The Tories' laughable report on what should happen to the BBC is a quite desperate joke. Why do they want to make the entire broadcast industry worse??? ITV, Channel Four and any other generally sensible broadcaster are revolted by the plans ( outlined here ) which would mean the BBC sharing the advertising pot, radio virtually forgotten about and the government having to fund the BBC centrally. It makes no sense and seems to view quality as entirely incidental to the consideration of the BBC's future.

The Tory parliamentary party didn't exactly greet the report with open arms so I at least can feel relatively secure in the belief the plans will most likely never see the light of day in government.

This Passion of the Christ film is just an oddity. Why did Mel make it? Was it to get to heaven? Was it an ego trip? Why this tiny period in Jesus' life (as reported in the Bible - so let's not believe everything in there, please)? Why didn't he go the whole hog and do a trilogy or quintet of films to cover his whole life? What's the big deal about seeing a fella condemned to death by fear, politics and (theologically, at least) his own dad and then tortured in horrific ways for the best part of an hour?

I personally would doubt very much that it's anti-semitic. After all, that would mean it was anti-Jesus, who was a Jew, and anti-Mary, and anti-disciples and so on. Yes, the elders in the local Jewish church were culpable but they really only went for it for a bit of peace. It was a profoundly pragmatic decision not some work of devilry.

I'm an atheist and so this would be just a religiously charged film based on a false premise. Simple as that.