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UK National Archive Unveils Thatcher's 1985 Covert War Against BBC: Reports

Mrs Thatcher waves as she is applauded at the Scarborough Conference’ Margaret Hilda Thatcher b 1925 studied chemistry at Oxford University and worked as a research chemist before becoming a barrister in 1954 She began her parliamentary career in 1961 In 1970 she was made Secretary of State
Mrs Thatcher waves as she is applauded at the Scarborough Conference’ Margaret Hilda Thatcher b 1925 studied chemistry at Oxford University and worked as a research chemist before becoming a barrister in 1954 She began her parliamentary career in 1961 In 1970 she was made Secretary of State - Sputnik International
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Files from 1985 released by the UK National Archive reportedly indicate that then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was waging a covert war against the British broadcaster.

MOSCOW, December 30 (Sputnik) — Files from 1985 released by the UK National Archive indicate that then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher was waging a covert war against the British broadcaster BBC, the Telegraph said Tuesday.

In a series of memos released by the National Archive and published by the newspaper, Thatcher raised her concern over the BBC's journalistic standards and planned to "knock the BBC down to size, to force them to improve efficiency, and to prevent them from extravagantly expanding into everything from DBS [satellite broadcasts] to breakfast-time TV."

According to the Telegraph, in March 1985 Thatcher initiated an inquiry into the financing of the BBC.

The United Kingdom secretly cooperated with the security and intelligence services of Ireland prior to the conclusion of the 1985 Anglo-Irish agreement aiming to end the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland - Sputnik International
UK Archive Reveals Hidden Security Cooperation Between UK, Ireland in 1985

"As you know, I have been considering with colleagues, alongside the BBC's application for an increase in the license fee, the establishment of an inquiry into the possibility that the BBC should be funded, at least in part, through advertising, on the lines that we discussed on 9 January," Thatcher was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Thatcher repeatedly suggested that BBC stations should introduce advertising to increase revenues and manufacturers should produce sets that could only be tuned to ITV and Channel 4, two British commercial broadcasters, the paper said.

"This would put pressure on the BBC to be more competitive and it would be consistent with the Government's aim of giving people as much free choice as possible," Thatcher said in the archive document.

Thatcher accused the BBC of "biased and irresponsible" news coverage, saying that some of its radio and television programs "were distasteful to the point of offending against public decency".

The release of the files comes a month after British Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne accused the BBC of "biased" and "exaggerated" coverage of the annual Autumn Statement.

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