There’s nothing green about the Tory’s policies

Comment by Jeremy Skidmore (www.jeremyskidmore.com)

Just when you thought the blancmange-faced Tory leader might have something to offer, his party announces its environmental policy, the most ill-informed piece of nonsense I’ve read in a long time.

Firstly, I must confess that I’ve not yet signed up to this new environmental religion, which brainwashes everyone in its path, like a 2007 version of scientology.

I use some energy efficient light bulbs (to save money) and recycle because it seems like a good idea. But I also drive a reasonably fuel-efficient 4X4 because I like it and take several flights a year for business and pleasure, and honestly do not give a monkey’s whether anyone approves of that or not.

I’m also very sceptical about whether my, and everyone else’s, little efforts make an iota of difference. I was in Manhattan the other day, where virtually every car is a huge 4×4. That light bulb in my lounge is really going to save us all.

Anyway, back to the Tory’s new policy. Everyone will be allowed one short-haul flight per year at a standard rate of tax, but frequent flyers would have to pay more. In a breathtakingly ignorant statement, shadow chancellor George Osborne said this was designed to target frequent travellers but not families taking one package per year.

I know politicians are notoriously out of touch, but do they not realise that holiday habits have changed? There’s this new thing called the Internet and no-frills flights and now lots of people, even those funny working families, go on more than one flight a year.

This proposal will do nothing to limit flights. Research shows Air Passenger Duty would have to be several times higher to make a dent in traffic figures. All it will do is raise money for the government and it is the least well-off who will feel the pinch.

Airlines will also find ways around the proposed fuel duty by filling up abroad – and burning more fuel in the process! You couldn’t make it up.

There’s going to be VAT on domestic flights to encourage us to use trains. Great, we’d all love to use trains, but have you seen the cost of travelling from London to the North? No wonder people fly. Of course, politicians wouldn’t know this because they wouldn’t be seen dead on public transport.

What riles me more than anything is the hypocrisy of these people. This is nothing to do with saving the planet, otherwise these misguided proposals would at least be backed up by concrete plans for spending the revenue raised on environmental projects. It’s just another way to bring in cash for the government and I’d have more respect for them if they admitted as much.

And can anyone tell me exactly how much fuel has been burned and carbon emissions clocked up by sending over fighter jets and dropping bombs in this pointless war in Iraq which every main party, but hardly any member of the public, supports? I tell you what, I’ll hazard a guess that it’s done more damage than my 4×4.

On the subject of hypocrisy, isn’t blancmange-face the one who cycles to work while a Jaguar brings his papers with him?  And wasn’t the Tory party headquarters recently photographed with just about every light on even though no-one was in the building?

Meanwhile, chief scientologist Al Gore may well talk a lot of sense. But he travels extensively (I wonder how) preaching his gospel before returning home, considerably more wealthy, to his 20-room mansion that uses more electricity in a month than the average US household gets through in a year.

So what should we do?

You can’t stop people from flying and the government has got no business trying to do so. If it really believes that aircraft are the great evil, then incentivise airlines to produce more fuel efficient equipment and tax those carriers that do not invest in cleaner machines.

Educate people and encourage them to recyle or think about whether their trip is necessary. Invest in public transport and subsidise it so that it provides a real alternative to flying.

But don’t patronise us by taking more money from our pockets with ill-conceived taxes and then spending the money on something that is completely unrelated and often, ironically, damaging the planet.

What’s your view?