[Rndouglas]

I am kinda ambivalent on this really.

On the one hand I don't watch tons of telly and the one I have is HD ready with built in digital receiver so it doesn't really affect me. Apart from the exorbitant cost that they will demand. I suppose you could argue that the best way to fight this is to not watch anything - get rid of the box in the corner and do something else - but realistically that won't happen and the buggers know it.

This is where my other side kicks in.And that is how successive governmenst have relied on the fact that the British are so accepting of situations and just get on with things that they have been able to do what they bloody like. It is hard to see such brazen contempt for a nation being displayed by say, a French Government - whose workers go on strike, riot, blockade at the drop of a leg of English lamb.

I think this will also be accepted as part of a long list of self serving acts by this government.

Trying to ban 'samurai' swords
Invading Iraq
The opening of Super casinos
tax by amount of rubbish per household
microchipped rubbish bins to ensure you are throwing away only things you are allowed
black boxes in cars that spy on you and tax you at the same time
Toll charges on roads that the taxpayer paid to build
More and more fixed speed cameras even though the two counties who don't use them were the only two with reduced motoring accidents
more rights for criminals than victims

The list is almost endless.

And last thought. Governments hate discussing things with the electorate and holding referendums - they cannot control how things will turn out. Look at that fat idiot Prescott. He thought that because the Welsh and Scots asked for and got a separate Parliament that each region in England would want one. What happened, we sensible folk in the North voted a resounding NO - because we realised that would mean more politicians who would need paying so more taxes and then they would devise more policies which would need implementing so yet more taxes.