Leading on from Tim's post, some politicians and candidates may be delighted by the attention he refers to, a few may even be swayed, yet most by far will think of who they serve. Like the person on £350 a week (the average wage in Dover & Deal) who struggles to pay the TV tax, frankly prefers Sky or Cable anyway, and would benefit from a more widely based and exciting media market.
And that must surely be the key question here for everyone in public life. Forget the nice dinner, the free DVD and the posh race course enclosure, the key question is does the BBC stand in the way of a more interesting media future for Britain and her people? It's much more than just a matter of questionable programming, excessive pay and the entertainment of MPs and candidates. It's the mixing of public sector and profit making operations that enables the BBC to compete in the media market in unfair ways, including brand stretching. In any other walk of economic life that would be a state aid. Anyone who has been to the USA, and seen the vast ocean of choice, will see what I mean and understand how it could be.
Media is changing fast now, there is a great convergence between platforms going on and nothing - not even the BBC - can be allowed to slow this media revolution or damage Britain's chance to be at the forefront of it.
