By your actions you shall be judged

Yesterday's overall think piece on the BBC website highlight the Boris, Patterson wavemaking over the European Council summit is interesting. Lord they even gave Farage the pull quote in the piece.

If he lets this go on too long without there being a referendum it will wreck and destroy his government”
Nigel Farage

Which is all to the credit of Robin Brandt, who it looks as if write the piece. So far so even handed.

But then I made the error of scrolling down. The comment section is disabled after 990 comments, and by default shows you the 'Editors picks'. The editor has chosen 7 key comments to reflect the debate (closed I am sure just un time to stop it rolling over the 1000 mark).

Lets look at those picks,

805.Eddy from Waring
7th December 2011 - 16:09

The real struggle is not between a greater and lesser degree of "democracy", defined to suit whoever's agenda. It is between civic, enlightened, liberal values represented by the EU, and dark, primitive, tribal, aggressive cynicism, embodied by many of the nationalistic foamers. Again.
rate this -19

Comment number 801.
Landscape27
7th December 2011 - 16:06

Get rid of all the politicians & let the whole of the EZ inc the UK be run by technocrats. Countries use the phrase this country or that country PLC, so lets let the businessmen run them. My tongue is somewhat in my cheek, but as long as there was still some kind of recourse left to the people, why not? After all we have a politician with a degree in geography, would business people do any worse?
rate this -13

Comment number 151.
sledger10
7th December 2011 - 8:51

To be honest - the way things are going I could not rule out the UK joining the Eurozone and adopting the Euro!
As the old saying goes - "if you can't beat them, join them."
The UK is very weak now compared to what it was even as much as 10 years ago and certainly in the last 3 years we have dropped like a stone - yet Germany, France, Netherlands and others have strong economies.
rate this -101
Comment number 150.
Jimmyarchbold
7th December 2011 - 8:50

The overwhelming factor in preserving British interests is the survival of the Euro. Eurozone fiscal union with re-introduction of old currencies of member states in tandem with the use of the Euro will provide a micro-economic barometer that will provide intense focus on diverging performances and structurally significantly 'beef up' the 'Euro club'.
rate this -6

Comment number 149.
labarbe
7th December 2011 - 8:50

Let's just stop all the bickering, moaning, gnashing of teeth etc. and just get on with it! We are in the EU - for better or for worse- so our leaders should get their heads down and start working like hell to get the best out of our membership that they can. No posturing, no point-scoring, no being macho or petulant, just get working for the good of all of us in the UK, now!!
rate this +2

Comment number 144.
gorlestongirl1
7th December 2011 - 8:47

The EU discussion needs to be sorted, once and for all, referendum please.
rate this +72

Comment number 140.
anotherPen
7th December 2011 - 8:45

Whether or not the UK should “grab back” legal powers previously given to the EU is pure sophistry. There was never any need for the UK to join the EU in the first place and we can leave it whenever we wish by not paying its dues.
rate this + 88

So we have seven, of which the first 5 are pro European Union and in some cases pro Euro currency, then we have two that are anti, one just deamnding a referendum.

Looking at the public rating the anti-Euro comments are up there in the 78's 80' positive, the pro EU are negative.


It rather gives away how the editor thinks. And goes some way to explain the paucity of proper balanced comment on the BBC.