Cold snap continued

Another cold and frosty morning here at Epsom, with it looking far colder at 07:45 this morning than would appear from this snap. The birds, for some reason, having more or less done the red firethorn berries, are still refusing the orange. The only reason that we can think of being proximity to the back extension window, not a very good reason given that the bird feeder hung off the garage fascia is about the same distance from the kitchen window. And, guessing, I would think there is more going on in the kitchen during the day than in the extension.

In any event, the bird feeder has been filled and has now been hung up for the winter. We will see how long it takes the birds to find it.

Turning to the news of the day, I was not best pleased to find from perusal of reference 1, that the chair of the BBC was head of a private equity operation at Goldman Sachs and that the new deputy chair ran a private equity operation called Permira - from which it seems he stepped down around 10 years ago in favour of less mercenary activities. He had made enough. And he brings with him some luminary from the infamous Fox News operation. 

Both chair and deputy chair are going to go all out to generate more profit from the BBC: the idea that the BBC is a public service run for the greater good of the great British public, and indeed of the world at large, appears to have vanished. But then, as far as the Tories are concerned, the Corporation is a nest of trouble making commies and if they could sell it off to News Corp they would.

The only ray of light in this rather sorry story is that the deputy chair, one Sir Damon Buffini, came from a very ordinary background. He must be the possessor of very extraordinary talents.

I suppose that I should add, in fairness, that my own consumption of BBC services is close to zero. I don't much care for televised news, much preferring the printed (or at least online) word, so most of my news comes from my subscription to the online version of the Financial Times. With an occasional dip into the Guardian. But that it not much of an argument for leaving people who do like televised news at the mercy of the likes of Fox News and News Corp.

PS: there is a long Wikipedia article about the relationship between these last two. Far too much for me to make any sense of it.

References

Reference 1: BBC appoints former Permira chief Damon Buffini as deputy chair: Broadcaster seeks to allay fears over squeeze on licence fee revenue by tapping stalwart of private equity - Alex Barker, Financial Times - 2022.

Reference 2: https://www.permira.com/.

Reference 3: https://www.permira.com/responsibility/permira-foundation. The fig-leaf: 'The Permira Foundation was established as an independent registered charity in 2017. The Permira Foundation builds meaningful partnerships with social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. Working with Permira, it combines the skills and experience Permira has to offer with investment in local economies and communities'.