Month: July 2004

Charles Windsor, heir to head of state, took £11,913,000 from the Duchy of Cornwall last year before tax. This was nearly £2m more than the previous year. Some of this income was spent on what are termed “official” duties. The value of the estate increased by £55m to £463m, growth of one-fifth. Although Mr. Windsor…

A MORI poll suggests that two-thirds of the population would prefer that the BBC be financed, at least in part, from sources other than the viewing licence. Twenty-five percent wanted the state media giant to raise some income from advertising and sponsorship. At present no one in the UK may watch TV of any kind…

The British Broadcasting Corp. has confirmed that its former director general, Greg Dyke, was paid £800,000 in 2003. Mr. Dyke left BBC, which is financed by a levy on all TV viewers, after the Hutton enquiry’s criticisms of the media giant.

The House of Commons Public Administration Committee has recommended that no more knighthoods be awarded. Under Britain’s feudal system knights expect to be deferred to as “Sir” or “Dame.” The committee said that these titles are “redolent of past preoccupations with rank and class.” They would be replaced with the title “Companion of Honour.” If…

The unelected legislators in the House of Lords have voted 240 to 208 to reject a government proposal to abolish the position of Lord Chancellor. The Lord Chancellor is a government minister who is also head of the judiciary. The so-called Lords objected to the replacement of the feudal office with democratic arrangements that would…

The assets of the Church of England increased in value by £430m to a total of £3.9bn last year. This followed three years of poor results for the state church. The Church Commissioners, who include the prime minister and the minister for sport, reported the figures. The Commissioners are accountable to parliament.

Multi-millionaire former director-general of the state broadcasting corporation Greg Dyke was paid £450,000 when he resigned following criticisms of editorial weaknesses by the Hutton enquiry, it has been revealed. This severance package will be paid for by TV viewers who are obliged to pay the BBC for permission to watch commercial channels.