Tag: uk

Weekly Lesson: The TV Licence

For study until 27th of October 2024

Subject: The Television Licence

Audio: On usual social media platforms.

The Television Licence

It was one of those days where I was grateful for technology. After hearing someone knocking at my door, I opened the doorbell video app on my phone and saw two men standing there.

“Oh” I thought…..either they are trying to sell me a broadband deal for better Wifi or, they are religious. I had to make a snap decision whether to actually open the door, so I thought it best just to ask them who they are, using my phone. After all, last time I was lumbered with a heater, toaster and washing machine (see my lesson from two weeks ago) from the Charity givers.

“Can I help?” I asked, while staring at the app and the mic on my phone.

“Yes, it is TV Licence Enforcement, we need to see your licence”.

“Oh, OK”

I walked to the door, trying to gather my thoughts on the way, I opened it to see an ID pushed into my face.

“Its about your TV Licence sir”, one of them blurted out. “We just checked with the Post Office, it has expired”.

I remembered how serious this can be. If you own a TV in the UK then you need to also have a licence. It costs around £200 each year.  When you buy a TV, you also need to give your name and address and the shop is legally obliged to tell the Enforcement Officers. You also need one if you have BBC Iplayer on your phone or computer. It’s terribly organised and definitely very British to enforce it in this way.

“I have a licence” – in fact I pay quarterly” I replied,  “ you took forty pounds just yesterday from my bank account”. I chuckled. They clearly didn’t see the funny side of my words. Of course they wanted to see the paper, so I invited them in.

“Sooooo, that’s the TV?” they said as they entered my living room. They were obviously still in suspicion mode. I did my best not to give a sarcastic remark.  By this point I was trying desperately to find my licence. I remembered it was electronic so I was scrolling through my phone trying to find it. It seemed like a lifetime had passed,

“If this was Ancient Egypt you would have found it by now” – one of them said sarcastically.

As I was standing at the window scrolling on my phone, I saw their truck  outside, it kind of looked like a camper van or little caravan with a huge metal bit on the roof but their trucks always look uglier and more grey than any holiday truck.

“Nice cat” one of the men said. My cat hissed and walked away. I really wish I could have done the same.

“Not friendly is he?” he chortled.

“Oh he hates everyone, its not personal, don’t worry” – I quipped.

“Here is the licence” – I showed it to them on my phone and they looked confused.

“Is this not apartment number one? They asked squinting their eyes.

“No, this is apartment two”  I responded, realising what had happened.

“Well, sorry we got the wrong apartment” they admitted, as they both headed to the door.

“Well there’s no one living next door” I chirped again, the guy left some weeks ago, I know because I have some stuff here for him.

“Oh there is someone there  – we can see what channel they are watching” he said as he looked down at his Ipad walking towards the apartment opposite.

It is indeed typical in a country like ours that they would develop technology to ensure you have a TV licence. Its hardly the be all and end all of everything but we love solid rules and enforcing them.

Just at that moment a Priest entered my apartment block and as I live on the ground level, he saw me first. “Did you call for the Last Rites to be administered?”

“Eh… no……” I uttered

“Um, I know it was someone in this block but I don’t know who….” He replied

“Well it wasn’t me…” I said uncomfortably, hoping that he wouldn’t ask me about Church attendance. Everyone knows the  Parish Priest and I was rather hoping that he had forgotten I existed.

He glanced at his notebook..”my my….sorry It’s apartment two on the next level…”

“I don’t suppose you need them anyway…? I could swing by later….?” – he chortled “Remember you don’t have to be dying to get the Last Rites”.

“No, no no….  I’m in great health….” I said, convincing myself that it was true, shook my head and backed away as he walked up the stairs. I got a bit flabbergasted. Do I look like I need the Last Rites? The barber always gives me OAP rates and I never correct him but I am still a long way away from aged 60. My day couldn’t really get any more surreal.

I watched as the TV Enforcement officers knocked on the door opposite, of course there was no reply. So they stood there and I  closed the door and opened the video app again. After a few moments they started calling through the letterbox (These people meant business and I had forgotten just how much power they have). They can choose to simply give you a penalty or if you agree to trot down the post office and buy a licence immediately, they will overlook the fact that you had a TV without one. You can buy it online as well.

There was indeed someone inside, I could hear a difficult conversation. It sounded like there was a guy insisting he didn’t have a TV.  My app caught a clear picture of him, it looked like a scene from a 1967 hippie movie, my neighbour was wearing a kaftan, love beads and sandals. He kind of looked like Barry White but not as entertaining. The TV licence enforcement officers weren’t getting in and I could hear the conversation was getting uncomfortable. Finally they reached a compromise and the two men left, looking happy. A thought came to my mind that they were earning commission.

My video doorbell hadn’t picked up anything from that apartment in weeks, so it was really strange that the man living there hadn’t left in weeks. By the looks of him it looked like he hadn’t left since 1967!

The moral of the story is, get a TV licence if you own a TV and live in the UK. They will find you if you don’t.

Weekly Lesson: Government Housing-Friend or Foe?

For study until 14 July 2024

Subject: Government Housing-Friend or Foe?

Audio: On usual social media platforms.

The UK was a very industrial place until Margaret Thatcher came on the scene in the 1980s. For many people up until that time the daily grind involved working shifts in the local factory. In my case, my whole family worked in the local steel factory, that included my Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather and even my Great Great Grandfather until he was fired for promoting Trade Unions in the early 1900s. Meanwhile the women were working (where there were not enough men) in the local thread mills, which offered  lighter work.

In the early days, going back to the 1840s my family lived in small cottages which were only big enough to hold a handful of people. Like most people of their day they raised between ten to fifteen children. By the time the 1920s came, slums had developed, there was no running water, no indoor sanitation and “rows” of houses were built around the steel work factory with simply two rooms and running water with outside toilets. In the 1930s the Government realised there were issues with sanitation and started to build housing estates known as “housing schemes” or “council estates” which they could rent to employees of local factories. This marked the beginning of organised housing – built around towns which were themselves formed to support local industry.

Moving forward 100 years to 2024, the Northern part of the UK is dominated by these estates and the Government remains one of the largest property owners. In Scotland the Government owns a quarter of all total rentable accommodation. I remember visiting my Grandparents in the 1980s and both my maternal and paternal Grandparents were happily living on Council Estates. The towns where they lived had three Council Estates. They knew all of the neighbours, people who were economically the same and were either friends or relatives. These estates tended to be full of old hardened women who clearly had battled their way into old age whose families had left home years before. In many ways they were the matriarchs of these estates, knowing exactly what “buttons to press” to ensure the Government took action when they need a repair to their homes or have someone forcibly removed. It felt strange because the people were poorer compared to today yet they were incredibly proud.

In the North of the UK today, renting an apartment or house from the Government is considered perfectly normal and accessible for everyone (because there’s little choice) whereas in the South where there was less industry and more education, fewer of these estates exist.

Since the Government owns a lot of property, they are also one of the largest employers in Scotland and Northern England. Plumbers, Electricians, maintenance people, office staff and housing managers are all required. As you would expect from the Government, the salary isn’t great even though the working conditions are better than the private sector, so they generally attract unskilled workers who are happy with a lower pay. This is a very attractive option for boys who do not want to enter further education, many of whom grew up and live on Council Estates themselves.

Things are slowly changing. The local Government here has started to demolish some of these old homes in order to build new ones for residents. The combination of an ageing population as well as houses no longer meeting basic standards of living such as energy saving and noise pollution means that they need to look at how they provide accommodation. Some of these estates historically had very bad reputations and needed to be demolished as well owing to their high crime rates and social problems.

Since the 1990s the Local Government has been proactively demolishing and rebuilding, making these properties safer to live in. Selling the ground to property developers also means many Council estates are surrounded by luxury privately owned property developments, which creates a kind of a hydrid, displacing the cold sting of poverty associated with these estates in the past.

Unlike today where we can define “home” as a mental construct, a structure of Love and Family, a place of peace we can choose to reside in, in the old days home and house was all about physicality, bricks and stone.

As the metaverse or holographic universe comes upon us, we will once again be asked to redefine dwellings as an ethereal space. The jury is out on what exactly the future will look like but it will likely offer us personal and communal spaces to live together.

_______________________________________________

Affirmations

Monday – There is a place for me in the Learning Community

Compare how learning alone compares to your experience of being in School with others. What is your learning tribe or community?

Tuesday – I can Learn at any age or point of life

Why do you think age is a barrier for some people?

Wednesday – I am flexible enough to make change

Why do we lose our mental elasticity as we get older? How do we stop that process?

Thursday – I choose to learn today because it brings me joy

What other healthy choices do you make daily to support your learning and your mental health?

Friday – I speak English and it gets better every day

How do you measure your progress? If you do not measure your progress, make a mental note to ask your teacher for ways to do this.

The Rising Trend of Cafe Bars (Essay)

The rising trend of café bars in the UK mirrors a broader cultural shift towards more versatile and sociable dining and drinking experiences. These hybrid spaces, which blend the relaxed atmosphere of a coffee shop with the more vibrant energy of a bar, cater to a wide array of preferences and schedules, reflecting the increasingly flexible lifestyles of their patrons. This essay explores the factors contributing to the popularity of café bars, the impact they have on local communities and social habits, and the potential challenges and opportunities they face.

Continue reading “The Rising Trend of Cafe Bars (Essay)”