Cuts, not everybody likes them
Blood, blood, more blood. No, it’s not another vampire drama on Sky or FX…it’s what the Tories want from the BBC. Every time the BBC Trust offers the Blues something, they want more. It was not enough to reform the BBC Trust by giving it a new name, for example, the Chairman had to go, falling on his sword earlier this week.
Now the BBC Trust is offering to freeze the licence fee for two years, forgoing a 2 per cent increase this year, and taking the bottom end of a 0 to 2 per cent range. That takes £144 million out of the BBC budget, which should help concentrate the minds – but there comes a point with steeper cuts when you bite into programming. Which maybe, in the interests of supporting commercial television, is what the Conservatives want.
Yet, if that’s the case, they might as well say it. So far the Conseravtives have briefed against Sir Michael Lyons, with culture secretary Jeremy Hunt calling him a “former Labour councillor”. He keeps talking about more cuts, saying the BBC has to “live on the same planet as everybody else” making the false comparison that the Beeb is on a par with a school or hospital.
Honesty would dictate a simpler approach. What is it the Government wants from a public broadcaster? Can commercial interests plug any gaps, or does that matter? Public policy has historically beeen wary of commercial interests in British television, prefering a large public sector that is both free of adverts and interfering owners. If it is time for that to change, it would be better to say so, rather than this nagging and gnawing that quietly weakens the Beeb with no end in sight.
Come on Mr Hunt, tell us what sort of telly you want, and let’s have a discussion about that. Or are you afraid to suggest the closure of services in case there is a 6 Music style backlash? Is there a date in the diary where you will? Why not at Conservative Party conference? Or is there just more briefing and sniping to come.
++ Here by the way is the full text of Hunt’s ministerial statement reacting the announcement, just released:
The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt):
The BBC Trust has proposed forgoing the planned rise in the Licence Fee in 2011/12. The Government welcomes the proposal and has decided that there will be no increase in the licence fee on 1 April 2011.
A decision about 2012/13 will be taken as part of the next funding settlement.
Well what a tangled web we weave in the world of BBC,Cameron, Thompson the armbiter and Thomson the Newscorp special projects man…
http://nbyslog.blogspot.com/2010/09/newscorp-speculation-slogs-inside.html