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One million pensioners over 75 refuse to pay TV licence fee

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5 months ago

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Since 31st July 2020, pensioners over 75 years were served with notice, that their exemption from the BBC licence fee had come to an end. The Government was no longer prepared to subsidise this, so the cost now fell on the Corporation. People approaching the age of 75 are required to continue the annual payment of £157.50,  so for many, what would have been a welcome saving has vanished.
 
2.7 million over 75s have complied and renewed payment of the fee. Only the poorest pensioners, claiming pension credit, can claim exemption. 750.000 pensioners, receiving this extra state benefit have done so.However, not all pensioners ineligible for pension credit are wealthy. Indeed many face a choice between heating and eating, so finding the money for the licence fee has caused hardship. They dig into their pockets because the TV is often their main form of companionship. The radio of course is free, but nonetheless only a minority would  choose to live without the  visual medium of television. 
 
Taking this into consideration, it is no surprise to learn that there are 1million over 75 year old “refuseniks” This has led to a £160 million deficit  in BBC finances. What to do in this impasse?
This is a brave stance by the pensioners, as non payment of the licence fee is actually a criminal offence! Apart from  log jamming the magistrate’s courts, the BBC faces a difficult task in recovering the money by civil means.
 Newspaper coverage of bailiffs hassling pensioners would make for very bad publicity, so we can only watch this space!

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In the nineteen sixties I worked in London stores. Worked as an Insurance Clerk in the City of London during the nineteen seventies. Divorced in the nineteen nineties. Now I am a retired Civil Servant, managing home and garden and escaping onto social media whenever possible.

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What are the most popular places in the UK?

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1 week ago

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June 4, 2021

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Here we go again … another survey. This time, try to figure out which places the British love the most and missed the most during the lockdown. 44% of respondents feel happier in countryside places or in any case with nature, the 31% to the cinema or theatre and the 20% in historic places like Stonehenge or Chatsworth Residence.

Kew Gardens which tops the charts as the happiest place in the UK, around 12% of Britons feel at home in this botanical garden and missed it a lot during lockdown.

The Eden Project in  Cornwall ranks second together with  Snowdonia National Park in Wales. Among the top ten we have the Natural History Museum in London , the British Museum , the Roman Baths , the London Zoo and Loch Lomond.

 

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Supermoon, the largest of the year will be on May 26th

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3 weeks ago

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May 20, 2021

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It will be the second of the year, but the largest. The Supermoon of 26 May will be the closest and will be tinged with red although at our latitudes we won’t see it and we won’t be able to see the small eclipse that comes with it.

The satellite will reach the perigee, on 21 May, at 3: 53 , when it will be in 357. 309 kilometres from Earth); nine hours later, it will also reach the full phase.

In the 2021 there are five Supermoons, three full and two new “The next” Superluna “will appear approximately 7% larger and a little brighter than average, but you need to have an expert to notice it. But you will see it better at sunset and at dawn. 

Those who are in the Far East and the West Coast of the Americas will also be able to see a small lunar eclipse. 

 

 

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Picasso painting sold for over 100 million dollars

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4 weeks ago

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May 14, 2021

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Woman sitting by a window (Marie-Thérèse)

The painting ‘ Woman Seated by a Window (Marie-Thérèse) ‘by Pablo Picasso was sold yesterday for 103, $ 4 million during an auction organized by Christie’s, in New York City. The canvas of 1, 46 x 1, 14 meters, painted in 1932, was sold to 90 million dollars and came to 103, 4 million after a battle of over 19 minutes between collectors. The work, which represents Picasso’s lover and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter, nearly doubled the amount of the initial estimate provided by Christie’s, i.e. 55 Million dollars.

 

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The woman in the painting is a representation of the artist’s mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter. Picasso painted her sitting in front of a window wearing a red dress with her long dark hair down and reaching down to her waist.

Marie-Thérèse Walter was an artist herself, but she always had to work as an assistant to make ends meet. She was also the person who introduced Picasso to French art critic Louis Vauxcelles, which led to his becoming known internationally and eventually turning from painting into sculpture.


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