Government abuse of state broadcasting

The news that the French president, Mr Carla Bruni, is seeking to tighten his grip on France’s state television service  seems alarming. The proposal that he and his Cabinet, rather than an independent body,  appoint the head of the public servcice broadcaster opens the door to direct political interference.  Opponents of Mr Sarkozy are already making comparisons with Silvio Berlusconi’s, albeit more direct, control of national TV.

Thanks goodness that there could be no question of the government of the day and the state broadcaster in this country colluding to damage the government’s political opponents.  Except that  perhaps the most blatant example of such a thing in any western democracy has taken place at the very highest level of the BBC. When the idea of a Scottish Six was first mooted – replacing the BBC’s six o’clock news with a programme produced from Scotland, the then director-general John Birt worked closely with Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson to scupper the plans, with the sole purpose  of damaging the SNP and Scottish Independence.

Birt subsequently boasted about this in his autobiography. Imagine if such a thing happened in France (or even Italy) – the Prime Minister of the day conducting a joint campaign with the head of the state broadcaster in order to damage an opposition party.  It all makes Mr Sarkozy’s plans look tame in comparison.