Tory plans for Ofcom

(15-04-2010 14:45 )Scottishbloke Wrote:  I'm pretty sure that under the tories ofcom will be abolished, giving the power back to the channels.

You have a very good imagination. It won't happen under the tories, but perhaps if the Monster Raving Loony party got elected?

(29-04-2010 12:47 )cosmonaut Wrote:  

(15-04-2010 14:45 )Scottishbloke Wrote:  I'm pretty sure that under the tories ofcom will be abolished, giving the power back to the channels.

You have a very good imagination. It won't happen under the tories, but perhaps if the Monster Raving Loony party got elected?

I can't see it happening regardless, why get rid of a money making quango! I hope I'm wrong and that they go the journey but I think the only thing they will look at is a reduction in costs and a possible smaller number of people either running ofcom or a revised authority, I cant see a majority going to the tories or labour, so what will a hung parliment do for us!

From: Darren Sanders (Lib Dem candidate for Portsmouth North)

... I believe the state should intervene only when it has to. Our country has had a tradition of tolerating practices some people find distasteful. I think OFCOM needs reform, as do all quangoes. I want to help bring that about, if I win.

Replying to:
Why do we waste £132 Million a year on broadcasting regulator Ofcom and their bizarre sense of priorities? ARY Digital broadcast a “talent” show where a contestant bit the head off a live snake then skinned it with his teeth while continuing to eat it – this at 11am when children would be watching. The channel got the mildest of tellings off. Phone box operator Infolines failed to provide statutory 3rd party insurance details from April 2004 onwards – in August 2009 a mere 5 1/2 years later – Ofcom published a consultation to consider suspending them. The company had ceased trading and applied to be removed by the Companies House Register by then. Radio Faza that encouraged anti-semitic racial hated by repeatedly telling a joke about throwing boiling water over a “jewish kid” and got a mild rebuke. Instead of concentrating on real issues with real public interest, Ofcom seems to devote 50% of its effort to hounding soft-core erotic channels that have generated only 1 genuine complaint in 5 years. Will you encourage Ofcom to get a sense of proportion as well as allowing strong erotic material late at night on clearly labelled channels that can be locked out?

On behalf on Robert Halfon, Conservative candidate for Harlow:
THE FOLLOWING IS SENT ON BEHALF OF ROBERT HALFON
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear ...
Thank you for taking the trouble to write to me.

I share many of your concerns, and would like to set out how I will campaign on these important issues, if I am elected to serve as Harlow's MP.
...
There need to be some changes to the way that Ofcom and the BBC operates, so that they work better for the British people.

For example, a Conservative Government would authorise the National Audit Office to scrutinise BBC accounts and salaries for executives.

But we would also introduce lighter-touch regulation from Ofcom, which would allow the commercial broadcasting sector to operate more freely and lessen the burden put on the commercial public service broadcasters. We would not change rules around taste and decency, or impartiality, but we would consider relaxing other obligations that sometimes skew Ofcom's priorities away from the issues that really matter to ordinary people.

Replying to:
Why do we waste £132 Million a year on broadcasting regulator Ofcom and their bizarre sense of priorities? ARY Digital broadcast a “talent” show where a contestant bit the head off a live snake then skinned it with his teeth while continuing to eat it – this at 11am when children would be watching. The channel got the mildest of tellings off. Phone box operator Infolines failed to provide statutory 3rd party insurance details from April 2004 onwards – in August 2009 a mere 5 1/2 years later – Ofcom published a consultation to consider suspending them. The company had ceased trading and applied to be removed by the Companies House Register by then. Radio Faza that encouraged anti-semitic racial hated by repeatedly telling a joke about throwing boiling water over a “jewish kid” and got a mild rebuke. Instead of concentrating on real issues with real public interest, Ofcom seems to devote 50% of its effort to hounding soft-core erotic channels that have generated only 1 genuine complaint in 5 years. Will you encourage Ofcom to get a sense of proportion as well as allowing strong erotic material late at night on clearly labelled channels that can be locked out?

So thats now 2 mps saying common sense would be exercised, its very easy to be a phophit of doom saying that the restrictions would remain, but again it was a Labour government that started censership to a level this country has never seen before. Heres an example of some risky shows that aired when the tories where last in power and ofcom didn't exist. The Word - always good late night viewing for a Friday night and nobody battered an eyelid, then we had eurotrash, Dream on and also does anybody remember channel 4's late night strand red light zone which aired in the early 90's. All these shows plus others of a similer risky format all aired when the tories were last in power. Ofcom stops when Labour are voted out, censership as we know it will also be a lot more relaxed whether it be the tories or lib dems and in refererence to Jay 39's comments it doesn't need the Raving Loony party in power for this to become a realistic expectation.

I do hope something changes soon. Seeing the cameramen almost falling over in their attemtps to not show any full frontal is embarrassing, and goes against the over 18 restrictions that are put on these channels. I don't get what is so bad about a naked female body, that they have to avoid it like the plague. It's not like these channels are very explicit to begin with.

It would be nice if they would at least relax the restrictions just a bit.

We aren't asking for much.

To put it simply, I think:
That the channels should be able to do whatever they want on screen.

Could this joint government be the break through that we all needed, with the tories eager to kick ofcom out and the Liberals well the name speaks for itself. We could even see canabis legalised under the new regime.

(07-05-2010 21:50 )Scottishbloke Wrote:  Could this joint government be the break through that we all needed, with the tories eager to kick ofcom out and the Liberals well the name speaks for itself. We could even see canabis legalised under the new regime.

Smoke another joint and keep dreamin

Ok so at what point does censership end seeing that the majority of the people on this forum seem to believe irespective of who governs ,the babe channels will always get hammered if they show too much. 10 years ago there were no such thing as babe channels. So the very fact that they exist still shows that there is a demand for them, I do think they will evolve into stronger shows, it won't happen overnight but it'll happen at some point in the near future.