Digital Britain, the Government’s plan for a media and communications uplift that will spur the economy, must first secure legislative changes to enable media consolidation, according to today’s Times.

Would the Government look to sledgehammer legal tweaks through Parliament ahead of a General Election to increase voter favour? Surely not.

Would media companies benefit from all of this by being freer to use consolidation and restructuring to help them out of some very dark holes? Surely yes.

Could this lead the UK’s media into a panicked period of change that dilutes its standing, does not materially enhance content quality and does not tackle the fundamental challenge of digital media’s power? Draw your own conclusions.

I understand the shenanigans and the timing. What I still don’t understand is why media companies – in my experience run by some of the shrewdest businesspeople out there – don’t spend a lot more time getting digital properly under their wings and a lot less time asking others for help. Consolidation may be the only option for some, but modernisation has to be the watchword of the majority.article6101626.ece?&EMC-Bltn=OLV9IA