Frank Hovis Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 The Conservatives bite back for the relentless BBC Labour bias: TV Licence evasion to be decriminalised (step one) Great solution for step two: Other senior ministers believe the fee is increasingly outdated and could be pared back, with anything other than core BBC services paid for by subscription. I was surprised to read that good old Auntie Beeb does not actually give free licences to the over-75s; it charges the taxpayer for them to the tune of £600m a year. And the BBC will have to pick that up too. Step three. All good And it will turn it back into the genuine national treasure that it actually used to be in the 80s rather than the bloated biased self-proclaimed national treasure it actually is now. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3078942/BBC-licence-fee-dodgers-shouldn-t-face-court-say-Tories.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cica Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 You have to be a weird kind of socialist to be against the idea of the BBC only being subsidised for the kind of TV you wouldn't get elsewhere. It was self-evidently insane for the BBC to pay Jonathan Ross so much money: we got to see the same thing on ITV. The market could clearly provide that kind of content. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 And as a quick marker: There were 25,419,296 licences in force in 2013/14. Number of households United Kingdom N/A 26,473,000 N/A 2011[7][8][Near as damnit 96%. Going down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_northshore_* Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 Except it's generally easier to win a civil action because the legal burden of proof is different. Criminal = beyond reasonable doubt so onus is on them to prove it. Civil = balance of probabilities. Unless they actually move to subscriptions I'd expect to see more intimidation and more successful prosecutions (admittedly not involving jail) not fewer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Executive Sadman Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 I'll believe it when I see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrPin Posted May 13, 2015 Share Posted May 13, 2015 All good And it will turn it back into the genuine national treasure that it actually used to be in the 80s rather than the bloated biased self-proclaimed national treasure it actually is now. The decline started in the 90s and I didn't notice until somebody pointed out to me, then I saw it everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The thing that really brought the level of BBC bias home to me was that last Question Time program. I was utterly shocked by how hard a time the audience gave Miliband that I went back and watched it a second time. When I did that, I realised that, in fact, they'd given all three of them more or less the same level of grief. I'd honestly got so used to the Tory on the panel being shredded whilst the socialists were given an easy time that I'd forgotten what a balanced political programme looked like. Even Mrs BlueCat, who has as much interest in politics as I do in knitting, commented on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Except it's generally easier to win a civil action because the legal burden of proof is different. Criminal = beyond reasonable doubt so onus is on them to prove it. Civil = balance of probabilities. Unless they actually move to subscriptions I'd expect to see more intimidation and more successful prosecutions (admittedly not involving jail) not fewer. Yes, that is a worry for sure. On top of that, it's ironically way easier to use the courts to get money off people in civil proceedings too so expect to see a lot more freezing of bank accounts and the like as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libspero Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Unless they actually move to subscriptions I'd expect to see more intimidation and more successful prosecutions (admittedly not involving jail) not fewer. As I understand it prosecutions for TV tax evasion are already quite high so I wonder how many more this would really catch in the net? As you point out.. Subscription is really the only way to avoid a lot of fuss. Once the expensive content is behind a paywall people won't be able to game the system anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The Conservatives bite back for the relentless BBC Labour bias: TV Licence evasion to be decriminalised (step one) All good And it will turn it back into the genuine national treasure that it actually used to be in the 80s rather than the bloated biased self-proclaimed national treasure it actually is now. Hmmm. As I recollect it, the Labour bias was a whole lot stronger in the '80s than in modern times. Maybe you're thinking further back? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnionTerror Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 As I understand it prosecutions for TV tax evasion are already quite high so I wonder how many more this would really catch in the net? As you point out.. Subscription is really the only way to avoid a lot of fuss. Once the expensive content is behind a paywall people won't be able to game the system anyway. How do you make it subscription only? Do you encrypt BBCs channels on freeview, analogue radio (if its still running) & DAB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 The decline started in the 90s and I didn't notice until somebody pointed out to me, then I saw it everywhere. Is this about the BBC, or your physique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_northshore_* Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 As I understand it prosecutions for TV tax evasion are already quite high so I wonder how many more this would really catch in the net? As you point out.. Subscription is really the only way to avoid a lot of fuss. Once the expensive content is behind a paywall people won't be able to game the system anyway. Depends whether prosecution means court or losing in court. I think few go to jail, and I'd assume many relent along the way by paying the fee/fine to avoid further proceedings. If the test becomes a civil one it's simply a lower benchmark, whether that's a net good or bad thing in terms of personal autonomy. My issue isn't the BBC as such but having to pay to watch any live TV under threat of State duress. I don't see how that circumstance makes it anything but the ministry of media, and I don't support that however great some of its content might be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Here in Wales BBC Wales often opts out of the national BBC schedule to put on Welsh nationalist stuff - BBC Wales, IMPO, is just a promotion vehicle and very well paying job creation scheme for the Welsh language tiny minority - so if you only have freeview you miss most of the good stuff that the BBC makes. I was not, for example, aware of Sherlock until a few years after it was first shown. S4C still gets about 100 millions a year and I am forced to pay for BBC Wales so I would be happy if it disappeared now. Alas, I suspect the Welsh Assembly would force me to pay for it in some form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 My TV seems to occasionally try to retune Channel 4 to S4C and I'm in Stockport, so if getting it in Wales is irritating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 It seems like the BBC's telly tax might be on a shoogly peg. A Tory government which seems to be hostile towards the BBC and now this survey which reveals that of those surveyed, the majority do not want to pay the license fee any more. http://wingsoverscotland.com/falling-out-with-auntie/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Who would? I bet a similar survey in England would have similar results. I wonder how many BBC Alba viewers would prefer to keep their station and pay the licence fee? Is a niche Gaelic programme worth keeping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Who would? I bet a similar survey in England would have similar results. I wonder how many BBC Alba viewers would prefer to keep their station and pay the licence fee? Is a niche Gaelic programme worth keeping? I would say BBC Alba is an exception to the rule. BBC Alba is one of those channels which would not be able to stand on it's own two feet using a commercial model. I think it should be funded from Scottish taxes (assuming we had home rule or independence). It is a worthwhile channel to keep going simply to preserve a part of Scottish culture and I doubt it would cost much to run. All the other BBC channels though should not be funded with a tax you are forced to pay. If the BBC was truly as good as it likes to make itself out to be it could create a Netflix type subscription model and put that to the test. I wouldn't pay for it. (I don't pay for it now either though) The SNP are very keen to take control of broadcasting in Scotland. If that happens, I think there would be massive changes. BBC Scotland is not a friend of the SNP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You're going to keep trolling us with Scotttish nationalist related threads aren't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You're going to keep trolling us with Scotttish nationalist related threads aren't you? I am not trolling anyone with anything. This thread was about a poll that found Scottish people are not too fond of the BBC. I didn't read anywhere in the forum rules that you are not allowed to post a thread if it involves Scotland in some context. Stop being so rude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I am not trolling anyone with anything. This thread was about a poll that found Scottish people are not too fond of the BBC. I didn't read anywhere in the forum rules that you are not allowed to post a thread if it involves Scotland in some context. Stop being so rude. Is there a poll on how easily offended Scottish nationalists are? Oh, hang on - there will be one along any moment now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I am not trolling anyone with anything. This thread was about a poll that found Scottish people are not too fond of the BBC. I didn't read anywhere in the forum rules that you are not allowed to post a thread if it involves Scotland in some context. Stop being so rude. This thread has already been started and is available to comment on. Why start a new one with the big 'THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND' banner at the top ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Is there a poll on how easily offended Scottish nationalists are? Oh, hang on - there will be one along any moment now. As the mods said in the other thread, there is an ignore button, please use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 I would say BBC Alba is an exception to the rule. BBC Alba is one of those channels which would not be able to stand on it's own two feet using a commercial model. I think it should be funded from Scottish taxes (assuming we had home rule or independence). It is a worthwhile channel to keep going simply to preserve a part of Scottish culture and I doubt it would cost much to run. All the other BBC channels though should not be funded with a tax you are forced to pay. If the BBC was truly as good as it likes to make itself out to be it could create a Netflix type subscription model and put that to the test. I wouldn't pay for it. (I don't pay for it now either though) The SNP are very keen to take control of broadcasting in Scotland. If that happens, I think there would be massive changes. BBC Scotland is not a friend of the SNP. You do realise BBC Alba is jointly controlled by the same people who control BBC Scotland...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CyberNat Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 This thread has already been started and is available to comment on. Why start a new one with the big 'THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND' banner at the top ..... I never noticed it but I have no problem with the mods merging them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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