Cantona Under Fire After Urging A Run On French Banks
Cantona Urges French To Withdraw Their Savings
Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona is under fire in France for urging citizens to withdraw their money from the country’s banks on Tuesday in protest against a bill to reform the country’s pensions.
Cantona first made the suggestion in October and a date was set for 7 December, but with that date only a few days away French banking officials have accused him of being irresponsible.
In an interview with a French newspaper (see below), Cantona suggested that the concept wasn’t complex and was it was much better to have 3 million people withdraw their money from the banks rather than have 3 million people on the street.
“We must go to the bank. In this case there would be a real revolution. It’s not complicated,” he told Presse Océan last week.
“Instead of going on the streets you simply go to the bank in your country and withdraw your money, and if there are a lot of people withdrawing their money the system collapses. No weapons, no blood, or anything like that.”
The country’s finance minister, Christine Lagarde, played down the suggestion saying: “Each to their own. He is a magnificent footballer, but I’m not sure we need to pay heed to all his suggestions.”
However, Francois Baroin, the head of the country’s largest bank, BNP Paribas, accused Cantona of being “typically misplaced.”
“It goes completely against anything that could assure the functioning of the economy,” Mr Baroin said adding that French banks played no part in starting the 2008 financial crisis and that state bailouts hadn’t cost the taxpayer anything.
Cantona’s remarks led Geraldine Feuillien and Yann Sarfati, to create the website bankrun2010.com which is spearheading the call for a coordinated withdrawal of money from French banks. A Facebook site has been launched in France, though the number of people participating falls well short of Cantona’s 3 million. Another 24 countries, including Britain are said to be involved.
Economic experts have also queued up to criticise Cantona’s plans. Meanwhile, the footballer-turned-actor is said to be filming a movie about a bank robbery!
Home To Dog The Bounty Hunter To Cease Broadcasting
Satellite TV operator BSkyB is to axe the Bravo and Channel One TV channels. The move comes just a month after BSkyB bought the Living TV Group, including Bravo, Channel One – formerly Virgin One – and Living TV. Bravo Two will also close.
It is thought Sky believes that Bravo – home of such shows as Dog The Bounty Hunter, TNA Wrestling, Most Shocking Party Pandemonium and Sons Of Anarchy – targets the same demographic group as Sky One – home of Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old, The Simpsons and Fat Families.
Sky is said to be ready to axe 50 jobs at Living TV Group as part of the closure while many of the former Bravo shows will move over to Sky One. Challenge TV will move into the former Channel One slot on the Sky EPG and will become a free-to-air channel giving its quiz-based programming the opportunity to link up with BSkyB’s Sky Bet operation.
“Content is at the heart of Sky’s strategy,” said Sophie Turner Laing, the managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations at BSkyB.
“Living is already one of the best pay-TV channels around and is obviously a great fit with our existing channels like Sky1. There is so much potential for further development and we intend to increase on-screen investment in Living by around a quarter as part of our expanded channel portfolio. This is a big part of our plans to bring customers great content from channel brands that really cut through.”
Bravo began broadcasting as a cable-only channel in 1985 mainly offering black-and-white programmes from the fifties and sixties before moving into science and horror and then programmes aimed at young adult males.
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Click here for an updated list of live football on TV from Sky, ESPN, BBC and ITV and featuring the Premier League, the Championship, SPL, Champions League, Europa League, Internationals, domestic Cup games and European leagues.
Sky TV and ESPN have released the first batch of TV fixtures for the Premier League for 2010-11.
The fixtures cover the period from the beginning of the season up to the end of November and are as follows:
AUGUST
Saturday 14 Tottenham v Man City 12.45pm
Sunday 15 Liverpool v Arsenal 4pm
Monday 16 Man Utd v Newcastle 8pm
Saturday 21 Wigan v Chelsea 5.15pm
Sunday 22 Fulham v Man Utd 4pm
Monday 23 Man City v Liverpool 8pm
Saturday 28 Blackburn v Arsenal 12.45pm
Sunday 29 Bolton v Birmingham 1.30pm
Aston Villa v Everton 4pm
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 12 Everton v Man Utd 1.30pm
Birmingham v Liverpool 4pm
Monday 13 Stoke City v Aston Villa 8pm
Saturday 18 Stoke City v West Ham 12.45pm
Sunday 19 Man Utd v Liverpool 1.30pm
Chelsea v Blackpool 4pm
Saturday 25 Man City v Chelsea 12.45pm
Sunday 26 Wolves v Aston Villa 2pm
Newcastle v Stoke City 4.10pm
OCTOBER
Sunday 3 Chelsea v Arsenal 4pm
Monday 4 Wigan v Wolves 8pm
Sunday 17 Everton v Liverpool 1.30pm
Blackpool v Man City 4pm
Monday 18 Blackburn v Sunderland 8pm
Saturday 23 Tottenham v Everton 12.45pm
West Ham v Newcastle 5.30pm
Sunday 24 Stoke City v Man Utd 1.30pm
Man City v Arsenal 4pm
Sunday 31 Bolton v Liverpool 1.30pm
Newcastle v Sunderland 4pm NOVEMBER
Monday 1 Blackpool v West Brom 8pm
Saturday 6 Bolton v Tottenham 12.45pm
Sunday 7 Arsenal v Newcastle 1.30pm
Liverpool v Chelsea 4pm
Tuesday 9 West Ham v West Brom 8pm
Wednesday 10 Man City v Man Utd 8pm
Saturday 13 Aston Villa v Man Utd 12.45pm
Sunday 14 Everton v Arsenal 2pm
Chelsea v Sunderland 4.10pm
Sunday 21 Arsenal v Tottenham 1.30pm
Fulham v Man City 4pm
Monday 22 Sunderland v Everton 8pm
Saturday 27 Aston Villa v Arsenal 12.45pm
Sunday 28 Newcastle v Chelsea 1.30pm
Tottenham v Liverpool 4pm
ESPN’s live Premier League matches include:
August
• Saturday 14th Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion 5:30pm
• Sunday 22nd Newcastle United v Aston Villa 1:30pm
• Saturday 28th Manchester United v West Ham United 5:30pm
September
• Saturday 18th Sunderland v Arsenal 5:30pm
• Saturday 25th Bolton Wanderers v Manchester United 5:30pm
October
• Sunday 3rd Manchester City v Newcastle United 1:30pm
• Saturday 16th Aston Villa v Chelsea 5:30pm
• Saturday 30th Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur 5:30pm
November
• Saturday 13th Stoke City v Liverpool 5:30pm
• Saturday 20th Liverpool v West Ham United 5:30pm
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The BBC Trust has decided not to close the corporation’s alternative music station, 6 Music.
In his initial response to the corporation’s decision to close the station, the chairman of the Trust, Sir Michael Lyons said the BBC had not made its case for shutting the digital-only station and that the station should only be closed as part of a wider strategy for digital radio. However, the Trust upheld the BBC’s decision to close the Asian Network.
The decision to reprieve 6 Music was announced in the Trust’s annual report.
“As things stand, the case has not been made for the closure of 6 Music,” it said.
“The executive should draw up an overarching strategy for digital radio. If the director general wanted to propose a different shape for the BBC’s music radio stations as part of a new strategy, the trust would consider it.
“The trust would consider a formal proposal for the closure of the Asian Network, although this must include a proposition for meeting the needs of the station’s audience in different ways.”
Plans to close 6 Music were announced in March and led to a number of demonstrations outside the corporation’s radio headquarters in London. The Trust also received over 30,000 online responses to the proposed closure, the vast majority of which were against the station’s closure. However, the publicity surrounding the station led to a large increase in its audience, from around 600,000 listeners a week prior to its closure being announced to over 1 million listeners a week after the announcement.
Campaigners welcomed the Trust’s decision. Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker said “It’s great that everyone’s finally agreed with all the arguments to keep it on air. The BBC should be proud of 6 Music – it provides something that can’t be found anywhere else on the radio. It’s been a pleasure to be involved with the station and I’m glad that it’ll still be here to do what it does best – play music that would otherwise go unnoticed on mainstream radio.”
Georgina Rodgers of the Save BBC 6 Music Protest said “The fans of BBC 6 Music welcome the BBC Trust’s announcement. But we have only won the battle, and not the war, and we will be continuing our dialogue with the BBC Executive and the BBC Trust.”
