The responses to last week's Fun Online Poll were as follows:
The 2012 Olympics cost each UK taxpayer about £350. Did you get your money's worth?
Yes - 11%
No - 89%
There was a very good turnout to that one (144 voters), thanks to everybody who took part.
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This week's Fun Online Poll was submitted by Ralph Musgrave:
"What do you appreciate most about the BBC?"
From his suggested answers, I suspect he doesn't like it much.
Vote here or use the widget in the sidebar.
A grim document
15 hours ago
2 comments:
The biggest problem with the BBC is how it is funded. That dwarfs the other problems. The BBC is currently funded by a poll tax where it should be funded by an LVT. And a very specific one. It should be funded from the revenue raised by taxing spectrum use according to its value to commercial companies. Doing that would lead to advertisers funding the BBC without actually having control over it in the way that they do over commercial TV companies and would stop all the harassment of people who don't actually want to own a TV.
The biggest benefit of the BBC is that it keeps the standard of commercial TV high. The commercial channels can't run adverts too frequently and have to compete for ratings, so their programming has to be at least as good as the BBC's. So even if you never watch the BBC channels, you're getting some benefit. It's a bit like the way that private renters benefit from lower rents in areas where there is plenty of council housing even though they don't live in a council house themselves.
So the BBC needs reform, no question, but total abolition wouldn't necessarily be a good thing. And the number one reform needed is to fix the stupid funding method.
Derek's comment on the good influence BBC has on commercial TV is spot on.This is the point about the laissez faire revivalist minstrels : they want a bit more retro laissez faire in a modern mixed economy; they do not full, survival of the richest laissez faire in television or anything else .
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