OFF: Silly laws in the UK

[Jon Browne]

In message <Pine.SV4.3.95.970118024141.22338C-
100000 at apache.utdallas.edu>, QUEST <dcapehar at UTDALLAS.EDU> writes
>OK, that's enough talk of the silly laws here on the big side of the pond.
>
>I just saw an episode of "TV Nation" that went to the good ol' U.K., and
>guess what it found out....
>
>BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!  I can't believe it.  You Brits have to pay for a
>*license* to watch the telly!  (I know, it's a license to *have* a telly,
>but I heard about the numerous people who've been arrested for watching
>someone else's television w/out a license.)
That's not true. You have the license to own a TV and that's it. You no-
one's ever been done for watching someone else's.
>
>At least most (yes, I said most) of our weird laws seemed to make sense
>when whoever-it-was thought them up.
Of course, there was a time when ice cream could actually explode if
kept in a coat pocket. These days they don't use nitro-glycerin to
stiffen the cream.

Well, the thing is, when we invented TV there wasn't thousands of
companies queuing up to advertise, so the BBC was govt. funded and
subsidised by TV-users i.e. license payers. At the time there was no
other way of financing the broadcasts. And over the years, we have
become accustomed to high quality, advert-free TV. We had the same
attitude towards broadcasting that most people have towards Usenet. The
ads ruin it. The licence even today is less than the price of a pint of
beer a week, and I don't think you'll find *any* Brits on this list that
think it's a bad deal or a bad system. The difference in quality is *so*
great, anyone would agree having seen it.
Strangly enough, we like it this way. It's great to watch a show
uniterupted, without some irritating car ad seven times an hour. Much
more enjoyable. And we take the laugh tracks off shows like MASH. We do
have commercial TV and Cable as well, natch, but the BBC pisses on it
from a great height.

We do have silly laws, of course. The Poll Tax springs to mind <g>
We've just implemeted some of the foulest legislation against freedom of
assembly this side of Tiananmen Square. You know the old saying "two's a
conspiracy, three's a riot" That's law here now and you can be busted
just for hanging around.

Still, at least I can carry ice cream in my fucking pocket!
I just can't go and see Hawkwind in a field for free anymore. Not
without inviting a nightstick round the head.
--
Jon Browne