socialmedian: Bradshaw urges 'luvvies' to defend BBC from Tories

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Bradshaw urges 'luvvies' to defend BBC from Tories

Source: The Guardian

Nov 03, 2009

Summary

Culture secretary warns of threat to arts sector's independence and encroaching influence of Rupert Murdoch

Britain's cultural leaders are sleepwalking into a Conservative election victory that will threaten the BBC's independence and the funding of controversial political plays such as Enron, the culture secretary, Ben Bradshaw, has warned.

In a speech to a Labour audience, he said Tory culture policy was totally aligned with the commercial interests of Rupert Murdoch's News International and predicted the central tenet of British cultural policy – the arm's length relationship between the arts and government – is about to be swept away.

Bradshaw said: "We need a few more luvvies to be jumping up and down about it because that is not happening at the moment. I am trying to provoke them into doing it."

He warned of the impact of David Cameron's media policy, especially on the BBC, and the extent to which the Tory leader had followed the commercial interests of Murdoch's empire.

"There are far too many people sleepwalking towards the next election, too many people

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