Sun attacks 'duds' opposing News Corp's BSkyB takeover

Kelvin MacKenzie used his column in the Sun today to criticise the "business duds" opposing News Corporation's takeover of BSkyB, a day after a Times leader condemned BBC director general Mark Thompson's call to business secretary Vince Cable to block the move. The former Sun editor accused Rupert Murdoch's newspaper rivals of trying to "derail" the News Corp chairman and chief executive, and said it was "hard to know why Vince Cable wouldn't nod the deal through". "All the papers – yes, even, disgracefully, pro-business ones such as the Mail and the Telegraph – are ganging up to stop him paying £7 a share for the 60% of Sky he doesn't own," wrote MacKenzie. "Even the BBC, a pay-TV operator itself (the difference being you're jailed if you don't keep up the payments) and BT have protested to the business secretary that his takeover would damage 'media plurality'. The words BT and plurality have never been used in the same sentence before. "The fact that Sky is so successful is due to his three-word mantra: invest, invest, invest. When you look at the list of business duds opposing him, what's quite clear is they have chosen to survive by three other words: cut, cut, cut." MacKenzie added: "It's hard to know why Vince Cable wouldn't nod the deal through as Rupert has always run Sky thanks to his near 40% equity ownership and the right he has to pick the chief executive. "This fact was acknowledged recently by the media regulator Ofcom and was the reason they then forced him to sell a 17% stake in ITV, leading to his company taking a £750m hit. "The reality is that Sky owns very few of the channels it broadcasts and many of the stations have minute audiences – especially compared to the state monopolists at the BBC. "The issue for our nation should not be how to stop Mr Murdoch investing in Britain but how to encourage him – and many more like him." The Times, which like the Sun is owned by News Corp subsidiary News International, yesterday ran an editorial accusing the BBC director general of "seeking to gain commercial advantages in league with News Corp's rivals". Thompson put his name on the letter to Cable , which said News Corp's bid to buy the 61% of BSkyB it does not already own "could have serious and far-reaching consequences for media plurality". It was signed by newspaper groups including Guardian Media Group, owner of the Guardian, Daily Mail owner Associated Newspapers and Telegraph Media Group. Trinity Mirror and Channel 4 also put their names to the letter. News Corp is expected to seek regulatory approval for the deal from the European Commission in the next 10 days. Cable will then have 25 days in which to seek an intervention notice and would then ask media regulator Ofcom to investigate whether the deal could compromise media plurality. • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email [email protected] or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. • If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".