BBC Lonely Planet Guide Maligns British

[Teddy Bear]

Whether or not some of it is certainly true, is it the job of an organisation that is funded by the public to run down and criticize that public? Aren't there positive things that they should be focussing on? This is where the BBC will whip their hosts to show how 'honest and true' they are, because they believe they can do it with impunity and it won't cost them anything.

BBC's Lonely Planet travel guide brands Britons: Binge-drinking, microwave meal-scoffers
By Caroline Grant


Britain is now 'one of the most unequal societies in the developed world', according to a popular travel guide.
The latest edition of travel bible Lonely Planet says there has been a backlash against banking 'fat cats'.
The guide - which was bought by the BBC's commercial arm, Worldwide - claims the economic crisis has left ordinary citizens bitter after financiers 'walked away with millions in their pocket'.
It adds that the popular mood is 'now in favour of increased regulation of the financial sector'.
Elsewhere, it paints a picture of a nation of binge-drinking, microwave meal-scoffers who are obsessed with the weather.
But as well as critiquing our culture for the benefit of tourists, the guide's co-ordinating author David Else looked at the way we travel and found two groups emerging - 'Sabbat-packers' and 'Staycationers'.

The first group are professionals who had been laid off and are taking sabbatical breaks to see the world.
Staycationers are those who cannot afford to holiday abroad and take breaks in the UK.
Mr Else remains optimistic despite the tough time the country is going through and embraces the typically British Blitz spirit

'British folk are extremely resilient. The recession isn't going to dampen their spirits,' he said.

'These Staycationers can't afford all the costs associated with holidaying abroad, especially in light of the Eurozone being so expensive, and have realised that they can find better value at home.

Enlarge Revellers enjoy themselves in a bar on Newcastle's Big Market
'Many are also keen to avoid security queues and delays at airports or are interested in keeping their carbon footprint down by avoiding flying.
'The fantastic summer forecast has been an extra incentive for Brits to stay at home and explore their own country.'
So where should cash-strapped Britons be travelling?

According to the guide, as well as familiar highlights such as London ('endless reserves of cool'), Cambridge ('a grand old dame of a city') and Bath ('if you only explore one English city outside London...'), the hidden delight of these islands is the big industrialised patch in the middle
'The Midlands is commonly an area that people pass through rather than a destination in its own right, but people shouldn't overlook the gems that the region offers,' the guide suggests.

Other more famous destinations have been given less impressive descriptions.
Tourists are told to avoid costly Alton Towers, Balmoral Castle and Madame Tussauds.

Mr Else and a team of authors spent months travelling round the country observing the British way of life.
The guide cites sport as integral to the British psyche along with aspirational TV programmes such as ' property porn' and cooking shows.
It says: 'The mood of the nation is more closely aligned to the success of its international teams in major competition than to Budget announcements from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or even the weather.'
However, the guide adds: 'Behind the scenes the Brits still have an odd attitude to eating at home.
'They love to sit on the sofa and watch TV food shows. But in reality the recipe for dinner is more likely to be something like this: open freezer, take out package, bung in microwave, ping, eat.'

[steevo]

I suppose he could be describing America in some ways

I'm not gonna question your point.

or are interested in keeping their carbon footprint down by avoiding flying

I would think this is bull and more Beeb propaganda.

[Teddy Bear]

With the same logic they could come to the conclusion that many are enjoying microwave food to keep their 'carbon footprint' down by avoiding meals that would take more cooking

As Forrest Gump might have said, "'Bull' is, as 'bull' does".

[Teddy Bear]

BBC = Bullshit Breeding Champions?

[Teddy Bear]

The striking element of this story is that the area that one would expect the national broadcaster to be biased about, it would be the nation it serves. Instead the BBC, via it's 'Lonely Planet' guide, has done its best to make sure no tourist will ever want to come here.

It certainly shows how much the BBC really cares about the public that's forced to pay their extravagant salaries and inflated expenses. Never mind that it is that same public who will suffer from lost earnings as a result of reduced tourism.

Since the BBC doesn't see any personal benefit, then 'to hell with everybody else'. This way the BBC can demonstrate how really unbiased they are because they show the worst about this nation. Just in time for the Olympics too. I'm very conscious of the fact that it is the BBC that has assisted any decline in what once was a country to be proud of, and now blithely announces its downside .

I wonder how Cairo or even Gaza comes across in their guide? - Two thumbs up perhaps!

Britain’s in trouble, if the Lonely Planet is any guide
By Cristina Odone Society Last updated: March 28th, 2011
128 Comments Comment on this article

Ouch! Britain is a “dicey economy” with citizens addicted to junk food and celebrity gossip. Some of its most famous landmarks – Carnaby Street and the white cliffs of Dover – have lost their charm and will only disappoint. The Lonely Planet travel guide has published its verdict on this country, and it is a blow. The Lonely Planet series is the hipster’s guide to the galaxy.

Over 40-odd years it has perfected an easy, chatty tone (Cambridge is a “grand old dame of a city”) while its focus on gay nightlife (”Bars and pubs may be fun, but the real action takes place on and off the dance floor”) and such features as disabled access and single women’s holiday tips have gained it a loyal following among right-on pilgrims.

So a thumbs down from the Lonely Planet writers kicks Cool Britannia where it hurts. Worse, it will affect the national coffers: Lonely Planet readers are unlikely to sink £2 million on a Damien Hirst or even splurge £750 on a double-breasted Burberry trench coat; but in a recession, every tourist pound counts. Lonely Planet readers will make do with over-priced gastropubs and tolerate monosyllabic service staff. They will put up with nylon shagpile carpets, and bed and breakfast rooms a cold corridor away from the communal bathroom. It’s all very English, they’ll say, forgivingly.

But what they don’t want to find in Britain is trash. Lonely Planet’s caustic verdict on Britain has an uncomfortable ring of truth. Many of us wince at the national diet of celebrity gossip and chicken nuggets while still finding it unfair that this, rather than our country’s qualities, is in such sharp focus. Tate Modern in the morning and the Sussex Downs in the afternoon is still a pretty unbeatable combination. Admittedly, Lonely Planet has never been a cheerleader. Its 2009 write-up described Britons (in rather similar terms) as binge-drinking scoffers of microwave meals.

So who is behind this relentless Anglophobia? Is the guide produced by the French tourist board or secret Gaddafi loyalists? No, Lonely Planet belongs to the BBC’s sprawling commercial universe. No wonder it describes the economy as “dicey”.