Yes. But don't take my word for it. 

In case you missed it, Nadine's successor as Culture Secretary, Michelle Donelan, has been reviewing the proposal to privatise Channel 4. In a leaked letter to the Prime Minister, Ms Donelan reported that she has concluded that there are better ways to secure a sustainable future for Channel 4, which would include giving it greater commercial flexibility and the freedom to produce more of its own content. Perhaps this will include by advertiser funded programming? Time will tell.

In the meantime, this news has been welcomed by MPs of all stripes, and by advertisers and agencies alike, as well as independent production companies. Probably.

Phil Smith, Director General of the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, issued the following statement:

“If confirmed, advertisers will be delighted by the Government's decision not to dispose of Channel 4. Advertisers overwhelmingly opposed the sale because they value Channel 4's diverse audience and because of competition concerns which could arise from broadcaster consolidation.

“The Culture Secretary’s review of the business case has clearly concluded that no convincing arguments for privatisation exist. ISBA has long maintained that the sustainability of Channel 4 could be ensured by changes to its business model, rather than ownership. The decision to step away from a sale brings certainty for those planning advertising campaigns, supports the UK’s creative industries, and backs future investment in all regions and nations.

“Changes to viewership do mean that the TV advertising model must evolve – and that audience reach must be measured effectively. Evolving the model must now be the focus, with advertisers, broadcasters, and government working together to that end.”

These positive sentiments were echoed by Paul Bainsfair, Director General of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertisers, who said:

"We very much welcome the Culture Secretary’s recommendation to drop Channel 4 privatisation. Her letter to the Prime Minister emphasises support and sustainability of the independent production sector which is absolutely correct. It is also worth highlighting that this symbiotic relationship of Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) and independent production ecosystem is underpinned by advertising. Channel 4 is a hugely successful advertising business delivering a large, unique audience profile through its PSB remit. It is well led, an innovator and with a market leading Broadcaster Video On Demand platform, it is well positioned for continued success."  

It would be great to know what PACT think, being the trade association for the independent production companies - but sadly their 'Channel 4 Privatisation Update' is behind a pay-wall, so we can only guess! However, given their opposition to the original plan, its fair to assume that they will also be pleased by today's news.

Meanwhile, Lucy Powell, Labour's Shadow Culture Secretary said “Conservatives’ vendetta against Channel 4 was always wrong for Britain, growth in our creative economy and a complete waste of everyone’s time”. This view was confirmed by the Liberal Democrats through Jamie Stone MP, who said that the original privatisation plan was “nothing more than a culture war waged by a rash and reckless cabinet”. The references to a 'vendetta' and a 'culture war' are presumably prompted by the belief that the Boris Johnson cabinet, including his cheerleader-in-chief, Nadine Dorries, were motivated by their perception of a left-wing bias at Channel 4, and particularly at the estimable Channel 4 News, winner of numerous awards for news programming.

So let joy be unconfined? Well, not quite. Despite the unusual cross-party welcome for this news, which has also been warmly received by all sides of the advertising and television industry, there is one voice that has spoken out against the policy reversal. Can you tweet with a straight face? Presumably Nadine was being serious when she tweeted “[It] will now be almost impossible to face the electorate at a [general election] and expect voters to believe or trust our manifesto commitments”.

Come the next election, it won't be Brexit, the Northern Ireland Protocol, Party gate, BoJo, Liz Trust, Kwasi Kwarteng, the cost of living crisis, the nurses strikes, the rail strikes, the crisis in the NHS, or even the small boats crossing the other Channel that voters will be raising on the doorstep when the Conservative candidates come knocking. It will be the decision to abandon the privatisation of Channel 4.

Satire is dead.