Tuesday 8 July 2008

Another Manifesto Pledge Honoured!

London Mayor Boris Johnson has quashed the proposed rise in congestion charge for vehicles deemed the most polluting.

Former mayor Ken Livingstone planned to raise the daily levy from £8 to £25 from October, prompting car maker Porsche to bring a legal challenge.

Mr Johnson pledged in his election manifesto to scrap the £25 charge and said the move would save legal costs.
Keep it up, Boris!

Of course, there are always those who don't agree:
Mr Livingstone said the decision was "a further blow to the London as groundbreaking city to tackle climate change and improve the environment."

He added that rather than saving money "London will lose £30-£60m expected annual revenue from the scheme".
Would you like some cheese with that whine, Ken...?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm really am quite shocked by your last two posts. To be so partisan towards one political persuasion suggests a deeper affiliation than I had suspected.

My inital thought was you were a little Englander. But no, you're not. You're the genuine article. A full blown middle-class tosser with a crusade to re-enact 1979.

The way things are right now, matters are likely to be in your favour at the polls soon.

But trust me, Boris, and little David are just the same (maybe even a bit worse) than the current crop of greasy-pole merchants.

To believe these products of the English political landscape will somehow make a jot of difference to life in old Albion by a ballot-box competition is simply foolish.

Three or four political parties all queuing up in contest telling us they will make life better by ameliorating the harsher aspects of multi-national capitalism whilst continuing to support mass-murder is simply silly. And wrong.

I think you must be tapped.

TT

Old BE said...

I thought that Ken's own figures showed that the increase for "high polluting" vehicles would make almost no difference, and I dread to think about the cost of implementing and administering a system of two different prices given that the system already consumes most of its revenue.

I agree with congestion charging as a principle (much more free-market that queueing) but Ken's implementation leaves a lot to be desired.

Old BE said...

I meant no difference to overall CO2 levels.

Anonymous said...

"You're the genuine article. A full blown middle-class tosser with a crusade to re-enact 1979."

Oh, hello again, Total Twat. I thought you'd left and gone to set up your own blog, so we could all revel in your wit and wisdom..

Sadly, not.

"The way things are right now, matters are likely to be in your favour at the polls soon."

Grates, doesn't it? And all because of the failure of Nu Labour. Mmmmm, that tastes goooood.. ;)

"But trust me, Boris, and little David are just the same (maybe even a bit worse) than the current crop of greasy-pole merchants."

I have my doubts about dippy Dave, it's true. Though I fail to see how he could do worse than the current bunch!

"I thought that Ken's own figures showed that the increase for "high polluting" vehicles would make almost no difference..."

Yes indeed, but it was never about pollution, it was about appeasing his base and 'hitting the rich' to garner votes from greens and idiots like Total Twat up above.

Anonymous said...

Please Julia, it would really help if you didn't persist in the notion I believe in the blue boys, the labour party, or indeed the greens, can take on international sociology. Ain't never gonna happen.

Your adherence to a belief in our current system of Government is nieve, wrong-headed and foolish.

Slinging insults at me doesn't make your case.

TT

Anonymous said...

"Slinging insults at me doesn't make your case.

TT"


It's not meant to 'make my case' (whatever you imagine my case to be).

It's meant to convey my utter contempt for someone who trolls other's blogs whining about what they are writing about, yet never engages seriously or sets up their own blog to hold forth on what they view as the 'answers'.

You're an object of ridicule here while you maintain that attitude, only worth the fun of mauling if I'm in the mood...

Clear?

Longrider said...

Your adherence to a belief in our current system of Government is nieve, wrong-headed and foolish.

Another assumption.

Noting that a politician has honoured a manifesto promise is hardly partisan. The event is so rare these days, it has become noteworthy.