DJKillaQueen

I think that's shocking bob. If you provide music you should be paid for that. If they use library music, or published music they have to pay a fee to the music rights organisation and publisher, as you know. They pull the same bs with writers as well. The first time writer is sold the 'opportunity' to gain 'exposure' but may get paid second time round, whilst some of the most established drama writers earn hundreds of thousands for writing one off drama series.

Sweden has very high taxes and a higher GDP per head of population than we do. I don't know enough about the other countries. I think there is some truth in what you write HAL. For sure the western economies are in slow decline and have been industrially for decades, hence the switch to finance and property - housing will never be an import. But you are absolutely right in that growth in those things is not infinite (we already can see that with regards to housing). And if we accept that we will stay in decline whilst Asia, India, Africa emerge and ultimately catch up....then what? When the cost of manuafacturing in those areas gets too high for cheap exports, because people expect better salaries and so on.....then what?

What capacity did you work in bob? There must be some reason why you have not been paid an up front fee. And yes, I would agree that broadcasters don't check what the companies they commission are doing regarding pay and working conditions. Of course they always have the get out that they are only commissioning the programme, not making it and then you have freelance employees, too afraid of not working again to go to a union or employment commission to make sure these companies pay according to the law. But just because there are production companies out there taking the P doesn't ever make it right. And for the record.....minimum rates were abolished by both Bectu and Pact years ago. Rates of pay above minimum wage are a negotiated figure between employee and production company. But don't get me started on the pay deals of people like Jonathan Ross............

I take your point HAL but what would be the problem with going for a more stable form of that economy through some carefully thought out regulation? We had it before to some extent. I just don't buy that even within the realms of Capitalism that we have to be so entrenched in such a 'free market'. After all, not every bank exposed themselves in the way that RBS/ Northern Rock/ Lehman etc did. I guess what I am saying is that there are more balanced (and less wreckless) forms of capitalism.

It's a complete myth btw that piracy is killing music. Recent research by a BBC documentary sourced statistics (I'll try and find them) that show that those who download illegally on average spend one third more buying CDs. And that piracy has let some consumers test music before they buy. The result is that sales are more evenly distributed and the former monopolies over artists by the big music publishing companies have been broken. Many would say that is a good thing. Oh and who can forget the time when we in the UK were being charged double or more than those in the US for our CD purchases.....the publishers milked us for long enough.

You clearly know nothing about the industry or programme making silverfox. I can assure you that every credit is a required job....would you like to give me some examples of what you define as hangers on? Having worked for many BBC productions over the years, I can assure you that it's more often the case that more staff are needed, not less. It's not the BBC that has rules on pay and employment...IT IS THE LAW.....and rates are set accross the industry as a whole irregardless of broadcaster or production company. Catering units exist because of the long hours worked and because crew need to be kept on set. If you are on location...you may be miles away from any provider of food. Many productions (based in studios) charge crew a flat fee for lunch.....so you will often find it is only crew on location that get a hot lunch provided, which I think is reasonable. As for pre-recorded programme making.....have you any idea how powerful film lighting is? Do you have any understanding of contrast and the other technical complications of image recording. Make-up is an important part of dealing with that and is far cheaper than doctoring the image in post production.

How many more destructive inequalities can our society endure I wonder? It's a very good question. Of course the other aspect to the banking discussion is that government levy the criticism that banks need to start lending again if the economy is to recover....well would that be starting the merry-go-round of cheap debt again until the next finacial crisis in another ten years time? Is that really the only way we can build an economy?

Bob you are totally incorrect about the reasons for the deregulation of TV and in-house production. It is not a jobsworth attitude to demand people are paid for the work they do. The media has in the past been particularly bad at exploiting (esp young) people with no reward for often what are some of the longest hours. A typical person working in the film industry works 72 hours a week minimum. Some workers, like make up artists and those in post production work more. There are very good reasons why the roles and jobs filled have strict rules on what defines employment and pay. If mothers and babies were the 'subject' of the documentary, as identifiable input, then that would be different. But they are being asked to do a walk-on role, as an 'illustration'. That is something entirely different.

Yeah but DRM can be bypassed by using the right ripping software.

Rip it on a PC into wav files and then import the wav files into itunes on your mac......copy protection goes away :)

I sense a stella overdose!

I was at that game Brum.....Birmingham will need to up their game if they want to progress much further. Millwall lost the game because the centre back was awol.....Shittu certainly was...well you know and what was the manager thinking in playing him after he's been out for six games!!!! Your number 18 was excellent, snuffed out everything Millwall had in front of goal.......and Millwall were in front of goal far more than the brummies.....but just couldn't get it in the back of the net.....even when given a penalty (which reminds me.....the ref was Shittu)...

Also southwark council's priorities are reflective of the needs of the borough as a whole.....not just ED (although they do direct some finance locally via community councils and various schemes). And priorities are not usually say transport vs housing...as all departments recieve budgets. The prorities are more likely set within departments, so for example, the housing department might prioritise the building of new homes over decent homes etc.

Yeah I had a clio and the door was been bent twice like that for breaking into. By the second time round I'd put set mouse traps under the front seats and felt the damaged door was worth the pain I know that second scumbag thief suffered. I never bothered replacing the door and have never left anything of value in any vehicle I've owned, so they got nothing anyway.

Errr there's a reason why there is a minimum wage and there are clear rules on use of actors (supporting or otherwise) in programme making. Now you might think it doesn't matter if a terrestrial broadcaster uses free labour whilst paying it's crew, director, producer and so on but those who work in an industry that is hard enough as it it is to make a living within have every reason to challenge the use of free labour. It is bad practise and the BBC should know better. Interesting article Ms Lilith and how quickly the BBC backed down when challenged. I have passed the OP onto Equity and BECTU for a view.

Great...we should excuse their mistakes (and the impact they have on millions who unlike them have no privilege to cushion them) because they are gaining useful experience? And no I don't think long term it will help them one iota. They will never win a general election. There are other polls that show the referendum will be a no vote so we'll have to wait and see. The last trade figures (widely reported in the press) show a slowing of the economy. You have no way of knowing any more than the next guy who will win the next election. The measures of cuts (esp. in the public sector) haven't even begun to start to impact yet so it's a bit permature to even to begin to suggest that the Conservatives will be rewarded with electoral victory for the coming jobs losses and increase in required welfare spending. A lot of people are going to suffer and whilst some of that is unavoidable (due to the global crisis), people tend to blame the government at the end of the day. The majority of the population do NOT earn average or above wages, have NOT gone to public school, do not have privilege to fall back on. The majority of people in this country are struggling to make ends meet, to provide for their families as best they can and that includes many middle income families too. London is a bubble...it is not reflective of the rest of the country. I totally agree that Ed is a PR failure and wouldn't be suprised if the Labour party oust him before the next General Election (he's clearly not leadership material).

It could also be argued that a lot of the money was never there anyway...as it was borrowed. I think your point on entire institutions moving is a sensible one. Something that I think would also help to aid recovery is a change to the consequences of bankruptcy. To lock potential entrepreneurs out of business for seven years has always struck me as self defeating, esp. in cases where bankruptcy comes from a crash in the economy as opposed to personal wrecklessness. In the States it's only a year or thereabouts and there are many examples including that of Ford who was bankrupted three times before he turned to car manufacturing. In the UK he'd never have got there. Failure should not have the stigma to it that it has and of course (to come back on topic) the poor only get to fail once, whereas those with other means of finance (outside of banking) can fail as many times as they like.

How do you know? Some teenagers are extremely bright and sharp. Utter nonsense to suggest that ALL 14 years olds are too 'young' to say/ write anything of worth.

And how many traders were laid off after the banking crash Quids?....yes they are all perfectly qualified and unemployed. You do talk some utter tosh sometimes.

I really can't talk to someone who keeps saying that is what I am saying In fact quids, no-one is saying that if you actually bother to read what is being written. You may well think the banks and those that ran them are beyond reproach but a whole sector of the public disagree and for good reason, just as it is also ridiculous to suggest that only an economy driven by huge personal debt can deliver growth. And to pretend things can continue as before is just asking for more of the same. Now they are - even if you disagree with their policies - showing that they can govern. But they are NOT governing. They are a side show to a Conservative government, a side show that are destined to be humiliated in April by the referendum on voting reform and destined to be held responsible for any misery poured on the public by the policies being currently pursued. There are already signs that the economy is downturning (a consequence of the measures put in place by the coalition) and there is trouble ahead for the euro and other things out of our control that will almost certainly squeeze any chance of recovery within the next five years. It is just pure fantasy to think that either the Conservatives or Lib Dems are going to increase voting share in the light of all that.

Loving your post Fabricio.

Anne Frank was fourteen when she wrote that and I think it's written from a place of maturity. Yes most of us understand universal bad from good. But I think most people (apart from the selfish and bad themselves) would know selfishness for example, when they saw it. And alos how perfect does a person have to be to be good? That's a good question too.

I would agree that cutting University places was the answer, while reverting some courses back to two year HNDs and BTECS. I personally think Clegg is a Conservative Liberal. He's from an extremely privileged background and lacks experience in constituency politics. So his niaivity is understandable. Those I find more difficult to explain are the likes of Simon Hughes and Vince Cable....who have vast amounts of experience but seemed to also have tossed common sense aside in their excitement at getting a sniff of government. Not that any of that matters of course...nor do I think it would have made very much difference to policy if there had been a majority Conservative government. But in a majority governement you can only blame the government for policy that you don't like. In a coalition, the Lib Dems have become the whipping boys for a good deal of public frustration. They can not win either way.

Who said anything about driving bankers out? I'm simply arguing that they don't need to be cherished and lavished in the way they are and for the reasons they give.

Also Equity and BECTU might have a view on this. This is not particiaption as a subject of a documentary but essentially an acting part.