Digital Gaelic

Isn't it fantastic everywhere you loook for incompetence, corruption or failure that old stalwart Tessa Jowell is there. This from the West Highland Free Press:

"It seems that the Scottish Executive is finally set to break the deadlock over a Gaelic digital television channel by raising the value of the Gaelic Broadcasting Fund from £8.5 to £11.5 million. Their intention in going public on this is to force the hand of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and/or the BBC to come up with the rest of the money needed to create a viable initial budget.

We commend the executive for moving in this direction. The stalemate had gone on for far, far too long. The behaviour of DCMS has been disgraceful and the role of the Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell,
deeply disappointing. Broadcasting is a reserved function and their failure to accept a commitment which would be equivalent to a few per cent of what is spent by DCMS on Welsh-language television shames them.

But there is no more time to be lost. The executive initiative means restoring the value of the existing fund to its original level which is the most that can reasonably be asked of them, given the
demarcation of responsibilities. We have always thought of the BBC as part of the solution rather than of the problem and we are confident that they will respond positively.

If there is still a gap left and DCMS again refuses to fill it, then the political gloves should really come off."

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Scottish Parliament Motion S2M-3663 Roseanna Cunningham: Gaelic Digital Television — That the Parliament welcomes the reported increase in the Scottish Executive’s contribution to the establishment of a Gaelic language digital television channel; Regrets that Westminster appears to be refusing to follow suit; Believes that digital technology provides the opportunity for an exciting new era for Gaelic broadcasting, but notes with DISMAY that, while the new channel is expected to be broadcasting by the autumn of 2006, switchover to digital is not scheduled to take place until 2009 for the Grampian and Scottish television areas, leaving many people, particularly in those areas with the highest concentration of Gaelic speakers, without affordable access to Gaelic digital broadcasting for three years.

Supported by: Michael Matheson, Rob Gibson, Jim Mather, Fiona Hyslop, Mrs Margaret Ewing, Mr Jamie Stone, Alex Neil, Mr Adam Ingram*, Tommy Sheridan

left by Niniane Mackenzie on 08 December 2005

Thanks Niniane

left by Gus on 09 December 2005