Divide and rule the airwaves!

Is motoring the new smoking?

'Oh, bless. Let's hope this hugely complex issue does not get reduced to a % yes/no figure that would be great for media ratings and little else.

Because it's not as simple as, say, 'Should the BBC stop sending celeb reporters around the world to do a 30' vox pop to make a point on climate warming?'.

Frankly it may make more sense to change 'motoring' to 'travelling', but then the problem with that is most of the new 'elites' in and around London don't do as much of the former as the latter, so maybe it's best to focus on what can be controlled more reason.. comfort... er, with the least impact close to one's personal lifestyle.

There are similarities between both smoking and trav... motoring, of course. They seem to be addictive. Have massive lobbies in support. Neither can claim to not impose on others who may be unwilling.... etc.

Gets a bit stickier on what's actually necessary, at least in the absence of any decent alternatives. You don't really HAVE to smoke, but I'd like to introduce a few Islington-Westminster-Fleet St luvvies to some folk who don't spend their lives wedged on the M6 because they just love the smell of exhaust in the morning. Some don't have Tuscan villas to escape to at the drop of a peerage, index-linked pensions or a rather nice lifestyle hitching a ride to study climate change in the few snowy bits left (on account of all the guys going there to report/experience/blog on it to those who can't... or don't think it's very fair to do so, even if they can afford it).

Oh, yes, and both are, for now, still completely legal to buy and 'do'. Their manufacture and use is permitted and facilitated, if not positively encouraged, perhaps because of certain revenue streams that are accrued along the way. Careful of those second homes oh chattering classes; they may be OK now, but they are also only a retroactive tax change away.

Maybe I can borrow the notion from one of our many highly-paid public servants today, only rather than giving drug addicts NHS fixes to stop them being naughty, maybe I can claim a car and fuel for the less onerous crime of needing to get where I need to to earn money to survive, because there is no alternative here.

Fix & reward first; fine & regale second.

And you can stick that where the sun don't make my solar panel generate.

Have a tremendous day. By some measures we don't have a lot left while we sweat the petty stuff at the expense of the bigger picture.

Classic divide and rule the airwaves. Let the bickering begin... er... continue!'