The GREEN TAX

On a side to my earlier ranting about the congestion charge. How about this little gem? Taken from a report in todays Metro newspaper.
Households in Britain are paying £400 more in GREEN TAXES than their carbon foot print.
A total of £10 billion nationwide.
A report from the Tax Payers Alliance claims that "GREEN TAXES" raised £21.9 billion in 2005 but the social cost was just £11.7 billion. That is not all there are other ways used to raise money, the truth is frightening.
Only 20% of people think that polititions are trying to change our habits by using the tax system. But no less than 63% think it is just an excuse to raise money.
What do You think?
If you want more figures from these studies, just leave a comment and I will be happy to oblige.
I can be certain that you won't like it. We are being screwed and we can do nothing about it other than at the ballot box. Vote for the Monster Raving Luny Party, which one is up to you!

The poor cyclist

One really has to feel sorry for all these poor cyclists. They pay nothing for the facilities they have. Cycle lanes, ride on the pavement without being fined, special places to park their bikes. Do I need to go on? Oh! and god help a motorist that hits one when they ride straight across zebra crossings, red lights and anything else you can think of that a car driver would be pilloried for. In my humble opinion they come second only to artic drivers and white van man. Do I ride a bike? you bet.

You don't need to spell

Trying to do things in a rush is not a good idea. Just look at that last effort. But as only two people bother to read it, I beg the forgiveness of both of you.

Prickly situation or a load of bull

Well !

What do we believe, the county council want to introduce congestion charging to pay for improved public transport, albeit with a share of £500million from the government. And now our city council want to introduce resident parking TO PAY FOR IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSPORT. How many buses can our roads hold? (miss-Guided or otherwise) Have they not realised that part of the problem is all the new traffic lights that have appeared all over Cambridge during the last few years. For example coming from The Royal Cambridge Hotel at the top of Lensfield Road to Elizabeth Road/Chesterton high street roundabout at my last count there are now 19 sets of lights where there used to be 1.

The idea of a charge from 0730 til 0930 just about sums up their brain power, firms just start later in the day! and as for city residents having to pay even to drive out of the city. the word cuckoo springs to mind

The bull pen was cleaned before the photo was taken by order of environmental health or was it health and safety or some other quango. Who knows, there are too many to even speculate.

Bird or Bull

Wow got something to load at last. Not sure if I'm getting the bird or a load of bull!

A picture? might be

There might be a picture this time.
Not a bird but a black squirrel, taken
on the Scotland farm Estate

SPECS the next instalment

I see the SPECS cameras are now live on the A14
One thing that our wonderfull leaders have not rumbled is that average speed is a complicated thing. You can travel a distance at one speed, say 60mph. If you then have to slow for a couple of miles to say 50 (like behind a lorry that has pulled out in front of you with no indication) Once he pulls in, you can then drive several miles at 65 mph and still not exceed the overall average for any given distance. I can supply the formulae if anyone is interested.
But as that requires a little working out, I doubt if our leaders would know how to do it.

Still trying

still can't get pictures to up load, but don't dispare I'll get them there eventually.

To go back to an earlier post re the SPEC's cameras.

I agree whole heartedly because I can not see for the life of me how by putting up specs cameras will stop the accidents on the A14. Even if they reduce the overall speed to 60 MPH it will not solve the problem, as lorries will still pull out in front of cars without any regard to other road users, all without exceeding the speed limit. I use the A14 every working day and see it happen several times in just 15 miles and nearly every day! One thing one does not see on the A14 is police cars, until there is an accident and they appear out of the woodwork like beatles and then close the road for hours.
Still back to trying to upload some pictures

Watch the birdies

As promised some bird pictures. (Only trouble is they won't upload at the moment, but I'm working on it)
But these are not the birdies you need to watch. They will be the "SPECS" camera's they are saying they will place along the A14 to cut down on accidents.
Why not just ban lorries from the outside lane and use a few unmarked police cars to enforce it. much too simple. Lets spend a few more hundreds of thousands of pound of tax payers money.
"After all we will soon recover it with our road charging income"
Income neutral! who do they think they are kidding?
How about getting every motorist in the country to hand over £600 to have a black box fitted so they can charge you to use the road. That will be interesting to watch.
Add to this a very little known proposal to reduce accidents and speed limits without changing a single road sign. Change all speed limits to KPH instead of MPH. So 70 MPH becomes 43 MPH, should successfully increase Co2 by 2/3rds. Who says MP's don't think.

A rather delayed Happy New Year

A very Happy New Year to all of my reader, (it is meant to be singular)
Not that it seems there are too many people hanging on my every word!
I know now what every "would be" author feels like. Write a story, good or bad, and nobody reads it. Still it keeps me off the streets these dark and dismal evenings.
There will be some good phtos in the next entry, I have been going through my wildlife portfolio.
The videos are better but cant get them on here!