Nanny State

Tonight's news (see previous post) also triggered this post that's been rolling about in my head for a while. A community leader was caught embezzling funds. Not even that much: £60,000, a good year's salary, from charitable organizations he was involved in. He had been granted a Knight of the British Empire award from the Queen based on false recommendations he provided, it was revealed; he's claimed to return the KBE. Tomorrow he begins an 18 month prison sentence, and is expected to be released in nine. A scandal certainly, but in the great scheme of things, this is nothing like Enron or WorldCom.

But the news report pulled no punches on this guy! They used very straightforward language, labeling him as a deceiver of public trust. Former friends in high places were interviewed, and they talked on and on about how their trust was broken by this man.

This name-and-shame technique is common; it seems it's part of society here. And it's apparently effective. Another example is the use of Asbos - Anti-Social Behaviour Orders - to reduce street thuggery.

Taxes are high here - I've heard around 40% - but services are very high also. Our library is open on Sundays. There are public toilets (not attached to shopping, even) that are cleaner than the ones in many restaurants. In addition to income tax, we pay a council tax which pays for local services.

There's also a television tax. Buy a television, and you must register to pay the tax. This tax is what funds the BBC by and large. I don't know what's told to those who argue they don't watch the BBC channels. But I will say that the programming is excellent; even with just four main channels, there's almost always something interesting to watch, and with high production values and a fraction of the commercials we're used to. So in general, you get what you pay for, which is a lot in both cases.