To boldly go

The BBC's Global Mission ?  That's what Sir Michael Lyons sought to define in a speech in Stockholm yesterday.  It reads like the product of a long latte session with Mark Byford.  These are two men, both leaving the organisation, who love mission statements, promises of performance, guiding principles, and the rest  - if possible, the tristest of thoughts framed in language of biblical pomposity.

Here's the three principles of the Global Mission, as expressed by Sir Michael.

One, bringing the world to the UK by enabling licence fee payers to enjoy the best ideas, talent and debate from around the world.


Two, bringing the UK to the world, by serving specific international audience needs and spreading values that the UK treasures and promotes.


And three, generating new financial value from BBC intellectual property, an objective which is primarily fulfilled through BBC Worldwide, the BBC’s commercial arm.


Number 2's a corker.  What specific international audience needs ? Who's specifying them ? What values does the UK treasure and promote ?  Peace, love, arms sales, usury, beer, home-ownership, fried food ? Very close to meaningless, at a time when the BBC needs to be absolutely clear about what a licence-fee funded World Service will do, and why.