A sky-news report

[xander-]

A friend who knows I feel very much against the Isreali aggression sent me this.

Just knowing that there are guys like this out there warms my heart, because not only does he resent the death toll on the Lebanese side, but in another interview he is against the killing alltogether. There is no one less bias than this man.

I give George Galloway a round of a applause!

http://heggle.com/item/380557/George_Galloway_PWNING_sky_news

 

[robtex]

Xander, I noticed you live in Denmark. What are the danish news agencies saying about the war and do you follow any of the other western new agencies on a regular basis?

 

[robtex]

After listening to the 9 minute segment there are parts I am educated enough to comment on and parts I am not. The part I am not is knowledge of the Lebonese/Israel conflict prior to 2004. I am really weak on the history of their political battles.

I can say that his comments about Bush's popularity and Blairs are dead wrong. The two politicians both have very strong support in both their countries. I am also very skeptical at his comment that many (I think he said most actually but he was speaking very quickly) Christians are supporting the Islmaic cause over the Jewish one. It is a religious war however, many if not most Christians have somewhere between a passive to active belief in zionism which makes it difficult to choose a Muslim poltiical protocol over a Jewish one. I think reliigon has a huge impact on this conflict which is making the idea of secular negociation somewhere between difficult to impossible ---in as far as faith and God are not open to negociation in either of the two faiths.

I can't speak for the reporter, because I don't know her but I would concur that many on both sides of the fence have pre concieved baises and selective perception agumented by their faith over the issue between the two countries.

I like the way the reporter stayed calm cool and collected during the interview despite the antagonistic disposition G Galloway. She was so very professional in such an intense setting. I personally question the agenda of and information provided by a man who is so one-sided in his thoughts and presents the issue as black-and-white as he did in that interview. Espcially when I can call him on his information on both Bush and Blair.

 

[xander-]

In Denmark, the two main televised news station are DR1 and TV2 (both being public access). The DR is a state-owned station, where TV2 is a privately owned stations. I really do not feel much bias in either of these news, although they on rare occasion seem to put Danish-Arabs in a negative light (You could call this the equivalent of how FOX-news views on black or hispanic crimes).

I've just returned to Denmark after spending 9 months in Qatar (a Middle-Eastern country, East of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), and gained many arab friends. One of these friends was in Lebanon during the bombings, and agrees with the fact that even the Christians in Beirut were supporting Hezbollah after the first Israeli aggression.

You are correct though, Bush and Blair remain popular in their own countries, but not outside of them. Even inside of the U.K., Blair's favor of the people and senate has been diminishing. This can of course be seen by the fact that George Galloway (the man speaking against Blair) is a citizen of the U.K., being from Scotland himself.

And I disagree with you on the level of profession of the reporter. I admit, George Galloway might have been a bit rude, however the reporter was the same way. She kept interrupting him, then got upset when he interrupted her. Also, you could clearly hear in her voice how upset she got after Mr. Galloway called sky-news bias.

 

[kai]

galloway is a joke , a very bad joke . I personally wish he would move to his beloved arab countries and practise his free speech or Cuba he likes it there so much

 

[xander-]

Sorry, here's a correction:

Galloway isn't a Scotsman, his accent threw me off. He's from Ireland.

I'm sorry for this mistake, I made an assumption instead of doing research.

 

[Zephyr]

My dad loves this guy. I kept giggling because of his accent. I cannot take funny accents seriously.

 

[Booko]

My dad loves this guy. I kept giggling because of his accent. I cannot take funny accents seriously.

I hate to break it to you, bubba, but if you're standing in Ireland you'll be the one with the funny accent.

 

[Zephyr]

I hate to break it to you, bubba, but if you're standing in Ireland you'll be the one with the funny accent.

Nonsense! Anyone who doesn't sound like me has a silly accent.

I speak normally.

 

[sahra-t]

Nonsense! Anyone who doesn't sound like me has a silly accent.

I speak normally.

Same here

 

[James the Persian]

I hate to break it to you, bubba, but if you're standing in Ireland you'll be the one with the funny accent.

So would Galloway, he has a Scottish accent, whatever his ethnic background might be. I concur with the view that he is a joke, particularly since his ridiculous appearance on celebrity Big Brother.

His views are not representative of the British as a whole and never have been (he seemed to encourage the Iragi insurgency to kill British soldiers for goodness sake!). However, he is correct that Tony Blair is losing support and the recent attitude to Israel certainly does not seem to be doing him any favours.

I'd have to say that he's not incorrect about Christians supporting Hezbollah if he was talking about Lebanon. I've heard quite a lot from the Christian community there because quite a high proportion are Orthodox under the Patriarch of Antioch (those that aren't Maronite Catholics). They certainly didn't support Hezbollah to start off with but now seem to view them as attempting to defend Lebanon from aggression. This has particularly been the case since Israel started bombing Christian areas (including an Orthodox Church). Whilst I can't agree with supporting Hezbollah nor can I agree with supporting Israel in this conflict. And if I try to put myself in the shoes of my fellow Christians in Lebanon, I can certainly understand why support for Hezbollah might seem the best option, even if I do think it is wrong.

James

 

[ALifetimeToWaitFor....]

I can say that his comments about Bush's popularity and Blairs are dead wrong.

President Bush's approval rating has reached a new low of 33 percent in the latest FOX News poll, but many of his counterparts in Europe are faring even worse.
The American Enterprise Institute notes that French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's favorable numbers are now 29 percent and 30 percent, respectively, and British Prime Minister Tony Blair has a 31 percent approval rating.

 

[ladyhawke]

galloway is a joke , a very bad joke . I personally wish he would move to his beloved arab countries and practise his free speech or Cuba he likes it there so much

:clap Couldn't have put it any better myself,self seeking self serving and worse come to my mind,personally i think Cuba would be to good for this guy lets lock him up in the Big Brother house ...he enjoyed himself so much in there (all that publicity).

 

[SoyLeche]

I really do not feel much bias in either of these news,

I haven't watched the video, but this line of yours got me thinking. This quote probably means "The bias of these news lines up pretty well with my own" more than anything else.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but there is bias pretty much everywhere.

 

[xander-]

I haven't watched the video, but this line of yours got me thinking. This quote probably means "The bias of these news lines up pretty well with my own" more than anything else.

Maybe I'm just cynical, but there is bias pretty much everywhere.

Ouch, that is seeming to say that I'm bias.. That's not nice, you don't even know me!

Haha, no but honestly, the news in Denmark is just news, telling you upfront everything. Neither taking a opinion nor putting a specific party in a positive/negative light, it is really non-bias.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Galloway Has always been a fighter for the underdog.
In recent years that has meant the Arabs the Cubans and the catholic Irish.
He has been attacked by the British and American establishment many times.
He has been taken to court over the accuracy of his statements on several occasions.
He has always been found correct and won.
He has out stayed a number of prime ministers and presidents.
He has been thrown out of the labour party on at least one occasion.
He has out faced the US senate committee over Iraq.
He has been re-elected by the popular vote of his constituency, against opposition of
all parties.
HE is not a little man.

What he says makes many, who hold establishment ideas, very angry.
But what he says is with honest belief.

As to the popularity of Blair and his Middle East policies, he is now very much on his own; Polls have shown that Israeli popularity is at an all time low in the UK
Blair's popularity is below that needed to get re-elected.
The British Cabinet is totally split over his ME policy.
Even our Foreign minister stopped the US flying bombs to Israel via the UK.

You can find few who are now prepared to openly support the Israeli position in the UK

 

[Smoke]

I wish every talking head on tv news and political commentary had a Galloway to take him to task for sloppy thinking and poor reporting.

I certainly don't agree with everything he says, but this kind of advocacy is definitely more acceptable coming from a guest on a news program than from a "reporter."

 

[SoyLeche]

Ouch, that is seeming to say that I'm bias.. That's not nice, you don't even know me!

Actually, your OP starts by explaining your bias.

I feel very much against the Isreali aggression

I actually find that refreshing. Like I said, I may be cynical, but I believe that everyone is biassed in some way or another. I have more respect for someone that can accept that and put it out on the table than for someone who tries to hide behind saying "I'm unbiased". At least if I know their bias I can interpret what they are saying accordingly - of course my own interpretation will be slanted by my own bias. I can accept that too.

 

[xander-]

Actually, your OP starts by explaining your bias.
I actually find that refreshing. Like I said, I may be cynical, but I believe that everyone is biassed in some way or another. I have more respect for someone that can accept that and put it out on the table than for someone who tries to hide behind saying "I'm unbiased". At least if I know their bias I can interpret what they are saying accordingly - of course my own interpretation will be slanted by my own bias. I can accept that too.

I was making a joke. Everyone has an opinion. Therefore everyone is bias. I know that I'm opinionated, of course, I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't. However when you just straight up call me bias, I'm not alloud to point out the fact that normally people tend to know someone before 'dissing' them, and you didn't know me at all?
It was a joke, don't make it so important.

 

[SoyLeche]

I was making a joke. Everyone has an opinion. Therefore everyone is bias. I know that I'm opinionated, of course, I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't. However when you just straight up call me bias, I'm not alloud to point out the fact that normally people tend to know someone before 'dissing' them, and you didn't know me at all?
It was a joke, don't make it so important.

In case you didn't notice - I called EVERYONE biased. Don't take it personally. You're very likely no more biased than I am. Quite possibly less.