A large picture of Laura Kuenssberg adorns the front page of the Guardian. A similarly large one does likewise at the Daily Mail, where she’s “the glam new face of BBC politics”. Would James Landale, the longstanding deputy BBC political editor, have merited such extensive photographic treatment had he, not Laura, got Nick Robinson’s job? Don’t answer that. Concentrate on the indisputable fact that Kuenssberg is an entirely worthy appointment. The “first female editor” line is a BBC benchmark – but also disguises the fact that an array of talented female journalists were competing hard for the prize. Strength in depth: a tide of talent, not an isolated pebble on the beach.
Kuenssberg has worked her passage in the Westminster lobby. She gets exclusive stories. She can control and dominate discussions. She’ll be fine – with, perhaps, one element worth developing. The best BBC political editors (and my favourite is still the peerless John Cole) have a knack of seeing or portraying politicians as human beings – as human, indeed, as the viewers looking in. Now Kuenssberg has the keys to the the house of cards she has the chance to develop there, too: first making new connections.
What if the over-75s have satellite dishes?
People are living longer. There are more over-75 TV viewers demanding a free licence. There will be many more waiting in line over passing years as responsibility for paying that money becomes a BBC responsibility.
Unless, of course, Broadcasting House doesn’t play some surrogate Treasury game on the collection front. Unless it defines “fair” in TV terms. Is it fair that the totality of licence-fee payers should be forced to give free fee treatment to over-75 viewers who also have a Sky or Virgin subscription service (ie, can perfectly well afford to stump up)? My friends at Enders Analysis reckon that, even now, some 25% of over-75s live in a Sky subscription home – and 10% in a Virgin-sub home. Add in Netflix and Amazon Prime customers doing their grey-panther bit over coming years and you can see scope for some truly fair savings. In short, if you can afford the whole subscription works, grandpa, why am I supposed to keep you in free Countdowns? An absolutely Pointless exercise.
