The concentration of media power in Murdoch's hands has been very harmful to our democracy. Davemc displays considerable ignorance by not realising that cross-media ownership, the ability to control large sections of both broadcast and print media, results in a propaganda machine. That is what has had police and politicians dancing to the dirty digger's tune.

Thatcher started the rot by dismantling controls on cross media ownership as part of her war against Thames TV because they would not toe her line. The problem was aggravated by the governmental mis-handling of the playing field between Sky and BSB in the early days of satellite TV, and doubly aggravated by the stupidity of Thatcher forcing the BBC to pay Sky carriage fees, when in the real world free from Keith Joseph carriage fees were only ever paid by channels who derived revenues from viewer numbers.

I used to do this shit, and have some idea what I am talking about (unlike our neanderthal guest).   UKTV has been getting worse ever since Thatcher destroyed the old regional franchise system out of malice over the "Death on the Rock" documentary.