there is a big problem with the licence fee coming because, ultimately, young people aren't... they're not watching on tv. so in some ways, a licence fee has to attach it to itself to some other form of infrastructure that's more universally used. and also, young people aren't consuming bbc content in the way that older people do. but that's something that needs to be considered. the argument that the government appears to want to be having is the wrong argument. ok, well, radio 4 is taking a deep dive into all these issues about how to fund the bbc if the licence fee goes. the briefing room with david aaronovitch is on thursday evening at 8pm on radio 4 and available via bbc sounds afterwards, for listeners now who want even more on the licence fee! but for us today, let's zoom out of these discussions for a moment, because within all these newspaper scoops about operation red meat and parties at downing street, there are some pretty difficult questions for the media to answer. for example, one of these parties was held the night before prince philip's funeral. it was a leaving party held forjames slack, a former daily mail journalist who was working as borisjohnson�*s director of communications, and he's now back on fleet street as deputy editor