NADINE Dorries, Culture Secretary for the UK, is pressing ahead with the privatisation of Channel 4. She was heavily criticised for not knowing it did not take any money from the UK purse. Even Ruth Davidson, former leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, is dumbfounded by the rationale behind this move.
Davidson asked the government to show their numbers behind their decision to privatise Channel 4.
READ MORE: Who pays for Channel 4 and why is the UK Government privatising it?
The management of C4 company doesn’t want it – they have just had their most successful year in 2021. The industry doesn’t want it, because it will affect all of the small and medium-sized production companies making all those unique programmes that big-budget companies like Netflix, Amazon or Disney don’t. Apparently, C4 supports some 10,000 jobs in the UK. It has £250 million in its bank and it derives about £1 billion in revenue each year. It has creativity bases in Glasgow and Bristol and headquarters in Manchester.
Perhaps the Welsh and Scottish governments could bunce up the £1 billion price estimate and purchase the company as a ready-made independent TV company to replace the BBC offering in Scotland post-independence.
Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus
WHO’S betting that BBC News will be telling the nation that one of the main reasons folk dislike the idea of Channel 4 being sold off is the fact that they might lose a broadcaster which attempts to hold the UK Government to account? As that’s a concept alien to the BBC, I agree it’s a long shot.
Roddie Macpherson
Avoch
HAS the Channel 4 scandal displaced the trans conversion therapy scandal, or the Partygate scandal, the Ukrainian refugee visa scandal, the immigration bill scandal, the abusive MP scandal, the Covid wasted billions scandal, the test and trace scandal, the cost of living scandal, the energy price scandal, or the Russian money in the Tory party scandal?
READ MORE: BBC forced to issue correction following basic errors on devolution
But never mind, Scotland’s BBC has one scandal to focus on for more than 10 days and counting. This “scandal” is five years old and pales into insignificance against the Westminster scandals. It is obvious that the BBC in Scotland have nothing else they can find wrong with the SNP government.
I now hear no more fines will be given until after the May 5 elections and the Sue Gray report will not be published until after that – only in Tory la la land is this possible.
Winifred McCartney
Paisley
EVERY so often I alight upon the Scottish Conservatives page on Facebook. It’s rather like entering a doomed kingdom where ignorance, stereotyping and shame have been formalised. It’s a fantasy-land where Boris and his band of incompetents can do no wrong.
The current pea under their mattress is £250 MILLION WASTED ON FERRIES THAT DON’T FLOAT. The £35 billion wasted on the failed Test & Trace system and useless PPE is virtually a taboo subject. What the Scottish Tories seem unable to process is that eventually Scotland will have two new ferries and many saved jobs. There is little or nothing to show for the £35bn.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson makes liars of all Tories who defend him over partygate
There is no point in posting any factual information on the Facebook page because the reply will either be that you are a troll, or on a completely different subject. It’s impossible to engage in a rational debate. This is the cohort which Yes activists must not waste any time on (I do it for a laugh), and instead concentrate on those wavering voters who do not have sealed minds.
Richard Walthew
Duns
EXCELLENT article by Lesley Riddoch in Thursday’s National, which included the news that “the ferry connecting Scotland with Zeebrugge is set to return this summer” (Broadening the mind – and the indy arguments, Apr 7). Presumably this will be from Rosyth. I was aware that it was under consideration but had not seen any announcement regarding its reintroduction.
Having used this ferry on at least seven occasions between 2003 and 2010 I was delighted, and can only hope that age doesn’t prevent me using it again. What a boon it was to leave Scotland in the afternoon and dock in Belgium in the morning and be in Germany, France, or Netherlands within three hours having bypassed the unbearable drudgery and expense of driving through English traffic.
On one occasion on returning to Scotland, I well remember some German tourists commenting on the beauty of the landscape as they sailed up the Forth at 9.30am, and their comments on how it compared most favourably with the approach into European ports. Needless to say it was a beautiful day!
The return of this ferry will not only give hauliers from Northern Ireland, Scotland and yes, northern England an alternative route to Europe which allows them rest time and avoids incurring the expense and costs involved in driving south, but also the CONNECTIVITY that Scotland deserves. Let’s hope that this time the Scottish public learns from the cost of fuel and overnight stops en route south and supports the re-introduction of the ferry.
Paul Gillon
Leven
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