The Accountants Drive out the Guardians

Abstract

The title of this chapter ascribes more violence to the encounter between the accountants and the guardians than the facts warrant. In practice the accountants walked in, and the guardians conceded defeat before any guns had been fired. Indeed, in the case of the BBC, the accountants were invited in because the guardians thought they could not manage a competitive situation. The climate of the BBC in the Thatcher years matched the defeatist climate of the Chamberlain government in the years before the Second World War. The government’s conviction that everyone has his price effectively came to dominate public policy across the board. The motto was privatisation at any price and in any sector.