The government sees only obedient allies or enemies to be defeated: there’s no middle ground with this bullying regime
These long years of Conservative rule have been bewildering for many liberal and leftwing Britons. Your party being out of power often is. But this time, as well as all-too-familiar feelings of frustration and impotence, many non-Tories have a new sense of betrayal. They are realising they can’t rely on the
BBC to stand up to the government.
During the previous era of Tory dominance, under Margaret Thatcher, the corporation clashed with her administration sufficiently often for the official history of the BBC then to be titled Pinkoes and Traitors. Challenging governments is what many Britons who love the BBC – and some who do not – believe the corporation always does. Officially, the BBC agrees. Its editorial guidelines state: “We must always scrutinise arguments, question consensus and hold power to account.”
Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist