BBC license fee proposals...

[dowie]

If you think Wolf Hall is somehow a relative of Downton you are seriously deluded.

a relative of?

you appear to be making a subjective argument based on personal taste anyway so rather pointless

Downton Abbey was simply an example of an (objectively) successful period drama - I don't watch it and I don't watch Wolf Hall either, I might watch peaky blinders on prime

 

[stewski]

It's about time the license fee was dropped, or at the very least made to no longer be a criminal offence, that in itself is just bonkers.

Get more time for that than most "actual" crimes these days.

Yeah like that pesky tax for the NHS/education etc

 

[dowie]

Yeah like that pesky tax for the NHS/education etc

that tends to result in financial settlements with HMRC rather than clogging up magistrates courts with numerous cases as per TV licensing

the other poster is right to highlight that in some cases there are custodial sentences handed out to people who've not had a TV license - you're not going to go to jail for owing sky money or for not paying utility bills or not paying rent but don't pay towards the BBC when you're obliged to and you can end up in jail!

tends to disproportionately affect women and low income groups unsurprisingly

 

[stewski]

a relative of?

you appear to be making a subjective argument based on personal taste anyway so rather pointless

Downton Abbey was simply an example of an (objectively) successful period drama - I don't watch it and I don't watch Wolf Hall either, I might watch peaky blinders on prime

Which skips the point that the creator of wolf hall doesn't agree with your position and that the only likely producer of something of peaky blinders quality isn't culturally interested in the UK. Neither of which are particularly subjective points.

 

[stewski]

that tends to result in financial settlements with HMRC rather than clogging up magistrates courts with numerous cases as per TV licensing

the other poster is right to highlight that in some cases there are custodial sentences handed out to people who've not had a TV license - you're not going to go to jail for owing sky money or for not paying utility bills or not paying rent but don't pay towards the BBC when you're obliged to and you can end up in jail!

tends to disproportionately affect women and low income groups unsurprisingly

Source would be good. Not sure tax evasion shouldn't have more convictions...

 

[inogen]

no that was completely relevant, that was the whole point after all, people who don't pay for a license aren't missing out on the radio aspect

Yes, because those that are paying the TV licence are funding the radio...

You can't on the one hand argue that the BBC should adopt a subscription and then say they should provide stuff for free to those that don't subscribe. That's just utter nonsense.

 

[dowie]

Yes, because those that are paying the TV licence are funding the radio...

You can't on the one hand argue that the BBC should adopt a subscription and then say they should provide stuff for free to those that don't subscribe. That's just utter nonsense.

the point wasn't about funding though in that instance, read the relevant posts for context

 

[dowie]

Which skips the point that the creator of wolf hall doesn't agree with your position and that the only likely producer of something of peaky blinders quality isn't culturally interested in the UK. Neither of which are particularly subjective points.

the creator of Wolf Hall spoke out in support of an organisation that has paid him a bunch of money, so what? I ignored that point because it simply isn't worth bothering with but if you're going to repeat it as though it has some value then I'm sure the creator of Downton Abbey is rather happy with ITV taking a chance on him too:

‘The great thing about making Downton Abbey with ITV was that they let us just get on with it. The BBC wouldn’t have done that… They are not happy with dramas that do not reflect their own political and philosophical viewpoint,’

it is just meaningless - the guy paid lots of money by the BBC says nice things about them and the guy paid lots of money by ITV says nice things about them - who'd have thought it?

as for the likely producers of peaky binders - it is produced by a commercial organisation! It is distributed by a commercial organisation and it is also sold in the US - the BBC didn't produce it themselves, they paid for it sure and netflix paid for the rights to show it in the US so the claim that some state owned broadcaster would have to exist for a show of that quality to be produced is bit dubious, clearly commercial production companies are capable of producing good dramas - both the BBC and ITV and others make ample use of the creations of various third party production companies.

 

[gazzaa]

Wonder how hard it would be for the bbc to scramble there tv service or go like netflix with username and password system.

 

[Fubsy]

Wonder how hard it would be for the bbc to scramble there tv service or go like netflix with username and password system.

They won't do it because it will cost them money (in terms of implementation and people won't pay almost twice the cost of Netflix pcm) and it will also remove the threat of sending people to prison for a what should be a civil matter.

 

[stewski]

the creator of Wolf Hall spoke out in support of an organisation that has paid him a bunch of money, so what? I ignored that point because it simply isn't worth bothering with but if you're going to repeat it as though it has some value then I'm sure the creator of Downton Abbey is rather happy with ITV taking a chance on him too:



it is just meaningless - the guy paid lots of money by the BBC says nice things about them and the guy paid lots of money by ITV says nice things about them - who'd have thought it?

as for the likely producers of peaky binders - it is produced by a commercial organisation! It is distributed by a commercial organisation and it is also sold in the US - the BBC didn't produce it themselves, they paid for it sure and netflix paid for the rights to show it in the US so the claim that some state owned broadcaster would have to exist for a show of that quality to be produced is bit dubious, clearly commercial production companies are capable of producing good dramas - both the BBC and ITV and others make ample use of the creations of various third party production companies.

If all you can do with his statements about the BBC (when accepting the Bafta for Wolf Hall) is suggest he was motivated by the money paid him. Then let's just summarise your position as, the BBC needs to be more like ITV. Because for all the segmented posturing, your main thrust is that there is a problem with nationally funded state TV.

 

[dowie]

Source would be good. Not sure tax evasion shouldn't have more convictions...

What? No chance - like I said TV license cases take up 10% of all magistrates court cases, most tax evaders will tend to just settle with HMRC

http://www.theguardian.com/society/...payment-tv-licence-television-desperate-cases

A week after the culture secretary, Sajid Javid, confirmed a review of the law that makes non-payment of your television licence a criminal offence (unlike, say, payment of your electricity bill), magistrates courts are still ploughing through large numbers of prosecutions, at a rate of about 3,500 a week. Javid said almost 200,000 people were prosecuted in 2012-13 for failing to buy a TV licence, which costs £145.50 a year. “More than 50 were sent to prison. When over 10% of magistrates court cases concern this one offence, you have to ask whether the current system is really working,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/aug/05/tax-evasion-prosecutions-increase-hmrc

The number of criminal prosecutions for tax evasion more than doubled in the UK during the last tax year, amid claims that the exchequer has increased its hit-rate by targeting "small time" offenders suspected of defrauding the taxpayer.

HM Revenue & Customs successfully prosecuted 617 people for tax evasion during 2012/13, up from 302 in 2011/12, according to figures obtained by the law firm Pinsent Masons. The figures were well in excess of HMRC's target of 565 prosecutions for the year, but come after missing what critics said was an artificially low target of 365 in 2011/12.

 

[dowie]

If all you can do with his statements about the BBC (when accepting the Bafta for Wolf Hall) is suggest he was motivated by the money paid him. Then let's just summarise your position as, the BBC needs to be more like ITV. Because for all the segmented posturing, your main thrust is that there is a problem with nationally funded state TV.

Nope, I demonstrated that it was a pointless argument as you can easily make an equally pointless argument in support of ITV from the creator of Downton Abbey.

you've pointed out that some guy who makes a show for the BBC likes the BBC - and I've shown you that some guy who makes a show for ITV likes ITV, my point is both are meaningless

my 'main thrust' isn't that there is a problem with nationally funded state TV, my main thrust is that there is a lot of content that simply doesn't require subsidy to the tune of 3.5 billion... and that it isn't fair to make others who don't want to watch BBC content pay for a license to watch TV broadcast by rivals... I'm happy with on demand but I can see why someone who mostly watches Sky wouldn't be happy about having to pay for a TV license

 

[stewski]

Nope, I demonstrated that it was a pointless argument as you can easily make an equally pointless argument in support of ITV from the creator of Downton Abbey.

you've pointed out that some guy who makes a show for the BBC likes the BBC - and I've shown you that some guy who makes a show for ITV likes ITV, my point is both are meaningless

my 'main thrust' isn't that there is a problem with nationally funded state TV, my main thrust is that there is a lot of content that simply doesn't require subsidy to the tune of 3.5 billion...

Again you suggest he "likes the BBC" when actually that's not what he said. he said it is under threat.
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/may/08/wolf-hall-director-says-bbc-is-under-threat

 

[stewski]

Nope, I demonstrated that it was a pointless argument as you can easily make an equally pointless argument in support of ITV from the creator of Downton Abbey.

Make the argument for ITV, I'm not suggesting ITV be broken up into various forms of state control. And the language from downtons creators is far from the stark language in defence of the BBC.

 

[gazzaa]

They won't do it because it will cost them money (in terms of implementation and people won't pay almost twice the cost of Netflix pcm) and it will also remove the threat of sending people to prison for a what should be a civil matter.

Yea its a shame they are not letting us choose if we want it or not without having someone knocking on the door wanting proof were not watching it. Thats why having a subscription service would be great and fair.

 

[inogen]

the point wasn't about funding though in that instance, read the relevant posts for context

your context was that you can receive radio without a TV licence...

That ignores the fact that BBC radio is funded by the TV licence.

You're chatting ****.

 

[stewski]

Yea its a shame they are not letting us choose if we want it or not without having someone knocking on the door wanting proof were not watching it. Thats why having a subscription service would be great and fair.

Yes and the same can be said of the NHS/Education/Fireservces/Etc etc

 

[dowie]

your context was that you can receive radio without a TV licence...

That ignores the fact that BBC radio is funded by the TV licence.

You're chatting ****.

of course it ignores it, in context, it wasn't relevant - there is nothing '****' about that it is simple fact

 

[stewski]

In an insane world.