TV detector vans and laptops

[Murph7355]

marshalla said:

...
Nobody forces you to have a TV...
Without the licence fee, we'd descend to a point where every programme was created by Simon Cowell, because those are the ones the advertisers will pay for.

Straight back at you

Let's just say, for argument's sake, that all I really want to watch is Sky News. I still have to pay the license fee.

I think the argument that TV will descend into Cowell-ness is flawed on two counts. (1) Plenty of decent TV is produced by non-BBC entities. (2) Plenty of st TV is produced by the BBC. Quality is far from the preserve of the BBC.

It's a tax. It's outmoded. There is no need for it. We should get rid and get government focussing on stuff that really matters.

[P_J_R]

Some of you need to go and spend a few months in North America and watch their st tv. I now happily pay for the BBC output which is the best in the world, in my humble opinion.

[Cheese Mechanic]

P_J_R said:

Some of you need to go and spend a few months in North America and watch their st tv. I now happily pay for the BBC output which is the best in the world, in my humble opinion.

Thats the entire point, you want to watch it, then pay. Its that simple. I'd be more than happy to pay for certain channels myself,just happens they are not BBC.

Nobody should be forced to pay for a TV channel they do not wish to recieve. You want it pay, don't want it, don't pay.

[marshalla]

Cheese Mechanic said:

P_J_R said:

Some of you need to go and spend a few months in North America and watch their st tv. I now happily pay for the BBC output which is the best in the world, in my humble opinion.

Thats the entire point, you want to watch it, then pay. Its that simple. I'd be more than happy to pay for certain channels myself,just happens they are not BBC.

Nobody should be forced to pay for a TV channel they do not wish to recieve. You want it pay, don't want it, don't pay.

Ooh! Ooh! I don't want to watch football. I don't want to pay for people who can't be bothered to get jobs. I don't want to pay to support unwed mothers who live entirely on benefits. Can I withhold some taxes too please ?

Some of us accept that an apparently unfair system might contribute to a greater good in the long run/bigger picture.

[P_J_R]

marshalla said:

Some of us accept that an apparently unfair system might contribute to a greater good in the long run/bigger picture.

Hit the nail on the head

[P_J_R]

marshalla said:

Some of us accept that an apparently unfair system might contribute to a greater good in the long run/bigger picture.

Hit the nail on the head

[Cheese Mechanic]

marshalla said:

Cheese Mechanic said:

P_J_R said:

Some of you need to go and spend a few months in North America and watch their st tv. I now happily pay for the BBC output which is the best in the world, in my humble opinion.

Thats the entire point, you want to watch it, then pay. Its that simple. I'd be more than happy to pay for certain channels myself,just happens they are not BBC.

Nobody should be forced to pay for a TV channel they do not wish to recieve. You want it pay, don't want it, don't pay.

Ooh! Ooh! I don't want to watch football. I don't want to pay for people who can't be bothered to get jobs. I don't want to pay to support unwed mothers who live entirely on benefits. Can I withhold some taxes too please ?

Some of us accept that an apparently unfair system might contribute to a greater good in the long run/bigger picture.

Poor analogy's. The BBC is a media company . Thats it, a media company. By your line of thought, its fine (or would be) to license in the same way, supermarkets, taxi firms , bookmakers etc etc etc. None of them are essential, just like the BBC. You talk like a tt.

[Murph7355]

marshalla said:

Ooh! Ooh! I don't want to watch football.

On that you definitely have a choice. There must be upwards of 40 channels not showing it at present

But then you're paying for a chunk of it through your license fee without any choice whatsoever. Paying to (have the ability to) watch a leisure activity that will be making a few people millions in profits, partly contributed to by your license fee...

marshalla said:

...I don't want to pay for people who can't be bothered to get jobs. I don't want to pay to support unwed mothers who live entirely on benefits. Can I withhold some taxes too please ?

Some of us accept that an apparently unfair system might contribute to a greater good in the long run/bigger picture.

To be perfectly honest, I'm with you on those other two examples. Though I do not believe they are for the greater good of anything frankly, and need dealing with too!

The taxation systems in this country are screwed up beyond belief exactly because we've totally lost sight of what should, and should not, be tax/government funded. As noted, TV is not an essential service. It's not even close, and the BBC is as responsible for crap television as any other channel.

Still, at least it keeps all those who work for the licensing authority off the dole I guess!