For thirteen years I've watched it
And never paid a cent.
Films and sport and other stuff
And every main event.
Now they say I'll have to pay,
And a licence I must buy.
Or my Auntie BBC
Will have to say goodbye.
So then I'll have an option
To either live in sin,
Or else do as I've often felt
And chuck the TV in the bin.
It’s scandalous Don and has to be stopped. Leave the licences free for 75+. That’s just my opinion. Xxxxxx😘
Master Po i will gladly pay your licence fee
Then you could watch the beeb for free
But if you do decide to live in Sin
Just let us know and we will all move in
It wouldn't take long before you got tired
And regretted the day that licence expired. 
Ski's and a cat that doesn't have to pay xx
You are getting too good at this young Grasshopper, I’m too old to be rolling on the floor. 😂x
I'm with you There Don, Hope all the Petitions we Signed will change this Licence of Robbing our Elderly . Sack some BBC People, They are Paid far too much. I and Many many others Turned BBC off on the 21st June, whether it made a Difference is yet to be Shown....on ITV maybe?. Thanks for the Wonderful Poem Don . xxxx
Disgraceful that the bbc can get away with it, we dont after all have a choice on whether to have the bbc or not. They should just scrap the licence and have adverts, it would solve the problem. Or we could all put on yellow vests and go and protest outside the bbc xx
We gave up both paying for and watching broadcast TV years ago and moved to online subscriptions with Netflix and Amazon Prime. Not only is it cheaper but way better with choice and it is all in 4K so much better quality. We don't even get hassled by TV Licensing anymore, since charging them £50 to process each communication, which you are in fact allowed to do by law and if they don't pay you can actually sue them for it. That includes answering the door to their salespersons, who they insist on calling enforcement officers even though they have no powers.
They can go to court and lie, to get a search warrant, but at the end of the day if you have no aerial installed they are stuffed and open to prosecution for contempt of court, because they need two pieces of evidence to get a warrant, so they have to lie under oath to gain one if you have no means of receiving a signal. You can then proceed to prosecute them for demanding money with menaces. No worries, you do not have to prove any innocence, the onus is all on them to prove it.
I think it's disgraceful that the TV licence is being taken away from elders. If it has to be stopped, which is a matter for debate anyway, then Don't give it to people who'll be turning 75 but not to take it away from those that already have TV. And the BBC keep running that cringe worthy advert in the patronising voice telling Old People they don't need to worry. I would think there are a number of people not on pension credit but who aren't much better off, and for whom the TV licence is just one expense too many. Some schmuck was on the radio saying that universal benefits are wrong, because even the most wealthy get them. The presenter retorted that you still had to apply for the license therefore it wasn't a universal benefit as it has to be requested, so wealthy people can choose to not request it. Unlike other universal benefits that are handed out regardless. That left him lost for words.
It doesn't say much for a society that starts taking things away from our elders, who've worked and paid taxes all their lives, then when they're entitled to get something back they're told they can't actually have it.
Living in sin will be far more fun especially as the good programmes are few and far between Cap'n 
I'm fortunate in that another bill dropping through my letter box won't make much difference to me, but I can imagine there are plenty of housebound over 75's on small incomes for whom the TV is the only contact they have with the outside world. They will find it hard when they have been assured that in future the licence will be free.
Ha ha Don I know the feeling! x
I don't mind buying something I've chosen to pay for ....how do I unchoose to watch just BBC!
Good one Don. It annoys me when I see Rip off Britain on the BBC and the three female presenters are seen in the sunshine in some holiday beach resort discussing rip offs that take place in the uk, must be costly to send them and the tv crew there and totally unnecessary. Also sending crews to a place where a crime has taken place in darkness where all you see is a building. We are both over 75 so not happy👎
It’s the weather presenters that get me down. The weather is beginning to take second place to interviewing people or animals (which are always “gorgeous”) or visiting places I don’t want to go to. 🙄
It is dreadful, I'm only 43/so.don't quite fit that category yet anyway. I coudn't afford the tv licence though with all.the other benefit changes.that have affected me, but then as luck would have it someone pointed out to me as long as I don't watch BBC or BBC iPlayer and live tv then I don't need one!
I rang them and confirmed, and it was true. SOoo it was nice and easy, they sent me a .letter to confirm and I now don't worry about it. I watch everything else on catch up which is ideal which most people.tend to nowadays anyway.plus I got a bargain of Amazon tv on which covers.tv,.music and delivery of £40 ayear for three years so that was ideal too as normally 80 , and good when people want to know what to get for presents! I tend to say subscriptions now! Or just anything that might pass time as currently bed bound.
Take care all
Hugs
Lucy
Now that is really useful information, Lucy, thanks for posting it. It’s a bit of a grey area so having a letter of conformation solves that as you say. 😎 Hope you are soon released from that bed. 😉
You need to put the blame in the right place, it's the government not the bbc as the petition quite rightly says. I'd be lost without the bbc and really don't like adverts. There is a cost to funding broadcast by adverts, it puts up the price of the product being advertised
That’s right, another bit of government trickery to protect themselves from the battering that the BBC is now receiving.
They are equally to blame gov.uk/government/news/bbc-...
As l understand it,we do not now pay for BBC,but for the RECEIVER (TV).This
l believe is how they get by it.But if you also have Sky,and as far as l can see.we
are also paying for BBC via them ??? Am l then to gather we pay twice,or is it MY
ERROR ?
Far too many cookery programmes for my liking, always fancy, nothing basic to encourage young people to make quick, wholesome meals.
I mostly watch my tv choices at a time to suit me. Have been enjoying the repeats of Peaky Blinders. Not a tennis or football fan.
So Iris if we get Monty Don to knock up some beans on toast whilst delighting us with his gardening skills and with the bonus of seeing his beloved pooches i reckon we will get you value for money tv,oh ok i will throw in a few historical dramas for light entertainment's sake.
Love Ski's and Scruff's x
My wife was hooked on watching cookery programmes but never followed any of the recipes, much too wasteful she said. She just enjoyed the entertainment. Mind you, I think the fact that she was married to a man that just wanted good wholesome British grub had a lot to do with it too. 🙄
I'd go for the 2nd one I've often wanted to do this however living in sin sounds so much more exciting go on live a little u could stand behind the curtains and pretend your out 😊
I can't really add to the conversation but I can say with all certainty my mum is most displeased with it all. xx 😐😑
Well that's it then Cas, game set and match! They are probably back-peddling as we speak. 😃
😂😂😂
Interestingly a precedent was set a few years ago when a young man was taken to court by the BBC for non payment of the license fee. In his defence he said that he was not prepared to pay money to a company that supports terrorism (due to what they did on 9.11 01). The judge upheld his complaint and he was exonerated. He no longer pays a license fee.
On 9.11.01 Jane Standley a BBC reporter claimed that the WTC7 building had collapsed due to sporadic fires but it was still standing and visible over her shoulder. After this mistake was realised the transmission feed was cut and the building collapsed 20 minutes later. The defendant maintained that the BBC were complicit and won the case.
Ooh, a conspiracy theory. The reporter made an error. The court case stuff is wrong, can't find a trace of it.
I remember hearing about it and logged it for future use. Be interested to find the truth about these things. I never heard anything to the contrary, however.
found it, he didn't get away with it though. :
Ooops! A bit political, we can't go there, you'll get me into trouble since I started all this..😉
Not my intention Don mate, I think we should all be able to express our feelings about this sort of thing without fear of comeback.
We are, but not here where we agreed to follow the rules when we joined. It's to keep the place nice and quiet and friendly, we have very sick people here and political debates are rarely like that for long.
Could this be time for another Petition l wonder ?? Plenty
of elderly to sign so we are told!! In fact they think there are
to many.In which case we should be able to overturn their
decision quite easily.It is because the British will not stand up
and be counted that our Government walks all over us.
BREXIT
All it needs is for ALL over 75s to do nothing and stand fast.
I think it’s an solutely ludicrous why should they pay big stars big money they get enough as it is. They should be thinking of the over 75s and taking little money how greedy can you get these people are millionaires iD like to see them in 75s age working class they couldn’t cope. The more they get the more they want. They should be helping the 75s and over who have worked all their lives.
Meaning they do not buy licence,have to go to court,
pay a big fine on top of still paying for licence ???
Because that is all that will happen !!
You reckon the system could cope with that?
I refuse to pay for the obscene salaries they pay to stars. If they get huge money, how much are "the bosses" getting! Food for thought.
The government are to blame not the BBC. Direct your anger to them. I always find it odd how many people vote for the Conservative Party when they treat the most vulnerable in society so abysmally including disabled people and those with long term health conditions.
I'm furious about this, I have reached 72 and was really looking forward to what I was going to do with all the extra money I would have when I got to 75!! I don't get Pension Credit nor help with rent & council tax because both I and my husband paid into work and private pensions which were hard at times but we believed the Government's insistence that it was good for us!! We don't get a fortune but just over the amount we would have to have to get help. Our rent for the sheltered bungalow is almost £500 per month and Council tax is £100 so that's a huge sum from our income before we start. Monthly D/Ds for fuel etc and we've not got much left for pleasure! My TV is important for me and I'm lucky I have my husband but he's now got Parkinson's Disease so the future is not too bright right now. I know we can joke about this but for many older people, the TV is their lifeline and the only contact with the outside world. It's ridiculous that we're still paying for the BBC to line the pockets of already wealthy presenters!
Battle on Regardless.
Just like busses...! 
I'm confused, copd!? can you help please?
