The end of the beginning or the beginning of the end

We finally managed to achieve some clarity over the when but not the what. Director General, Mark Thompson will meet the NUJ and Unions on the morning of the 18th October. We expect to be told much of what has been trailed, so inappropriately, in the media. Feelings are strong, people at the BBC have taken a battering in the last few months, and resent the idea that they may be at the receiving end of more punishment. The last few months could have provided an opportunity for real internal debate about the future of the BBC. This hasn't happened and managers are now hastily trying to add logic to the basic premise of change for change sake. Expect the usual lack of detail regarding how things will actually work. However, in contrast to the last major round of cuts there is resentment - nobody wishes to be the fall guy for what they see as someone else's mistake. Meanwhile, Gordon Brown may cause pause for thought as a snap election could play havoc with the BBC's slow, slow, quick, quick, slow approach to industrial relations.