"Nobody wants a supine, fully deferential BBC - but we do need to see that when the BBC says something, it isn't just recycling gossip, " he said.

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That supine stance led to a radical rethinking of their prime-time lineup.

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Private-sector investors have been a remarkably supine breed, sitting quietly while they were generally the losers as the banks shared the spoils of apparent growth between employees and owners.

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The home secretary at the time, Jim Callaghan, told Parliament how Britain faced a "pharmaceutical revolution" which presented such dangers that if the country was "supine in the face of them" it would quickly lead to "grave dangers to the whole structure of our society".

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