90 MPH Winds Sweeping Across Britain, Say BBC
By Paul Homewood
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-67875840
The BBC published this just after Storm Henk last week.
I immediately complained that the only place with 90 mph winds was the Needles.
An open and shut case, you might think. Just publish a correction and move on. But this is the BBC we are talking about!
They sent me this response:
Instead of moving on without anybody noticing, they actually dug themselves into an even deeper hole!
My original complaint did not even mention the word “widespread”. Now they claim that 90 mph winds had been recorded in “some regions”.
As we know, this simply is not true.
And, as the original report claimed, 90 mph winds had been “sweeping across some regions”, a claim they have not retracted. “Regions” of course are substantial parts of the country, and “sweeping across” certainly implies large areas of these regions had experienced such winds.
Needless to say, I have taken the complaint to the next level.
But I sometimes wonder whether the Complaints Team, who come up with these responses, actually believe the propaganda they spew? Living in the BBC bubble, and inundated everyday with tales og impending climate doom, maybe the likes of Terry Hughes, who wrote the above response, really do believe that 90 mph winds were sweeping across the country last week.
But the early runner for Joke of the Year must surely be this gem:
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Nevertheless, we can assure you that we would never set out to exaggerate or sensationalise a story and we regret to learn of your disappointment with this piece.
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At least the BBC has a sense of humour!
Comments are closed.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Paul.
I have encountered this type of response to virtually every complaint I’ve ever made.
I used to think it was a policy to force you to make 3 or more complaints.
Having watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office and its fall out I think the BBC is employing exactly the same tactics as the PO and Fujitsu
You are correct. While criticising the post office, the BBC is employing the same tactics itself. My own experience is that they just try to wear you down with delays and obfuscation. Reminds me of the Taliban’s response to the USA: “You have the fancy watches, but we have the time.”
They also defend software aka models as robust.
That’s right.
Most people give up after the first stage. They hope that most people will just give up and go away
I’m beginning to think of you, Paul, as climate-sceptic’s Alan Bates. KBO!
They have no shame.
” Having watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office and its fall out I think the BBC is employing exactly the same tactics as the PO and Fujitsu ”
Institutional corruption, which has possibly become endemic in the UK amongst large organisations.
“…we would never set out to exaggerate or sensationalise a story…”
Have they changed their policy on this then? We seem to have some pretty normal winter weather heading our way, let’s see if that statement stands up shall we.
Billing Aquadrome seems to be living up to its name… wonder why it’s called that? Could it be low lying and near to a lot of ….. water?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1531016050347633/posts/4721229257992947/
I checked, a River runs through it. It’s called the Nene, which flows across this frequently flooded flat flood plain past this park situated on the river’s bank.
Surprise!
Nothing to do with the wind, so why the picture. It’s not unusual here.
At school, lower down the Nene, we looked forward to winter floods on the valley floor pastures to pursue our model boat hydroplane experiments. If we were lucky during a cold spell we might ice skate over the same fields.
Some of this ‘stuff’ coming from the BBC is little more than schadenfreude ( ? Sp) clickbait
“We’ve told you a million times we don’t exaggerate.”
The BBC have learned nothing from the Horizon fiasco.
Come on, people, let’s be kind to the Beeb! On the Isle of Wight Needles, no doubt it was windy at the top, windy half way down and windy at the bottom of them. This could be interpreted as “different regions”. Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Amusing but with the BBC the joke is on us – well if you have a TV licence it is.
At least the BBC has a sense of humour…………
Best enjoyed by those attending agreeable Islington dinner parties. For the rest of us – not so much
Long Live the Socialist BBC. Not yet Nazional Sozialist.
C’mon , the lie is that no 90 mph wind swept across Britain. A 90 mph squall around chalk columns and cliffs was recorded on the west extremity of the Isle of Wight. Nothing to do with the wind being ACROSS Britain.
Yes the BBC is full of lefty claims regarding climate and weather.
If you want the truth don’t go to the ABC or any uk mainstream media . .
I’d take issue with the claim those houses are “submerged”! As for “severe” flooding, what is that? And ghe storm has caused “huge” damage?
The entire paragraph is false and exaggerated. The water isn’t covering all the wheels of that car.
The BBC must really love you Paul 😉
But thank you so much for continuing to call them out, and making the realise that not everyone unquestioningly accepts their BS.
Being a BBC ECU director requires a very special kind of person, who loves money more than dignity and semantics above all. I recall back in the days of the infamous 10:10 exploding kids video the BBC was in a fix as to how to refer to the reaction. They chose a Guardian review with comments surprisingly enabled where they offered; “views were split”. Indeed they were, by about 100:1.
Just for those who not have seen or no longer remember those banned adverts….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS5CH-Xc0co
Real evil bastards these climate change freaksters.
Never seen the exploding kids, certainly unpleasant. What were they thinking?
Thank you Ray. Geof, as you can, if so minded, confirm, it was as you describe.
As to ‘thinking’ well, it did involve a bunch of folk for whom that is more a matter of conforming to ‘groupthink’… activists, luvvies, The BBC, Graun, etc… and, as can often be the case, backfired spectacularly once released from the Hive.
Probably won an industry award.
Oh that one directed by the ‘esteemed’ Richard Curtis.
The art of generalisation as with “Climate experts have warned that the 40C heat seen last year would not be possible without climate change”, extrapolated from the 1 minute 40C as the typhoon jets took off.
“Temperatures of more than 40C are becoming increasingly likely in the UK due to climate change, the Met Office has warned.
It comes as the weather agency prepares to release its State of the UK Climate report for 2022, which saw temperatures break 40C for the first time as well as a record number of heat-related deaths.”
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/met-office-says-40c-heatwave-weather-more-likely-uk/
I haven’t seen this on the BBC, although they did a big coverage of the Ru Paul Drag Race nonsense on last night’s news.
https://joannenova.com.au/2024/01/net-zero-uproar-in-germany-mass-farmer-protests-spread-to-other-workers-and-other-countries/
“For weeks a huge uprising has been building in Germany against NetZero, green tape and rampant taxes. The Germany government gave a partial concession last week, but the protests only grew stronger. Not only are the autobahns and streets grid-locked with thousands of tractors and trucks, but the freight and passenger trains have also stopped in a three day strike. Cargo boats are blocking inland waterways and canals. There is a looming strike of doctors as well, and the cluster of discontent has been labelled “Mistgabelmop ” — the pitchfork mob. Convoys are up to 20 kilometers long, and are widespread. The protests appear to be spreading. There are rumors of protests gathering in support in France. Romania, Poland, and the UK
Pierre Gosselin, at NoTricksZone in Germany, writes “Never in postwar history has a ruling government been so unpopular“.
I can say that flooding at Billing is nothing new -my parents had a caravan there in the 1960s. Each autumn we towed it to higher ground – yes the whole complex is on the flood plain. We did not race hydroplanes on the flooded fields but did enjoy kayaking over them, interesting exercise opening and closing a 5 bar gate to paddle into the next field !
So Paul when you take the Beeb to the next level of complaint you can categorically state that this is nothing new. The canalisation of the river Nene always envisaged the flood plain would come into use during heavy rain.
Good on you calling out this outrageous and misleading piece of hyperbole.
Thank you for letting us know the BBC’s response, which is a jewel:
“Nevertheless, we can assure you that we would never set out to exaggerate or sensationalise a story and we regret to learn of your disappointment with this piece.”
We must all do our bit. I am going to get this printed on a few t-shirts for the family to wear. How do you think I should reference it?
We are all very grateful to you, Paul. Good luck with the next level of complaint.
Hi
I am having problems opening NALOPKT emails. They partially load then repeatedly disappear and relaid. Butvthe end result is I have to delete the URL. Not sure if other people are having similar problems.
Thanks
Mike Beaumont
Sent from my iPad
On last nights Countryfile, the Beeb told us it was the hottest year ever etc., and unusually showed us a graph!
It was the anomaly of the 1850-1950 averages, but strangely, they only showed the graph from 1967.
Why start at 1967?
Do I smell a statistical rat?