We have our answer
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
please-go - epetition response | Number10.gov.uk.
The Prime Minister has, finally, responded to the most popular petition ever on the Number 10 website; requesting him to resign. His response to the request of 72,234 signatories? He strung together the clichés he has been uttering for months, while Britain daily slides deeper into an economic mire of his spendthrift government's making;
The Prime Minister is completely focussed on restoring the economy, getting people back to work and improving standards in public services. As the Prime Minister has consistently said, he is determined to build a stronger, fairer, better Britain for all.
His contempt for us really is total, isn't it?
It was not really a road tolls issue for me. I would support an efficient toll system like the one in France.
What worried me was the monstrous nature of the UK proposals, constant satellite tracking of all vehicles is simply beyond what is acceptable, the potential for abuse by state agencies doesn't bear thinking about. Zero tolerance speed policing would have followed as sure as night follows day.
The long held attitude of the government regarding roads is that congestion is proof that roadbuilding doesn't help in the long term. Gwyneth Dunwoody, before she shuffled off to the great shipyard in the sky, wouldn't allow any experts views in the Transport S.C. until they had regurgitated this opinion. Road pricing was her baby, hers and our craven haulage industry who thought it might have given them an advantage over foreign competition.
It is rather understating the facts to say we have already paid for the roads. We have paid for them ten times over, only 10% of revenue raised from motoring and motorists is spent on our roads, by far the lowest figure in the world. Toll money would only help roads if it was not swallowed up by the exchequer, road pricing offered no such guarantee.
I hope and believe it was the surveillance aspect of Gwyneth's big idea that made so many people object. It was a liberty too far even for our supine populace, a line in the sand was drawn.
'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step' ...Lao-Tzu
Posted by: Diogenes | Thursday, November 05, 2009 at 12:32 PM
With the greatest respect, Tom, the issue is no longer Brown or even Cameron - the issue is the groundswell of true conservative discontent which is going to see that power bloc carry the day in coalition with the other two likeminded smaller parties. I've been chatting to UKIP and LPUK last night and today and to a few disaffected Tories.
This is where the real issues are occurring.
Posted by: jameshigham | Thursday, November 05, 2009 at 09:13 AM
My apologies. I stand corrected. Is that encouraging though? I would rather have priced roads than the congestion we have today. As a libertarian, it seems fairly obvious that Britain (apart from underpopulated Scotland) is hell to drive in precisely because it has no toll roads. Compare and contrast the wonderful driving experiences in France and (even despite the zero tolerance speed policing which takes the edge off) Switzerland. The only decent motorway in Britain is the M6 toll. While I can understand no-one wants the terrible roads we have now (and for which we have already paid once) to be tolled, but wouldn't we be happier if all new motorways were? Especially if it meant LOTS of new motorways.
The other reason it's not so encouraging is that people care so much about road pricing, but have watched indifferently as our liberties are trashed. I don't know who my fellow-citizens are. They are more mysterious to me than the Russians or Chinese.
Posted by: Tom | Thursday, November 05, 2009 at 07:53 AM
Diogenes, That would be ok if "they" actually listened.
I figure with this new fad for unelected appointed politicians in Europe they won't need to even pretend to bother soon and we can be content with the democratic right to vote for X Factor contestants as a consolation prize.
Posted by: Moggsy | Thursday, November 05, 2009 at 07:26 AM
This may have been the most popular petition requesting Brown's resignation but it is not the most popular petition EVER by a long chalk.
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page11050
1 700 000 citizens told the government to think again about road pricing.
It somewhat restored my faith in the people of this country.
Posted by: Diogenes | Thursday, November 05, 2009 at 01:26 AM
Oh gosh I must have received the same email. I just feel so privileged that our master has spoken..
Posted by: BTS | Wednesday, November 04, 2009 at 07:18 PM
Yesterday I was at the Houses of Parliament, it was like being at a place where everyone knows that The End Is Nigh. Now it has less power than Rutland County Council did in the 1930's.
Posted by: Demetrius | Wednesday, November 04, 2009 at 06:43 PM