The government is at the forefront of world efforts to reverse climate change. The vast majority of scientists agree that climate change is happening and that we need to do something urgently. However, as the Sun pointed out on 30th October, “I’m going to save the world, and you lot are paying” seems to be Tony Blair’s message to the British public. We have a situation where the developing world will not put in place curbs on emissions without the western world doing the same. For western world, read
We are now at the stage where we need to face up to the fact that we should all be producing our own energy. At B&Q at the moment you can buy a wind turbine for c£2K. Who’s going to pay that? But with government taxes and increased fuel prices, if the cost could be brought down, surely more people would switch? Sharing the renewable burden across the country, with each house storing some energy in rechargeable battery form might actually reduce the need for coal and gas power stations. Sure, domestic turbines are not pretty, but neither are satellite dishes, but we’ve all got used to those.
What simply isn’t acceptable, is that Blair, Brown, Milliband et al look likely to raise billions of pounds from additional taxation and rather than using the funds to save the world, they could well just end up further subsidising the health service, council services and schooling for immigrants from Eastern Europe who have flooded our into Britain in the past two years. The inequality in this country has to stop. The middle classes can’t shoulder any more burden without something in return. Yes to environmental taxes, but not without environmental action in return.
Paul: 31st October 2006
