Euro-madness

I remember a session led by academics from Cranfield University.  It would have been 1998, in the run-up to the introduction of the euro, and my enlightened employer wanted an arbitrarily selected group to learn about world economic conditions.  It was made plain that the UK was in a reasonable position to join the euro, and certainly in a better position than some of the countries which were actually signed up to do so.

If we had joined in, and the weaker currencies had not, we would have had some uncomfortable moments as we aligned our cycles but would probably have gone on to reasonable success.  Adopting the euro along with the southern basket cases, given the observable unwillingness of all countries (including France and Germany) to follow the rules of the club, would have been very silly.

Letter to Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary

Dear Mr. Hunt,

Rupert Murdoch is a man who will change his citizenship to gain a business advantage - not a toehold, as an immigrant might do, but a dominant position.  He will kowtow to Chinese suppression of freedom to gain market share in Asia.

Now he wants to take full ownership of BSkyB - News Corporation is a large entity, but it is still a very personal fiefdom - and is wondering how much he will have to give for that.

He has come up with a proposal to separate himself formally from Sky News, thinking that this is the kind of small price that the UK will be satisfied with, and you have recognised that the letter of the contract does offer  some kind of protection.

This is a small price to pay.  UK media law does not allow TV news organisations to take positions, so the provision of a respectable news service - a necessary commitment in the early days to gain Sky's general position and licensing - can be supported by means of an arms-length body.

He would not accept the same separation from the Times or the Sun.

The current move to take over the whole of BSkyB may not - on the face of it - constitute an increase in his control of British media outlets.  My argument is that his control is already too great.

The current scandal of phone-hacking and its latest development with the Milly Dowler case is the first time Mr Murdoch has shown any sign of vulnerability.  So far he has been beyond any but the minor criticism of the courtiers in the PPC - the weight of News Corporation silences or sits upon business and political attacks.

I understand that you have been painted into a legal corner concerning the grounds on which you could refuse the current application, but I cannot believe that it is impossible to stop the process in the light of new developments.

A news organisation which apparently behaves with impunity while flouting the law should give you pause.  I am amazed that they have not already started briefing against other papers - the fact that they have not suggests to me that News International's culpability is so massive that they dare not.

Mr Murdoch's control over the British media is already disproportionate in percentage terms, but the major factor is the cold weight of control - not just power, but deadening influence.

A judge-led inquiry into hacking and its relationships with police and politics (just to begin with) should be established immediately.  And an organisation which is under such scrutiny should not complain if other processes that it is involved with are halted.

Ed Wilson