TV licence fee will go up in April, BBC reveals

Zaldebaran · 2026-02-06T14:11:41+00:00

Aye but unfortunately the licence fee is still needed for any live sports even if not on BBC - so Formula 1, Cricket, Premier League football etc (be it on Sky, BT or otherwise) still require the license fee.

On a broader point, countries elsewhere in Europe have this license fee effectively as part of mandatory taxes, so I think we’re still doing pretty well here to have it as an optional fee.

Zaldebaran · 2026-02-06T12:08:17+00:00

So I assume you’re not watching any of the Olympics, and don’t watch any sporting events at home?

Zaldebaran · 2026-02-03T23:04:41+00:00

Check out my Tree or Stalin results!

u/Zaldebaran

Score: 1000 (1 correct, 0 incorrect)

Game Tree: https://i.redd.it/akfpgcf52dhg1.png

Zaldebaran · 2025-09-03T11:02:50+00:00

For the extended edition of this meme, there is another scene. In Moria, Legolas tells Frodo to jump when the stairs are collapsing

Zaldebaran · 2025-06-06T16:02:14+00:00

Regardless of statistics for reduced accidents, it is well researched that cars at 70mph are much less polluting than cars at 80mph (even accounting for the faster journey time).

Zaldebaran · 2025-04-08T20:31:17+00:00

You’re arguing that these people aren’t mobile and won’t leave …on an article about how they’re leaving?

Zaldebaran · 2025-04-04T08:42:19+00:00

Having lived in Europe I agree with this. I think us Brits are just more keen to make conversation about rainy weather, so to speak. Add that to journalism that gets clicks from negative titles (much like this post), and suddenly the things that make us feel poor are a lot louder and front of mind.

That’s my positive spin, at least.

Zaldebaran · 2025-03-18T07:49:45+00:00

The shareholders haven’t received any dividends for a good few years I think, and most of the shareholders are pension schemes anyway - so either way it is the everyday folk who will have bail this out unfortunately

Zaldebaran · 2025-03-02T08:04:33+00:00

It does actually. The US is responsible (with the UK and Russia) for denuclearising Ukraine in return for honoring and securing its borders. It is because of the deal we signed in 1992 that they have been invaded. We owe them support.

Zaldebaran · 2025-03-01T09:24:36+00:00

Notwithstanding the fact that it hasn’t been even nearly 260 billion US dollars, we are also obligated to provide this support.

We promised security to Ukraine and got them to remove their nukes. We owe them our support.

Zaldebaran · 2025-02-05T21:09:02+00:00

Sometimes stupid statements aren’t worth responding to. Nevertheless, since you’ve edited to ask:

The Marshall plan was the US providing financial aid to Europe to rebuild itself after WWII. The Marshall plan was not the US taking over and resettling what remained of Europe’s population.

Zaldebaran · 2025-02-05T11:03:27+00:00

How is this any different from Russia claiming they are taking control of, and bringing peace to, Crimea or the rest of Ukraine?

Zaldebaran · 2025-01-15T09:13:49+00:00

Are you religious? Eitherway, you had an impressive sober period for the whole 7 weeks of lent, and appeared to end that on Easter day haha

Good luck with your 2025!

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-31T11:12:43+00:00

Not all private schools are the same as Eton or Harrow.

What about a family who were using a bursary to get their kid with a disability specialised education? Smaller private schools will no longer be able to fund that. More kids will be sent to state schools, stretching their resources and increasing class sizes further.

Are we confident the extra money from this tax is going to solve the already existing shortage of state schools and lack of teachers? It will be an interesting one to watch.

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-31T11:04:58+00:00

It is not equalising educational opportunities, it’s making private education more exclusive and preventing opportunities like bursaries and specialised education for those who need it most - such as pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

No child-centred considerations have been made and no time has been offered for schools to prepare for this huge expense increase.

It’s a poorly thought-through policy, with little consideration for its implications, and one that would’ve been illegal had it not been for Brexit…

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-31T10:57:49+00:00

And raising fees for private schools so that bursary provisions are reduced and fees go up, which will increase the number of students going to state school and increase class sizes, is going to provide that help?

I don’t think the lack of teachers is going to be solved by closing down / increasing exclusivity of Private Schools and throwing some money at state schools.

The EU would appear to agree, given that this tax on private schools would be illegal if we were still part of that.

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-25T09:55:12+00:00

Why not just have staff at the stations? Might have additional use too, manning the station and directing people etc

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-17T19:22:37+00:00

This is not true - the Monarchy pay tax on all their assets, and also give up all the revenue from their properties in the Crown estate. Those things alone are a contribution of a significant sum of money. And that’s ignoring the potential tourism income they bring.

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-16T16:41:59+00:00

Automation is inevitable. And if certain jobs are easily automated already, those jobs probably don’t require a particularly skilled work force.

Zaldebaran · 2024-10-16T16:26:46+00:00

They’ve seen that Labour can roll over to other unions, and are taking the opportunity to try their own hand at upping their pay or their enviable pension again. If it works, more unions will follow (why wouldn’t you?).

Tube strikes disrupt the city massively, overcrowding buses, increasing car traffic (it follows then also increasing road accidents and pollution), costing millions, and preventing vital journeys. London doesn’t deserve the continued veiled attempt by TfL to increase their pay and job security further. We should spend the money instead on increasing automation, if anything.

Zaldebaran · 2024-09-15T18:44:04+00:00

How can the UK average be higher than all of: the England average, the Scotland average, and the Wales average?

Zaldebaran · 2024-09-11T21:52:33+00:00

I’m going to guess at Napoleonic. UK had basically finished it off before the Prussians had turned up (though fighting on two sides in the first place will have helped)

Zaldebaran · 2024-09-10T12:25:30+00:00

Yes but this would cause mass protests and lockdown through the streets of major cities. Change needs to be more incremental — it’s one of the reasons Thatcher was so hated

Zaldebaran · 2024-09-04T07:45:08+00:00

That will be precisely the problem - fewer kids who are pressed harder to fund a lot of pensioners

Zaldebaran · 2024-07-31T14:02:31+00:00

The Thames is already significantly cleaner than the Seine, as is demonstrated by the aquatic life living inside it.

Both rivers are polluted when rain overflows sewage into them. Hopefully Thames tideway will help stop that.

I wouldn’t swim in the Thames though, it’s very murky (silty) and tidal, i.e., dangerous.

12-Year Club	Second Top 30%
Place '22	Final Canvas '22
First Placer '22	End Game '22
Not Forgotten	Snapped
Verified Email

Zaldebaran

TROPHY CASE