Given that Tory donor Richard Sharp was forced to step down as BBC Chairman over undeclared dealings with Boris Johnson, the chances of a card- carrying Conservative taking over at the Beeb seem low.
But how about a respected Labour Party figure?
Step forward David Blunkett. In a thinly disguised job application published by the Yorkshire Post last week, the first blind Cabinet minister wrote: ‘In my younger days I fancied the idea of becoming the Chair of the BBC.’
He added: ‘I still believe I have a major contribution to make in the public arena.’
Blunkett argues that it’s a ‘mistake’ to think that he can’t judge whether programmes are good or not because he is unable to watch them.
ANDREW PIERCE: Step forward David Blunkett (pictured). In a thinly disguised job application published by the Yorkshire Post last week, the first blind Cabinet minister wrote: ‘In my younger days I fancied the idea of becoming the Chair of the BBC’
ANDREW PIERCE: Given that Tory donor Richard Sharp was forced to step down as BBC Chairman over undeclared dealings with Boris Johnson, the chances of a card- carrying Conservative taking over at the Beeb seem low
On the issue of his impartiality, he cites his ‘independent spirit’, a quality to which Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn, who have been on the receiving end of Blunkett broadsides, could testify.
Most important, says Blunkett, is whether the next chairman has ‘enough vision and competence to be able to chair the existing governance arrangements and understand how to guide the BBC at a time when its future is in danger.’
But is he too old at 75? Certainly not, his allies would say. Lord Grade, the chairman of broadcast regulator Ofcom, is 80.
So come on and throw your hat in the ring, Lord Blunkett.
In TV interviews Labour rising star Wes Streeting refused to apologise for party leader Sir Keir Starmer ditching his promise to abolish university tuition fees. He took a different view as president of the National Union of Students when he backed a campaign calling out ‘liar’ Lib Dem MPs for breaking their pledge to abolish tuition fees.
As the official biographer of Margaret Thatcher, Lord Moore knows a thing or two about female Tory leaders. Writing in The Spectator, Moore says Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt is the only conceivable challenger for the Tory leadership before the next General Election thanks to her sterling display of pageantry at the Coronation. ‘There is something about a handsome woman on the warpath which excites the fealty of traditional Tory supporters, particularly men,’ he wrote. ‘Under the power of this atavism Conservative MPs backed Margaret Thatcher against Ted Heath for the leadership in 1975.’
But Mrs Thatcher had more to offer than the ability to hold a ceremonial sword for an hour or so.
Former Labour Cabinet minister Ed Balls speaks for many concerning this year’s Eurovision winner: ‘Very unconvinced by this Swedish entry. . . lots of writhing about and nail-action, but is it a good song? Really?’ It was, however, far better than the UK entry by Mae Muller, who seems to loathe Britain and is applying for German citizenship. Fittingly, the German entry was the only song to get fewer votes than hers, finishing rock-bottom.
The subtitle of But What Can I Do?, a new book by Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s brutish former communications chief, reads: Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong And How You Can Help Fix It.
The answer, surely, is not to go on BBC2’s Newsnight and insult ex-Brexit Party MEP Alex Phillips and host Victoria Derbyshire.
After Phillips noted the irony of being lectured on honesty by a key figure in the Blair government making the flawed case for war against Iraq, Campbell sneered: ‘I think you may have lost the argument there, my dear, if I may patronise you even more.’
The subtitle of But What Can I Do?, a new book by Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s brutish former communications chief, reads: Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong And How You Can Help Fix It
Turning to Derbyshire, he said: ‘You bring these people on and never challenge them.’
Derbyshire coolly replied: ‘I’m not going to take that from you, with respect, Mr Campbell.’ To which Campbell huffed like a sulky adolescent.
If he was still in Labour, would he face a bullying allegation?
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk