The Economist - UK (2022-04-09)

22 Britain The Economist April 9th 2022

nient”  sentences  handed to a series of

high­profile killers. In January,whena jury

acquitted four protesterswhohadtoppled

a  statue  of  a  slave  owner,she said she

would ask judges to reviewthelaw.Shede­

clared  her  support  forMrJohnsonanda

former  aide,  Dominic Cummings, when

both were accused of bustingcovid­19lock­

down  rules.  Since  her  roleincludesover­

sight  of  the  Crown  ProsecutionService,

many lawyers thoughtitwouldhavebeen

better to say nothing.  

Critics put this downtoanunfortunate

combination  of  inexperienceandcareer­

ism. Appointed to the roleattheageof39,

she  was  the  youngest attorney­general

since 1802, according toJamesHandofthe

University of Portsmouth.Withonlya de­

cade at the Bar and not yeta Queen’sCoun­

sel, she was more juniorthanallbutoneof

her  predecessors  since 1900. Attorneys­

general  have  historicallyshunned other

ministerial roles; Ms Bravermanmadeher

name  as  a  hard­line  Brexitministerand

has  a  shot  at  higher office. This, some

think, makes her unsuitedtothegravede­

cisions that land on herdesk,suchassign­

ing off on drone strikes.“Ifeelrathersorry

for her,” says one Tory colleague,consider­

ing the pressures of thejob.

Her  supporters  notethatallattorneys­

general  rely  on  externalcounsel,andde­

tect  the  condescensionthatmeetsmany

women in the law. AndMsBravermanisa

more meaningful figurethanhercriticsal­

low. Along with many Torymps andseveral

conservative  legal  academics,shethinks

the  judiciary  has  becomeovermightyin

the past two decades. Sheisa drivingforce

behind  a  doctrine  whichseeksto“rebal­

ance”  the  constitution, andwhich reas­

serts the ability of politicianstomakepoli­

cy without being gainsaidbyjudges.

In 2020 Mr Johnsonproposedbreaking

his  euexit­treaty  obligationsinorderto

strengthen  his  negotiating position,

prompting  the  resignation of Jonathan

Jones, the head of the governmentlegalde­

partment,  and  Lord  Keen,theadvocate­

general  for  Scotland.  MsBravermanpro­

vided  legal  advice  justifyingthebreachof

international law on thebaldgroundsthat

a  sovereign  parliamentcanlegislateasit

pleases.  “She  was  determinedthata legal

way  would  be  found  to introducethose

clauses,” says a former colleague.

In  a  recent  speech  shearguedthatthe

Supreme  Court  had  wronglystrayedinto

political  terrain  whenit overturned Mr

Johnson’s  prorogation of parliament in

2019.  “The  authority  ofthejudiciarymust
      never again be pitchedagainsttheauthor­
      ity of the people,” she said.A goodmanyle­
      gal academics are alarmedbywhattheysee
      as the government weakeninglong­estab­
      lished checks and balances.ButasfarasMs
      Braverman goes, best nottomistakeinex­
      perience for incoherence.n

Channel 4

A great British

sell­off?

A

s itnearsits40thbirthdayChannel 4

shouldhave plentytocelebrate.The

publiclyownedchannelemergedfrom the

pandemicwitha recordoperatingsurplus.

Frothyshowslike“TheGreatBritishBake­

Off”area hitwithviewers,whileserious

oneslike“It’sa Sin”impresscritics.

Insteadthebroadcasterisfighting  for

itslife.OnethreatcomesfromAmerica,

whose deep­pocketedstreamingservices

aresnatchingChannel4’syoungaudience.

Theotherisfromthegovernment,which

onApril4thannouncedplanstosellthe

channel.NadineDorries,theculturesecre­

tary,saidprivateownershipwouldenable

Channel4 tocompetewithNetflixandoth­

ers.Sceptics,includingmanyToryback­

benchers,seeit asanattempttoputthe lib­

eral­leaningchannelinitsplace.

Theworldwide“streamingwars”have

sparkeda maniaformergers.Lastmonth

Amazon boughtmgmfor$8.5bn. Disco­

very’s$43bnacquisitionofWarnerMedia

isabouttoclose.ButChannel4 isa tricky

target.Online­onlystreamerslikeNetflix,

AmazonorApplehavenointerestina lega­

cybroadcastnetwork.Discovery,which al­

ready does business in Britain, has  its

handsfullwiththeWarnerdealanda sep­

arateplantobuybtSport.

Paramount, another American giant,

maybeinterested.It alreadyownsBritain’s

Channel5,sohasexperienceofitscom­

plexnationalbroadcastingrules.Byfilling

athirdormoreofChannel4’sschedule

with content from its American archive it

could save up to £150m ($195m) a year, esti­

mates  Matti  Littunen  of  Bernstein,  a  bro­

ker. Yet if the government imagines Chan­

nel 4 competing with foreign streamers, it

may not want it to be swallowed by one.

If the aim is to create a national cham­

pion,  itv might  fit  the  bill.  Combining

Channel 4 with Britain’s oldest and largest

commercial network would create “a goril­

la  as  big  as  the  bbc”,  says  Claire  Enders,  a

media  analyst.  But  its  heft  would  alert

trustbusters.  itv and  Channel  4  together

control over 70% of Britain’s tv advertising

market.  Getting  the  nod  would  mean  per­

suading  regulators  that  the  relevant  mar­

ket  was  all  video  ads,  including  online

ones.  French  authorities  are  considering

just such a case with the proposed merger

of tf1 and m6. Their decision, expected by

the autumn, may inform British thinking.

The  problem  for  all  bidders  is  uncer­

tainty.  Channel  4  must  follow  quotas  for

airing news and buying content from par­

ticular regions and from independent pro­

duction  companies—which,  unusually,

keep  the  rights  to  their  content.  The  gov­

ernment has not said which of these rules

will  remain.  “Every  percentage  point  of

content that has to be made out of London,

or  through  independent  producers,  or

whatever  other  provision  is  determined,

probably  takes...something  off  any  offer

price,”  says  one  potential  buyer.  Analysts

expect bids of £500m­1.5bn, depending on

what strings are attached.

The  government  says  the  proceeds

would  go  to  creative  industries.  But  pro­

duction  companies  prefer  the  deal  they

have.  Meanwhile,  relaxing  obligations  to

make programmes in the regions would jar

with the government’s “levelling up” agen­

da.  Some  Tories  also  fear  losing  distinc­

tively  British  content.  Channel  4  shows

like “Derry Girls” are aimed at British audi­

ences,  in  contrast  to  series  like  “Bridger­

ton”,  Netflix’s  gleefully  ahistorical  Geor­

gian romp. And whereas some households

dislike  paying  for  the  bbc,  Channel  4

makes  its  money  through  ads  (something

Ms Dorries seemed surprised to discover at

a parliamentary hearing last November).

Privatising Channel 4 was not in the To­

ry manifesto, so the House of Lords, where

the  government  lacks  a  majority,  faces  no

pressure  to  wave  it  through.  Even  if  it

passes,  the  tender  process  and  potential

competition  inquiry  would  probably

stretch  beyond  the  next  election,  due  by

the end of 2024. Few senior Tories seem to

share  Boris  Johnson’s  enthusiasm  for  off­

loading  Channel  4;  Labour  describes  it  as

“cultural vandalism”. Plans to privatise the

broadcaster  have  been  floated,  and  sunk,

throughout its life. This one may yet go the

same way, says Ms Enders. “Youcan’t find a

banker in the City that hasn’twasted time

on a Channel 4 privatisation.”n

Half-baked plans to sell a slice of

broadcast TV

New showstopper round