TV licence thread

[ECCOnoob 1,017]

40 minutes ago, melthebell said:

dont be silly, its got NOTHING to do with D Day, apart from the veterans being old, i see that's being wheeled out in meme land on facebook etc too. i agree with Robin, why if a pensioner can afford it should they get it for free? that goes for winter fuel allowance, and bus passes. The rich get old as well you know, as for the veterans themselves the war was over 70 years ago i'm sure a lot did a lot more in life, some might even have made a fair bit of money

I would also agree.

 

I am getting rather sick of this facebook meme, twitter headline, tabloid fodder.    "...They served a war for us...."

 

Errm.  some of them did yes. But certainly not all.

 

A vast number of these over 75s were nothing more than children or even toddlers at the time the war ended. 

 

They have had a full life with often better job prospects, cheaper housing, more social mobility and social services than most younger people these days would dream of.  Many of them have made a very nice nest egg for their retirement and so quite rightly should pay what is (lets face it) a trival amount per month for thier TV licence.   Lets not forget boys and girls, that trival amount per month was something they were quite happily paying up to the rule changes in 2000 anyway.  

 

Enough already with this sentimental nonsense.    If you want to watch broadcast television on ANY channel - you pay the licence fee.   If you dont - then dont.  Choice is yours.    You can always read a book.

Edited June 11, 2019 by ECCOnoob

[L00b 441]

6 minutes ago, Padders said:

Do away with free TV licences, free bus travel, winter fuel allowances, ETC.. replace them with a yearly supply of free beer tickets, then we can drink ourselves to a happy early grave . thus saving the government millions of pounds in the long run.

Who turned the public finances tap off for the BBC? The Conservatives, in the name of austerity.

 

Who elected the Conservatives to power? A great many people and, amongst them, a great many elderly.

 

Action, reaction. Cause, consequences.

 

Free bus travel and winter fuel allowance ain't far down the list, they'd go long before taps start to get turned off for the NHS (...though that's on the list, too).

 

But you ain't gonna get free beer tickets. Austerity means taking stuff away, not replacing it with something else (...unless that replacement is window-dressing for taking stuff away, see e.g. universal benefit)

 

 

[Car Boot 10]

I wanted to vote in the public consultation on free TV licences for the over 75s but the BBC didn't give me any option I could in good conscience select. 

[Magilla 510]

7 minutes ago, Car Boot said:

The BBC had a consultation with 190,000 people, of whom 52% were in favour of reforming or abolishing free licences. The questions the public were asked were very much skewed towards changing the free licence for over 75s. 

 

There was no option to keep things as they are.

Entirely untrue, there was an option to copy the current concession.

 

Quote

 

Future option suggestions for public consultation were:

 

1. Scrap free licence fees for over-75s.

 

2. Replace with a 50% concession for all over-75 households.

 

3. Increase the age threshold for eligibility.

 

4. Means-test eligibility for the concession.

5. Copy the current concession, which was actually option 1

 

Quote

Like the EU, the BBC doesn't do democracy.

You wish, they certainly do honesty a lot better than you've been able to manage!

 

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Magilla

[Car Boot 10]

I present here details of the public consultation on ending the free TV licences for the over 75s for readers on here to make up their own minds if I am correct about my recent postings.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46274054

[Robin-H 11]

2 minutes ago, Car Boot said:

I present here details of the public consultation on ending the free TV licences for the over 75s for readers on here to make up their own minds if I am correct about my recent postings.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-46274054

The actual consultation document can be found here. 

 

https://www.bbc.com/yoursay/BBC consultation document.pdf

 

The first option is indeed 'Copying the current concession'

 

'Copying the current concession means that all households with someone over 75 would get a free TV licence. But to allow for the cost of this, we believe the BBC would have to make a large number of cuts to current programmes and services.' 

[Penistone999 10]

Can anyone give one reason why the BBC cannot be self funded through commercials like everyone else ? 

[pearlt072 10]

4 hours ago, Penistone999 said:

Can anyone give one reason why the BBC cannot be self funded through commercials like everyone else ? 

I can!

 

It's because they'd make no money!

 

They have a guaranteed income as it stands, regardless as to whether you watch BBC programming or not.  I refuse to pay the license fee as I can't even remember the last time I watched anything BBC related. 

 

 

[ECCOnoob 1,017]

32 minutes ago, pearlt072 said:

I can!

 

It's because they'd make no money!

 

They have a guaranteed income as it stands, regardless as to whether you watch BBC programming or not.  I refuse to pay the license fee as I can't even remember the last time I watched anything BBC related. 

 

 

Do you watch any live broadcast television on any other channel?

[Annie Bynnol 611]

11 hours ago, Penistone999 said:

Can anyone give one reason why the BBC cannot be self funded through commercials like everyone else ? 

The BBC is allowed to make money from "commercials" and other business activities and does. 

It has a global audience of over 250 million people most of which are targeted with "commercials".

In the UK direct TV advertising  by the BBC is not permitted , other commercial activities are.

 

£3 a week for radio and TV with no adverts.

£3 a week to be free from day to day government intrusion.

£3 a week for radio and TV programming free from the influence of  global capitalism.

£3 a week for the creation thousands of hours of broadcasting a week. 

£3 a week allows for the success of other radio and TV channels.

£3 a week to help create   and showcase the backbone of  the independent a Film ,TV , Media and design industry which generates thousands of new skilled jobs a year in hundreds of companies across the country. 

£3 a week to showcase technical innovation and selling it abroad creating new businesses and thousands of jobs across the country.

£3 a week to reduce your tax bill. 

and soon your £3 a week will enable poor over 75's  to get Radio and TV.

 

 

 

[nightrider 13]

14 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

I would also agree.

 

I am getting rather sick of this facebook meme, twitter headline, tabloid fodder.    "...They served a war for us...."

 

Errm.  some of them did yes. But certainly not all.

 

A vast number of these over 75s were nothing more than children or even toddlers at the time the war ended. 

 

They have had a full life with often better job prospects, cheaper housing, more social mobility and social services than most younger people these days would dream of.  Many of them have made a very nice nest egg for their retirement and so quite rightly should pay what is (lets face it) a trival amount per month for thier TV licence.   Lets not forget boys and girls, that trival amount per month was something they were quite happily paying up to the rule changes in 2000 anyway.  

 

Enough already with this sentimental nonsense.    If you want to watch broadcast television on ANY channel - you pay the licence fee.   If you dont - then dont.  Choice is yours.    You can always read a book.

Or watch any of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now TV all of which have content to rival the BBC!

17 hours ago, the_bloke said:

The list of Victoria Cross recipients is available online.

 

7 were awarded to men with first or last name of George. They are all dead.

 

There is one living recipient of the VC from the Second World War, John Cruickshank of Scotland who is aged 99. He retired from a career in banking in 1977. There is nothing online saying he was part of D-Day.

 

It's amazing how easily people fall for fake outrage on TV thinking it's real.

 

Anyone could have wrote that email.

and may well have done. Only recently Russian trolls were uncovered sending identical pro-brexit letters to many local newspapers.

[melthebell 862]

16 minutes ago, nightrider said:

Or watch any of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Now TV all of which have content to rival the BBC!

 

No they don't where's the radio, the current affairs and the in depth journalistic investigating?