Friday, February 24, 2006

TV Poverty

As an example of "fuel poverty", the BBC highlights the plight of sixty-five-year-old Pam Greenhalgh, a single pensioner who will "skip a meal here or there, or have hot drinks sometimes instead of a meal" to make the savings in order to pay the bills of those monopolistic energy companies. "As long as I have got my cup of tea, I don't care," she adds stoically.

What sacrifices does Pam make to pay the TV licence? Cigarettes, alcohol or the bingo!?!
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6 comments:

wonkotsane said...

My wife's nan is a single pensioner and when you add her pension and various benefits together she gets a few pounds per month less than we do as a family of 6.

9:39 am
Anonymous said...

"Hot food, warm home, window on the outside world... pick two." Man. What a bitter, mean little place this Britain you want to create to be proud of is gonna be.

2:03 pm
DJ said...

Snafu wants to create ? I'm pretty sure it's not him who championing the right of Metropolitan wheenies to shake down pensioners to pay for their latest insane ego trips (how much to the film industry ?)

4:50 pm
Anonymous said...

So why's he kvetching that the woman can afford to watch television, and making snide remarks about bingo and booze? Are you folks actually of the opinion that, in a First World nation, it's asking too much merely to be well informed, well housed, and well fed at the same time? Really? Because that's how it sounds. "Are there no workhouses, get on with it and decrease the surplus population", blah blah blah... Cripes. >:(

6:44 pm
Snafu said...

Lone primate, I was trying to highlight the irony in the BBC highlighting pensioners in "fuel poverty" who are legally required to purchase a TV licence. A poll tax on every household in the UK with a TV whether you watch the BBC or not!

10:03 pm
Anonymous said...

Lone primate, I was trying to highlight the irony in the BBC highlighting pensioners in "fuel poverty" who are legally required to purchase a TV licence. A poll tax on every household in the UK with a TV whether you watch the BBC or not!

I was aware of the licensing fee, but the way you phrased it comes across as a suggestion of hypocrisy on the woman's part rather than fault-finding with official policy. The BBC raises revenue that way; I suppose they could lard on the commericals like we do over here. But it is what it is, and either way, food, shelter, information: too much to expect in a First World nation?

5:14 pm

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