news & politics:discussion

[Memory Man]

 

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

Does anyone know what the public think of the BBC license fee issue, has been there been polling to say what the consensus is?

I genuinely dont believe there is any majority in the UK for radical BBC reform

that wont stop the rabid right wing nutjobs that currently make up the government from pursuing what is so clearly an ideologically based crusade

its nothing more than “we dont like what you say so we want to censor you”. Its borderline fascism.

elect a labour govt and all of this goes away immediately imo

[Neil]

Just now, Memory Man said:

 

I genuinely dont believe there is any majority in the UK for radical BBC reform

that wont stop the rabid right wing nutjobs that currently make up the government from pursuing what is so clearly an ideologically based crusade

its nothing more than “we dont like what you say so we want to censor you”. Its borderline fascism.

elect a labour govt and all of this goes away immediately imo

there's a majority oif toory nutjobs in favour of radical bbc reform.

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Memory Man said:

 

I genuinely dont believe there is any majority in the UK for radical BBC reform

that wont stop the rabid right wing nutjobs that currently make up the government from pursuing what is so clearly an ideologically based crusade

its nothing more than “we dont like what you say so we want to censor you”. Its borderline fascism.

elect a labour govt and all of this goes away immediately imo

That’s what I was thinking, that surely the public don’t want the BBC dismantled. I wonder if there is any polling on this anywhere. 

[Matt42]

The majority of people pay for it because they use it and don’t feel like because they pay for it they have a say over what should be shown on it. I pay for Netflix but I don’t have a right over the content it shows? I can choose to watch what I want to watch. It feels like a lot of people expect the BBC to be media created in their own image.

Defund the BBC is basically a pressure group to cut out media that challenges their world view. Or that any representation of the other side is bias. 

Literally everyone has a different answer to where the BBC is aligned. 

Most of the people in the UK just pay it, some might feel it’s a heavy price… but there’s not really an appetite to radically reform the BBC itself. Most people enjoy its content. 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Matt42

[Guest]

 

[Memory Man]

1 minute ago, Ozanne said:

That’s what I was thinking, that surely the public don’t want the BBC dismantled. I wonder if there is any polling on this anywhere. 

I suppose it all depends how badly the public would defend the bbc and if some would be prepared to vote differently if they believed that strongly about it

fairly easy win for labour - “vote for us to protect this great british institution”

lets hope enough people are prepared to fight as otherwise if the tories win the next election they will scrap the licence fee. That is clear.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Memory Man said:

I suppose it all depends how badly the public would defend the bbc and if some would be prepared to vote differently if they believed that strongly about it

fairly easy win for labour - “vote for us to protect this great british institution”

lets hope enough people are prepared to fight as otherwise if the tories win the next election they will scrap the licence fee. That is clear.

I found this from YouGov:

 

[Gingerfish79]

2 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

That’s what I was thinking, that surely the public don’t want the BBC dismantled. I wonder if there is any polling on this anywhere. 

I think it's a very interesting question and it would be good to see the polling based on age ranges and demographics. My instinct is that a good percentage of BBC loyalists will be older, more affluent people and hence also traditional Tory's. Hammering the BBC and taking away the triple lock on pensions, its like they're wilfully attacking the core of their vote.  

[steviewevie]

I love the BBC but I'm of a certain age...when I was a kid it was just BBC or ITV, that was it, and I grew up listening to Radio 1 and now listen to 6music or Radio4 ...so it has some sentimental value to me and I'd be gutted if it went...love the radio, love it's music docs, it's science/art/educational stuff, dramas and comedies etc etc but at same time I understand in this age of choice it seems outdated to have to pay for it and it not be subscription based...but if they went down that route it would probably have to cut it's output massively. I think it would be a shame, but that's progress for you...as we all just stream whatever from US tech companies. Maybe if Nadine and the Mail don't want old ladies to be carted off to prison for non payment they should bring back free licenses for the over 70s (or whatever it was).

[Memory Man]

The yougov stuff is really interesting. Thanks for posting. 63% like the bbc but only 19% think the licence fee is fair. I suppose you are always going to get plenty who like the content but fewer who believe they should have to pay for it…. (Or pay what it costs to keep it alive)

perhaps the tories arent barking up the wrong tree after all and they do have a majority of the country with them.

Just like brexit the public will not realise what they have got till its gone.

 

[steviewevie]

As for the BBC news channel...I don't know.,,,I watch it more than sky news because I get it in HD, and I also get annoyed with ads on sky...but the bbc news is so repetitive and they just loop through the same stories with not enough proper discussion...maybe they're scared of all the bias accusations or something...and then they have 30 minute slots on dross like click and the travel show. I never watch Marr, never watch Question Time, but I do like Newsnight.

[Neil]

23 minutes ago, Ozanne said:

I found this from YouGov:

 

lots of people will br paying a whopping big sky or virgin bill (cos they've got an expensive footie package), so  the bieeb is good value against that.

[steviewevie]

2 minutes ago, Memory Man said:

The yougov stuff is really interesting. Thanks for posting. 63% like the bbc but only 19% think the licence fee is fair. I suppose you are always going to get plenty who like the content but fewer who believe they should have to pay for it…. (Or pay what it costs to keep it alive)

perhaps the tories arent barking up the wrong tree after all and they do have a majority of the country with them.

Just like brexit the public will not realise what they have got till its gone.

 

no one likes paying for it!

They could make it paid for by a tax like some other countries, but then it really does become a state broadcaster.

Maybe it will eventually become subscription based and you'll psy for different packages like sky...it means some of it's more unpopular stuff will just get binned I guess. I think they will regret it in the long run, but there you go.

This is interesting on how other countries do (or don't) it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_licence

[maelzoid]

The bottom line with the BBC is that as time goes on, more people will opt out of paying for the TV license as they can get all the ents they want from other streaming services. This will mean that the income is reduced, output is reduced, and this in turn puts more people off. The current method of financing it is unsustainable. 

I also find it immoral. Forcing people to pay for the BBC in order to watch other channels that are either subscription or ad-supported, with the threat of prison, coupled with the 'detector van' scare tactics / disinformation is not right.

I have not had a TV license for 15 years. I only occasionally miss it, but overall glad I switched off.

[fred quimby]

47 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

Can you think of anything else because I was really struggling beyond the stuff Attenborough does...  I think it would still be made without the BBC - there is plenty of excellent stuff out there beyond the BBC.

You are on a Glastonbury Forum so there is an obvious one 😃

If you are just talking  TV then I reckon a lot of comedy, I enjoy have I got New for You, QI, Mock the week etc and some on BBC 3. Not sure if it is still the case but they allow concepts in and to grow, whereas more commercial companies may not go for it in the first place. So This Country being a recent one, something like little Britain that was nurtured on radio and then brought on in the not so distant past. I wonder if that side would be lost

[Crazyfool01]

51 minutes ago, Barry Fish said:

Can you think of anything else because I was really struggling beyond the stuff Attenborough does...  I think it would still be made without the BBC - there is plenty of excellent stuff out there beyond the BBC.

So we could talk about Glastonbury coverage … coverage of the big sporting events , I also enjoy shows such as question of sport and match of the day is still excellent … Mind you other than sky sports I don’t have any of the other paid services which is probably unusual these days … I’d say personally I think the licence fee is good value for money. 

[Simsy]

1 hour ago, Ozanne said:

 

Such a stupid argument from JHB. I don't have kids, but my taxes pay for schools. I don't drive, but my taxes pay for roads. I don't watch EastEnders, can I get a discount on my TV licence? FFS.

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, Barry Fish said:

All of that could be done by others and if people want it can then pay for it.

Other Wimbledon - what does the BBC cover these days ?   They couldn't even do the Olympic properly this time around due to commercial licensing issues.

Euros … World Cup … ok split with itv … it also has produced some great stuff over the years which has been exported over the planet … Shows like Top gear , Natural history stuff … the content many of us have grown up with … some obviously now sold … take away that creative content we are left with utter drivel . And I’d question if other providers could equal it 

[gigpusher]

I adore the BBC. I always say that Great Britain has 3 things to be truly proud of the BBC, the NHS and Glastonbury. The tories seem intent on ruining 2 of the 3. 

People forget just what a huge range of stuff the BBC provides us with. It's not just TV, it's their range of radio stations, their website, the iPlayer and really they do a remarkable job. Is it flawless no absolutely not and in recent years I have been frustrated at times by their news coverage etc but I have always been careful of how I criticised because I saw this coming. They are doing the exact same with the NHS. I've had some pretty shitty experiences of the NHS in the last 2 years but again it doesn't mean I want the entire thing dismantled because the alternative is sooooo much worse. 

[mcshed]

1 hour ago, Ozanne said:

I found this from YouGov:

 

Fairly standard response from the public who by and large like public services and don't like paying for them. 

[steviewevie]

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Simsy said:

Such a stupid argument from JHB. I don't have kids, but my taxes pay for schools. I don't drive, but my taxes pay for roads. I don't watch EastEnders, can I get a discount on my TV licence? FFS.

Thats what you get with JHB and people like her. They claim to love this country yet seem to want to tear up many of the institutions that help make this country good. 

[steviewevie]

Not politics...but came up on my twitter timeline....look at all those kingdoms/nations where Germany etc is now!

 

[fred quimby]

1 hour ago, Barry Fish said:

I really hate the TV coverage to be honest.  Winds me up greatly when they do their little private sessions - that isn't Glastonbury and been more and more of a feature.   I really don't get anything from watching a festival on TV - being there is what its all about.

The rest of the stuff you say for me isn't all that great and similar stuff is done by others.

Aye, live gigs on TV tend not to be for me. Gets good viewing figures mind. 

The rest of the stuff is is obviously personal preference. I am unsure that other people do it though, I don't really see other broadcasters trying out new comedy and allowing this to grow in a less forced way. Yet to find another broadcaster that does stuff like introducing for up and coming bands, happy to be told of these others though so I can have a look/listen

Edited January 17, 2022 by fred quimby

[steviewevie]