Bailiffs take campaigner’s car over broadcast devolution campaign
A Ceredigion woman’s car has been confiscated by bailiffs after she refused to pay a court penalty for her part in a campaign to gain broadcasting powers for Wales.
69-year old Eiris Llywelyn, from Ffostrasol in Ceredigion, was found guilty in April this year for refusing to pay for her TV licence as part of the campaign for broadcasting powers for Wales.
She was the third campaigner to go to court as part of the campaign and was ordered to pay a £220 court penalty. She is the first person to refuse to pay court penalties and so risks a prison sentence.
Speaking from her home in Ffostrasol, Eiris Llywelyn said: “I intend to continue to refuse to pay and I’m willing to face the consequences. The bailiffs have called and taken my car, but I’m not going to give in.
“I’m willing to take the protest to the end in order to draw attention to a matter that’s of vital importance to our nation. We’re pushing for the devolution of communication and broadcasting powers for the sake of Wales’ democracy, as well as our language.
“The lack of Welsh content in the media is a threat to self-government in Wales, and it must be tackled.”
‘Support’
Campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith claim that securing broadcasting powers for Wales is essential to maintaining devolution.
According to opinion polling, fewer than half of the Welsh public know that responsibility over health is devolved to the Senedd in Cardiff.
Ninety people are currently refusing to pay for their licence fees in an effort to transfer control over TV, radio and online communication from Westminster to Wales.
Bethan Ruth, Chair of campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith, added: “We’re very grateful to Eiris for her brave stand. It’s a fight for the future of our language, our communities and for our democracy.
“Democracy is impossible without powers over the media moving from Westminster to Cardiff and a media which reflects our values and our culture – so that we see the world through a Welsh window. Devolving the broadcasting system is as important as devolving the political system itself.
“We’re pleased to see more and more support from the Welsh Government and others for the campaign. Decisions about broadcasting in Wales should be made by the people of Wales.
“We’ve had enough of the Government in London cutting the Welsh media, and presiding over a system which gives so little attention to Wales and doesn’t reflect our lives.”
According to a YouGov opinion poll published last year, 65% of people in Wales favour devolving powers over broadcasting to the Senedd in Cardiff.
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That is one of the most ridiculous comments I have ever read!It doesn’t warrant a response really but I guess you turn the set off when the rugby is on so you don’t have to listen to our beautiful anthem !
Totally silly response from someone presumably with far too little in life to be anything but a very minor irritation. On the other hand, perhaps we should all switch off our TV sets until the English language is removed from all broadcasts in Cymru.
I like English myself, though I love Cymraeg!
Blimey, I would like to speak everything.
Just typical of the ‘Bully Boys’ that are called Bailiffs wonder if they would have been so quick to seize the car of a 6’6” rugby player? Cowards all hit the easy target old ladies, pensioners, etc!!!
The arrogance of authorities who just love inflicting pain on people that they perceive as “weak”, except this is one tough lady with a good stock of backbone and willpower. She will triumph no matter how the courts set out to hurt her. She has a community of friends around her as well which is great moral support, something her tormentors lack. They will get their judgement one day and will probably squeal like stuck pigs when it happens.
This happens to anyone who does not pay their court fine, they didn’t single her out.
Welsh language hobbyists who have encouraged her should pay the small fortune it will cost to get her car back.
This is so that they don’t have to put her in prison and risk focussing media attention on the issue. Same tactic employed by the authorities during the Welsh language campaigns in the 60s.
If she doesn’t cough up the house may be next in their sights, perhaps her supporters should pay up?
That would defeat the object, and obviously it’s too important an issue for her to give in at this moment. I can see that you’re concerned for her future wellbeing, though, which is very commendable. They won’t risk the publicity that such an extreme act of retribution would give rise to, so worry not.
Baliffs costs will rack up nicely, seriously, pretty well nobody in either the UK as a whole or Wales will be bothered if the house goes the same way as the car.
It’s all well and good being a martyr, but no good either going to jail or becoming homeless for it.
You’re still worrying about nothing, Dave — her car’s worth more than the license fee. So the BBC have found a way of getting their fee without the publicity that they are so afraid of.
As regards the lady herself, there’s little point in appealing to self-interest when someone is fully committed to a cause and when they are acting out of a belief in the greater good. Otherwise there’d never be any progress in this world.
Licence fee is irrelevant now, the court and baliffs costs are the issue.
And the beeb won’t care about publicly, outside the bubble of Welsh nationalism, it’s a non story.
That’s because the BBC will not include it in any news bulletin.
Cause it’s a non story, eventually when enough of her assets have been seized and auctioned (languages enthusiasts should buy back her car) the BBC will get it’s money, there’s only one loser in this story
You’re going to have to stop obsessing about this ‘non story’.
I feel a bit sorry for her, fair enough to take a stand, but that’s cost her her car, which could be a problem in rural ceredigion
More importantly, this whole incident shows that withholding the licence fee won’t work. The campaign needs to target the UK Government, not the BBC.