It never ceases to amaze me...

...the audacity of the powers that be.

Big Brother wants your tele!

I had heard, but had no real idea about how invasive the state can be in everyone's life here. In the lives of every ordinary bloke, that is. Case in point: they have here what is called a TV licesnse fee. Every person owning a TV must pay an annual fee of ₤200 to watch it. That's around U.S. $400 for the privilege of using the electronics that you have privately purchased. The law has recently been extended to included personal computers, since some TV programmes may be seen online.

Failure to pay the license fee results in a ₤1000 fine. They actually have teams of TV License men (in her Majesty's service) who go out on the prowl in the Council Estates (the projects) with special sensor equipment. With these James Bondesque devices they can sense which houses are watching and which are not. Once an illicit viewer is detected, they pounce. A loud officious "RAP" comes at the door. Everyone inside knows what this means. The usual response (in our house anyway) is to quickly turn off the tele and to stay as hush as can be. Several other raps follow. Then a letter is left, like the one shown here. Two or three such incidents, and they they can obtain a warrent to search your house - I shit you not! If they find an offending unlicensed device during such a search, then you are fined the 1000 quid. Failure to pay two such fines results in jail time. Imagine - you ca go to the whosegow for watching the tube. My moher always told me that watching TV would come to no good! Click on the letter to enlarge it.