[Politics] Government plans to privatise CH4

The Clamp · Oct 20, 2021

In the latest attack on Public broadcasting the Tory’s are pressing ahead with plans to privatise Channel 4. Despite overwhelming opposition amongst Tory voters and MP’s Boris Johnson plans on selling off the channel.
The channel has challenged the current government over various issues and many see this as Johnson’s way of silencing them at the same time as using the channel as a vehicle for his tyrannical agenda.
Remember when he refused to take part in their election debates? They replaced him with an ice sculpture. His fragile ego hasn’t forgotten.

This really is a worrying trend with the Tory’s. It should not be allowed.

What do you think?

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....ing-street-election-boycott-a9353276.html?amp

Tory voters overwhelmingly opposed to privatising Channel 4, survey finds;

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...-privatising-channel-4-survey-finds-9t652pzmb

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....ll-push-to-privatise-channel-4-in-tv-shake-up

Westdene Seagull · Oct 20, 2021

Overall it's a 'so what' moment for me. I don't watch a huge amount of C4 output ( Gogglebox and the years old The Hotel being my dirty and shameful secrets )* so I'm not that bothered how it's owned.

You could look at it another way - it's currently 'owned' by the goverment and given it's broadcasting remit by the government. I'm not entirely comfortable with the governmemt owning a tv channel. Private ownership may allow C4 to be even more critical of Bojo and co. I'd rather it was publically floated in the same way say as BT was all those years ago than sold off enmasse.

* I'll add SAS into that list.

cloud · Oct 20, 2021

Except it may well be sold to a chum, who then wouldn't be critical of the government. The fact that it's being announced could mean there is someone lined up already.

Swansman · Oct 20, 2021

Saudis or Chinese? Maybe yanks?

Privatisation (to foreign hands or to someone who puts the money abroad) is one of the two ways of weakening the economy of a society, the other being importing more than you export.

Its one of the dirtiest concepts there is but the propagandist army of oligarchs have brainwashed people in to believing its not.

A government pay the wages of the companies they own. Some of these money go to taxes, that pay wages for govt owned companies, the other money go to consumption which - if spent on British owned businesses - means more taxes and more consumption. A nice little circle, a self-sustaining economic eco-system as long as you export more than you import. But with private owners from other countries, the system breaks since the money exit the country.

"But what about the investment these foreigners bring..?" Well if the investment is any good, they are going to make a profit. If a Chinese company invests in the UK, you get a short term influx of money. If the investment is any good, they are going to make a profit from it. That profit is your money ending up in China.

Privatisation is shit.

dejavuatbtn · Oct 20, 2021

Any nationalised business going private is basically selling a chunk of the country’s wealth overseas with its obvious repercussions - lack of control, profits going overseas, ownership by those who have terrible human rights records etc. Need a bit more control over this type of thing.

BadFish · Oct 20, 2021

cloud said:
Except it may well be sold to a chum, who then wouldn't be critical of the government. The fact that it's being announced could mean there is someone lined up already.

This, Boris and his cronies would be foolish to sell it without understanding how the buyers sit politically.

The Clamp · Oct 20, 2021

The world is not enough.

beorhthelm · Oct 20, 2021

hands up all those that knew Channel 4 was publicly owned?

currently run on commercial basis with remit to provide alternative content, would it change? on the other hand, why change ownership? will have people arguing over point of principle rather than any merits.

strings · Oct 20, 2021

That would be a shame, I don't watch it as much as I would like to, but Channel 4 news is excellent. We need more in-depth journalism like that, not less.

A1X · Oct 20, 2021

Given it's highly likely Channel 4's excellent role of giving the more marginalised in society a voice will disappear under private owners this is terrible from a free speech perspective as much as anything else

Thunder Bolt · Oct 20, 2021

strings said:
That would be a shame, I don't watch it as much as I would like to, but Channel 4 news is excellent. We need more in-depth journalism like that, not less.

Absolutely right. There is a reason government ministers refuse to appear on Ch 4.

The-Libertine · Oct 20, 2021

Why would they want to privatise methane?

Weststander · Oct 20, 2021

I thought this had been decided upon and reported ages ago, a fait accompli.

Shirley public ownership of the vast BBC stable is enough.

Just 323k watch C4 News, 0.48% of the UK’s population. It has next to no impact.

Thunder Bolt · Oct 20, 2021

Weststander said:
I thought this had been decided upon and reported ages ago, a fait accompli.

Shirley public ownership of the vast BBC stable is enough.

Just 323k watch C4 News, 0.48% of the UK’s population. It has next to no impact.

More’s the pity. It’s far more balanced than just repeating government propaganda.

Simster · Oct 20, 2021

C4 runs very successfully in public ownership, and includes a hugely successful film-making arm.

Why change that, if not for reasons that are not in the public interest?

Weststander · Oct 20, 2021

Thunder Bolt said:
More’s the pity. It’s far more balanced than just repeating government propaganda.

Imho the BBC and Sky do that already. The BBC get a shoeing from the right for alleged Remoan bias, Beth Rigby and Sam Coates are relentlessly critical of all things Tory. LBC too with several presenters are very socially minded.

GBNews is the silly outlier.

Would (low viewing figures) C4 News lurch to the right if it wasn’t state owned?

HastingsSeagull · Oct 20, 2021

BBC News when I lived in UK was dreadful. more than 50% of the show time seemed to be promoting BBC shows rather than 'news'.

CH4 was generally the best channel the UK had 5-10 years ago.

When quoting figures of how many watch Ch4 News, how much of the total population actually 'watch TV news'? Can't say I ever do these days getting my news online or from NSC :moo:

beorhthelm · Oct 20, 2021

Weststander said:
Would (low viewing figures) C4 News would lurch to the right if it wasn’t state owned?

its a peculiar argument: under public ownship C4 editorial direction is to grill government, under private ownership they wont.

The Clamp · Oct 20, 2021

Weststander said:
I thought this had been decided upon and reported ages ago, a fait accompli.

Shirley public ownership of the vast BBC stable is enough.

Just 323k watch C4 News, 0.48% of the UK’s population. It has next to no impact.

The troubling thing about is it’s clearly an attempt by the conservative government to gain influence over a channel that criticises them.

It was reported ages ago but there is a renewed opposition to it recently as it seems they are going ahead with it.

MattBackHome · Oct 20, 2021

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