I've awoken this morning to discover that the BBC's Director General, George Entwistle, has finally fallen on his sword.
Entwistle had only been in post for a few weeks but his period in charge had been dominated by scandals directly affecting his organisation. While he may not have had any personal responsibility for much of what has been revealed, his handling of the aftermaths was utterly incompetent; the revelations and ramifications of the Savile case have brought the Corporation into such disrepute that its future must be in doubt and Entwistle's response was pathetic. His appearance before the Commons CMS Select Committee was hopeless and his interview performance at the hands of John Humphries a couple of days ago was excrutiating; resignation had become the only option.
Listening to Jonathan Dimbleby, Max Hastings and Lord Patten on the 'Andrew Marr' show, it's clear that Entwistle's erstwhile chums are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to excuse his failings; this simply doesn't wash. Entwistle may be an honest and decent man but he was no use whatsoever as Director General. His expressed belief that he shouldn't get involved in anything unless someone specifically asked him to shows a shocking lack of leadership skill; it's also an indictment of those, such as the chairman of the BBC Trust Lord Patten, who appointed him.
For the BBC itself, it is now a rudderless and leaderless organisation which is suffering the greatest crisis since its founding in January 1927. The only serious advantages that it has over its commercial rivals are its funding from the licence fee and the absence of advertisements on its channels; much of its content is every bit as rubbishy as that of its competitors and one has to wonder why it should continue as it is. The notion that the BBC is somehow superior, with better staff and programmes, holds less water as the years go by and this may well be the moment when the scales are tipped against it.
We shall have to wait to see what develops.
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