BBC licence fee

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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I do, I think it should be free to all OAPs and families with children, and as much as I would like it to be free to everybody, with my practical head on I realise that if as a nation if we want a world class public broadcaster then a small fee from those who can afford it is fair, just as I think those with more should pay more tax. Ideally it would be funded out of general taxation, but the Tax Payers Alliance would shit their pants and other right wing think tanks would be aghast at kids watching educational programmes for free whilst Granny puts on the soaps after the kids have gone to bed. Free stuff is wrong you see, unless its free for the capitalist class, then its OK.
 
In 2020 it's amazing that a broadcasting channel can inflict a compulsory subscription on the nation. Like Netflix, Prime etc, people should have the choice whether they subscribe to the BBC.

There are suggestions that the BBC is running low on funds, why is the answer "taxation"? Should the organisation not look to cut their huge overheads and vanity projects as opposed to infliction a subscription on pensioners? It infuriates me that in the private sector we take good care to reinvest money generated privately through profit and restrict expenditure. Whilst a public institution like the BBC decides to spunk public money up the wall.

In my view the fee should be scrapped. The core will be free to air (BBC One, Two and News channel). If you want iplayer, bbc sounds then it should be a subscription service. If run privately they may think twice about expenditure or at least improve their content.
 
Rascal said:
I do, I think it should be free to all OAPs and families with children, and as much as I would like it to be free to everybody, with my practical head on I realise that if as a nation if we want a world class public broadcaster then a small fee from those who can afford it is fair, just as I think those with more should pay more tax. Ideally it would be funded out of general taxation, but the Tax Payers Alliance would shit their pants and other right wing think tanks would be aghast at kids watching educational programmes for free whilst Granny puts on the soaps after the kids have gone to bed. Free stuff is wrong you see, unless its free for the capitalist class, then its OK.
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Fair enough mate.

I'd prefer it to be funded from general taxation than the licence fee but my first preference would be an ITV style channel with a free to air core (as described above) either run as a not-for-profit or ran by the private sector.
 
Northernstorirs said:
Like Netflix, Prime etc, people should have the choice whether they subscribe to the BBC.
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Prime and Amazon don't have 4 x TV channels plus HD channels plus On Line contents and iPlayer and Sounds plus about 7 or 8 national radio stations plus local radio stations and local online content plus regional contents for Welsh language and Scots Gaelic content - you are comparing apples with washing powder.
 
bluethrunthru said:
Prime and Amazon don't have 4 x TV channels plus HD channels plus On Line contents and iPlayer and Sounds plus about 7 or 8 national radio stations plus local radio stations and local online content plus regional contents for Welsh language and Scots Gaelic content - you are comparing apples with washing powder.
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This is a really important point.

I am sure many look at the BBC and just see some man/woman's opinion that they don't agree with and think right get rid of the licence fee. What is more cancel culture than that.

The BBC is of course far more than that. BBC News for instance is watched by 38 million people in the USA, its world renowned, its even watched by 12 million in Afghanistan. That is a hell of a lot soft power that the BBC projects. It delivers decent news across the world to many countries where unbiased news coverage simply doesn't happen.

Other things like the Hyacinth Bucket sit com, Keeping up Appearances has been sold to 1000 TV companies around the world.

In times of crisis , the local BBC radio stations are available for national security, the World Service keeps Brits all around the world in touch with home.

Nobody anywhere in the world does period drama like the BBC, look at the huge success of Downton Abbey, EastEnders is sold to virtually every English speaking nation on the planet and is dubbed into other nations languages like in Serbia.

I think the attacks on the BBC are quite sinister, they are aimed at undermining the BBCs integrity and cheapening the brand. That makes it ideal for a capitalist to take over and do what they do, cut costs, which means lots of BBC output will go, the stuff that doesn't make money will be ditched and the people who came to love or rely on that output will be left no choice but to subscribe at a rate far higher than a TV licence.

It will be a sad sad day if the BBC goes the way of the Post Office etc, thousands of job losses, loss of skills, a dumbing down of output but at least that snowflake Lineker might have his pay cut hey. That is how sad this country has become, we are being turned against our own valued institutions and I believe you have to ask yourself what will be next to go that way after the BBC.
 
bluethrunthru said:
Prime and Amazon don't have 4 x TV channels plus HD channels plus On Line contents and iPlayer and Sounds plus about 7 or 8 national radio stations plus local radio stations and local online content plus regional contents for Welsh language and Scots Gaelic content - you are comparing apples with washing powder.
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The content is completely different but I am suggesting as with Amazon and Netflix there should be a choice as to whether you subscribe to these services rather than implementing a compulsory fee.


Not everybody listens to the radio and if they do it's not a BBC channel.
 
Rascal said:
This is a really important point.

I am sure many look at the BBC and just see some man/woman's opinion that they don't agree with and think right get rid of the licence fee. What is more cancel culture than that.

The BBC is of course far more than that. BBC News for instance is watched by 38 million people in the USA, its world renowned, its even watched by 12 million in Afghanistan. That is a hell of a lot soft power that the BBC projects. It delivers decent news across the world to many countries where unbiased news coverage simply doesn't happen.

Other things like the Hyacinth Bucket sit com, Keeping up Appearances has been sold to 1000 TV companies around the world.

In times of crisis , the local BBC radio stations are available for national security, the World Service keeps Brits all around the world in touch with home.

Nobody anywhere in the world does period drama like the BBC, look at the huge success of Downton Abbey, EastEnders is sold to virtually every English speaking nation on the planet and is dubbed into other nations languages like in Serbia.

I think the attacks on the BBC are quite sinister, they are aimed at undermining the BBCs integrity and cheapening the brand. That makes it ideal for a capitalist to take over and do what they do, cut costs, which means lots of BBC output will go, the stuff that doesn't make money will be ditched and the people who came to love or rely on that output will be left no choice but to subscribe at a rate far higher than a TV licence.

It will be a sad sad day if the BBC goes the way of the Post Office etc, thousands of job losses, loss of skills, a dumbing down of output but at least that snowflake Lineker might have his pay cut hey. That is how sad this country has become, we are being turned against our own valued institutions and I believe you have to ask yourself what will be next to go that way after the BBC.
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That's all very nice but it's now at the expense of pensioners and the rest of the UK. The BBC is renown for not being able to manage finances properly. In the current economic climate, plenty of businesses are making staff redundant and cutting costs whilst the BBC carries on lavish spending as it's propped up by the license fee payer. It's one big gravy train and a bubble that's immune to any form of economic impact other organisations experience.

Eastenders is a bag of shite and really not worth the expense, are you seriously suggesting pensioners should dig deep to fund this clown show?

Until the mid 00s, the BBC produced some fantastic comedies but I'm struggling to name a good BBC comedy from the past 15 years apart from "people do nohing".

There really is nothing sinister in holding a public funded gravy train to account and calling out reckless spending when the taxpayer elsewhere are taking great care in managing finances. I think harboring nonces back in the 80s cheapened the BBC's brand and destroyed lives.
 
Rascal said:
This is a really important point.

I am sure many look at the BBC and just see some man/woman's opinion that they don't agree with and think right get rid of the licence fee. What is more cancel culture than that.
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No one wants to cancel the BBC, why is this so hard to grasp?

We just don’t want to be forced to pay for something we don’t want to.

It’s unnecessary state intervention.
 
Northernstorirs said:
That's all very nice but it's now at the expense of pensioners and the rest of the UK. The BBC is renown for not being able to manage finances properly. In the current economic climate, plenty of businesses are making staff redundant and cutting costs whilst the BBC carries on lavish spending as it's propped up by the license fee payer. It's one big gravy train and a bubble that's immune to any form of economic impact other organisations experience.

Eastenders is a bag of shite and really not worth the expense, are you seriously suggesting pensioners should dig deep to fund this clown show?

Until the mid 00s, the BBC produced some fantastic comedies but I'm struggling to name a good BBC comedy from the past 15 years apart from "people do nohing".

There really is nothing sinister in holding a public funded gravy train to account and calling out reckless spending when the taxpayer elsewhere are taking great care in managing finances. I think harboring nonces back in the 80s cheapened the BBC's brand and destroyed lives.
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That is a lot of supposition. The reason the BBC have had to charge pensioners is because the onus was put on them as central government passed on the responsibility. A shameful act in my opinion. The Government should be responsible for ensuring that all OAPs have access to free TV.

Can you give me one example of where the BBC is wasteful?
 
Ban-jani said:
No one wants to cancel the BBC, why is this so hard to grasp?

We just don’t want to be forced to pay for something we don’t want to.

It’s unnecessary state intervention.
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Being given freedom to not pay is tantamount to cancelling a public funded broadcaster, why is that so hard to grasp?

Reply to all my other my points if you can. About the jobs, the training, the skills, the soft power, the national security. Are you happy to see all that lost so you save a quid a week.

Our money paid for everything the BBC is, its publicly owned, we own it, we have funded it since it inception. Why should somebody else especially a private individual profit from all the investment the public have put into the service. It is the same ideological nonsense that the free market knows best that has destroyed UK industries since Thatcher came to power. A privately owned company will have no obligation at all to fulfil any of the roles the BBC currently undertakes, instead they will be lost. Can you really put a price on the soft power that the BBC projects across the world, can you? The BBC is an institution anybody who has any feelings of patriotism towards our country should be rightly proud of.

And after its gone where does it leave the people who cant afford a TV licence. What do they do then. Are they just victims of the laissez faire crusade that we will sacrifice on the altar of capitalism. Typical classical liberalism approach, not very good at sharing, its selfishness is apparent in everything it espouses. A quid a week saved because of some notion of "freedom" means that a person without that quid a week sits at home and rots through boredom whilst they stare at a blank screen.

What a horribly selfish country we have become.
 
Rascal said:
Being given freedom to not pay is tantamount to cancelling a public funded broadcaster, why is that so hard to grasp?

Reply to all my other my points if you can. About the jobs, the training, the skills, the soft power, the national security. Are you happy to see all that lost so you save a quid a week.

Our money paid for everything the BBC is, its publicly owned, we own it, we have funded it since it inception. Why should somebody else especially a private individual profit from all the investment the public have put into the service. It is the same ideological nonsense that the free market knows best that has destroyed UK industries since Thatcher came to power. A privately owned company will have no obligation at all to fulfil any of the roles the BBC currently undertakes, instead they will be lost. Can you really put a price on the soft power that the BBC projects across the world, can you? The BBC is an institution anybody who has any feelings of patriotism towards our country should be rightly proud of.

And after its gone where does it leave the people who cant afford a TV licence. What do they do then. Are they just victims of the laissez faire crusade that we will sacrifice on the altar of capitalism. Typical classical liberalism approach, not very good at sharing, its selfishness is apparent in everything it espouses. A quid a week saved because of some notion of "freedom" means that a person without that quid a week sits at home and rots through boredom whilst they stare at a blank screen.

What a horribly selfish country we have become.
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what a weak and pathetic argument.

freeview
Freessat

has loads of tv channels and radio stations ALL FREE

you just want to keep the BBC because it’s state run and one day You hope your Glorious Leader can address the nation each day with his daily address.
 
Rascal said:
Being given freedom to not pay is tantamount to cancelling a public funded broadcaster, why is that so hard to grasp?

Reply to all my other my points if you can. About the jobs, the training, the skills, the soft power, the national security. Are you happy to see all that lost so you save a quid a week.

Our money paid for everything the BBC is, its publicly owned, we own it, we have funded it since it inception. Why should somebody else especially a private individual profit from all the investment the public have put into the service. It is the same ideological nonsense that the free market knows best that has destroyed UK industries since Thatcher came to power. A privately owned company will have no obligation at all to fulfil any of the roles the BBC currently undertakes, instead they will be lost. Can you really put a price on the soft power that the BBC projects across the world, can you? The BBC is an institution anybody who has any feelings of patriotism towards our country should be rightly proud of.

And after its gone where does it leave the people who cant afford a TV licence. What do they do then. Are they just victims of the laissez faire crusade that we will sacrifice on the altar of capitalism. Typical classical liberalism approach, not very good at sharing, its selfishness is apparent in everything it espouses. A quid a week saved because of some notion of "freedom" means that a person without that quid a week sits at home and rots through boredom whilst they stare at a blank screen.

What a horribly selfish country we have become.
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Nope, again, it’s not cancelling it, the BBC can still function as a business and is welcome to put any content it wishes out, I am purely opposed to having to forcefully subscribe, should I want to watch other tele and services and be forced to subscribe to content I do not necessarily want.

The institution has some great content but there’s a bit of a rotten agenda within certain areas and let’s just say it has a very dodgy past with nonces.

Far and away my main grievance is the state interfering with what I watch on tele in my private home, the rest of your points come secondary to me.

Well I never want anyone to lose their jobs, even those I disagree with most and no doubt some likely would if it were privatised but it shouldn’t be the fault nor the responsibility of the public to prop up a broadcaster. From a moral position the forced subscription from the population is more immoral to me than people having to be competitive in finding a new role.

Regarding costs, again, it’s currently costing the majority of homes in this country £150 per year for the privilege of even being able to watch normal TV, it’s a joke. I’d rather it was in private hands and I and my bloody 80 year old Nan, on a state pension, didn’t have to pay it, I’m likely going to have to pay it for her anyway, so that’s now £300 a year for me.

We’re never going to agree as you support public ownership and authoritarian measures and I do not, the fact pensioners now have to also pay for it, being ridiculous, is surely a point we can agree on though?
 
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kevin horlocks wand said:
what a weak and pathetic argument.

freeview
Freessat

has loads of tv channels and radio stations ALL FREE

you just want to keep the BBC because it’s state run and one day You hope your Glorious Leader can address the nation each day with his daily address.
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WOW!
 
I like it. From kids TV, to radio, sport and documentaries etc. it is well worth the money

Of course it has it flaws but should be left weel alone
 
Rascal said:
WOW!
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Just consumer advice tell that poor person who you describe staring at their blank screen the pleasures of freview and freesat which is free.

meanwhile old comrade here would rather poor old age pensioners , and the poor are FORCED to pay for a tv licence so their lefty chum Gary Linnekar can pick up 1.75 million simply for hosting match of the day.

the left these days.
 
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