Alternative Queen's speech - privatise the BBC
mikw
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Thought this was quite interesting - particularly given the attempted gagging of Greek state media at the moment.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10133076/Conservative-MPs-launch-attempt-to-bring-back-death-penalty-privatise-the-BBC-and-ban-burka.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10133076/Conservative-MPs-launch-attempt-to-bring-back-death-penalty-privatise-the-BBC-and-ban-burka.html
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I notice they said "privatise" and not "scrap", and also clear they'd keep the TV licence.
How would people feel if the TV licence money went to a commercial company that gave profits to shareholders? :eek:
A good point.
There's a finite amount of advertising money around and the BBC taking a huge chunk of it would be a disaster for ITV and the others.
Meanwhile a privatised BBC would be free of all the FOI requests, all the expenses being published, all the scrutiny of MPs and meddling of the DCMS.
The Daily Mail should be very careful what it asks for...
Can't help but feeling commercialisation might have the exact opposite effect to what is intended...
You'd be right of course. But the government would rather that i think. A dumb, unquestioning populace is every government's dream.
I don't think the Daily Mail or Murdoch want privatisation of the BBC, the latter would prefer their channels behind a paywall he controls and both would desire the abolition of it and PSB.
Expect fierce opposition from the European Broadcasting Union from any of those proposals and if you abolish the BBC, expect mass protests, political instability and potential snap elections.
did you read the article?
"One of the proposed Bill’s would privatise the BBC, with all license-fee payers awarded shares in the corporation" so if those paying the tvl fee were shareholders then any profit made would reduce the fee in the future.... directly to those paying it.... and then we'd have an ligitimate "share" of the BBC - i can only assume with voting rights.....and the other benefits of being a shareholder..?
They said licence fee payers being awarded shares. That doesn't mean the entire company being owned by all the licence fee payers. In all privatisations to date with stakeholders getting shares, BT British Gas etc millions have ended up selling their shares either for a quick profit or after a few years and the majority of shares quickly ends up being owned by the big pension funds, institutions etc.
When British Gas announce huge profits now no one says "Well that's all right! It's owned by the customers!"
I gave my list of predictions as to what will happen to the BBC should this go ahead earlier in the thread
It's the same thing really. The 3 letters "BBC" would remain of course but what makes the BBC the BBC is the absence of private firms running it.
Same as with the NHS, a "private NHS" is a contradiction in terms.
In fact keeping the licence fee and letting a private firm run the BBC would be the worst of all possible set-ups.A private firm with guaranteed public money is lazy and 3rd-rate.
After all how many more billions do they take off motorists each year compared to the amount they spend on the roads?
It's too much like enforced subscription.
Other taxes are not directly linked to the provision of the service the way the TV Licence is.
Anyway, these Conservatives are so out of touch they'll be talking about denying women the vote next.
It's the Conservative Party's equivalent to the Loony Left so people should not get too excited about it being likely to happen. I am sure Mr Bone's wife would not like it!
Far better to get rid of the BBC wastage of money & keep HRH the Queen, she & her family bring loads of tourists into the UK.
Hi hun. It's time for a reality check. Those policies are only popular with the usual swivel-eyed loon suspects and not with the wider public. I guess you'll have to learn that the hard way. :rolleyes:
#epicfail
And the World Service isn't a valued international relations tool?
We have one of those already, IMO. Privatising the BBC is unnecessary
See the Train Operating Companies for an example. Or any of the scammers running the Welfare to Work (i.e. "Indentured Servitude for Profit") Program.
"Privatisation" seems these days to mean 'Corporate Welfare'. Where efficient and economical Public Service Provision is the goal, 'The Market' has repeatedly demonstrated that is actually a pretty sh*t operating model most of the time.