Nope, that didn't happen. All I disagreed with was your TV license comparison. As you said to Godders about his Tesco comparison: I then chimed in to inform you that your comparison was more spurious than his. If I am guilty of anything, then you are guilty of the very same thing, you big old hypocrite you.
The missing link here, of course, is that you haven't presented a compelling argument. It's actually extremely arrogant of you to call me a contrarian, as that implies that you couldn't possibly be wrong. I'm sorry if this is hard for you to understand, but I believe that you are in fact wrong! Now you're insisting that I should meet you halfway? I'm sorry but my opinion hasn't changed since the beginning, and therefore there is no way I am meeting you halfway.
Perhaps I made a mistake in criticising Godders' analogy without explaining why, but I have certainly done that since. You disagreed with every part of my analogy even though some parts of it were very difficult indeed to disagree with. Do you really think a football match is conceptually more similar to a tin of beans than a television programme? If so, can you explain why? Because so far you haven't managed it. If you really still don't understand the comparison I made, then try to think of the TV Licence as the cost of watching a TV programme (rather like a ticket!), rather than some kind of compulsory tax. Just for the same of argument.
I didn't call you a contrarian, I said it seems to me like you are acting in a contrary manner. There is a subtle but important distinction. I'm not insisting you meet me halfway, simply that you make some kind of effort to understand my point before you decide you disagree.
We were never talking about a television programme. That is not the same product as the license. I have already said that the TV itself is a suitable comparison. The license is a different thing entirely, and is not a suitable comparison.
The question is, what is fairness in this crazy mixed up world that is the premiership? You could say it isn't fair that fans who have followed Saints when they were playing the likes of Stockport and Wycombe should now be potentially priced out, but that is another debate. Personally, I think that if a person wants to come to a match then they should pay full price. Said person might get less enjoyment, but that is something they have to factor in when deciding whether it's worth buying a ticket. For instance, if somebody who really dislikes football wants to buy a ticket, should they get a discount? (e.g. a mother who brings her son to matches might hate football, and thus derive no enjoyment). If you go to match with a stinking cold should you get a refund? Also, do Sky offer a discount to blind people? A different argument is that a blind person (or the disabled in general) may not be able to earn as much as an able bodied person, so on that basis should get a discount. However, why not then also offer discounts to those on JSA? (although, interestingly, discounts are offered to students).
You may not have been talking about that, I made it pretty clear that's what I meant some time ago. At least I thought I had. If you still don't understand the analogue between paying a fee to watch a match and paying a fee to watch TV, then I think I'll cut my losses.
The one thing we can all agree with is that it is a very emotive issue. I find it difficult to understand why I should be called mean hearted just because I happen to believe that the person should be charged at least something. Discounted most definitely but I would reiterate, while I have to agree that there are most definite differences in disablement, all with out exception that I have spoken to, suggest that they would like to contribute something to the club. It is true that I have not spoken to a blind person who wishes to attend football. I am told though that there is quite a following of football by blind people up and down the country which I did not know, my enquiries also lead me to believe that they are charged a minimal amount at premier games. Again I cannot confirm this as a general thing throughout all Premier clubs although I am lead to believe it is so.
