Anne McElvoy: TV is going through an evolutionary leap and the BBC must adapt fast
A consultation mounted by a public broadcaster is a Trojan horse. Those who send it cantering into battle know what's inside it and the likely effect. In the case of the latest one on whether the BBC can continue to fund licence-fee exemption for over-75s from 2020, everyone knows that it cannot. So as the deliberation period ends this week, the real purpose has been to shape the terms of retreat. Neither, for all the solemn scolding of Gordon Brown, will the Government restore the old level of subsidy — and if it did it still would not be the solution.