30 November - Valiantly fighting their corner from a position of weakness
Bexley Labour has put out
a Press Release about the Mayor’s unjustifiable
(ULEZ) assault on the least well off members of society. They are in a tough place. They know that
it is an affront to democracy and has nothing to do with air pollution yet have
to be seen to support a Labour Mayor. Being decent people but tribal like all
politicians they have trodden a careful path to
avoid stamping on too many toes.
If a pollution charge was needed it was needed 20 plus years ago when
engines were undoubtedly unnecessarily dirty; not now when 85% of engines are ‘clean’
and that figure is heading towards 100% at a reasonably rapid rate without the
threat of Labour fines.
Labour claims to have obtained concessions for disabled
drivers but that is not what the TfL website says. It speaks only of
an exemption period.
Labour Councillors justify their support for further taxes on motorists by
referring to 162 annual deaths in Bexley attributable to “dangerous levels of
air pollution”. One wonders why most of us were not dying like flies when engines
smoked and buses stank. Were none of the 162 unfortunately born with bodily
weaknesses or later took up smoking?
The figure, if it is true at all, relates to people who died of breathing
difficulties but attributing them all to old cars is simply desperation on the
part of our Labour Councillors who must know in their heart that they are
valiantly creating a smoke screen to mask Khan’s true intentions. A London wide
road pricing scheme to fund his various vanity projects and grandiose lifestyle.
Click image to enlarge it.