JUST think of it for a scary moment. Prime Minister Tony Blair, the richest man in Britain, owner of three television stations and various newspapers, gets into a spat with the state broadcaster. It isn't much of an argument, because the all-powerful premier has used his influence, and his thriving media interests, to browbeat the BBC into whimpering, neutered submission.

As I said, a scary thought. But don't worry, you haven't just woken from a nap to discover Tony Blair has become even more powerful. No, the truth I'm getting at isn't all that frightening. Unless you're an Italian. Or live in, say, Europe. Or a country whose leader is happy to consort with the Italian prime minister, especially as a way of getting at France and Germany, while doing the thumbs-up across the Atlantic at President Bush.

My opening scenario doesn't relate to Tony Blairio at all but to Silvanio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister - a man who is, rolled into one slippery whole, all-powerful politician, media magnate, extremely rich person and a well-known deliverer of intolerant rants.

As of last week, Mr Berlusconi is also the President of Europe, a job which is passed around every six months in a game of Euro musical chairs. "Oh, look - Silvanio was still standing when that dreadful accordion music stopped, so it's his turn to be president."

The Italian premier celebrated his elevation by making an extraordinary attack on a German MEP, by "joking" that the politician would be a perfect choice to play a Nazi in a film.

This witless witticism naturally caused a row in which apologies were made - only to be withdrawn on the grounds of never having been uttered in the first place, sorry being the hardest word in any politician's lexicon.

Which brings us, via the long and scenic European route, to the row between the Government and the BBC over the corporation's reporting of the build-up to the Iraq War.

After much speculation, the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee published its report on Monday. Committee members could hardly believe their luck. Here they were delivering a report that people wanted to listen to. Television crews lapped up their every word, when normally there would just be the Commons cleaner asking if they hadn't finished in there yet.

My good colleague Chris Titley dwelt yesterday on who we should believe in this row between the Government and the BBC. So here is another slant.

Too often these days we hear complaints about the BBC, either from governing politicians or from journalists employed by newspapers owned by BBC-hating media tycoons.

Yet throughout this sometimes nasty disagreement with the Government, the BBC has acted in a robust and forthright manner, sticking up for its journalists and refusing to be cowed by Alistair Campbell, the political pugilist employed by the Government as Communications Dictator (sorry, my finger slipped there; the second word should be director; shouldn't it?).

Only a fool, and someone who has never watched Dale Winton's Lottery show, would maintain that everything the BBC does is wonderful. Yet it remains surely true that the BBC is a force for good - an upright and proper provider of information which arrives free of adverts or the interference of multi-millionaire owners with political axes to grind.

Naturally, all this is complicated and such a pro-BBC acclamation will be disputed by some. But it's hard not to conclude that we would be a poorer country without the BBC. Anyone who doubts that should pop over to Italy.

Updated: 10:39 Thursday, July 10, 2003