Fair wind ?

An entertainingly connected committee of Lords are about to consider the future funding of the BBC: 

Chair: Baroness (Tina) Stowell, created a Conservative life peer in 2010 by David Cameron, after failing to win the Conservative nomination for Bromsgrove (to Sajid Javid). Her employer at that time - the BBC, where she was Head of Corporate Affairs, under DG Mark Thompson.

Baroness (Deborah) Bull, a cross-bench life peer since 2018, and one of the first appointments made by Tony Hall when he left the BBC for the Royal Opera House, where she became Creative Director, ROH2. 

Baroness (Peta) Buscombe, a Conservative life peer since 1998, who was acting as DCMS spokesperson as the over-75 licences were dumped on the BBC. 

Baroness (Lynne) Featherstone, a Libdem life peer since 2015; as an MP in 2006, she put down an early day motion calling for women's refuge centres to be included in the same television licence fee scheme as hotels and guesthouses.

Baron (Don) Foster, a Libdem life peer since 2015; as an MP, held the DCMS brief into the coalition. He complained about Tony Hall's salary at the Opera House, in 2015.

Baron (Leslie) Griffiths, created a Labour life peer in 2005 under Tony Blair. He had to cough up when  free Over-75 licences ended, and wasn't happy. 

Baron Hall of Birkenhead, crossbench life peer appointed under Gordon Brown in 2010. 

Baroness (Dido) Harding - yes, that one. 

Baron (David) Lipsey, a Labour life peer since 1999. He told the Lords in 2015: " I sat on the Davies inquiry into the BBC licence fee in 1999 and, at the end of a year of study, probably knew as much about the licence fee as any man living. Unfortunately, like the man who once understood the Schleswig-Holstein question, I have long since forgotten all of it, save that the licence fee is a perfect way of funding the BBC but unfortunately is a poll tax that bears heavily on poor people."

Baroness (Gail) Rebuck, Labour life peer since 2014, featuring in Guardian lists of potential BBC DGs for decades. 

Baron (Ed) Vaizey, longest serving Culture Minister, now Tory peer. Rumoured to be interested in Ofcom. 

The Bishop of Worcester, Tim Davie fanboy

The @BishopWorcester asks whether climate breakdown should be the top item on the news but the BBC director general says "many people want us to put something happy at the top of the news".

Topless urgent care centres perhaps? #DontLookUp pic.twitter.com/KE89KGCVUO

— Media Tell The Truth XR (@TTTMediaXR) January 25, 2022

Baron (Tony) Young, created Labour life peer in 2004; BBC Governor from 1998 to 2002. In 2020, he lead a Lords debate thus: I hope that we never see the day when the BBC and public service broadcasting in the way we know it today—independent, wide-ranging and serving the needs of our nation—ever disappears.