BBC licence fee

Rascal said:
I have worked for the BBC in the distant past so I declare an interest.

What you see with the BBC ignores what you don't see. There is a reason the UK is the place so many great movies are made, their is a reason so many great documentaries are made and their is a reason why its still one of the great institutions that we the people own.

You can think what you like about its output, that is a personal choice. I don't watch EastEnders, but millions do, I like to watch Bargain Hunt but millions don't, I still prefer the BBC news to any other news channel although I don't mind SKY news.

What historically the BBC has always done well is produce the best technicians in the world, that's why people will come to the UK to make movies, drama's and documentaries because the technicians are the best there is anywhere in the world. It also has the best radio output of anywhere in the world and the crass decision to close down many of the BBC foreign language stations has diminished UK soft power.

Their is motive behind the attacks on the BBC, its because capitalists hate to see a good thing that they cant make money from. They want it in their hands so they can profit from it. The BBC makes profit, it sells programs world wide, if any of you have had a BBC pass card, it gets you entry into virtually anywhere because across the world the BBC is seen as a trustworthy organisation that is a bastion of Britishness.

Of course you could sell it off to a capitalist, who will turn it into another version of SKY TV where watching Andy Pandy costs a tenner, the technicians are paid minimum wage and are useless and the race to the bottom for another great British institution will carry on.

Those who wish to see it gone will maybe regret it one day, because once its gone, it aint coming back.
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I'm not sure the assumption holds that if the BBC was privatised, it would be behind a paywall.

I would hope (and would support an agreement that guaranteed it) that it was free at the point of use, in the same way that other freeview channels are.

I think there's no doubt the quality of output would suffer but for me, that's a necessary evil if it means the poorest in society aren't dragged through the courts and forced to pay £157 to watch live TV when it's free to watch live TV in virtually every other country in the world.

I don't think ITV News or SKY news are any less politically neutral than the BBC so I don't buy into the argument that the current funding model is the only way of guaranteeing independent news coverage.

I think it's time for the BBC to be funded by different means.
 
I would like to keep it but they should streamline the non commercial content and reduce the fee. I also think it’s time pensioner freebies were looked at.
 
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Loads of pages of arguing over cost and output spectacularly misses the point of the BBC

Its like a University for UK technical/production staff, closing it down or privatising it would be like shutting down Oxford and Cambridge because some students take a political stance or you don't like their Aboriginal studies course. Why on earth do you think programs like Game of Thrones are made in the British Isles? Its because our technical/production staff are the best.

If the BBC goes, ask yourself where all the staff that are trained there will be trained in the future? Will you happy with the loss of skills and jobs?

Before long the output of Film and TV in this country will be next to nothing, its already suffering because the BBC is underfunded and the only place that will benefit will be America, Hollywood.

The demonisation of the BBC is purely ideological, the Tories do not like anything to be state owned or financed. Why on earth do you think people would line up to buy it? The narrative that the licence fee is theft is idiotic in the extreme, people gladly tax for schools, roads etc, the BBC is part of the nations history and is a service we should be proud of.



The BBC makes a profit, its programs are world renowned, Its a great British institution and surely all you people who feel so patriotic towards our country would want to keep it like it is that rather than it be owned by an Aussie dwarf who then takes profit out of the country and replaces the current output with a UK version of Fox news and a diet of mindless American sitcoms.
 
No privatisation.

The bbc is far from perfect,but we have more than enough sponsored news from other sources,crappy soap operas,reality shows,generic radio stations etc.

If it does get further broken up and privatised,expect far more complaints about cost and quality in a few years hence.
 
No I would never want it privatised. The BBC is this country, it defines our values, our morals, our comedy, entertainment, so so much. Our place in the world is largely dominated by what the BBC pumps out to the rest of the world and comparitevly it's so much better than ANY other news out there ~(Even as liberal as it is).

Without the publicly funded BBC we wouldnt have so much stuff..... Live Aid, the Day Today, Glastonbury and the way it is covered, all that comedy we all love like the Young Ones, Fools and Horses, etc etc. Yeah somne other channel would have pumped it out buyt because the Beeb is publicly funded they HAVE to show the minority stuff that we all get to enjoy (Whereas privatisation would only follow the money).

There is so much culture from this country that is pumped out through the bbc and I think we'd almost lose our place in the world if it wasnt for the bbc.
 
Rascal said:
Loads of pages of arguing over cost and output spectacularly misses the point of the BBC

Its like a University for UK technical/production staff, closing it down or privatising it would be like shutting down Oxford and Cambridge because some students take a political stance or you don't like their Aboriginal studies course. Why on earth do you think programs like Game of Thrones are made in the British Isles? Its because our technical/production staff are the best.

If the BBC goes, ask yourself where all the staff that are trained there will be trained in the future? Will you happy with the loss of skills and jobs?

Before long the output of Film and TV in this country will be next to nothing, its already suffering because the BBC is underfunded and the only place that will benefit will be America, Hollywood.

The demonisation of the BBC is purely ideological, the Tories do not like anything to be state owned or financed. Why on earth do you think people would line up to buy it? The narrative that the licence fee is theft is idiotic in the extreme, people gladly tax for schools, roads etc, the BBC is part of the nations history and is a service we should be proud of.



The BBC makes a profit, its programs are world renowned, Its a great British institution and surely all you people who feel so patriotic towards our country would want to keep it like it is that rather than it be owned by an Aussie dwarf who then takes profit out of the country and replaces the current output with a UK version of Fox news and a diet of mindless American sitcoms.
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Whatever happened to 'each according to his need'?

Surely you must have some issue with the current funding model, requiring people to pay a flat tax irrespective of their income?
 
Its a license fee not a tax but for those who advocate the closure of the BBC on cost grounds are unable to suggest anything tangible and sensible as a replacement - I know I have asked - however get rid and those struggling to find £157pa will have no choice other than go to one of the other provides - eg SKY at over £1kpa. Theres logic in that ???
Secondly they are also the folk who hate the idea of "their taxes" going on stuff they object to - like the Arts - so I'd have thought they'd embrace the " BBC tax" as it is actually a hypothecated tax where they can see where its spent rather than going into the general tax bowl so that MP's can give themselves £10k from it to set up working from home or so Johnson and his cronies can award million pound contracts to friends and supporters - but hey as I say there's not a lot of logic in the argument anyway.
 
Fame Monster said:
Whatever happened to 'each according to his need'?

Surely you must have some issue with the current funding model, requiring people to pay a flat tax irrespective of their income?
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You mean like VAT? And before you trot out the tired old " don't buy stuff if you don't want to pay it " crap consider this - car needs a new tyre to pass MOT. You buy a tyre and incur 20% VAT. Whether you are a wealthy pensioner, someone who is unemployed, a single mum working on the living wage or a billionaire. Are you in favour with the idea that the VAT you pay should be varied depending on your income? " Each according to his need" ?
 
bluethrunthru said:
You mean like VAT? And before you trot out the tired old " don't buy stuff if you don't want to pay it " crap consider this - car needs a new tyre to pass MOT. You buy a tyre and incur 20% VAT. Whether you are a wealthy pensioner, someone who is unemployed, a single mum working on the living wage or a billionaire. Are you in favour with the idea that the VAT you pay should be varied depending on your income? " Each according to his need" ?
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I think VAT is a regressive tax, yes. I also think the licence fee is regressive.

Also, you keep saying 'no-one's come up with an alternative' if the BBC were to be privatised. The alternative that I'd like to see is for it to become an ITV type channel, free at the point of use.

The quality and breadth of programmes would reduce but you'd see a lot less single mothers with criminal records and strain put on the justice system (10% of all prosecutions) because of non-payment of the licence fee and 90+% of the population would have an extra £150+ to spend every year.
 
Fame Monster said:
Also, you keep saying 'no-one's come up with an alternative' if the BBC were to be privatised. The alternative that I'd like to see is for it to become an ITV type channel, free at the point of use.
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Where does the extra advertising revenue come from? The amount that can be raised is finite. You would simply see declining ad revenue across the other channels so it would like as not impact across all providers which is hardly going to be to the benefit of the end user.

So we cause untold damage across the board but hey - I'd be @£3 a week better off........................
 
bluethrunthru said:
Where does the extra advertising revenue come from? The amount that can be raised is finite. You would simply see declining ad revenue across the other channels so it would like as not impact across all providers which is hardly going to be to the benefit of the end user.

So we cause untold damage across the board but hey - I'd be @£3 a week better off........................
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£3 a week or £157 a year might not be a lot for you but it is a lot of money for some people. It's little surprise that those on the lowest incomes make up the largest proportion of those criminalised by licence fee non-payment.
 
Fame Monster said:
£3 a week or £157 a year might not be a lot for you but it is a lot of money for some people. It's little surprise that those on the lowest incomes make up the largest proportion of those criminalised by licence fee non-payment.
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yeah - it'll help them - they can put it towards the £grand a year SKY subscription......
 
BobKowalski said:
One minute you are screaming at the ruination of ‘cancel culture’, next it’s ‘let’s cancel the BBC’.

Starting to think you guys are not being entirely straight.
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They just want to cancel things that offend them - things that are counter to their way of thinking ....sadly there are soooo many thinks to cancel....
 
BobKowalski said:
One minute you are screaming at the ruination of ‘cancel culture’, next it’s ‘let’s cancel the BBC’.

Starting to think you guys are not being entirely straight.
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Bit of a strawman that.

It's not about cancelling or banning the BBC: it's about asking whether it's worth legally requiring people to pay for something when they could get the service for free under an alternative model of financing.
 
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