Peter Allen, ITN
Have you actually been discussing today standards on television? We understand you have come to sort of agreement with the Luxembourg Government, that perhaps with the EEC ideas on emphasising that American imports should not be…
Prime Minister
The one that we are pursuing, both of us, is the Council of Europe, which is twenty-one countries, and obviously one wants broader agreement which is more than twelve in the EEC countries; and there is a meeting fairly soon, in November I think, and we do not agree with some of the guidelines they have got there. [end p1]
We are very anxious to have a code of practice on the actual standards of the television, that is, what they put out. We feel that we must protect young people and there must be a certain standard which they do not go beyond on violence and so on, and we do not want the channel to go pornographic. So it is that sort of standard that we are very anxious about.
What they tend to be doing, in addition, is to be saying when advertising can be transmitted. Now, that really is not a matter for the standards. It is what they are putting out that we are concerned about. Luxembourg, after all, has more experience about when people will take advertising and that, after all, is a matter for the consumer.
We agree that we are also used to operating in Britain with the natural breaks of advertising, so we know quite a lot about it too.
Does that explain it?
Peter Allen, ITN
It does indeed. Don't you think one illustration of what you have perhaps been talking about in Europe this week from Brussels is that when you get centralised government it does not necessarily reflect what people need? [end p2]
Prime Minister
That is right. They say they need one thing and will try to do that but they had better have some controls on this, that and the other as well. Well that is not their job.
Peter Allen, ITN
How do you react to being likened to President de Gaulle?
Prime Minister
I have been asked that already. Charles De GaulleHe was quite a dominant figure.
Peter Allen, ITN
So you do not reject the comparison?
Prime Minister
I would say there are some obvious differences (laughter)