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How long until the License Fee is dropped?

188 replies

mumofoneAloneandwell · 30/03/2026 22:07

I reckon by the end of this year, it will begin being phased out.

I am sad about it.

OP posts:
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9
BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:41

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 08:39

Child safeguarding is not transphobic and you should be wary of anyone who tells you it is

That wasn’t the question. I asked why the trans issue constantly finds its way onto completely unrelated threads. Since you’re responsible for that happening on this one, I thought perhaps you could explain.

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 08:39

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:31

Why do so many perfectly innocuous threads become homophobic and transphobic? Perhaps you could help me out here@ProudAmberTurtle?

Child safeguarding is not transphobic and you should be wary of anyone who tells you it is

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 08:38

randomchap · 31/03/2026 08:27

The footballer? What's he got to do with Pride?

The former CEO of Pride in Surrey. He and another senior Pride volunteer were jailed for kidnapping and raping a child last year.

It then turned out he'd been using Pride to get access to children.

He also hosted radio shows at the BBC.

And of course the BBC gave this minimal coverage.

EasternStandard · 31/03/2026 08:36

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 07:46

Let's just say I'd be slightly surprised if Labour put the licence fee into taxation because too few people were willing to pay for it.

Imagine the optics - we would be paying million pound a year salaries for a left wing luvvie to tell us that men are women before they're sacked over a sex scandal.

It wouldn't look good would it?

Even Labour aren't that stupid...

Idk the consultation survey was incredibly loaded towards the BBC surviving. Created with Labour they can site x percent want this. When the questions were stacked in favour.

From the stuff they asked it looked likely they want mc to pay more and maybe a way to do tax. Of course Labour are struggling already so getting voted out could see whatever they do end.

hahabahbag · 31/03/2026 08:34

We will be in worse place if they do, it’s the best value tv you get (yes Netflix has tons of stuff but most has been on there for ages, and was old stuff bought cheaply from tv networks eg loads of itv stuff on there. Only the bbc news can be trusted too (itv, channel 4 and sky aren’t too bad due to strict rules on broadcast news) other news sources are merely opinion and stuff downloaded off the main news agency wires these days, as for so called gb news….

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:31

Why do so many perfectly innocuous threads become homophobic and transphobic? Perhaps you could help me out here@ProudAmberTurtle?

randomchap · 31/03/2026 08:27

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 08:25

Have you heard of Stephen Ireland?

The footballer? What's he got to do with Pride?

MissingSockDetective · 31/03/2026 08:27

I really value it and their offerings for children are better quality than some of the others. I also think the extras they do, like BBC bitesize and BBC sounds are fantastic and really useful.

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 08:25

randomchap · 31/03/2026 08:05

Great, you're back. You might have missed it earlier, but what is your issue with Pride?

Have you heard of Stephen Ireland?

Changingplace · 31/03/2026 08:23

Lonelycrab · 31/03/2026 01:16

The bbc didn’t even bother to report the nearly half million people marching against the far right last weekend

When pretty much every media outlet was reporting itHmm

Edited

Yes they did, I’ve seen this complained about elsewhere and it’s been reported, link below.

It was on the front page on Saturday when it happened and has dropped down to a local London page now, unless you have your settings that you’re particularly interested in this type of content.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2rn03ryz8o

These kind of marches happen regularly, unless something exceptional or newsworthy happens in addition to the match they’re never going to get more coverage than this.

A crowd of people walk London, their heads are seen amongst dozens of colourful signs, flags and plaquards.

Thousands gather for anti far-right march in London

Organisers of the Together Alliance march say 500,000 people attended but a police estimate put the figure closer to 50,000.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2rn03ryz8o

Silverbellsandtacoshells · 31/03/2026 08:23

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:20

We know this sometimes happens which is why MPs get protection. It still doesn’t excuse Farage never going near his constituency.

"Never here Keir" is hardly ever in UK, so what's your point?

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:20

Silverbellsandtacoshells · 31/03/2026 08:18

Then you'll know what it says?

" A gentleman was arrested and went into a mental institution. When he was released, the House authorities and the Met police met me and said, “This gentleman is now out and he knows where you live.” "
" I am a person who watches where he walks and does not stand by the side of the platform on the tube. I alter my way of coming into the House. It is very stressful."
"...there does not feel like there is very much for those on the receiving end."

We know this sometimes happens which is why MPs get protection. It still doesn’t excuse Farage never going near his constituency.

FoolOfShips · 31/03/2026 08:19

I think the TV licensing model will simply become untenable. More and more people aren't paying it - whether legitimately or not. The generation for which having a TV licence was just something you had to do if you owned a telly is dying out and being replaced by people whose normal is subscribing to their choice of streaming. It will collapse of its own accord if it isn't formally abandoned.

Silverbellsandtacoshells · 31/03/2026 08:18

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:09

I copied and pasted it from your link. 🤷‍♀️

Then you'll know what it says?

" A gentleman was arrested and went into a mental institution. When he was released, the House authorities and the Met police met me and said, “This gentleman is now out and he knows where you live.” "
" I am a person who watches where he walks and does not stand by the side of the platform on the tube. I alter my way of coming into the House. It is very stressful."
"...there does not feel like there is very much for those on the receiving end."

Changingplace · 31/03/2026 08:15

TooPoor4PandaPooTea · 30/03/2026 23:28

The poll directly addresses one of the biggest issues with the BBC, politicians being in control. There shoud be no political influence or bias. I occasionally read a news article and they are always biased.

Haven't watched live TV of any description in more in 15 years, stopped paying the license fee after I had paid in full for annual license only to have never watched anything live that year. Mostly played games or watched movies/boxsets in my free time.

Know very few people who have or need a TV license. Plenty of children's TV on far cheaper subscriptions. Maybe it is generational.

I agree there should be no political interference whatsoever.

I’d be interested to see an example of a news article you take issue with and which way you think it’s bias?

Do you really think someone sitting on the board has any editorial control or input into the news reporting? How would that even work when each individual news programme/online team has its own editorial management?

Changingplace · 31/03/2026 08:10

OonaStubbs · 30/03/2026 23:54

It is wrong that people are forced to pay for a media content provider that they may not use. The BBC is no different to Netflix, Disney plus or Crunchyroll. Imagine the furore if a law was passed mandating that you had to pay for any or all of those whether you used them or not?

The BBC is hugely different to those channels, the content they broadcast is agreed within a charter that goes through parliament, neither Netflix or Disney make any kind of news, radio or regional content whatsoever, it’s not a like for like comparison.

I gave no idea what Crunchyroll even is, but nobody is tuning in to that for an important breaking news event.

BIossomtoes · 31/03/2026 08:09

Silverbellsandtacoshells · 30/03/2026 23:45

I don't think it actually said that.

The MP that asked the question was told that the person with Mental Health issues who made death threats is now out of a secure unit and knows where he (The MP) lives and the MP has had to adjust his lifestyle accordingly.

I copied and pasted it from your link. 🤷‍♀️

randomchap · 31/03/2026 08:05

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 07:46

Let's just say I'd be slightly surprised if Labour put the licence fee into taxation because too few people were willing to pay for it.

Imagine the optics - we would be paying million pound a year salaries for a left wing luvvie to tell us that men are women before they're sacked over a sex scandal.

It wouldn't look good would it?

Even Labour aren't that stupid...

Great, you're back. You might have missed it earlier, but what is your issue with Pride?

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 07:51

HermioneWeasley · 31/03/2026 07:49

There is a direct link between the BBC broadcasting the propaganda programme “I am Leo” and the rise in child gender clinic referrals. A generation of children irreparably harmed because of the agenda of our beloved public broadcaster.

people don’t hate the BBC enough

This.

I loved the BBC growing up but it's a mouthpiece of trans propaganda today and I can't wait to see it dismantled.

I urge anyone else who hates it to stop paying the telly tax - you could help end this depraved institution.

HermioneWeasley · 31/03/2026 07:49

There is a direct link between the BBC broadcasting the propaganda programme “I am Leo” and the rise in child gender clinic referrals. A generation of children irreparably harmed because of the agenda of our beloved public broadcaster.

people don’t hate the BBC enough

ProudAmberTurtle · 31/03/2026 07:46

Let's just say I'd be slightly surprised if Labour put the licence fee into taxation because too few people were willing to pay for it.

Imagine the optics - we would be paying million pound a year salaries for a left wing luvvie to tell us that men are women before they're sacked over a sex scandal.

It wouldn't look good would it?

Even Labour aren't that stupid...

Catza · 31/03/2026 07:02

PottingBench · 30/03/2026 23:32

But you've said both "other countries somehow manage without a license fee"
and
"I'm not suggesting there aren't public service broadcasters or that they aren't funded from a state budget."

Which of those do you believe to be true?

These statements are both true and are in no way mutually exclusive so I don't understand your question.

Lonelycrab · 31/03/2026 01:16

The bbc didn’t even bother to report the nearly half million people marching against the far right last weekend

When pretty much every media outlet was reporting itHmm

TightlyLacedCorset · 31/03/2026 00:56

Tauranga · 30/03/2026 23:55

This is simply not true.
Transgenderism us pushed by the left.

When it is pushed by people within certain contexts it is 'left wing' agreed.

But people are complaining about just seeing or hearing presenters who use pronouns, or dress in clothes stereotypically associated with certain genders etc.

The point I am making is simply employing people to present on the radio or the news who chose to identify as Trans or dress gender alternatively is not automatically the BBC being 'left wing' neither does it mean those people are. It is employing people who, like it or not, make up the British population. As has been said, EVERYONE is compelled to pay the licence fee. So the BBC cannot jolly well not employ some of the people included in that demographic. Hosting a debate on what is a trending social issue also is not the BBC being left wing.

I strongly recall when all pro-gay conversation was perceived as 'left wing' but today no one would assume that merely featuring a gay person or a gay person presenting the radio or the news is automatically 'left wing' nor is say, debating gay marriage seens as strictly a left or right wing issue.

There has been an unwelcome and in my opinion a deliberate, strategy of focusing on identity which is highly emotive as opposed to the very critical problems of structural inequality, like class, the K economy, the deplorable situation where people are using food banks regularly, billionaires taking huge amounts of wealth the UK selling off vast amounts of it's assets abroad without scrutiny and the housing market being almost a rigged Ponzi scheme, the dangers of soft digital ID systems being implemented. The rise of cashless payment systems and so on.

The BBC the so called state broadcaster that supposedly serves all it's licence fee holders, addresses none of these things in any focused way, and in fact, has a disgusting record of perpetuating cycles of poverty by prosecuting overwhelming numbers of poor women, often immigrants or single parents or students who are less able to make a case for themselves, for not paying for the privilege of merely watching TV, whilst paying a few special people who work for it millions of pounds a year, which is why it's laughable that anyone calls it intrinsically left wing.

Debating trans issues is not left wing in and of itself. The debate is just being had. Has the BBC been partial or biased on the issue? Absolutely and it has been rightly called out on it. But the BBC is also biased on other topics, particularly when it comes to how it reports foreign conflicts for e.g. I find it to be pedalling towards the right increasingly and editing certain things when it wants to and leaving certain things in when it wants to. I honestly cannot watch it very much anymore. That's not to say it doesn't also produce great programming, it absolutely does. But I cannot choose what I pay for and that is the problem.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 31/03/2026 00:35

Silverbellsandtacoshells · 30/03/2026 23:24

He (Farage) didn't "pop up" on Question time last week, even though it was from Clacton !

Edited

Well this scans, since Farage has barely set foot in place himself.