Guardian: Tories would close BBC website

[LSdemocrat]

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1029611,00.html

[Gman]

1. England Beware!

The right wing in America is pushing England to implement the same state controlled media that we have here.

They're trying to shut off a news source that gives good factual information, regardless of who it hurts. No doubt Bush as well as Blair want this source of true facts silenced.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Both Bush and Blair....

must be outed by the people in the next election!

[Kellanved]

4. problem is:

Outing Blair in the next elections would mean a Tory Government.

[Spazito]

5. The labor party needs to force Blair's resignation...

prior to the next election so that the conservatives don't get in.

A vote of non-confidence soon would accomplish that.

[AP]

7. Labour has a better chance if Blair runs.

Many tories will vote for him, and Labour defectors will vote for Lib Dems, while keeping Labour in power. If Labour and Lib Dems have to cooperate, it's better for liberals in the UK.

If Blair goes, who are they going to replace him with? Tories would beat Gordon Brown, I'm sure, and then Tories run the whole show. No Labour-Lib Dem left coalition.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

9. Look, the Labour Party will have to dump Blair real soon...

because he has greatly damaged the party. I still want the Labour or LibDems in power, just NOT BLAIR!!!!

[Classical_Liberal]

18. No, they have a better chance without Blair

80% of Britains know Blair to be a liar for chimpy. There aren't that many tory voters.

[w4rma]

15. Do not forget about the 3rd major party in Britain, the Lib Dems.

…
The five-point boost in Tory fortunes in the ICM's monthly voting intentions will fuel the feeling that the Conservatives are on a roll. But the ICM six monthly rolling averages for January to June this year suggest that it is instead the Liberal Democrats who are squeezing Labour.
…
The six monthly figures give Labour an average 40% share of the vote this year - its worst showing since 1993. The Conservatives are on 31% - unchanged from last year - and the Lib Dems on 22%, their best showing since 1993.
There are many more Tory/Liberal Democrat marginal seats than Lib Dem/Labour ones, so it is not necessarily good news for the Tories.
…
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/labour/story/0,9061,983819,00.html

[AP]

6. Uh, the TORIES want this. If you get rid of Blair, the Tories

will be in power very soon after.

[Spazito]

8. Not if labor turfs him first, well before the next election...

The polls say Blair is not trusted, it is NOT saying the labor party is the problem. In a parliamentary system, a party can get rid of the leader, in this case the PM, without an election, simply a vote of non-confidencd, and then go on to win the next election with a new leader.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

11. Thank You!!!!!

Tony has become a MAJOR liability, like it or not, he will hurt his party in the next election!

[Classical_Liberal]

19. Britain isn't a two party winner take all dictatorship like America

Blair only runs for election in his own district and is voted PM by the Party. There is no electoral college there.

[realFedUp]

3. Rule 5

in the conservative handbook....first own all the media, then
close down any government and or publically funded.

[Democat]

10. At least they have a media the right doesn't like

In the U.S., the right has no need to close down any media, because it's already all right wing approved.

[LoneStarLiberal]

12. It's Kennedy Time!

Time for the Liberal Democrats to usurp Blair and step over the moribun Conservative Party.

[legin]

13. John Whittingdale email address

[e-mail]

A little difficult to know what to say actually, if you explain to him why it is such a bad idea it's probably why he is doing it in the first place.

[NekoChris]

14. Hmmm

Does anyone know the email of a person in BBC I could contact about their programming? I recall that they wanted to open a public access website or archive for all of their programs.

Had a couple ideas for that, and wanted to pass them along to someone who could use them, but the website seems to want to point me to their message boards for most things.

[tinnypriv]

16. W*ankers!

Another cheap labor conservative.

[Pert_UK]

17. OK - some things you need to understand about the BBC.....

Apologies if you already know this....

The BBC is publicly funded. In the UK you have to buy a TV Licence each year. This goes to fund the BBC, who as a consequence never feature advertising. The BBC is funded exclusively by the TV Licence fee (about 130 pounds per household per year) and by selling the programmes it makes to other stations around the world.

For the licence fee, the British public get BBC1, BBC2 (the 2 best TV channels), a host of national and local BBC radio stations + various digital / satellite channels, all of which are "free".

As it is publicly funded the BBC has a number of very specific rules and regulations (its Charter) that it must adhere to and fulfill. It is PUBLIC SERVICE broadcasting.

Although I wholehearedly disagree with the Tory policy to shutdown the BBC website, the BBC has arguably exceeded its remit in many areas and branched out into things that it is not entitled to do under the terms of its Charter. Generally speaking I don't have a problem with any of it, except where they fund a huge flop which wastes licence-payers' money.

The Tories are making a general comment about reining the BBC back to what they regard as its original purpose, and are suggesting that some of the roles it currently fills would be more suitably filled by a commercial company, not one funded by the public.