I first heard this story mentioned on the radio this morning. Naturally, it has been gathering pace during the day and was featured on Jeremy Vine’s midday radio show.
The cost of residents’ parking permits could be linked to car emissions under plans being considered in one of the country’s most affluent areas.
A Lib Dem council in London wants owners of gas-guzzling vehicles to pay more to park outside their homes.
Richmond upon Thames residents with two high-emission cars could pay £750 a year, compared with £200 now, but the greenest cars would be exempt.
My immediate reaction was apoplexy. It hasn’t changed much since; having as I have since, listened to the self-righteous preaching by the self-appointed guardians of the planet; the LibDem councillors who came up with this vile scheme.
I don’t drive a large car. I don’t own a car. I don’t much like the large gas guzzlers being discussed. However, it is not my place to tell others what they should or should not buy. While I can understand charging extra for a second vehicle as this will be using a second parking space, charging people for their car’s emissions when it is standing still – and, therefore, not emitting anything, is nothing more than a punitive tax designed to punish those who make purchasing decisions of which the council disapproves. The council approves of electric cars…
The council hopes other authorities will be encouraged to follow its lead.
I’m sure they do. Having listened to both the leader of the council; Serge Lourie and Sir David Trigg, the Council cabinet member for traffic, transport and parking pontificate about how they have an obligation to “encourage” residents to change their lifestyle choices, I am in no doubt whatsoever that they want others to follow in their tawdry footsteps.
Listen you jumped up fascist fuckwits, you have no obligation to do anything of the sort. You were elected to serve the residents of Richmond, not to socially engineer them into thinking as you do. You do not “encourage” by using financial penalties for forbidden thinking and behaviour – that is blackmail, not encouragement. Get a dictionary, look the words up. It isn’t difficult, you pair of obnoxious, bullying little shits. It is not, absolutely not, your prerogative to use force to dictate people’s buying choices.
Social engineering… where have I heard that comment before? It just goes to show that LibDems once given the reins of power can be as authoritarian as the truly appalling ZANU Labour.
Once more we have the lemon sucking, purse lipped, puritans of envy and spite trying to force others through extortion and blackmail to bend to their will, to give up their free choice to abide by what local councillors deem to be the “correct” lifestyle choices; the smug, arrogant self-righteousness dripping from every vowel expelled from their sanctimonious lips. One thing is sure; if anyone tries to tell me what vehicle I should buy, my response would make nitric acid appear like mild green Fairy Liquid in comparison. How dare these jumped up poltroons presume the right to dictate their will to those whom they serve.
Red Ken was mentioned on the radio as approving the scheme. Well, the Stumbanfurer would, wouldn’t he? After all, he is going to wack London drivers of verboten vehicles with a triple congestion charge come 2010. Nasty little fascist dictators always band together. Anyway, fuckwit-in-chief Serge Lourie explains:
“Climate change is the single greatest challenge facing the world today,” said council leader Serge Lourie.
Really? And the proof for this is? Once more the smug arrogance of the global warming fascists is apparent as they assume that they are right, so that justifies any and all behaviour – after all, it’s global warming, innit? This, despite the science they claim is so robust being at best, flaky. Yes, the planet is warming. This is something it has done before. It has also cooled. It is a natural phenomenon. The question – and it’s one that has not been satisfactorily proven despite the hyperbole – is just how much we are affecting it. Recycled horseshit is still horseshit and I can smell it all the way from Richmond. But, never mind facts, never mind evidence, the mantra is enough, and people must be socially engineered to think as the inquisition does or burn as a penitent heretic. How vile, how pestilent, how abominable and execrable are these new inquisitors.
Jeremy Vine’s show included interviews with some Richmond residents. One was annoyed that he would be penalised. When asked if this would make him give up his powerful car, he said that he would simply pay the extra. Wrong answer. Another said that it might affect her buying decision in future. Wrong answer.
The right answer is for the residents of Richmond to band together and remind these odious little creeps just who is the boss in this relationship. A mass refusal to pay would be a good step in the right direction. Another would be a mass demonstration outside the council house culminating in the ritual placing of councillors’ heads on spikes, but that would be allowing my imagination to run away with me. It makes a nice image though; brings a glow to the cockles of my heart.
Update: Not everyone is impressed by my eloquent rant. But, then, I didn’t expect the humourless green cycling lobby to react in any other way… Still, well done for both spectacularly missing the point and making a complete tit of yourself in the process. From here on in, the only way is up. 
I notice since my comments regarding moderation on Rocky Hillside Blog, that this was an error caused by spam filters. An apology has been graciously made – I graciously accept and withdraw my previous comment..
Longrider,
“A mass refusal to pay would be a good step in the right direction.” No it wouldn’t: once it is law, they just get you through the parking fines for being in a respark bay without a valid permit displayed.
The correct – FREE MARKET – response is to leave Richmond and go to some other nice leafy suburb next door that is not being an arse. Let’s see what happens to Richmond’s tax raising powers when it is entirely populated with farty tofu-eating soap-dodgers.
Oh and you missed the more important howler that DK did pick up. Guess what they are promoting? you’ll never get it. Oh ok, maybe you will: electric cars.
Why?
Because they are – according to the morons – “zero emissions”.
Don’t these people ever think how electricity is generated in this country?
Grrr…..
Mass refusal would work if everyone refused. That, of course is the inherent weakness of civil disobedience. My logic, though, is that these nasty little fascists need to be reminded just who they work for.
I apologize for missing your comment (and those of everyone else over the last month.) My anti-spam solution was working too well. You were undoubtedly polite.
As an a Richmond resident and an owner of a particularly poor emissions gas guzzler I would like to add a couple of thoughts:
1 – While the hike in the residents parking permit is a nasty minded piece of extra tax raising by Richmond Council it actually only equates in value to about 2 tanks of petrol / diesel per car for most of us gas guzzler owners. And if you already live in Richmond and have a car costing anything say between £40-70k you’re more likely to be annoyed by the action than actually change your buying choice.
2 – Whilst your rant was enjoyable to read and conveyed your sense of pique over the Lib Dems actions it missed one obvious course of action – rather than sticking their heads on a spit we could simple unite and vote them out in favour of a party that does not seek to score little eco brownie points as justification for charging us more for the privilege of living where we do.
I liked the Pedant General’s comments on electricity generation. If you sign up to the emissions / global warming science then our ageing electricity production must be seen as a major offender.
Well, yes, quite. Not as much fun, though… :whistle: