It’s Flashback Friday. Every Friday we bring back a golden oldie article from yesteryear. A chance for you to re-read it and see if it is still relevant today!
The internet and Sky satellite radio station called “Radio Caroline” has just released a very expensive T-shirt which states the following on its front:
“Declared ‘The Last Outlaw’ in 1967 “Radio Caroline has become the last outlaw. It may survive for a short while, but anyone who watches westerns at the cinema will know how even the last outlaw gets captured by the sheriff in the end” Edward Short MP 1967 Still waiting for ‘The Sheriff’ in 2009”
There is also a picture of the ex-radioship Ross Revenge at sea, designed to give the impression that “Radio Caroline” broadcasts from a radioship, erm, at sea. The use of the phrase “Still waiting for the sheriff in 2009” is deliberately designed to falsely indicate that “Radio Caroline” is doing something unlicensed, daring, swash-buckling or in some way daring.
Firstly, “Radio Caroline” has submissively signed-up to every available licence and legal agreement with the authorities that it can find to sign up to. There is nothing ‘outside the law’ about it whatsoever. Why would they pretend there is?
Secondly, it is not broadcasting from a ship at sea. Nothing has broadcast from a ship at sea for nearly 20 years. Why would they want to pretend they are?
Thirdly, there is nothing in the rather conservative format of a stream of pop oldies that could be considered radical or even outside the law, so again, a false claim.
They should immediately withdraw this t-shirt of lies and apologise for mis-representing themselves!
England's England 
well what do you expect Chris?
I really don't know why you keep labouring this point.
The problem is the piss-take that calls itself Caroline on the internet is NOT and never has been Caroline. It is run by someone who let the anchor chain on the Ross rust through so she ended up drifting onto the Goodwins, FFS!
Caroline died (or if you are a dedicated Caroline nut) went into hibernation long before then; when the law changed and the sea bed was claimed by the UK and other surrounding countries. The only way you could get round THAT was to drift while broadcasting, which has several big disadvantages.
Caroline for 30-odd years proved you do not need a license to broadcast; it prided itself in being pirate, unlike some land based stations that tried everything they could do to be legal, even to the extent of having a recording played back in the House of Commons! There was no deciet there, and when that station got its license it was only fulfilling what it always wanted.
In contrast, the Caroline name has been dragged through the mud.
The last ever offshore pirate broadcast (to date, anyway) was by the late Dave The Fish, from his fishing vessel, and in fact appeared on TV, using an ex Radio Jackie Rig, loaned to them by Radio Argus.
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