Boris Johnson is both a Member of Parliament and editor of The Spectator, in the United Kingdom. In the Telegraph, he pens a wonderful essay in the form of an open letter to the BBC license fee tax—collectors, who have obtained permission to electronically spy on his house in order to verify or disprove his contention that he does not have a television, and therefore does not owe the $229.00 annual license fee demanded.

About 10,000 BBC employees are on strike right now, protesting the downsizing of a few thousand employees from the bloated bureaucracy. Johnson notes that the scab newsreader did a perfectly fine job on the news, and that, in fact, ratings are up.

Sooner or later, for reasons Johnson explains, the BBC will be privatized or eliminated. It is an anachronism, but a powerful one, again for reasons Johnson explains. The problem is fare worse than, but similar to the problem we face at home with PBS.

Governments should not be in the business of broadcasting to their citizens (or subjects). It is only a matter of time.

Thomas Lifson   5 26 05