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gavin_o

Listed below are comments made by gavin_o between Wednesday, 14th January 2009 and Monday, 3rd August 2009.

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Shhhhhhhhhhh! 10:08pm on 03 Aug 2009 I think PM would be able to help a great deal if it initiates more research into the phenomenon of sociopathic behaviour in everyday society in the UK. It is not just restricted to cinemas - it's everywhere. Even people on pavements seem a hair's breadth from attack if one of them refuses to move aside. What we seem to have now is a "Look At Me" society (see Peter Whittle's book) where people are filled with a sense of rights but bereft of any sense of duty. This needs exposing as a matter of priority.
Shhhhhhhhhhh! 5:53pm on 03 Aug 2009 I thought Peter Whittle spoke extremely well on the programme today. What is essentially sociopathic behaviour has become worryingly commonplace in society now. It is not a laughing matter, but a very serious one, because it is destroying the fabric of society, and the probability of violent and abusive response leaves decent people powerless. Little friendly adverts are not enough. Rules need tightening, penalties increasing. But we'll need another government for that.
And now on Radio 4 09:23am on 26 Feb 2009 Great post, gcdavis, and others. Mr Damazer asked for comments - he's getting them. He might have guessed what they were going to say.

I never listen to R4 now, because they so obviously do not listen to us. A lot of people put a lot of time and attention into presenting the case re. opening up TFTD. My own e-mail was long and comprehensive. Everyone was effectively ignored.

I urge everyone to take their complaints about TFTD to the BBC Trust in the strongest terms. These two religious men cannot be allowed to dictate their faith-based views to everyone else on a supposedly impartial BBC.
And now on Radio 4 1:25pm on 10 Feb 2009 To echo post 8, I find it incredible that Mr Damazer failed to properly acknowledge (never mind engage with) any of the arguments re. TFTD which were put to him in hundreds of e-mails and hundreds of blog posts, and yet here he presents himself as someone who is open to listening.

Even Christians agreed with us that TFTD is unacceptable in its current form, yet we still don't even know who is dictating to everybody that it must not be reformed. Would Mr Damazer like to enlighten us about this?
'Thought for the Day' uncut 8:19pm on 25 Jan 2009 Quite right, MrStrop, "Alister" it is.

The rest of The Today Programme (and broadcasting on R4) can't be equated with the religious output as very rarely is it overtly pro reason or humanism (or anti religious indoctrination - two sides of the same coin) - it's just non-religious. For example it might be about economics or film.

Anyway, all the arguments have been put now very clearly to Mr Damazer in the other blog thread and in many e-mails. The only trouble is he's ignored them.
'Thought for the Day' uncut 09:19am on 25 Jan 2009 Correction: "Alistair". iPM: feel free to edit.
'Thought for the Day' uncut 09:16am on 25 Jan 2009 I've just got around to listening to the iPM's second handling of this issue. This was a far more competent job - thank you to them for following it up.

Alastair McGrath was far better than usual. He was still wrong: his claims were not based on evidence (should we be surprised?!), but at least he was saying something as he spoke. For McGrath is one of those people who possesses that amazing ability to speak for several minutes and yet say nothing at all (q.v. his interviews with Richard Dawkins).

It was a pleasure to hear AC Grayling's humane and measured tones and it remains a disgrace that moral philosophers such as him are discriminated against by TFTD (which, if it continues in its current form, should of course be called Religious Thought for the Day).

It is also a disgrace that Mr Damazer would not appear on the programme, and is further clamming up in e-mails I have seen. Also that the Religious dept do not defend their "programme squatting", but just direct enquires to Mr Damazer, who can then just direct them back to the Religious dept. A perfect defensive circularity.

Still, this was a good attempt by iPM, far better than the first. I just wish Eddie had given a clearer impression that the vast majority of contributions to the blog were firmly against TFTD in its current form - and yet still Mr Damazer was refusing to even discuss the issue. It will now be taken by many people to the BBC Trust, as he himself has suggested.
Thought for the Day: "a genuinely difficult question" 3:02pm on 17 Jan 2009 I'd like to add Sam Harris to that list.
Thought for the Day: "a genuinely difficult question" 10:42pm on 16 Jan 2009 I'm not sure where Rupert's message is re-posted from, but it's quite reassuring to see. I hope some of the most cogent arguments will be selected from this blog to be put to Mr Damazer, because I am mystified as to how he could possibly defend his position in the face of them. Even many religious people feel he is trying to defend the indefensible.

This is an important issue: we are talking about removing superstitious sermons from Britain's leading radio news programme. Or, at least, admitting that contributions from non-religious moral philosophers have at least as much value - admitting that by airing them.

That all this needs to be argued around 250 years after the Enlightenment is sad indeed, but credit to those journalists who usher in change, especially if they feel it means risking their own jobs.

The BBC has been getting itself into a lot of trouble over its apparent favouring of religion recently. See for example its misrepresentation of the views of Dorothy Rowe and the recent news that it spends more than £10m per year on religious programming. Yes, there is non-religious comment - but how much is explicitly secular and humanist? Very little - nearly none - it seems.

It is obvious that the people have spoken loudly about this. Senior executives do not have the right to force their own religious convictions on others via the media, if that is what is happening. Now is the BBC's chance to correct matters and show that it does respect rational listeners. So I look forward to hearing what is said.
Thought for the Day: "a genuinely difficult question" 11:50pm on 14 Jan 2009 I know for a fact that Mr Damazer has received hundreds of e-mails putting forward counter-arguments re. TFTD (in addition to those expressed here) - because I have read many of them. These arguments have gone unanswered.

Graham (post 416). Feel free to contact me via my site, if you like, in case we need to take things up a level with this - although you signed the pledge I don't think I have your e-mail address for future correspondence.

Gavin Orland

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