major reform, to make among other things the BBC more robust to right wing media/political attacks. Does Labour have the good sense to take up this opportunity?
What you’re witnessing is a populist assault on the BBC.
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
This is not an institutional scandal in any meaningful sense of the word. It is an attack on public service broadcasting.
iandunt.substack.com/p/extra-edit...
November 10, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The current crisis gives the government a useful excuse to conduct major reform, to make among other things the BBC more robust to right wing media/political attacks. Does Labour have the good sense to take up this opportunity?
Reposted by Pete Husky
Robbie Gibb criticising the BBC for journalistic standards is a glass house so big you could hold the Great Exhibition of 1851 in it and still have room for an excellent tomato crop
Should Gibb be sacked? yes, obviously. He's an abomination of basic journalistic standards. His GB News channel spreads conspiracy theory & disinformation. His Jewish Chronicle newspaper spreads invented stories. He is plainly trying to undermine the BBC so it's as bad as everything else he touches.
November 10, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Robbie Gibb criticising the BBC for journalistic standards is a glass house so big you could hold the Great Exhibition of 1851 in it and still have room for an excellent tomato crop
Reposted by Pete Husky
Incredible that Robbie Gibb - most influential person on BBC board by many accounts and from journalists I speak in BBC - was involved in setting up GB News.
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Enforced veganism’: Ofcom lets GB News flout accuracy rules, say climate campaigners
Exclusive: Regulator has received 1,221 complaints about UK broadcasters since 2020 but found no breaches of its code
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Incredible that Robbie Gibb - most influential person on BBC board by many accounts and from journalists I speak in BBC - was involved in setting up GB News.
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
GB News of course has breached Ofcom rules on *multiple* occasions - no sign of resignations though
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Pete Husky
Headline from a serious and long working paper on the economic impact of Brexit. Possible that this has been feeding into OBR and HMT discussions?
November 10, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Headline from a serious and long working paper on the economic impact of Brexit. Possible that this has been feeding into OBR and HMT discussions?
Very late to #nzpol waka jumping provisions, but...
Ejecting a defecting list MP is justifiable, but forcing a bi-election for electorate MPs is much more tenuous given they have not only a party but a personal mandate.
Seems dubious to do so less than 1 year out from a general election.
Ejecting a defecting list MP is justifiable, but forcing a bi-election for electorate MPs is much more tenuous given they have not only a party but a personal mandate.
Seems dubious to do so less than 1 year out from a general election.
November 10, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Very late to #nzpol waka jumping provisions, but...
Ejecting a defecting list MP is justifiable, but forcing a bi-election for electorate MPs is much more tenuous given they have not only a party but a personal mandate.
Seems dubious to do so less than 1 year out from a general election.
Ejecting a defecting list MP is justifiable, but forcing a bi-election for electorate MPs is much more tenuous given they have not only a party but a personal mandate.
Seems dubious to do so less than 1 year out from a general election.