John Birt - Revision history

Josh Leeson at 11:16, 22 December 2014

2014-12-22T11:16:49Z

Josh Leeson at 16:26, 10 December 2014

2014-12-10T16:26:09Z

Josh Leeson at 16:22, 10 December 2014

2014-12-10T16:22:11Z

Melissa Jones at 02:57, 7 November 2012

2012-11-07T02:57:23Z

Melissa Jones: minor update

2012-11-07T02:52:36Z

minor update

Tom Mills: /* Politics */

2010-03-24T14:06:56Z

Politics

Tom Mills: /* LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC */

2010-03-24T14:04:31Z

LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC

Tom Mills at 14:03, 24 March 2010

2010-03-24T14:03:09Z

Tom Mills: /* LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC */

2010-03-24T14:02:23Z

LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC

Tom Mills: /* The 'Mission to explain', LWT and the BBC */

2010-03-24T13:58:12Z

The 'Mission to explain', LWT and the BBC

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 [[Category:BBC|Birt, John]]
 [[Category:Media Industry|Birt, John]]
-[[Category:Finance sector lobbying|Birt, John]]
+[[Category:Financial sector lobbying|Birt, John]]
 [[Category:UK Ministers|Birt, John]]
 [[Category:House of Lords|Birt, John]]

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 [[John Birt]] (born 10 December 1944) is a former producer with the ITV company [[LWT]] and was Director-General of the [[BBC]] from 1992 to 2000. He served as a policy advisor to [[Tony Blair]] from 2001 to 2005. <ref>‘[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U7631 BIRT]’, ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2009 ; online edn, Nov 2009 [Accessed 19 March 2010]</ref>
 {{Template:NuclearSpin}}
 ==LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC==
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 [[Category:Media Industry|Birt, John]]
 [[Category:Finance sector lobbying|Birt, John]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:22, 10 December 2014
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	[[Category:BBC\|Birt, John]]		[[Category:BBC\|Birt, John]]
	[[Category:Media Industry\|Birt, John]]		[[Category:Media Industry\|Birt, John]]
		+	[[Category:Finance sector lobbying\|Birt, John]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:57, 7 November 2012
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	Reports also suggest that Birt then unsuccessfully lobbied to be appointed head of the Government's review of nuclear energy before quitting as Blair's special adviser.<ref>Andrew Grice, "Birt's Move to Head Nuclear Inquiry is Blocked by Cabinet", unavailable online, ''The Independent'', November 28, 2005.</ref>		Reports also suggest that Birt then unsuccessfully lobbied to be appointed head of the Government's review of nuclear energy before quitting as Blair's special adviser.<ref>Andrew Grice, "Birt's Move to Head Nuclear Inquiry is Blocked by Cabinet", unavailable online, ''The Independent'', November 28, 2005.</ref>
		+
		+	==Affiliations==
		+	*[[ McKinsey & Company]] - was a part-time consultant
		+	*[[Terra Firma Capital Partners]] - Birt joined this private equity firm in December 2005

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 ==Links to nuclear industry==
-Birt is widely reported to be pro-nuclear and his unpublished report on energy is said to recommend the expansion of nuclear power. <ref>Eddie Barnes and Murdo Macleod '[http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=605&id=526692005 Country Needs Nuclear Power]', ''Scotland on Sunday'', May 15, 2005.</ref>
+Birt is widely reported to be pro-nuclear and his unpublished report on energy was said to recommend the expansion of nuclear power. <ref>Eddie Barnes and Murdo Macleod '[http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=605&id=526692005 Country Needs Nuclear Power]', ''Scotland on Sunday'', May 15, 2005.</ref>
 ''The Guardian'' reported in November 2005: "Both John Birt, the PM's personal adviser and former head of the BBC, and industry adviser [[Geoffrey Norris]], have been pushing the technology [nuclear] strongly from the Strategy Unit at No 10".<ref>No named author, "Energy Review: Who's for, Who's Against and Why&#39;, unavailable online, ''The Guardian'', November 30 2005.</ref>
-According to press reports during mid-2005, Tony Blair also lobbied for Birt to become chairman of the nuclear power company [[Urenco]] - which has almost a fifth of the global uranium enrichment market and is jointly owned by the British, Dutch and German governments. The job went to [[Christopher Clark]], former chief executive of chemicals firm [[Johnson Matthey]], in September. <ref>Jay Merrick, "Birt the Crony is in line for £300,000 post", unavailable online, ''Mail on Sunday'', September 26, 2006; G. Wilson and M. Seamark, "Birt tipped for Urenco post", unavailable online, ''The Independent'', September 26, 2005; No named author, "Birt Quits No10 and Heads for the City", unavailable online, ''Daily Mail'', December 16, 2005.</ref>
+According to press reports in mid-2005, Tony Blair also lobbied for Birt to become chairman of the nuclear power company [[Urenco]] - which has almost a fifth of the global uranium enrichment market and is jointly owned by the British, Dutch and German governments. The job went to [[Christopher Clark]], former chief executive of chemicals firm [[Johnson Matthey]], in September 2005. <ref>Jay Merrick, "Birt the Crony is in line for £300,000 post", unavailable online, ''Mail on Sunday'', September 26, 2006; G. Wilson and M. Seamark, "Birt tipped for Urenco post", unavailable online, ''The Independent'', September 26, 2005; No named author, "Birt Quits No10 and Heads for the City", unavailable online, ''Daily Mail'', December 16, 2005.</ref>

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 ==Politics==
-At Granada and [[London Weekend Television]], where he became good friends with [[Peter Mandelson]] (they've been on Tuscan walking holidays together and Mandelson was Birt's guest at the 1997 FA Cup Final). After his period at the [[BBC]] he was awarded the life peerage in 1999, and took his seat in the House of Lords in March 2000. <ref>[http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=26988 DodOnline Political Biographies: Lord Birt], subscription only but can be accessed for free through [http://www.parliament.uk/directories/house_of_lords_information_office/crossbench_members.cfm UK Parliament's website] undated, accessed February 2006.</ref> <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3916089.stm BBC news website 'Profile: Peter Mandelson'], August 13, 2004.</ref>
+At [[London Weekend Television]] Birt became good friends with [[Peter Mandelson]] (they've been on Tuscan walking holidays together and Mandelson was Birt's guest at the 1997 FA Cup Final). After his period at the [[BBC]] he was awarded the life peerage in 1999, and took his seat in the House of Lords in March 2000. <ref>[http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=26988 DodOnline Political Biographies: Lord Birt], subscription only but can be accessed for free through [http://www.parliament.uk/directories/house_of_lords_information_office/crossbench_members.cfm UK Parliament's website] undated, accessed February 2006.</ref> <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3916089.stm BBC news website 'Profile: Peter Mandelson'], August 13, 2004.</ref>
 He was "Crime Czar", then an adviser on transport in the Cabinet Office Forward Strategy Unit. In October 2001, Birt was appointed as Tony Blair's personal advisor, for what was termed 'blue skies thinking'. The position was unpaid. His role was controversial: as a special advisor rather than a civil servant, he was not obliged to appear in front of Commons Select Committees - and refused to do so when requested.<ref>[http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/publicationscheme/requests.asp Birt&#39;s letter of appointment, released under the Freedom of Information Act (pdf)], undated.</ref><ref>[http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmpubadm/690/69003.htm Select Committee on Public Administration First Special Report], November 17, 2005.</ref>

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 ==LWT, the 'Mission to explain' and the BBC==
-From 1968 to 1974 Birt worked as on several ITV current affairs programmes. He was a Producer on ''Nice Time'' 1968–69; Joint Editor of ''World in Action'', 1969–70; Producer of ''The Frost Programme'', 1971–72; and Executive Producer of ''[[Weekend World]]'', 1972–74. In 1974 he was appointed Head of Current Affairs at [[LWT]]. He becoming Controller of Features and Current Affairs in 1977 and was Director of Programmes from 1982 to 1987. <ref>‘[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U7631 BIRT]’, ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2009 ; online edn, Nov 2009 [Accessed 24 March 2010]</ref>
+From 1968 to 1974 Birt worked as on several ITV current affairs programmes. He was a Producer on ''Nice Time'' 1968–69; Joint Editor of ''World in Action'', 1969–70; Producer of ''The Frost Programme'', 1971–72; and Executive Producer of ''[[Weekend World]]'', 1972–74. In 1974 he was appointed Head of Current Affairs at [[LWT]]. He became Controller of Features and Current Affairs in 1977 and was Director of Programmes from 1982 to 1987. <ref>‘[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U7631 BIRT]’, ''Who's Who 2010'', A & C Black, 2010; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2009 ; online edn, Nov 2009 [Accessed 24 March 2010]</ref>
 From 1972 to 1977, the main presenter on Birt's high brow current affairs programme ''[[Weekend World]]'' was the neoliberal journalist [[Peter Jay]]. During this period, Birt and [[Peter Jay|Jay]] developed a critique of television news and current affairs which appeared in a series of editorials printed in ''[[The Times]]'' in 1975/6. They argued that television had a ‘bias against understanding’ and that television producers should recruit journalists with special expertise and develop a more analytical style. What later became known as the ‘[[mission to explain]]’ came to be associated with high brow analytical journalism – as apposed to the adversarial style (at least theoretically) favoured by current affairs journalists.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:03, 24 March 2010
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	[[Category: Nuclear Spin\|Birt, John]]		[[Category: Nuclear Spin\|Birt, John]]
	[[Category:Individuals linked to the push for nuclear\|Birt, John]]		[[Category:Individuals linked to the push for nuclear\|Birt, John]]
		+	[[Category:BBC\|Birt, John]]
		+	[[Category:Media Industry\|Birt, John]]