Other perspectives

Bits that appealed to me from the papers and elsewhere.....

Before parliament, Mr Thompson seemed oblivious to the fact that the “savings” on pay he boasted of achieving were merely the flipside of the waste that preceded them. FT Editorial

For poor Mr Kroll, a man who would make the perfect chairman of a village lawn bowls club, the torture was almost unwatchable. This fussy man who had obviously memorised the wording of the BBC Trust statute and was determined to live by it, was reduced to telling the world his salary, £238,000, and then failing to justify it by his lack lustre replies to questions to MPs who like bullies in the playground had gone after the weakest link. Chris Boffey, The Drum

If I’d been a Ryanair hostess, I would not have placed Mr Kroll by the emergency exit. Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

...the lesson here is that governance is about more than structures. Personalities count, too. The trust will be stronger for its mauling by MPs. Yet the MPs shouldn't sneer too much. The BBC remains a fine institution, making great programmes. The overwhelming majority of its staff operate to high ethical standards. The worst outcome would be if this episode gave succour to its detractors. Guardian Editorial

Put it this way. This time next year there’s unlikely to be a convivial reunion when the seven BBC – and ex-BBC – witnesses sitting uncomfortably side by side yesterday gather for dinner to have a laugh about the whole thing. After this display of “every man for himself”, several of them are unlikely to speak to each other ever again. Donald McIntyre, The Independent