The BBC’s managerial superstars, past and present, arrived at the Public Accounts Select committee yesterday afternoon to answer questions about executive pay. Like a frightened flock of geese they all began waddling in the same direction. Away from responsibility.
Up first was Mark Thompson. The former D-G had jetted in from New York and his aim was to exonerate himself with a bulldozer strategy. ‘I paid senior staff fortunes to remove them swiftly. Delay would have cost more. I saved the BBC millions. I was brilliant. No one can touch me. Beat that.’ The Thompson tank was very effective and flattened all questioners.
The issue then turned to the BBC Trust’s ability to hold the executive to account. Who, in particular, had overseen the million-pound payout given to Mark Byford when his post as Deputy D-G was scrapped? Sir Michael Lyons, former chairman of the Trust, edged shiftily away from any involvement in this infamous deal.
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