Row set to erupt over BBC chairman
Matt Wells, media correspondent
Tuesday September 18, 2001
The Guardian
The government appears to be heading for a political row over the
appointment of a Labour-supporting economist as chairman of the BBC.
Ministers are expected soon to confirm Gavyn Davies, chief economist
with Goldman Sachs and deputy chairman of the BBC's board of governors,
as successor to Sir Christopher Bland.
Mr Davies's wife, Sue Nye, works in the office of the chancellor, Gordon
Brown. Greg Dyke, the BBC director general, has supported Labour in the
past.
Such a combination would be politically sensitive.
Tim Yeo, the shadow culture spokesman, expressed concern yesterday. "I
think this will cause problems for the BBC itself.
"They have got a director general who is known to be a strong supporter
of Labour. I think it does create a problem if they have a chairman who
is also a strong supporter of the Labour party." He said the Tories had
not yet decided whether they would raise a formal objection.
Privately, Mr Davies has argued that he would not have been so
successful in his work in the City had he allowed politics to cloud his
professional judgment. And in the years of Tory government, the
political affiliation of BBC chairmen was never an issue. Most previous
incumbents have had links with the Conservative party.
If Mr Davies is successful, one of the leading contenders for
vice-chairman to replace him will be Baroness Hogg, the head of John
Major's policy unit between 1992 and 1995, who is married to the former
Tory minister, Douglas Hogg. Her Tory affiliations would go some way to
assuage concern, and Number 10 is likely to agree the appointment with
the Conservatives.
An independent panel interviewed candidates last week and has sent its
report to Sir Nicholas Kroll, acting permanent secretary at the culture
department. Mr Davies is thought to be the first choice, with Baroness
Jay, the former leader of the House of Lords, second. The broadcaster
David Dimbleby was on the shortlist but was not seen as being a
sufficiently experienced administrator.
The appointment of a panel was a means of opening up the procedure,
hitherto agreed in private between the political parties, and for the
first time the post was advertised.
Nevertheless, Mr Davies was front runner from first to last: he is by
far the most experienced candidate, having led the review resulting in
an increase in the licence fee last year to fund the BBC's new digital
services.
Apart from his political connections, the only bar to his appointment is
a perceived lack of charisma. Some observers say that, with Mr Dyke
being the opposite, this is not a problem.
Sir Nicholas will make his own recommendation to Tessa Jowell, the
culture secretary, who will in turn consult with Downing Street.
Technically the appointment is made by the Queen, but she will have a
single name to consider.
Full article at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,553628,00.html
Michael Keaney
Mercuria Business School
Martinlaaksontie 36
01620 Vantaa
Finland
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
