Wordblog

Some things don’t change. I came across this yesterday while looking for something else:

Broadcasting in Scotland
In view of the fact that the charter of the BBC will come up for renewal next year, a majority of the General Assembly [of the Church of Scotland] yesterday supported an overture in favour of an independent Scottish Broadcasting Corporation. Sir John Anderson recently stated in the House of Commons that the future of broadcasting was under consideration, but the he was not in a position to say whether the matter would be referred to a joint committee of the Houses of Parliament. In 1926, when the BBC was granted its charter, the imaginative, but not imaginative enough, idea of “The Regions” was conceived. From Scotland’s point of view, this was not, and never has been satisfactory. It made no distinction between Scotland and vaguely defined areas desribed as “The Midlands” or “The Western.” If the BBC is to satisfy Scottish listeners, it will have to revise its policy and give considerably more freedom and more money to Scottish broadcasting.

It is not sensible, however, to suppose that Scotland, relying on her own talents and within her own borders, could support a twelve-hour daily programme that would absorb the attention of the majority of Scottish listeners who had access to southern wavelengths. Nevertheless, it is absurd that, to take two examples, certain people and certain subjects should be considered as too important for Scottish broadcasting and should have the label “National” applied to them — in other words, to be dealt with only from or by London. It is absurd that certain eminent Scotsmen (as was certainly the case before the war) should be approached only though and by permission of, Portland Place. It is absurd that certain general subjects, which are not merely “parish pump politics,” should not be discussed by Scots people over the Scottish air. In short, those in charge of broadcasting in Scotland should have greater freedom and responsibility. The question of finance enters into and colours the whole problem, but does not affect the general principle that broadcasting in Scotland should be national and not merely provincial.

Leader in The Scotsman, May 30, 1945

And this:

ANOTHER day, another front in Alex Salmond’s relentless 100 Day “War of Independence”. First, tax. Then flags. Now the broadcast media. Who could dissent from the First Minister’s bold new initiative this week? Responsibility for broadcasting, he declared, should be devolved to Scotland to combat “outrageous” budget cuts north of the Border.

The Scotsman, August 10, 2007

Unfortunately, I can’t bring you more of last week’s opinion because it is part of the premium area and I am not going to pay “as little as £29.95″ to read it. But I get the impression the argument has not changed much in 62 years.