It seems highly debatable (given recent events in Edinburgh and Manchester) that voters in any large UK conurbation will opt for the imposition of a local congestion charge (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/16/letters-climate-change-green-issues). The main problem seems to be the fact that the people most likely to vote on such issues are members of the "car owning democracy" and are unlikely to support anything that costs them more in the short term irrespective of any longer term gains in traffic flow, local health issues etc. This certainly seems to be Peter Preston's view (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/22/congestion-charge-climate-change-government). I wonder if congestion charges were voted on in Scandinavian locations (although individuals in these countries do seem to find supporting things for the general 'good' easier)? Perhaps individual choice is not wholly appropriate in such cases? I thought politicians were supposed to take some difficult decisions for us?
Monday, 22 December 2008
Turkeys, Votes and Christmas?
It seems highly debatable (given recent events in Edinburgh and Manchester) that voters in any large UK conurbation will opt for the imposition of a local congestion charge (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/16/letters-climate-change-green-issues). The main problem seems to be the fact that the people most likely to vote on such issues are members of the "car owning democracy" and are unlikely to support anything that costs them more in the short term irrespective of any longer term gains in traffic flow, local health issues etc. This certainly seems to be Peter Preston's view (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/22/congestion-charge-climate-change-government). I wonder if congestion charges were voted on in Scandinavian locations (although individuals in these countries do seem to find supporting things for the general 'good' easier)? Perhaps individual choice is not wholly appropriate in such cases? I thought politicians were supposed to take some difficult decisions for us?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sandwich Island Saga 62. Wind turbines and birds
Research in Norway has revealed that painting one blade of a wind turbine black, greatly reduces the number of bird collisions. ...
-
I n the UK and US, a pparently popular and successful vegan/vegetarian restaurants are reportedly closing or adding meat to their menus ( ...
-
Early ripening fruit may seem convenient but some folk think it confirms environmental stress. There's also a possibility th...
%20mating%20NWCW.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment