BBC licence fee should be optional?

The BBC licence fee is essentially an entertainment"Poll tax". Even Gary Lineker thinks that we shouldn't have to pay it.
If they privatised it then people could pay if they want to watch stuff like Eastenders. There should still be some public service broadcasting like the Proms and the news, but this can be paid by taxation.
Tory MP Andrew Bridger is against it too.

BBC cutting again?

Here we go more cuts from the BBC, this time to their on-line web site.

Yet no cuts in the licence fee? We still are going to have to pay this entertainment tax for another 11 years. Why not save all the money and privatise the WHOLE BBC?

Let them find the money commercially and stop bashing the poor households. £3.5 billion pounds a year, that £35billion over 10 years for Eastenders, Strictly and Top Gear - why not let us put it to the NHS, I know where I'd like to put it.

Not to the unelected fat bureaucrats that sponge off the BBC for so-called managing it.

BBC raking more in

So too right those who watch TV online have to have a TV Licence soon like the rest of us. BUT, why a tax on entertainment in the 21st Century? Privatise the BBC and abolish the Licence I say. Where does SKY get its money from?

BBC relocation farce

Again evidence of massive incompetence in the BBC.  Moving staff a short distance and reward them. This is taxpayers money!  About time we privatise d the BBC and ended this waste and "entertainment" tax.

BBC to stop the mumbling?

Hooray, so they say that the BBC are to stop the mumbling, but will they turn down, or better OFF,the annoying music in Doctor Who? I can't hear the dialogue and have stopped watching it.

I didn't find a problem with Happy Valley, maybe it was about the "Northern Accents", which having lived in Halifax were very mild to reality.

So now they're going to "investigate" SS-GB? Well it didn't work last time. So a hundred or so twits complained. It was ok for me, bit dull, THE Halcyon is more exciting. I still ask why no one complains about the OTT music in Dr Who? 

Now BBC wants a levy

The BBC wants a house Levy to replace the Licence fee. NO!

Just privatise it and save us all the Entertainment Tax.

There once was a Window Tax - it didn't last either.

With all the non-BBC ways to pay to view, let them stand on their own.

Yes there is a place for Public Service Broadcasting but not at £3.5 billion to pay these fat cats.

BBC - do we want it?

BBC - is it only me that sees that £3.5 billion in our taxes (a Poll Tax) goers to run this juggernaut for the benefit of the "Luvvies" etc. and other no hopers to get rich.

Why in the 21st century do we need Entertainment as a Public Service when other REAL Public services are being squeezed to death, Social Services, Housing Services looking after vulnerable and disadvantaged. The BBC is not elected how dare they spend our money. Or am I wrong?

BBC root and branch review

Isn't it about time the Tree was dug up?
£3.5 billion Poll Tax on TV's - not relavent in 21st Century?

BBC Sell it off - they sold the PO

BBC - sell it OFF!

£5 billion in tax and none of them are elected or accountable. Your council gets cut to the bone yet BBC can carry on regardless - its a SCANDAL.

Why ENTERTAINMENT paid for by TAX ?

Lets save every household £145

Lets all start watching catch-up TV and ditch the licence. WHy should we have an "entertainment Tax" to fund the BBC? Its appalling we pay £3.5billion for the likes of Jeremy Clarkson and co to earn millions for his tosh. Privatise the BBC I say and lets put the money to use in the NHS?

hooray, saved by the Tories

Maybe now the Tories Will end finally the absurd entertainment tax called the BBC?
PRIVATISE the BBC.

BBC advertises Apple

Why should the BBC give Apple - one of the biggest companies in the world free advertising?

Scandalous. I thought that they weren't allowed to advertise - is it in their Charter?

I wonder who's palm was greased?

BBC - not elected by us, takes £3.5 billion off us to do what it likes!

PRIVATISE IT!

Councillors - what do they actually do?

Look at this the record speaks for itself. Gets elected and draws the "allowance" - I think its just "thumbing the nose" at the electors. What do you think?

The Government seems hell bent on stifling Councils of money. and I do ask, why do Councils run all these services like, emptying bins, social care and welfare, schools, child care, homelessness? Surely they are national services like the Job Centres etc, why shouldn't agencies run them on behalf of the Government. They can set the rules and guidelines like the Police and take them off Councils. they then can be left with a little money raised locally do to do "local" things for the Community. Councillors should be genuinely "Volunteers" and just get token expenses.

What do you think. As it stands they "run" these councils and are a bunch of Political amateurs who misappropriate and mismanage the millions that they have (much like the BBC and that's unelected).

BBC - Entertainment tax to be abolished

Why should we all in 21st Century Britain pay a tax to be entertained? A faceless Quango of backslapping n'er do wells who can't get a proper job runan organisation bleeding £3.5 billion from the long suffering tax payers of Britain.

Unlike Councils there's no one elected to oversee what the BBC is doing yet they have that vast income and no cut backs. Councils on the otherhand look after children, the elderly and sick and have less and less money to do it.

The whole system is SICK.

Its just not RIGHT or FAIR!

Why should millionaires pay exactly the same for their TV as a little old pensioner of 74?

SKY doesn't get taxpayers money (well apart form the £5mill to show BBC programmes etc.).

END IT ALL - PRIVATISE THE BBC LIKE THE POST OFFICE.

50 types of pornography

50 shades of pornographic.

This film 50 Shades of Grey - is much hyped recently. even Breakfast TV was "laughing" coyly about it.

OK You're an adult watch it if you want but I suggest DON'T - here's why, apart from it being a mediocre film.

Have they read the book, have any of them? How do these people reconcile their attitude to porn, what about the BBC - promoting it when children are undoubtedly watching? If its not PORN why is it rated 18?

It is a scandal and people (and BBC) should be ashamed.

In the same week a very good article in Saturday's Daily Mail by Sarah Vine highlighted how easy it is to get to hard core porn on the internet and our children are looking at it and being damaged for life by it. They can access stuff that tragically and irreversibly distorts their young minds in their formative years of their view of society. I know because I've seen it. I don't mean that I go surfing for porn, but in my job I have had to "investigate" employees that were circulating Porn via email. We had to collect the evidence, I had to "see" it to check what it was and compile it for management who ultimately dismissed the culprits including a manager.

Believe me some images are so vile that you don't want to see them, and having seen them you can't get them out of your mind even if you want to. I am pretty well balanced and tried to stay detached but it is hard.

If it involves children remember if they are shown in it it is not a victimless crime - these children are being abused, the viewers are ABUSING them too by proxy. 

If no one wanted to see this filth then the kids would not get abused.

That is what "pornography" means, actually we need a word meaning worse than pornography because some of this stuff is unbelievably corrupting. 

YOU DON'T WANT CHILDREN TO SEE IT.

WE MUST STOP IT..

BBC standards slipping

The BBC standards are slipping.

I'm fed up with lurid news items on the 6pm news and Look North. They mention Rape/War/Sex, show bodies etc.

Yes this is WELL before the "watershed" and BBC Director Tony Hall seems to think this is OK?

I DO NOT. I have a 4 year old and would expect that the 6pm news - being before the Watershed is OK for her to see. How do you explain Rape to a 4 year old.

Yes I realise that in these days of on-line viewing, catch-up TV, YouTube etc children can access all sorts of dubious material and filth but if you leave you child in front of the TV at 5-7pm shouldn't you expect some minimum standards?

At the end of the day maybe I should not allow the NEWS to be on at all but at 6pm they should tone it down.

I have noticed that Films are shown in an afternoon that were released as PG or 15 and now in in an afternoon, 3pm or 4pm young children could be watching - surely the Board odf Film Censors has not got an expiry date after which their rating miraculously disappears and all is OK?

I do despair. After all WE OWN the BBC don't we. It is a Public service just like having your Bins emptied that we pay TAX for.

I give up - PRIVATISE THE BBC - get rid of it and save the £3billion - spend it on the NHS.

rita ora one show

Come on get a life. Rita Ora looked very smart. What is wrong, everyone has a body, nothing rude about Rita Ora there.
What upset me was the Look North news just before , an item going into graphic detail about Sex and rape! How do you explain that to a 5 yr old? She didn't look twice at Rita or a, just a pretty lady.The BBC must get its priorities right. News bulletins before 7pm should not be unsuitable for small children.

Maybe is they Privitised theBBC and saved us the £3.5billion a year = spend is on the NHS not mere "entertainment". Rita gets allegedly £500k for flashing her cleavage? where have I misunderstood this?

Letter to Simon Heffer Daily Mail.

Hello Mr Heffer,

I have so say that I largely agree with your comments about the BBC, I do like it, but I have to point out that an organisation spending £3.7billion of Taxpayers money, completely on entertainment, not accountable to anyone is a scandal in the 21^st Century.

I suggest that the Government should reform the BBC by privatising it. Save the £3.7billion and spend it on something worthwhile like the NHS.

For people like us, given today’s varied media , the Licence fee is an anachronism without comparison. People should be allowed the free choice to spend their money as they wish on entertainment if that is their choice.

I have mentioned that the BBC are losing sight or their reponsibilities with inappropiate content broadcast before the watershed. Parents should be able to trust the BBC, what does the BBC trust say to that? Again Amanda Platell agrees with me and good old Julie Walters does too.

Many people without earnings choose to spend their income in strange ways, in my opinion. On the one hand the Worlds Fattest man has just died. Where did he get his money to buy all that excessive food that killed him, surely he wasn’t working as was bedridden. We are told people are starving yet these same people will not give up their Sky TV, Broadband, or mobile phones.

Amada Platell reported that a family of four with one wage earner on the Minimum wage gets a total income of £25k! I do not earn that yet my wife and I live on less than that and pay our income tax, NI, Pension, Council Tax and TV Licence. Our Choice. I would love to earn £25k but would need a salary of around £30k before I took that home.

My answer to inflated benefits – TAX IT! It is after all income. We all have our personal tax allowance designed to ensure we can earn a fair amount before paying tax, so why do these people qualify for so much tax free handouts? It just doesn’t makes sense.

Perhaps we should go back to the 1930’s at least then the poor people knew exactly what they needed to do to survive. No handouts for them. They had to make ends meet. It’s about time we ALL understood that in 21^st Century Britain. Labour won’t cure the situation didn’t they get us into it in the first place?

Monty.

BBC News cross line

Again BBC 6pm news totally inappropriate for this time.Piece on DJ RAPING.Swearing & distressing scenes.How do you explain rape to 5yr old?

Ched Evans Rape conviction - should he play Football?

Still going on about Ched Evans I see, 

I'll re-iterate what I said about a month ago, its about time the FA decided its "rules" on ex-offenders, these things should not be decided by Mass Mob Hystreria or Social Media. That's why we have LAWS.

Ched Evans Rape conviction - should he be allowed to return to Football?

Its down to the FA i say.

Reasons, we have laws in this country for a reason. There are rules around dealing with rehabilitaion of ex-offenders, for example it depends on

• type of offence
• length of sentence.

I believe that if your sentence is less than 2.5 years then after 10 years it can be considered "spent" - ie that means that you don't have to tell anyone about it - you get a fresh start.

So, Ched was sentenced to 5 years so it can never be "spent".

Next if its a sexual offence, as his was, you have to on the Sex offenders register for life. So with for example Teachers they can never teach again or work with children if it was a "sex" offence. MPs can't be Mp's if their offence was more than 1 year sentence and so it goes on.

I say, in my opinion it is up to the FA to decide how they deal with ex-offenders. They need to set down their rules.

Nothing stopping Ched being a Lorry Driver.