Television licence lies!

Here’s a funny one for yiz.

For about two years now I’ve been getting reminders that my television licence needs renewal at a house I used to live in. Since then I’ve lived in a block of houses that had a group licence as they used to be holiday homes. Since moving to our new address we’ve had a licence in Beth’s name. The warnings keep coming as the post man knows where I’ve moved to and is delivering to the name not the address.
Here is a pick of the house we used to live in. Nice, isn’t it?!

From Blog images

So, anyway, a few weeks ago I got this ‘warning’ in the post. A type I’ve not seen before. Usually they just warn that there will be an officer/inspector calling to your area soon etc. so you better be good boys and girls or we’ll do you etc. This one however said something along the lines of “…our inspector called today but could not gain access to the building to verify if you don’t have a television…’ etc. I can’t find the letter now to give the full quote. What had me pissing myself at reading this was the little knowledge that that pretty little house pictured above burned to the floor about a year ago! No, really it's totalled!
I had to go take a pic of it to show people. Here it is as this fictitious inspector must have seen it.

From Blog images

From Blog images

Oh, and here is the unlicensed television apparatus in question highly visible through the air that used to be framed by large sitting room window.

From Blog images

So, the Irish Postal service is sending blatant lies through their own postal system.

The television licence is a criminal extortion of cash conducted on the Irish nation each year. Only one network gets anything from it RTE for running 3 channels RTE1, RTE2 and TG4. The other Irish channel TV4 pays its own way. Unlike the UK the Irish TV channels can also sell advertising so they, well RTE, make twice the profit. I reckon a large amount of it goes out on paying for inspectors, technicians and equipment to enforce the stupid thing. Given that we have to pay independent companies to relay the signal, and I’d say some of that has to be going back to RTE also, we’re double paying for the privilege.

The television licence was a stealth tax before the term was ever thought of.