One has a right to judge of a man,” wrote Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray, “by the effect he has over his friends.” One also has the right to judge an institution by the effect it has over its enemies. The BBC’s enemies include a clutch of Right-wing newspapers, the Conservative Party and Elon Musk. This should suggest to anyone sane that the BBC should be cherished and championed but this past weekend Lucy Frazer — a person I had literally never heard of but who is apparently the Culture Secretary — announced that the Government was reviewing the licence fee.
“I do think it might need to look at a variety of sources for its funding,” Frazer said. “I’d like to ensure the BBC is properly funded. The licence fee isn’t the only way.” If I hadn’t realized Frazer was Culture Secretary it is because they change so often — there have been 13 culture secretaries in 13 years. Frazer’s comments echo Jacob Rees-Mogg, who recently told “anti-woke” and not very good channel GB News that “the licence fee has passed its sell-by date and it needs to go”. Ironically, this was the same message voters sent to Rees-Mogg’s party in the council elections.
