Workstreams explained

The usual mean trick played by the BBC "corporate centre" on the various divisions in the annual budget round  was to ask them to prepare documents scoping out cuts of 5, 10 and 15%.  The divisions always responded by making the list of actions required to produce 15% savings so terrifying that only direct descendants of Vlad the Impaler would countenance them. 10% would reduce the department to Daily Mail-preferred size, and 5% would result in the audience departing in their droves for the quality offerings of ITV, Sky 3, etc.

There's a similar sort of slow bicycle race going on in those "Delivering Quality First" workstreams dealing directly with tv and radio savings.  Why be the first to proffer £150m off, when Mark Thompson is being so vague about the size of the hole ?  What incentive is there to provide a prioritised list of options totalling, say, £100m in radio, when you suspect they might be taken, and tv gets off scott free ?   Or vice-versa ?   So all DQF home-work will be handed in to the Thom(p)son Twins late and incomplete this week...