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Who wants to abolish the BBC licence fee?

Is there a left/right split in this? 

I know the left claims the BBC is biased towards the Tories whilst the right claims it is left wing; however, if one side of the political debate really wants the licence fee rescinded whilst the other wants to keep it does this not indicate where the true bias might be?

The BBC is representative of a very narrow section of society - basically the north/west London upper middle class. It consistently underserves minority communities such as immigrants from other European countries. 

The BBC can be biased against both left and right because it's so controlling of the terms of the debate. It's primary supporters are the smug Blairite woke centrist types who believe the country would be so well run if only they were the decision-makers, it's just unfortunate that they have not been able to convince the large majority of the electorate of that. They love to patronise others, telling them what is in their best interests, just like the BBC does. 

the BBC is a soft left organisation and has been for at least 40 years

I would miss radio 3 and the orchestras and tms. But ultimately there isn't any justification for a mandatory licence fee. 

@Oracle: The Blairites didn't disappear with Blair. Read what former Blair speechwriter (now Starmer speechwriter) Philip Collins was writing since the 2016 referendum about how it had to be respected and having another referendum was a mistake. (It just so happens that his wife is BBC journalist Geeta Guru-Murthy, sibling of better known Krishan Guru-Murthy.   

Generally I am supportive of traditional institutions.

But I never understood the BBC 'licence fee'.

It has always seemed to me to be a cop out. The Government of the day never wanted to declare how much should be spent on 'Public Broadcasting', so stood behind a fiction that the BBC's budget, and the level of the licence fee were somehow an abstract, objective decision not influenced at all by politics. The reality is that it is set by the Government of the day.  I think they should be honest and admit as such.

The government spends money all over the place trying to influence the opinions of residents/ citizens/ people of other countries etc, so there is nothing different with funding the BBC. But why not admit that's what they are doing?

I am still a fan, and consumer, of much BBC output.  

But they don't carry the same respect. Particularly on current affairs. I don't trust them. And there is a 'them'.  There used to be a neutrality and widespread use on independent producers. But no more. If you don't support the message, you can't get on air.

I pay a TV licence in France, Ireland and Hong Kong. But not the UK. 

I feel no guilt

Tun hunt is purely incidental I promise. Genuinely want to know.
Very aware that majority of Heil readership seem to want to abolish but Grauniad comments seem to be in support of the licence fee which seems odd if they believe it has a right wing bias. Maybe I’m wrong but seems logical that you wouldn’t want to support if you were certain it was biased against your view.

fooking hell: an enormously rare “wot elfffi sed”

i had to double check it to ensure i wasn’t going mad

i am pretty sure the underlying reasoning is v different, that’s the only way i can reconcile elfffi actually posting something vaguely right

A public service broadcaster not beholden to any political party power or whims of private owners is so obviously a common good that anyone having a pop at it should be made to wear neon light deely boppers flashing "Wrong'un" 24 hours a day.

Really its funding needs to be topped up with a hefty levy on the profits of private media outlets to compensate for the harm they deliberately inflict on the country and that we as taxpayers foot the bill for.

 

CJ, the guardian readers want to keep the license fee because of the vain hope that the Tozpots will eventually lose a fookin election and the Beeb will be able to go back to being a proper public service broadcaster rather than the schizophrenic Stockholm syndrome victim it is today. 

I go back to the Fiona Bruce clip where the QT audience were shittalking brexit despite being leave voters. She looked like a squid game contestant who just cracked her umbrella honeycomb and was waiting for the guards to notice. "B-b-but we made sure the audience was in favour of b--b-brexit, I promise"

The BBC is biased in its own way, against both the left any right. It’s very much pro-expert, continuity Blair, and represents like kind of people who work for the BBC. 

nobody actually thinks the bbc is left wing that’s just something dux says to troll people

theres probably an argument it was pro-remain during the brexit referendum 

but tbf that’s mostly because pro-leave arguments fell apart with the slightest bit of examination 

What Rob said. The BBC isn’t pro or anti Labour or Tory it’s content is all made by and for Homo BBCicus. It has an incredibly narrow world view and can’t see past it’s own assumptions and prejudices. 

What’s that Trevor? Who exactly would be fooked without the BBC? A legion of self-important journos and mediocre comedians would be but nobody else would be particularly affected. 

the beeb is pro establishment so basically sees its role as reporting the views of the government of the day

as long as the uk continues to be a semi-functioning democracy this isn’t really a huge issue (though of course that’s tbc)

but it definitely doesn’t function as interrogating or critiquing the establishment (whether that’s the government, the met, the monarchy etc) and i don’t think it wants to

most recent example i can think of is the covid care home fiasco - which was such a clear example of deliberate negligence and cruelty it probably would have taken down any other govt - but got a couple of days on the bbc and is now mostly forgotten

other countries in europe like france germany and sweden (maybe cause of pr?) have proper charlie hebdo-style media outlets that do criticize the govt and have some cultural weight

we have private eye, which does great work exposing corruption and negligence in institutions but it’s obvious that mainstream media outlets in the uk including the bbc simply ignore it for months (or sometimes ever) until every now and again they just can’t 

There’s no political satire anymore. Look at the latest test rule to take a lateral flow test after travel. Which you have to buy for £19, you’re not allowed to use a free one. Millions of which are kicking around. That this gets past unchallenged and barely noted by the Beeb tells you all you need to know. The country is fvcked. There is no opposition anywhere beyond a few hooligans shouting in the street.

Look at the latest test rule to take a lateral flow test after travel. Which you have to buy for £19, you’re not allowed to use a free one. Millions of which are kicking around.

yeah saw this in the new rules

makes absolutely no sense imo

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