The BBC is making a real meal of Mandela's death. No surprise there then.

[Trevor]

I don't think the coverage of Mandela's death has been overdone. He is possibly the most significant world politician since World War II - I watch the news each night and frankly most night's it's full of stuff that doesn't matter at all. He took a dignified stand throughout and showed fantastic leadership when becoming president. It would have been to easy to "take revenge" on the white South Africans - A wonderful guy (yes with a dodgy taste in shirts)

 

[El Presidente]

Watch Fox News if you want to avoid Mandela related talk.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I see Goldstone as a sort of revolutionary hero of the modern age. I wonder which of his comments will have his NSC identity imprisoned for 27 years.

 

[cunning fergus]

He's an atheist I believe, even though there was a priest called to visit his house during the period within which he passed away. I can't see the Pope pressing ahead with beatification.

Given his political ideology was based in marxism that should be no surprise to anyone.............a religous communist is an oxymoron.

It is a predictable reality that when faced with the "unknown" even the strongest atheists can waver from their view; on desert island discs recently Ed Miliband mentioned how his avowed atheism waned when his old man was dying and he said prayers to God to save him. He may be atheist again..............or hust till the next time (a bit like Tom Daley's sexuality). Not that there's anything wrong with that, it all helps with understanding the character of people in relation to what they say and do.

Interestingly he also chose the South African national anthem as one of the tunes he would take to his desert island so he maybe he is a bit mental.

 

[Machiavelli]

Thought I'd watch the ten o'clock news to catch up on what has been going on in parliament, the flooding threat, and other world and national news.

I find that Nelson Mandela has died ... hardly unexpected ... and for 40 minutes so far there has been nothing except reports about his death, reaction to his death, his life, etc.

We already knew all of this. Each person being interviewed has repeated the same stuff. The BBC correspondents have all said the same stuff. They have repeated the same bits of film time and time again.

Mandela was a great man who I very much admire. Probably one of the world's greatest statesmen. BUT couldn't the BBC have given us five minutes of Mandela at 10pm, then covered the rest of the news, then gone back to Mandela for however long they sought fit for those who wished to watch and hear more?

Typically rubbish handling of the situation by the Beeb.

You really ought to judge your threads a little more carefully: this one doesn't cast you in the best light.

 

[Titanic]

You really ought to judge your threads a little more carefully: this one doesn't cast you in the best light.

And the 2013 NSC OSCAR for understatement goes to.... Machiavelli!

 

[Captain Sensible]

I must admit, the stuff being said was pretty repetitive after 10minutes. So I just stopped watching. There are other sources of news.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

I see Goldstone as a sort of revolutionary hero of the modern age. I wonder which of his comments will have his NSC identity imprisoned for 27 years.

Wouldnt say no if he was banned from NSC for 27 years, thats for sure.

Isnt this poster the same one who claimed Tim Howard was in the Taliban ?

Also, THIS is currently the 2ND most read story on the BBC Website, more read than Mandela - http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/25231134 - "Rottweiler and Westie have puppies, called Wotties"

 

[Mowgli37]

Isnt this poster the same one who claimed Tim Howard was in the Taliban ?

Indeed, and proclaimed there are too many women reporting the sport.

 

[daveinprague]

Given his political ideology was based in marxism that should be no surprise to anyone.............a religous communist is an oxymoron.

It is a predictable reality that when faced with the "unknown" even the strongest atheists can waver from their view; on desert island discs recently Ed Miliband mentioned how his avowed atheism waned when his old man was dying and he said prayers to God to save him. He may be atheist again..............or hust till the next time (a bit like Tom Daley's sexuality). Not that there's anything wrong with that, it all helps with understanding the character of people in relation to what they say and do.

Interestingly he also chose the South African national anthem as one of the tunes he would take to his desert island so he maybe he is a bit mental.

When did he become a communist?


God bless you Madiba, RIP.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

I must admit, the stuff being said was pretty repetitive after 10minutes. So I just stopped watching. There are other sources of news.

I agree, can see where OP is coming from, although he could have expressed himself better. It got me wondering.. do people actually enjoy listening to the repeated stuff, and what random people through about Mandela? Do they sit through news specials for hours on end, or are people in fact pretty bored, but just watch it because it's rude to say you find it repetitive?

 

[piersa]

The celebration of Nelson Mandela in Western media I have always found curious considering that not all of his actions and ideas were moral. The media coverage of this is excessive, but that really shouldn't come as a surprise given this attitude that has spanned decades.

That said, I personally think he was a great man - we could use more people like him today, despite being flawed, just as other great leaders were from Gandhi to Che Guevara. I admire his ability to give forgive more than anything else, many would have been bitter and punished those who punished him and his people. Truly exemplory human being RIP

People forget very quickly.

 

[Napper]

The celebration of Nelson Mandela in Western media I have always found curious considering that not all of his actions and ideas were moral. The media coverage of this is excessive, but that really shouldn't come as a surprise given this attitude that has spanned decades.

That said, I personally think he was a great man - we could use more people like him today, despite being flawed, just as other great leaders were from Gandhi to Che Guevara. I admire his ability to give forgive more than anything else, many would have been bitter and punished those who punished him and his people. Truly exemplory human being RIP

People believe what they are told

 

[Lord Bracknell]

When did he become a communist?

Indeed.

As Mandela himself made clear in his statement to the South African Supreme Court at the conclusion of his trial in 1964:-

"... for many decades communists were the only political group in South Africa prepared to treat Africans as human beings and their equals; who were prepared to eat with us; talk with us, live with us, and work with us. They were the only group which was prepared to work with the Africans for the attainment of political rights and a stake in society. Because of this, there are many Africans who, today, tend to equate freedom with communism. They are supported in this belief by a legislature which brands all exponents of democratic government and African freedom as communists and bans many of them (who are not communists) under the Suppression of Communism Act. Although I have never been a member of the Communist party, I myself have been imprisoned under that act.

I have always regarded myself, in the first place, as an African patriot. Today I am attracted by the idea of a classless society, an attraction which springs in part from Marxist reading and, in part, from my admiration of the structure of early African societies. The land belonged to the tribe. There were no rich or poor and there was no exploitation. We all accept the need for some form of socialism to enable our people to catch up with the advanced countries of this world and to overcome their legacy of extreme poverty. But this does not mean we are Marxists.

I have gained the impression that communists regard the parliamentary system of the west as reactionary. But, on the contrary, I am an admirer. The Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, and the Bill of Rights are documents held in veneration by democrats throughout the world. I have great respect for British institutions, and for the country's system of justice. I regard the British parliament as the most democratic institution in the world, and the impartiality of its judiciary never fails to arouse my admiration. The American Congress, that country's separation of powers, as well as the independence of its judiciary, arouses in me similar sentiments.

I have been influenced in my thinking by both west and east. I should tie myself to no particular system of society other than of socialism. I must leave myself free to borrow the best from the west and from the east".


There is a subtlety of thought running through this that defines Mandela's political philosophy. His part in reshaping the world can't be appreciated unless this is understood.

 

[cunning fergus]

When did he become a communist?


God bless you Madiba, RIP.

He was in the closet for a while, but like Tom we knew it all along didn't we.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-Communist-Party-after-decades-of-denial.html

A lovely man.

 

[daveinprague]

A book 'claims' ??

He may well have used the communist party of South Africa, but I dont believe he was a communist. By any stretch.
Wouldnt blame him though, as Reagan at the time, called him a communist, and a terrorist, as did our own beloved
woman prime minister...
At least the communists supported the ANC against a ridiculous regime.

 

[Albumen]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/06/nelson-mandela-minute-applause-premier-league

Minutes applause tomorrow again (I'll have heard of this fella).

 

[Kenhead]

I was watching something on BBC 4 at the time and a message appeared on the bottom of the screen 'Breaking News on BBC One' so I quickly switched over to find out more then went straight back to BBC 4 to see the end of the programme.
They then kept flashing up the same message (which took up the bottom third of the screen) and it got to a point where I was so distracted that I ended up turning the tv off. I think 2 times would have been satisfactory, it did feel like the BBC was forcing the point of stop watching this and get over to BBC 1.

 

[KZNSeagull]

A book 'claims' ??

He may well have used the communist party of South Africa, but I dont believe he was a communist. By any stretch.
Wouldnt blame him though, as Reagan at the time, called him a communist, and a terrorist, as did our own beloved
woman prime minister...
At least the communists supported the ANC against a ridiculous regime.

The leader of the SA Communist Party, Blade Mzimande comes in my shop quite often. Nice chap, spends a lot of money and stays in the poshest hotels in the area, thus spreading the wealth around in the best way he can ....

 

[GreersElbow]

Nothing is worse than seeing your facebook being flooded with Mandela quotes by idiots who'd have no clue what he did, why he's special or anything. These major events turn into a bandwagon which will soon be forgotten about by next week.

Great man, there's no denial what he managed to achieve; but it'll be trending for the next week, then it'll be like "who is that?".