By election updates

[WaffenThinMint]

35 minutes ago, Peppino Impastato said:

Yes, the BBC is funded through direct taxation,  it's budget is unaffected by ratings.   It's a simple point you said so something stupid now can't admit you were wrong.  Eery TV company but the bbc has to worry about ratings,  the BBC doesn't. 

Actually, @20% of the BBC's funding comes from the BBC's commercial businesses (primarily BBC Worldwide) & 5% via direct government grants (mainly from the foreign office in return for the BBC World Service) which they are expected to become more reliant on rather than rely on the licence fees more & more are dodging.

This has been the case for almost a decade, & hence the increasing reliance on resellable "brands" such as "Dr Who" & "Strictly Come Dancing" along with the whole historical chick lit craze a few years back (Pride & Prejudice, etc) with a high revenue generation value both in the UK and abroad (for both broadcast and in DVD/BluRay sales).

So, as I've said, your claim that Auntie Beeb "doesn't rely on ratings at all" is laughably incorrect.

10 minutes ago, invergowrie arab said:

Do you think it's maybe because the players don't speak Gaelic?

That's my point - it's supposed to be a Gaelic channel, but has English interviews that don't even have Gaelic subtitles when being conducted (in the same manner TV shows shown in English have subtitles when people are speaking another language). If the point of Gaelic broadcasting is to encourage people to learn & continue using the language, they're not even pretending by this omission that showing the games is anything other than artificially inflating the viewing figures to justify the channel's funding sources.

[Peppino Impastato]

No you've not you've obfuscated and dismissed as you were called out for talking shite.   Any public broadcaster is much less dependent on ratings, which the BBC refuse to even release or comment on for many programmes, than any private broadcaster.   It's budget is set and predetermined irrespective of ratings. 

[topcat(The most tip top)]

The BBC obviously has to be mindful of ratings over the longer term. If nobody's watching it then it struggles to retain its charter.

To suggest that this is what drives question times perceived love affair with swivel eyed far right loons is one of the odder theories I've read .

And I've read this one

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/12/05/fresh-scandal-erupts-bbc-might-explain-question-time-became-right-wing/

[Ira Gaines]

BBC doesn't need viewing figures.

Another one in the long line of fucking daft comments from Fuzzy.

[WaffenThinMint]

3 hours ago, Peppino Impastato said:

No you've not you've obfuscated and dismissed as you were called out for talking shite.   Any public broadcaster is much less dependent on ratings, which the BBC refuse to even release or comment on for many programmes, than any private broadcaster.   It's budget is set and predetermined irrespective of ratings. 

You're having a breakdown here: already you've backpedalled from "The BBC does not rely on viewing figures,  as a public broadcaster those are irrelevant." now to  "Any public broadcaster is much less dependent on ratings"!

But to get back to your claims which were - and I quote - " a public one like the BBC makes the exact same amount of money anyway whether anyone watches at all" (wrong!) and "it's budget is unaffected by ratings" (wrong!)

About 20% of the BBC's funding comes from the BBC's commercial businesses: selling on programmes and spin off merchandise (DVDs/BluRays, tie in books, etc) which can be sold both here and abroad.  To quote from their website:

"BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The business exists to support the BBC public service mission and to maximise profits on its behalf."

So much for it "makes the exact same amount of money anyway" and that "it's budget is unaffected by ratings" when 20% of its funding comes from commercial interests - a matter of ever increasing importance with the corporation being told it has to save £550m a year by 2021-22 ( £150m of that by the end of 2017). Indeed, in 2014/15, BBC Worldwide generated profits of £138.6m and sales of £1,001.8m, which resulted in a £226.5m return to the BBC (a record) for budgeting on whatever it pleased the following year.

So no, the BBC does not make the exact same amount of money regardless - a sizeable chunk of its budget is determined by how much people worldwide (whether other broadcasters or the general public) are buying into their products & services (which is one of the major complaints from competitors such as Sky that - in receiving public funding and getting to profiteer from the exploitation rights partly funded by it - the BBC gets to have its cake and eat it, But that's another debate entirely, & tough titty Sky, etc. as far as I'm concerned!).

Edited December 7, 2016 by WaffenThinMint

[John Lambies Doos]

BBC doesn't need viewing figures.

Another one in the long line of fucking daft comments from Fuzzy.

Least he fights his corner. You on the other hand make snide little remarks, and contribute the sum of fuk all to any debate

[Ira Gaines]

Still rattled by me I see

You're still a thick c**t. No amount of following me around the forum will change that.

[John Lambies Doos]

Still rattled by me I see

You're still a thick c**t. No amount of following me around the forum will change that.

I rest my case

[Redstarstranraer]

Sleaford and North Hyke by-election today, Lincolnshire constituency where the sitting Tory MP Stephen Phillips stood down over 'irreconcilable differences' with Theresa May's government (he claimed they were becoming too-right wing).

Very Eurosceptic part of Lincolnshire so UKIP are hoping for an upset, although Phillips had a massive majority so it looks very unlikely.  Be something of a gauge as to how the more fervently 'Leave' parts of the country are reacting to May's approach, and interesting to see if they lose substantial ground to UKIP as a result or if the kippers are heading towards obscurity at a rapid rate.

[invergowrie arab]

Labour look like going from second to losing their deposit.

[Bully Wee Villa]

BerwickMad will be delighted.

[Peppino Impastato]

He was probably the candidate.   Shame, another right wing entryist becoming an mp would be another nail in their coffin,  wish he'd won.

[dorlomin]

Last week we were told all the votes going to the Lib Dems were purely tactical. This week we find Labour shedding vote share to the Lib Dems where there was zero tactical logic to it. 

They dropped from second to fourth.

UKIP actually lost vote share, as did the tories though dropping from 56% to 52% is no great worry. The 5th placed party is a local lot who have a couple of local government seats so slightly above the usual comedy parties. They held a deposit. 

[WaffenThinMint]

Very poor turnout, only 37% compared to 70% at the last GE.

Caroline Johnson (Cons) 17,570 (53.51%, -2.68%)

Victoria Ayling (UKIP) 4,426 (13.48%, -2.21%) 

Ross Pepper (Lib Dem) 3,606 (10.98%, +5.33%)

Jim Clarke (Lab) 3,363 (10.24%, -7.02%)

Marianne Overton (Lincs Ind) 2,892 (8.81%, +3.59%)

Sarah Stock (Ind) 462 (1.41%)

The Iconic Arty-Pole (Loony) 200 (0.61%)

Paul Coyne (ND) 186 (0.57%)

Mark Suffield (ND) 74 (0.23%)

David Bishop (Bus Pass Elvis) 55 (0.17%) 

Con majority 13,144 (40.03%)

Electorate 88,712; Turnout 32,834 (37.01%, minus 33.23%)

Bad news for UKIP - no question about it. Their share of the vote went down after all their efforts & they came nowhere close to beating the Tories.

Bad news also for Labour, who despite campaigning on the issue of local health services saw their share down 7%. Good news for the Lib Dems though, doubling their share of the vote and actually managed to beat the Church of the Militant Elvis candidate David Bishop this time (unlike in a certain local council by-election two years ago)!

Marianne Overton's vote went down by 341 votes, but her overall percentage of the vote went up a respectable 3%, and for the third time in a row has saved her deposit.

Less fortunate was the other Lincolnshire independent councillor, Mark Suffield - the first to hand in his nomination papers - whose behaviour at his local Armistice Day remembrance service (after which he claimed to have "withdrawn from the by-election) may have resulted in so few of his supporters bothering to turn out for him; along with the accusations of attempting to split the vote & cost the official Lincolnshire Independents adopted candidate her deposit.

The biggest embarrassment must have been for the Green Party and Fighting 4 Grantham Hospital campaign candidate Sarah Stock. "Save our local hospital/A&E" candidates are all but guaranteed a respectable chunk of the vote, yet despite the joint endorsement she did piss poor.

Edited December 9, 2016 by WaffenThinMint

[George Parr]

That turnout...appalling.

It's fair enough that Labour like to campaign on health - it's an important issue but it really does seem like the only weapon they have left in their arsenal. Constitutional issues are burning up the UK at the moment and Labour are being left behind.

 

[Scary Bear]

Good to see a strong turnout for the Bus Pass Elvis Party.

[invergowrie arab]

 Oh Labour

Leven, Kennoway & Largo (Fife) result: SNP: 49.0% (+8.0) CON: 24.6% (+17.8) LDEM: 18.9% (+9.0) LAB: 5.1% (-30.2) GRN: 2.4% (+2.4)

 

Getting a real picture now of how next May is going to go. SNP will have a rel fight in the old heartlands of the NE. The new SNP heartlands of central Scotland will see Labour eviscerated.

[Sooky]

[emoji33] Oh Labour
Leven, Kennoway & Largo (Fife) result: SNP: 49.0% (+8.0) CON: 24.6% (+17. LDEM: 18.9% (+9.0) LAB: 5.1% (-30.2) GRN: 2.4% (+2.4)
 
Getting a real picture now of how next May is going to go. SNP will have a rel fight in the old heartlands of the NE. The new SNP heartlands of central Scotland will see Labour eviscerated.

Seems fair. SNP will run away with the likes of Glasgow etc, but I reckon will have a good tussle with the Tories in the North East and South. Labour will yet again confirm their irrelevance.

[invergowrie arab]

Update - Britain elects figures are shite. Labour came second. teach me to go all hot take off the bat.

[invergowrie arab]

SNP: 37.0% (-4.1) LAB: 28.4% (-6.9) CON: 18.5% (+11.7) LDEM: 14.3% (+4.3) GRN: 1.8% (+1.8)