Outrageous Waste of my money

"In the United Kingdom, we are compelled by LAW to purchase a television licence every year, if we want watch television. This year the licence fee is £135.50 ... which is equivalent to $274.42 at the time of writing this blog."



How does this work? Does the government assign you an antenna? Can you only get television programs from a cable or satellite? Do y'all not have airwaves over there?

Here's the links that should answer your question:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/index.jsp

Detection and Penalties:
http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/detectionandpenalties.jsp

I quote:

"At the heart of our operation is the TV Licensing database of over 28 million home and business addresses, telling us which of these have TV Licences.

All of our enforcement officers have access to this database and will check whether or not you have a licence. If you are using a TV and are unlicensed, you could face prosecution and a hefty fine.

We have a fleet of detector vans, plus, our enforcement officers have access to hand-held detection devices capable of detecting a magnetic field when a TV is switched on. In fact, we catch an average of over 1,000 people watching TV without a licence every day."

I cruised throught the links. I read the "excuses." There was the tab for "penalties," but I didn't see any fines or arrests mentioned.

"We have a range of detection tools at our disposal in our vans. Some aspects of the equipment have been developed in such secrecy that engineers working on specific detection methods work in isolation - so not even they know how the other detection methods work. This gives us the best chance of catching licence evaders."


Do you believe that quote to be true? Or just a scare tactic?


I telling you I am floored. I can't believe it, but I can believe it. I never would have thought such a thing until I read it. Unbelievable!!

Like Y'all ain't got enough problems.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm not actually about to leave the UK. I don't have a bad life, and we have one of the strongest economies in the world.

It's not a dictatorship.

But once you become a conservative in the UK, and open your eyes, you realise just how many socialist mechanisms still exist in this country.

And this is the post-Thatcher age remember.

To prove this is not a spoof, here's the reference to the licence fee on the friendly BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/licencefee/

This also contains the link to the not so friendly TV Licensing company.

I've been off the blogs for a while, but it's nice to see a blog entry from you on something I've been outraged over recently, too. This whole enviro-wacko religion has gotten ridiculous. We have a show here similar to that called Life with Ed, I think -- second rate actor Ed Begley, Jr. goes to famous people's homes and makes them go 'green'. Like you say, making them go back to third world conditions to 'save the environment'!

Yes, they ARE pinko Commie types who think they know best for everyone else. IDIOTS. Rush Limbaugh is right a lot of the time. There's also Dixie Lee Ray, who wrote a few books on the falsehoods and politicization in the enviro-movement.

Compost toilets, are you serious?! That's like an outhouse, right? You don't flush it away, you let it build into a pile, right? YUCK.

And yeah, if they would consider serious energy alternatives like nuclear power, which is very clean, they'd appear to have half a brain.

that fee? They put a tinfoil umbrella over your house or something? Aim the antenna in another direction? You're simply accessing signals floating freely in the atmosphere.

What about all those uncontrolled signals radiating out into space. They going to try to license all the alien eavesdroppers, too?

How come I can get BBC1 and BBC2 on my DirecTV here in SoCal without paying a dime? Want me to beam them back to you?

Man..... your system majorly sucks.

I'd like Bagley to show up at MY house and make me go "green".

I'd get to watch him turn green as he stared down the business end of one of my 12 gauges.

You see, you are being responsible by recycling and the like. That'd be personal responsibility.

In my experience, the left is opposed to personal responsibility. They'd rather impose "responsible" behavior from above.

"What happens if you refuse to pay that fee?"

Court Appearance. Fine of up to £1000. People accept this: it's not that they're not cowards, they just don't know any different.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/detectionandpenalties.jsp

You have to understand just how rare it is to be a real conservative in the UK. I'm not a historian, but here's my understanding of how it happened:

In 1945, Clement Attlee lead the Labour Party into a landslide General Election victory.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/26/newsid_3572000/3572175.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clement_Attlee

Of course he did. The country was bankrupt, and when that happens people vote for unifying left-wing figures. His legacy was the post-war consensus.

British Gas, British Steel, British Airways, British Telecom ... Why do you think there are so many companies with the word 'British' in the title? Nationalisation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalization#United_Kingdom

The first Conservative politician to challenge the post war consensus was Margaret Thatcher. But she has become an infamous figure, because during her time in office the country was bitterly divided.

She may have saved the country from decline, but all people remember are the striking miners, the closed pits, the poll tax riots ...

No Conservative politician after Thatcher has successfully challenged liberal homogeny ... and the current leader (David Cameron) appears to have given up on representing conservative views.

Ironically, the current Labour leader has actually invited her to 10 Downing Street because he at least has the historical perspective to understand how important a figure she was:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/13/nbrown313.xml

Sorry, that should be "liberal hegemony" not "liberal homogeny"

First time visitor, first time caller.

We actually have that show "Outrageous Wasters" here too.

Well, it's not actually a show. And it's not actually on TV. Here we call it "the public school system".

I have a co-worker with a sister in London. They tried to avoid the "TV Tax" by avoiding TV ownership. A TV was "attributed" to them anyway under the idea that, even if they didn't OWN a TV they damn well SHOULD own a TV and therefore will be taxed for it anyway.

I mixed a few pet-hates into one blog, so I will have to visit these subjects again.

It is probably useful to spell this out again:

I am NOT opposed to environmentalism. Really, I am not. If a bunch of people wish to get together to represent environmental concerns and hence influence change within the democratic process, then that isn't a problem.

That's how democracy works.

The problem I have is with militant environmentalists.

They are so ALL-consumed by their fears about the future that they believe that they are the sole possessers of the truth.

They wish to stamp-out all scientific dissent. They wish to radically change the way people live.

Many of them are quite happy to embrace dictatorship in pursuit of their goals, because they have this "asteroid-will-hit-the-earth-soon" mentality.

They are utterly disparaging about the ability of 6 billion people to reorganise their lives in the face of changing circumstances.

Militant environmentalists are totalitarian. They think that the only way that the earth can survive is if we are all controlled and dictated to.

They really do. They really have no concept of how cult-like their obsession is.

And here's the dirty little secret:

They have NO concept of how utterly damaging their totalitarianism would be to humanity AND the environment.

Getting a militant environmentalist to save the planet is like getting a communist to cure poverty.

Think about it.

the CBC, when challenged about its poor ratings, mentioned that its budget amounted to $33 per capita, as opposed to the $80 per capita European public broadcasters get. Hey, it may be mediocre compared to the Beeb, and yes I realize that's saying something, but at least it's cheap. Sort of.

I thought the reason for the TV fee amounted to the same thing we have here with cable & satellite fees - you don't have stupid unending advertisements on any of your channels do you? if so - I'll join you in your next protest.

good post - take care

Hi Marie:

Thanks for the kind feedback. I hope people understand me by now. I'm just here to have a rant, to get things off my chest.

There is one good thing about the BBC being publically funded and that is quality of the comedy shows it produces.

There was a documentary on UK television (have I spoken about this before) which assessed why some UK comedies aren't funny when they are remade as US shows.

The main conclusions were:

(a) Networks can't afford to offend the advertisers.
(b) You have lots of time zones.

In the UK, we all live in one time zone, so once it hits 9pm all the rules are relaxed. For better or worse.

As for US TV adverts, it always tickles me that you have adverts AFTER the opening credits.

----------------------

In the UK there is this general dismissiveness of US citizens that they don't have a sense of humour. I have had to educate a few of my fellow citizens.

So why is "Curb your Enthusiasm" the funniest thing I have ever watched on Television?

Only Ricky Gervais or Jack Dee come close.

(Incidentally, if you are looking for a little less dangerous ... most people I know love "Scrubs")

"In the UK there is this general dismissiveness of US citizens that they don't have a sense of humour."

You also have to understand that this kind of cultural prejudice is only applied to US citizens.

Like as if you aren't one huge melting pot anyway. It's a European thing you know!

Fawlty Towers was one of the funniest shows on TV and I love to catch the re-runs here on PBS.
I was never a big Benny Hill fan. Rowan Atkinson is a great visual comic. Keeping Up Appearances is funny stuff too.

As for American shows Seinfeld is ("on-a dis, there can a be a no debate" as Poppy would say) the funniest thing ever made. Curb is great as you can see some of the "Seinfeld" humor coming through. The Office is pretty good stuff too.

I like a lot of British humor, although, not being fully immersed in the culture and popular figures, some of it passes right over my head.

And is it just me, or is British humor more melodramatic?

"And is it just me, or is British humor more melodramatic?"

I would describe British humour as being more cruel than American humour. Understatement and class issues play more of a part in British humour so I suppose it's an acquired taste:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_humour
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_humor

Here's some more favourites of mine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeeves_and_Wooster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackadder
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Foot_In_The_Grave
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peep_Show_%28TV_series%29

The Germans have a tradition of Schadenfreude, which I suppose the British share.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schadenfreude

Trouble with humour/humor is that as soon as you start to analyse it ... it isn't funny any more.

:o(

Some recent US films that I have particularly enjoyed:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Gilmore
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Almighty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anger_Management

I have a soft spot for Fraiser, and ... erm ... el-Rushbo can be very funny.

If you get a chance, stop by my place to see my little girl tie the knot.

I like those US films you mentioned -- Adam Sandler movies are usually a safe bet for some laughs.

I've seen Blackadder a few times and often like Rowan Atkinson (my little brother is totally Mr. Bean) but I haven't seen the others you mention, just heard the names.

I was also wondering the other day -- How is it that British actors can do perfect American accents and American actors so often butcher British accents?

The only Brit actor I've seen do a bad American accent was Jude Law in 'I Heart Huckabees' (I wasn't too keen on the film itself).

"How is it that British actors can do perfect American accents and American actors so often butcher British accents?"

I don't know.

However, 2 American actors who do perfect British Accents:

Renee Zellweger (Bridget Jones)
Gwyneth Paltrow (Sliding Doors).

Here's something you might not know. Have you ever watched "House"?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_(TV_series)

Did you known that the main character, Gregory House is played by the British comdedian Hugh Laurie?

Here he is in P.G. Wodehouse's comedy Jeeves and Wooster, made in the 1990s:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzj15t9NRu8

You can hear him talking 55 seconds into it.

(It looks like someone has put the episodes on youtube in segments)

That's another one of my favourite comedies.

One might find that the US accents in Jeeves and Wooster are as comic book to US ears ...

... as the UK accents are in Frasier.

Apart from Daphne, whose accent is entirely authentic.

You might find that the US accents in Jeeves and Wooster are comic book.

Tell me what you think.

I had seen Hugh Laurie in a few things before he was on House. And now another Brit is starring in yet another big US tv show -- Michelle Ryan as The Bionic Woman.

I started on the Wikipedia link looking at Hugh Laurie to figure out where I first saw him (as well as Stephen Fry) and ended up looking up a bunch of others connected to them. I was a big Young Ones fan, which is where I first saw those two actors back in the 80s -- on the University Challenge episode.

I need to see more of the J and W clips, but I have the sound turned down because of sleeping babies... so I'll let you know on the American accents later!

I just posted a new essay "The Outdated Second Amendment" over at my place.

Good column. Next time i travel, it will be to the British Isles. The Brits have the best castles and museums, or so i hear. I spent a year(to the day) on Ascension Island back in the early 60's. Even took up soccer, er football, to get a little exercise. Travel IS broadening, wasn't it a Brit who said that?

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Israel also has a TV fine, er tax. Probably left over from the mandate days! They can march into your house and take out the TV and drag you into court for non payment. I almost think I should be paying the tax er, fine to the UK. Most of the non news shows I watch are from the Beeb. What would I do without Jeremy Clarkson and his Interweb? Now there's a carbon footprint!

And all respect to the Stig!

Some of the stuff the BBC produces is truly excellent. I'm currently going down memory lane watching the following comedy classic:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/onlyfools/

Here's an interesting statistic - the BBC appears to have a greater income than many nations GDP:

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook /rankorder/2001rank.html

Okay so it's the very poorest nations who have such low GDPs. And I'm not for a moment doing a "TV to butter" type guilt-trip analysis.

But it makes you think, doesn't it?

Jezza is singlehandedly resposible for my buying a Land Rover Discovery-one of the good ones, a series II all kitted out. Best jeep in the world.
I almost had a nervous breakdown when they were off the air waiting for The Hamster to recover and had to make do with watching episodes I'd saved on the TIVO.
The Beeb and LLB also have a lot to answer for in regard to my Aga fetish. Not to mention my chimney pot 'thing' Why oh why didn't Americans keep chimney pots?
It doesn't surprise me at all that their budget is larger than some small country's GDPs. At least the quality of their programs pretty much justifies it.
But yes, it does make you think. In fact, I think I'll leave the wondering on that to you!

As a newbie to my blog (and vice versa) I must say I like your blogging style, which is why you might notice your blog now advertised here.

I hope my pontifications on the NHS on your blog didn't appear too ranty. I sometimes stand on a soapbox ... hey, that's why I blog.

The enviro-wackos are at it again, this time demonising WIND FARMS!

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN1930289 620071019?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&rpc=22&sp=t rue

Let's get this straight.

We can't burn fossil fuels because of CO2.
We can't use nuclear power because of the waste.
We can't use hydro-electric power because of the fishes.
We can't use wind farms because of the birds.

And they have the AUDIACITY to ridicule US!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7000991.stm

I'm on the verge of creating a new blog, but I need to look after my blood pressure.

I'm out for a few days ... but when I return.

Thanks for the compliment. I like your style too. In fact I've stopped in a few times, but didn't comment before now.
Ranty is good. In fact, I thought one of the express purposes of a blog is to rant!
In fact I feel one coming now.
Cheers.

Greg,

I'm late to the game as usual. But enjoyed your site. I do love my English comedies and crime shows. I have also been a life time English history buff.

But to the TV fair tax thing, I guess we have some too. Since we have to pay tax on everything. In Virginia you pay tax every year on what ever they decide to bill you for. I guess it's a commonwealth thing. As I remember there are at least 3 different places that you have to go to in order to pay the different car tax every year.

What drives me even nuttier is the UN now wants control of the internet. That is just the most insane thing I can think of. I do not have a very high opinion of the UN to be able to tie their shoes never mind being in charge of anything. The thought is just mind boggling.

Again enjoyed your site and will be back. Ta