Who is popular today?

Reluctant participant faces Commons select committee with an interest in that £800k credit facility for Boris JohnsonHow the other half live. There’s the establishment, and then there’s Richard Sharp. The chairman of the BBC. For the time being at least. Richard is one of life’s natural winners. Born into privilege and indulged ever since. Any talent he might have had has been entirely coincidental. An effortless patrician for whom all doors mysteriously open. He wants, he gets. And for two hours at the digital, culture, media and sport select committee we were granted an insight to his world.Not that Sharp was anything more than a reluctant participant. At times his forced politeness verged on the tetchy. Especially when he was being quizzed by the Scottish National party’s John Nicolson and Labour’s Kevin Brennan. Then his eyes narrowed and he drummed his fingers loudly on his pile of notes. This was all wrong. Beneath his dignity. People like him weren’t supposed to come under public scrutiny. This was not the way of the world. Committee appearances were for the little folk. Continue reading...