ABSTRACT
Pirate broadcasting suffers from the disadvantage that it cuts itself off from the open supply of its own raw material. The autonomy of a broadcasting institution is a delicate flower, nervously planted, tenderly nurtured and easily plucked up by the roots. However, the Council has shown its teeth on a number of tougher political issues. A classic and highly contentious issue arose over a series of programmes entitled ‘ From Socialism to Increased Equality’ which gave a Marxist interpretation of the history of the Swedish labour movement. The existence of a legal machinery for investigating breaches and non-breaches of a law enforcing ‘objectivity’ has a curious effect within any culture. If broadcasting is to be used as a tool for intelligent exchange of cultural products, political information and controversial disquisition, it needs to be left flexible and left alone.
