TV licence moan

What I don't get is, why think I'm saying the cockney accent is stupid in the context of the sentence that I typed.

I never thought that. I was advising you that many English people, if they hear you saying "thick Cockney accent", might misinterpret what they hear. Because over here here accents may be "broad" or "heavy" or "strong", but they are never "thick".

I never thought that. I was advising you that many English people, if they hear you saying "thick Cockney accent", might misinterpret what they hear. Because over here here accents may be "broad" or "heavy" or "strong", but they are never "thick".

I have no idea what part of the country you are from, contrex, but this particular North Londoner knew exactly what was meant by 'thick' accent, and the term 'thick' in this context was quite obviously meant to mean 'broad'. I use 'thick' in this way myself, as do millons of Londoners.  I cannot see how anyone would have ever thought that this was meant as thick as in stupid. 

Vicky

I have no idea what part of the country you are from, contrex, but this particular North Londoner knew exactly what was meant by 'thick' accent, and the term 'thick' in this context was quite obviously meant to mean 'broad'. I use 'thick' in this way myself, as do millons of Londoners.  I cannot see how anyone would have ever thought that this was meant as thick as in stupid. 

Vicky

I agree with Vicky!

I agree with Vicky!

Me three!

Ditto.  We know that "thick" can have the connotation of stupid, but in the context of "thick Cockney accent" or "thick Newcastle accent" I would certainly not take it as anything but a reference to the accent itself being strong/broad/imcomprehensible.

Following on from Ofcom's proposal (see above), now Michael Grade wants a tax to pay for ITV local news:

Michael Grade has suggested the taxpayer could foot the multi-million-pound bill for ITV's regional news service.

The ITV chairman also said ITN or Sky could be paid to provide local bulletins for it.

In a speech to the Royal Television Society, he suggested the company could have to take the drastic option of becoming a purely commercial channel.

ITV would 'prefer' not to do this but only 'if justified economically', he said.

Mr Grade said that without extra funding, ITV could be forced to drop all local news programmes.

Continues:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1073549/Taxpayer-pay-ITVs-regional-news-says-Michael-Grade.html