Orders of the Day — Broadcasting (Licence and Agreement)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 23 June 1952.

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Photo of Mr Patrick Gordon Walker Mr Patrick Gordon Walker , Smethwick 12:00, 23 June 1952

I will, naturally, do my best to keep within the Ruling given by Mr. Speaker. I observe, however, that the other side seem to be extraordinarily shy of discussing the matter, and I do not doubt that people outside the House will draw the proper conclusion. The party opposite are using rather gagging methods to try to stop this being discussed at all. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!"] I am not referring to the Chair—naturally not.

May I explain our attitude and why we are against a non-exclusive Licence? This is a non-exclusive Licence and we have to decide our attitude. If the right hon. and learned Gentleman will not interrupt me for a moment, I wish to explain why we are against a non-exclusive Licence. We think that a unique medium like broadcasting should be a public service, and a non-exclusive Licence means that it need not be a public service. Only if we have an exclusive Licence for broadcasting can we see that it is used to raise the standards of taste and education in the country. That is the only way to avoid a debasement of standards which would come if we had a non-exclusive Licence.

For more than a quarter of a century we have had an exclusive Licence, a system on which we were all agreed, and which was started under a Conservative Government. Now, for the first time in a quarter of a century, we have this departure, this new creature of a non-exclusive Licence, and the thing has been brought into public controversy and party conflict for the first time.