Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Over 75s to pay licence fee
Anyone else livid about this? The BBC announce that the over 75s now have to pay the licence fee literally days after the D-Day 75th anniversary. So the heroes they interviewed during the celebrations last week could now face paying a fee. They served and put their lives on the line as well as paid the fee for decades.
Well done the BBC your compassion is noted
@boycottthelicencefee.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gordon T on
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So in 2000 a politician decided to fund licences for over-75s.
And in 2015 a politician decided to stop funding licences for over-75s.
Not the BBC's funds, effectively. End of. It just gets the blame. Only the politicians (both of them) win.
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Gobsmacked. And Boris promises to cut taxes for the rich! This is geriatric poll tax! Cue elderly people being dragged through the courts for want of funds. What a dreadful mean spirited government we have....
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They are on a fixed income. Most elderly people rely entirely on their state pension. They have worked all their lives and paid taxes. Do you know what it's like to have no money and no means to get it?
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Permalink Reply by kotkas on
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Agree entirely. We have one of the wealthiest generations to date in, and entering, retirement. Baby boomers have benefited from the emergence of the dual income household, credit liberalisation, and the ‘great moderation.’ It’s the savers of today who need more help.
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All of that: in particular, the generous home improvement grant (not loan, mind) from the council was the deciding factor in moving here in 1980.
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Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on
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In the 2017 election manifesto the Conservatives pledged to maintain the free TV licence for those 75 and over. Then they transferred the entire financial burden to the BBC knowing that they would be unable to afford it. In a way it doesn’t matter if you support the scheme or not, the government was elected on that simple and unambiguous pledge and lied and, as the Conservatives proportionally have a greater reliance on the votes of older voters than other parties so, lied to the very people who got them elected.
Is it right they get away with this? I don’t think so and have signed the petition organised by Age U.K. to reverse the decision (link below)
https://campaigns.ageuk.org.uk/page/34266/petition/1?ea.tracking.id...
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Here's the 'The dog ate my homework' moment.
It goes back to 2015, when a week after the election they went back on their manifesto and transferred the over-75 licence cost to the BBC. Nevertheless.....
"Extraordinarily, the Conservatives’ 2015 broken manifesto pledge to keep the licence fee free for over-75s was copied and pasted word for word into the party’s 2017 general election manifesto. The party later said this was a mistake, apparently made in a hurry because the manifesto’s authors were rushing to produce a policy platform on a tight deadline due to Theresa May’s decision to call a snap vote."
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/jun/10/seeds-of-bbc-licence-...
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Permalink Reply by Geraldine on
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Good for you, Michael. I've signed it too. Also contemplating civil disobedience and refusing to pay.
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Many pensioners are not rich and never were. Started work at 15 and worked hard for a wage. They never had a chance to buy or afford a house least of all a second one! Many woman are having to wait for a pension they have paid into and told they can’t retire when they expected too. We have a lonely and poor population of older people, for many the television is the only company they have. We should all be fighting these problems together, young and old. Not blaming each other it’s the governments fault, fighting each other plays into their hands!
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Spot on Annie. Yes, I benefited from a student grant, not a student loan, but the fault is not with those were in receipt of it, it’s with those who took it away.
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Annie - I agree with you so much! I left school at 15 and made my own way in life. I couldn't afford to buy a house until I was in my late forties. We were very poor in Harringay after the War and could expect little or nothing from the government. Most of us still expect little. The free TV licence was a wonderful thing and gave many who are poor but unable or even too proud to accept benefits a modicum of comfort in their twilight years.
Also, read Alan Taylor's post below about the BBC mismanagement and inflated salaries. He is absolutely spot on.
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