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The Tory attacks on the BBC begin in earnest

I just saw someone online say that the BBC Licence fee of £145.50 is nothing to worry about being so small an amount. But the thing is it is just another bill of about that size that regularly falls onto the mat of people who are not on very large incomes, for whom every bill is a difficulty.

So, on top of rent or a mortgage, the gas bill, the electric bill, the water bill, the telephone bill, the council tax, the mobile phone bill, the broadband bill, the grocery costs, clothing, any car costs, MOT, insurance, road tax, etc etc the BBC Licence Fee is just yet another bill that poor households have to pay or face nasty consequences.
no, the mps want £30bn or somesuch to do up westminster

but i take your point about the licence fee. never seemed a drop in the ocean to me.
 
It was Belgium, but it did have a functioning civil service for the day-to-day stuff.
Aha yes that sounds like what I was thinking of.

Thing is the present government want to change things, they think they can improve things by making lots of new laws. But what about if things were actually not too bad in the country law wise, they would not be needed, what would they do on their £70k salaries with nothing to do except constituency things. I actually think the country would be better without constant change and meddling from Westminster! Certainly teachers and the NHS probably would be better without constant meddling!
 
I actually think the country would be better without constant change and meddling from Westminster! Certainly teachers and the NHS probably would be better without constant meddling!

This is a problem with organizations of any size, but worse the larger it is. The NHS is one of the worlds largest employers (like, up there with Walmart, the Peoples Liberation Army and Indian Railways), and constant fannying about really does it no favours at all.
 
The BBC is generally shit. Just re-cancelled my licence fee sub. Why should I subsidise a bunch of paedo's?

As for the NHS--- one of the most wasteful wastes of spaces known to mankind. A great way of shoveling cash into Dr scums pockets. Probably the best system known to mankind at the moment but it is still shit. Most Dr's are still thieving quacks.
 
As for the NHS--- one of the most wasteful wastes of spaces known to mankind. A great way of shoveling cash into Dr scums pockets. Probably the best system known to mankind at the moment but it is still shit. Most Dr's are still thieving quacks.

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Exactly. The BBC, and how it's funded is not without its problems, however having media sponsored by corporations, and ultimately having it's content dictated by its sponsors is a far worse prospect.

Yes there is a huge valuable piece of statist assets to be carved off , monetised , closed down , privatised and ultimately destroyed. Cultural vandalism against what is the undisputed first and best broadcasting organisation in the world. And once it's gone salami sliced to oblivion you will really see what a post BBC world will look like. SKY uberalles.
 
Oh come off it. The BBC is pretty crap on all sorts of levels when you consider the insane amount of money they legally extort from licence fee payers.
 
I wouldn't have a problem if the license fee was abolished and the BBC had to self sustain through its commercial operations.
 
Yes there is a huge valuable piece of statist assets to be carved off , monetised , closed down , privatised and ultimately destroyed. Cultural vandalism against what is the undisputed first and best broadcasting organisation in the world. And once it's gone salami sliced to oblivion you will really see what a post BBC world will look like. SKY uberalles.

So we'd go from having a constant stream of Tory propaganda funded by license fee payers to accompany the private sector onslaught to just having the private sector onslaught. Seems like a neutral, maybe slightly positive, change.
 
Oh come off it. The BBC is pretty crap on all sorts of levels when you consider the insane amount of money they legally extort from licence fee payers.

Propaganda it maybe - but much less than a pint a week if you live in London - I use catch up on Iplayer record a lot of the films on my Tivo box - listeb to Radio 4 and 3 - loved Poldark and all the costume dramas would choose BBC News over any other mainstream choice.Already paid for itself and if you just watch it on Iplayer as catch up for the time being you can avoid paying the licence fee if you so wish if you ignore the threatening letters and possible visits.
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In the burgeoning trophy room of Tory Mansions starting to fill up with their spoils of class war - abolition of state provision of housing, welfare state, privatisation and all the horrors coming down the track at breakneck speed the one that the Carlton PR man will covet most is the scalp of the BBC neutered and finally bought down to its knees sacrificed at the altar of private capital.

It's as much symbolical as political.
 
I'm really torn. I completely get all the fuck offs, the news and politics provision is utter craven bullshit, but I can't say I'll be happy to see non commercial children's TV go, to say goodbye to S4C, to 6music and 4Xtra, to In Our Time and Just a Minute.

Babies and bathwater, innit.
 
I have been TV free never mind BBC for the last 2 & 1/2 years and not missing it those who want the BBC can pay for it I dont want, use or need the BBC so have no intention of paying for it. And its not as though the BBC is an essential service like the utilities or Schools, Social Housing, Fire Brigade, The NHS, Benefits for sick the old the disabled and similar its just another MSM outlet like Sky, Virgin, BT and similar
 
I'm really torn. I completely get all the fuck offs, the news and politics provision is utter craven bullshit, but I can't say I'll be happy to see non commercial children's TV go, to say goodbye to S4C, to 6music and 4Xtra, to In Our Time and Just a Minute.

Babies and bathwater, innit.

A lot of that is just being replaced by the internet though, stuff like In Our Time and 6Music can be replaced within 10 minutes on YouTube. Ditto non-commercial kids TV, my niece just watches YouTube or NetFlix stuff which is ad free. Although whenever she watches normal TV and catches sight of an ad she's still suckered in.

It's the World Service and news network that's really going to be missed. Shit as it's become and as many cut backs as it's already seen to regional offices the BBC still had/has an almost unique framework which could be rebuilt if the will was there to do it. Same with ridding it of the bias and weakness. If it goes though that potential will never come back. That said, none of the people there now seem inclined to improve or save anything anyway so meh. Hard to care really.
 
.. It's the World Service and news network that's really going to be missed. Shit as it's become and as many cut backs as it's already seen to regional offices the BBC still had/has an almost unique framework which could be rebuilt if the will was there to do it. Same with ridding it of the bias and weakness. If it goes though that potential will never come back. That said, none of the people there now seem inclined to improve or save anything anyway so meh. Hard to care really.
I don't think removal of the BBC is under Whittingdale's interest, I think they just want to discuss how big the bbc should be, what it should and should not do, and establish the way it should be funded in the future.
 
I don't think removal of the BBC is under Whittingdale's interest, I think they just want to discuss how big the bbc should be, what it should and should not do, and establish the way it should be funded in the future.

Hack away the license fee, make it a for profit enterprise and what you're left with isn't the BBC as we know it. Though to be fair the BBC has been ridding itself of the things which make the BBC for years, especially with the shut down of regional news services.
 
Hack away the license fee, make it a for profit enterprise and what you're left with isn't the BBC as we know it. Though to be fair the BBC has been ridding itself of the things which make the BBC for years, especially with the shut down of regional news services.
As I think I have said on this thread, I would be happy that the BBC still gets public funding, but I want it funded by taxation rather than a licence fee.

But I do think there is little pressure to keep costs down at the BBC, pay in many areas is pretty high, much higher I believe than at commercial broadcasters.
 
Propaganda it maybe - but much less than a pint a week if you live in London - I use catch up on Iplayer record a lot of the films on my Tivo box - listeb to Radio 4 and 3 - loved Poldark and all the costume dramas would choose BBC News over any other mainstream choice.Already paid for itself and if you just watch it on Iplayer as catch up for the time being you can avoid paying the licence fee if you so wish if you ignore the threatening letters and possible visits.
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Well good for you. But why should I subsidise your "taste" in TV?
 
Propaganda it maybe - but much less than a pint a week if you live in London - I use catch up on Iplayer record a lot of the films on my Tivo box - listeb to Radio 4 and 3 - loved Poldark and all the costume dramas would choose BBC News over any other mainstream choice.Already paid for itself and if you just watch it on Iplayer as catch up for the time being you can avoid paying the licence fee if you so wish if you ignore the threatening letters and possible visits.
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Tbf though, quite a lot of that could be fit into much fewer TV/radio stations, and still retaining quality. Whereas we have, say BBC3 and BBC4 only broadcasting in the evenings, whilst BBC1 and 2 showing a hell of a lot of repeats and dross now (couldn't we get away with 3 stations there?). Do we really need Radio 4 AND 4 extra? And whilst I was a big listener and avid supporter of 1xtra for quite a few years, there's not such a big gap between Radio 1 and 1xtra now as there used to be. Radio 2 seems to have a somewhat confused remit now (and why the fuck is Vine not on Radio 5 instead?). 6Music used to be so much better but I still listen to it the most out of BBC radio.

Local radio's always been pretty decent from the BBC - although I've noticed more networked programmes lately, and don't get me going on BBC London 94.9 (a station I used to really love).
 
Fed up of BBC TV. Repeats after repeats, crap shit Dragon Dens, or other cheap programmes. News as well right wing shit. I do enjoy Radio 3 and 4 or 4 extra.
 
I don't think removal of the BBC is under Whittingdale's interest, I think they just want to discuss how big the bbc should be, what it should and should not do, and establish the way it should be funded in the future.

I don't care whether they get rid of it, it's become an outpost of odious bile, but it is obvious that this is a major move towards privatisation in order to benefit their backers during the election not rational men sitting down to decide the right and rational thing to do because they are open minded which is how every single privatisation is presented in the first instance.
 
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