What happened on 29th April 2023 - with your comments

 On Saturday, Conservative party accused of undermining the BBC by flooding it with cronies after chair’s resignation. Sunak under pressure to stop choosing Tories for BBC jobs after Sharp row.

"To a Tory, the idea of being trusted with any kind of power or responsibility and then not abusing it for your own personal gain just doesn't make sense.

Whats the point in being able to appoint the chair of the BBC if you can't basically auction the appointment off to the highest bidder?"

"No one with any political affiliation should have this job. I accept that is a tall order, but that's sort of meant too be the point of the BBC."

"Over 150 years ago, Britain discovered that merit based appointment is superior to cronyism. Incidentally, this was learned from observing the Chinese civil service who had been doing it for centuries. You'd think it'd be the expected norm by now."

Yet, we were happy to know that in Sudan NHS doctors were allowed on last evacuation flights following U-turn on the UK government previous policy.

 

NHS doctor Abdulrahman Babiker was evacuated from Sudan on Friday after initially being turned away

 

 

 

"Looks like it was a capacity issue then and they just couldn't prioritise visa holders over passport holders. Still, good news they're getting out."

"Now, that's a good u-turn for once. I hope they can make it out well. The ceasefire was unstable, but at least didn't completely break down."

Also on Saturday, the Guardian reported what happened to the people who protested against King Charles.

When the queen died last year, republicans balked at the fawning response to the succession. Some even found themselves under arrest for minor acts of protest, such as heckling. Ahead of next week’s coronation, three tell their tales: Symon Hill, a man of 46, a historian, pacifist, teacher, writer, activist and republican whose arrest for asking ' Who elected him?' made newspapers; Patrick Thelwell, a student, an ecological gardener, was arrested after throwing eggs at King Charles; Paul Powlesland. a barrister, was threatened with arrest for holding up a blank piece of paper in Parliament Square.

 Their stories arouse indignation in the Web.

"A barrister was threatened with arrest for holding a blank piece of paper up outside Parliament, in the UK, not Russia, China or North Korea.

A man was arrested in a UK street for saying a couple of sentences.

You can shout your support of the monarchy from the rooftops without fear but if you dare criticize them in public you risk arrest."

"The overpolicing of anti-monarchist protests is disgusting."

"Speaking out against an undemocratic and oppressive leader doesn’t go well? Colour me shocked."

 Another appalling news of Saturday was that UK readers may lose access to Wikipedia amid online safety bill requirements.

That is a real nonsense. Lucy Crompton-Reid, the chief executive of Wikimedia UK, warned the popular site could be blocked because it will not carry out age verification if required to do so by the bill.

"Snoopers charter bullshit, and as always the excuse of protecting kids is the same lie we've heard trotted out for years whenever the Tories want to be fascists.

Not like it would prevent anything either, as soon as they do it, people would find ways around the verification.

This bill is an attack on privacy, not going to engage with their lies by calling it anything else."

"Wikipedia is an open encyclopedia, not pornography. I doubt it would be banned."

"Use a VPN if it is. Simple. Non story, and just why this bill wont do anything." - "Once this crap has become law the next step is to restrict VPNs."