[Gllug] BBC Open Source

[David Damerell]

On Thursday, 14 Jul 2005, Sean Burlington wrote:
>On Thursday 14 Jul 2005 12:43 pm, David Damerell wrote:
>>Only if you have a television.
>Pretty much everyone has a TV - and to deny someone a TV is to exclude them 
>from a big chunk of society.

Yes - all the bits that make you stupid, provided you can also avoid
Powerpoint presentations.

But seriously, if you want to boycott the license fee (the expression
originally employed), there is a straightfoward and legal option
available for doing so; don't have a television. No-one is being
"denied" a TV there, because the boycotter is doing it of their own
free will.

>>[Also, you can't go to prison for not paying the TV License; you can
>>only go to prison for not paying the fine assessed for not paying the
>>License. A subtle distinction but a real one.]
>What difference does this make to the family destryed for the license fee?

It makes a big difference to someone who can afford the fine (and the
fee) but decided not to pay it, because they don't go to prison. An
example of such a person might be someone who decided to boycott the
license fee, as in the discussion here.

>If the BBC was paid for out of direct taxation would anyone be worse off?

Yes; we would. Making it awkward for the Government to control the BBC
is a great benefit of the current system (although sadly that lack of
control has been eroded to a degree); anything that replaced the
current hypothecated tax would have to be carefully constructed.

-- 
David Damerell <damerell at chiark.greenend.org.uk> flcl?
Today is Gouday, Presuary.
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