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What should be done about the BBC licence fee? 
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Legend

Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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BBC licence fee: Tory MPs warn No 10 against fight
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51530752

There follows a rant but please state your view!

My starting point is that two of the greatest things we ever created, the NHS and the BBC, have been slowly dismantled by the Tories for decades. So whatever happens with the BBC the less involvement that demolition crew has the better IMO.

While the BBC doesn't mean much to me in terms of TV these days, it absolutely does to just about everyone else. The problem is some of them won't realise it until it's been vilified and trashed.

I cancelled my licence because there was next to nothing I wanted to see, but I'm in the minority in every sense I imagine.

The question is what do we do about funding the BBC. Would it even be a question if not for the Tories (did Labour ever bring this up?)?

Even if you accept the budget cuts, why the desire to trouble a much-loved institution after that? It's not like there's a groundswell of support for such a move, and it's not a vote winner by any means. I'd suggest ideology but more simply it's about keeping in with right-wing greedy friends elsewhere.

Would you accept the BBC becoming a subscription service, to go with all your other ones (likely)? The cost would only ever increase there anyway. And that simply wouldn't work initially, because the taxpayer would still be footing millions in seed money for programmes, staff... all of it. And it would then have to be online to work. Or indeed not work. I mean there's very good reasons we still broadcast stuff...

This is all before you get to radio of every description, the website, different levels of access throughout society... I've seen suggestions that those on benefits should pay less for access, while the government got into a row just over OAPs access! This is also the government that has managed to seriously fcuk up universal credit, the bedroom tax, who tried to introduce a hot food tax, and tried to deport the Windrush generation through sheer incompetence. All before Brexit, when farmers as an example are going to require massive payments perpetually. What could possibly go wrong?

With all the above taken into account, in my view, the best option would be general taxation to fund the Beeb. In the same way we fund the NHS and everything else. It's definitely worth defending.

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Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:33 pm
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I haven't seen my friends in so long
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Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:06 pm
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Location: IoW
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They wont abolish it, they'll collect a different undefined tax which is supposed to fund the BBC so they can funnel it off without you noticing; until the Beeb starts airing adverts and/or the quality drops through the floor.

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Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:29 pm
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Legend

Joined: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:30 pm
Posts: 45931
Location: Belfast
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Spreadie wrote:
They wont abolish it, they'll collect a different undefined tax which is supposed to fund the BBC so they can funnel it off without you noticing; until the Beeb starts airing adverts and/or the quality drops through the floor.

Yup, it'll be the usual run it into the ground before shouting, "See? It's rubbish!"

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Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:48 pm
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