Abolish the BBC Licence Fee!

Have you ever noticed how hypocritical the BBC is?  For an institution so left-liberal, which no doubt deplores the lingering traces of the hereditary principle in the House of Lords, it has more than its fair share of reporting dynasties based upon what might charitably be called that very principle - and uncharitably be called nepotism - the Dimblebys, the Adamses, the Sergeants, and goodness knows who else (perhaps even that nice but bumbling weekend newsreader with a paternal link to BBC Radio Stoke).  And then, despite the BBC's frequently absurd genuflections to political correctness in other areas, there's the ageism - primarily against women, whose on-screen life ends rather early, as Selina Scott and a host of other over-50s can testify - but also, according to Peter Sissons, against men as well.

And then, at a time of general belt-tightening and redundancies in society at large, there's the grotesque continuing wastage of licence-payers' money - the obscenely inflated salaries commanded by top executives and top "talent", the junkets, the lavish parties, the frivolously-taken expensive taxi rides ...

Not to mention the absurd initiatives, many of them of an online nature, that have little to do with the BBC's core remit - one of the latest being the pompously-titled BBC Academy and College of Journalism, which (no surprises here in an institution branded by a former BBC director general as "hideously white") seems to display a distinct preference for persons from ethnic minorities.  Forgive me, indeed, for sounding so politically incorrect, but I sometimes feel that the best advice that could be given to a young white male "average Brit" applying for a job at the BBC would be to change his name to something exotic - and add Gustafsdottir for good measure!

But I digress.  There is also, of course, the outrageous long-standing bias against Israel from such people as Barbara Plett, Orla Guerin, and Jeremy Bowen - even a recent documentary series on "Syrian Schools" managed to have a good old bash at Israel, and touted twinning British schools with schools in the Arab world in a voice-over at the end of each episode.  (In a forthcoming blog I will suggest how the BBC became Al Beeb, so stay tuned, folks!)

Last month, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt indicated support for the yearly licence fee that subsidises the BBC - now a steep £145.50, although he did foreshadow its eventual reduction.  Yesterday the Adam Smith Institute published a report calling for the fee to be replaced by a voluntary subscription service for certain programming.

I believe that the licence fee is anachronistic and should be scrapped altogether.  One of the most cogent blogs on this subject was made way back in 2006 by Professor William Rubinstein on the website of the Social Affairs Unit, and remains relevant today. Here's the link:
http://www.socialaffairsunit.org.uk/blog/archives/001219.php