Is motoring the new smoking?
'I very much doubt anyone will get this far, so I'll invest a few moments just to purge myself from the whole sorry state of debate, the media and government these days, having at last watched the spectacle of last night's show.
At least we didn't have the usual 'twofer', with two totally antagonistic pit bulls from extreme ends of the spectrum thrown in to simplistically represent both sides of the argument. This time we had a good half dozen. The smug government pol who has realised he can say or deny anything he likes (did he or did he not say what the Sun guy says he is on record as saying? I'm afraid the interviewer wasn't up to establishing that. Or the 2 or 3 ways you can track someone, and charge them for moving, from A to B without needing to know where they are. That just didn't make sense). The laddish 'media of the people person' who doesn't seem to care about the environment, but did at least try to drag the debate out of London... a bit. The posh lady who actually didn't do too bad a job of explaining why it pretty much sucks using public transport in every way possible, from cost to the state of the things. There was indeed no Tory, but after their rep's performance on Sky's news t'other night I can see why. Then a Lib Dem that was for but against. A shrill activist who has moved to live in London and now does not need a car, and cycles everywhere, doubtless with her kids in the pannier even when it's mid-winter. And some guy from the CBI who seemed to see money in the whole thing so that's OK. And all they did was bicker over each other. Melee media.
The only guy who seem quite calm and reasoned was the petition organiser.
What a zoo. What a farce. The only entity to gain was Newsnight's ratings, because almost none came out well, I certainly didn't learn anything much I didn't know, and I don't see this issue getting sorted or the planet getting better any time soon.
Oh, and if I hear one more politician tell me I don't know my own mind in the same breath as saying they want to persuade me on anything, I shall laugh myself silly.
The reservoir of trust is blown. Nothing that's said is believed. And if the notion the only solution is to push in such cases, all that happens is there is a greater push back.'
Telegraph - Pay as you drive is a dead end for Labour - Well done guys. You killed it better from within than any enemy could have done.
Telegraph - How road pricing could be used to hammer the 'gas guzzlers' - If you shout loud enough about listening, may people will shut up and do what you want
Daily Mirror - TOLL TAX: HAMMOND GRILLS THE PM - actually a few interesting snippets
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
As featured in AmericanInventor.com
A small, but perhaps significant milestone in the development of Junkk.com has occurred today.
As a consequence of a relationship stemming from the British Inventor Show, I was invited to write as a guest blogger for a US-based website called AmericanInventor.com.
And today my first post has been published.
If they and their audience like my style, and I can find the time, we are hoping that I will soon be moved to Featured Blogger, which carries many more promotional opportunities for Junkk.com along with it.
Fingers Crossed!
As a consequence of a relationship stemming from the British Inventor Show, I was invited to write as a guest blogger for a US-based website called AmericanInventor.com.
And today my first post has been published.
If they and their audience like my style, and I can find the time, we are hoping that I will soon be moved to Featured Blogger, which carries many more promotional opportunities for Junkk.com along with it.
Fingers Crossed!
Bin & Gone
I am again indebted to Dave of Solarventi for sending me a piece to twitch the eyebrows: One Bin Day
Like WRAP and all those other fine, funded (sorry, I originally wrote fine-funded, which would not do at all) entities that use our tax-£'s so efficiently, I always look forward to the next stunning initiative that will soar without trace in the communications sector.
You, dear reader, doubtless have heard all about this. I must confess that without Dave I would not have. And if there are more like me that makes two folk who will now be moving to the centre of the room on just this one day and thinking hard on all the money the got blown on meetings with agencies, PR's, etc to come up with this and promote it.
Money well spent, I am sure.
If I can be bothered, I may go back to see how many people did upload pictures of themselves doing it. Maybe I will!
As as I do ponder whether funds and comms efforts have gone somewhere to help save the planet more tangibly.
Like WRAP and all those other fine, funded (sorry, I originally wrote fine-funded, which would not do at all) entities that use our tax-£'s so efficiently, I always look forward to the next stunning initiative that will soar without trace in the communications sector.
You, dear reader, doubtless have heard all about this. I must confess that without Dave I would not have. And if there are more like me that makes two folk who will now be moving to the centre of the room on just this one day and thinking hard on all the money the got blown on meetings with agencies, PR's, etc to come up with this and promote it.
Money well spent, I am sure.
If I can be bothered, I may go back to see how many people did upload pictures of themselves doing it. Maybe I will!
As as I do ponder whether funds and comms efforts have gone somewhere to help save the planet more tangibly.
The truth hurts. No pain.. no..anything
Are honest comments always the best policy?
Well, they can be pretty much fatal, career-wise, in politics.
Which seems to be why no one from Westminster says anything
worth paying attention to any more.
And the media is complicit. 'Ask, don't tell' seems to be the way to
conduct the merry-go-round these days.
Shame it's no way to run an effective country.
Well, they can be pretty much fatal, career-wise, in politics.
Which seems to be why no one from Westminster says anything
worth paying attention to any more.
And the media is complicit. 'Ask, don't tell' seems to be the way to
conduct the merry-go-round these days.
Shame it's no way to run an effective country.
Cross of Ross rides... er.. again (if not in a bus)
Who pays for free rides?
Can't win, can you?
If it's anything like this neck 'o the woods, free public travel would just
let 'em save up enough to get a G-reg 205 with more spent on the
sound system & exhaust than the brakes, to rush around leaving
floral decorations on county lamp-posts.
Meanwhile no one under or over a certain age is going to dare getting
on board public transport in the meantime
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!
Here's the solution: road pricing. That'll sort it.
Or not.
Can't win, can you?
If it's anything like this neck 'o the woods, free public travel would just
let 'em save up enough to get a G-reg 205 with more spent on the
sound system & exhaust than the brakes, to rush around leaving
floral decorations on county lamp-posts.
Meanwhile no one under or over a certain age is going to dare getting
on board public transport in the meantime
SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!
Here's the solution: road pricing. That'll sort it.
Or not.
It's not who you know, but who owns you
A free market solution to global warming
We could aways pay lots in taxes for folk to see if sending a few
trillion mirrors into space to reflect the sun would help.
Or spray sea water in to the atmosphere.
Or some slightly more pragmatic solutions out there, but most of which
have rather coy enviro-ROI's attached. A bit like many carbon trading
schemes.
Trouble is, once singed, twice shy. And with public trust in government,
business and even a large chunk of the eco-community and media at
an all-time low, saving the plant is getting to be a tough sell.
But I'm sure Al's concert will set a good example.
We could aways pay lots in taxes for folk to see if sending a few
trillion mirrors into space to reflect the sun would help.
Or spray sea water in to the atmosphere.
Or some slightly more pragmatic solutions out there, but most of which
have rather coy enviro-ROI's attached. A bit like many carbon trading
schemes.
Trouble is, once singed, twice shy. And with public trust in government,
business and even a large chunk of the eco-community and media at
an all-time low, saving the plant is getting to be a tough sell.
But I'm sure Al's concert will set a good example.
When Scientists agree on anything it's worth noting
I so note.
Scientists unite to push Bush on climate
I also note almost all the anti-bloggers seem to be up very early.
Scientists unite to push Bush on climate
I also note almost all the anti-bloggers seem to be up very early.
And on the 6th way...
Last night I watched a programme (trailed in this very blog), called 5 Ways to save the world
To its credit, at the very end they did mention that not umping the stuff out at the prodigious rate we are would be a better bet, but that doesn't make such good TV. So we were treated to an hour of solutions.
I have to say, all bar one seemed barking mad.
Here's what the Grauniad had to say, and that was all I could find.
It's a shame that space was devoted to the inevitable swipe at Jeremy Clarkson, who will swipe back... yadayada.
Only one made any sense to me, and that was a CO2 collecting tower. Though even here there were a few details that had me wondering. For instance, they were shown in huge farms. Now if I remember my Physics, if you suck it out of one part, you're going to struggle to suck it out of the next, so efficiencies will plummet in concentration.
I'm also niggling a bit on us sticking our manmade oar in again. Who knows what we can muck up with any localised, if massive 'correction'. Like climate Rabbits & Myxomatosis. Hence the other ideas were real no starters by trying to solve one thing with another. At least this was about sucking back what we have stuck up there.
To its credit, at the very end they did mention that not umping the stuff out at the prodigious rate we are would be a better bet, but that doesn't make such good TV. So we were treated to an hour of solutions.
I have to say, all bar one seemed barking mad.
Here's what the Grauniad had to say, and that was all I could find.
It's a shame that space was devoted to the inevitable swipe at Jeremy Clarkson, who will swipe back... yadayada.
Only one made any sense to me, and that was a CO2 collecting tower. Though even here there were a few details that had me wondering. For instance, they were shown in huge farms. Now if I remember my Physics, if you suck it out of one part, you're going to struggle to suck it out of the next, so efficiencies will plummet in concentration.
I'm also niggling a bit on us sticking our manmade oar in again. Who knows what we can muck up with any localised, if massive 'correction'. Like climate Rabbits & Myxomatosis. Hence the other ideas were real no starters by trying to solve one thing with another. At least this was about sucking back what we have stuck up there.
1.6M can be wrong. Apparently
Minister resolute on road tolls
The government will win over critics of its road-toll scheme before plans go through parliament, Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman has insisted.
Not this government with this critic, matey.
BBC - Road charges may be in south only - There's nice. Seems fair... if you live in the North
Times - Make a start on road pricing or lose out on £1.4bn, councils told - If at first you don't get your way...
The government will win over critics of its road-toll scheme before plans go through parliament, Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman has insisted.
Not this government with this critic, matey.
BBC - Road charges may be in south only - There's nice. Seems fair... if you live in the North
Times - Make a start on road pricing or lose out on £1.4bn, councils told - If at first you don't get your way...
How to make friends. And influential people.
Nominate Britain's most influential unelected people
Is Germaine Greer British?
Is Germaine Greer British?
A few pages over she seemed to be Australian.
And as we are on definitions, what counts as 'influential'? Doing Something? Inspiring others to do something?
Or just being enough to fill a few pointless column inches and broadcast minutes for your luvvie mates in the London media?
Is Germaine Greer British?
A few pages over she seemed to be Australian.
And as we are on definitions, what counts as 'influential'? Doing Something? Inspiring others to do something?
Or just being enough to fill a few pointless column inches and broadcast minutes for your luvvie mates in the London media?
Is Germaine Greer British?
Is Germaine Greer British?
A few pages over she seemed to be Australian.
And as we are on definitions, what counts as 'influential'? Doing Something? Inspiring others to do something?
Or just being enough to fill a few pointless column inches and broadcast minutes for your luvvie mates in the London media?
Is Germaine Greer British?
A few pages over she seemed to be Australian.
And as we are on definitions, what counts as 'influential'? Doing Something? Inspiring others to do something?
Or just being enough to fill a few pointless column inches and broadcast minutes for your luvvie mates in the London media?
In-ter-esting, but stupid
Here's one I hadn't thought of. Let's see the spinmeisters tackle this one:
Labour's poll tax
Just saw my abbreviation label for Congestion Charge. Seems apt.
National road pricing? No way
I am glad to see at least one London-based commentator accepting that life may be a bit different outside the Islington-Westminster-Fleet St (ok, it should also include Canary Wharf and wherever the BBC and Ken live, but that's a hexagon too far) triangle.
Speaking of our fair capital, I was amused that one another of this sites fair pages it has been pointed out the the denizens of Kensington & Chelsea can now swan about in their Cayennes to work, or indeed all day long, at very fair rates. Bless.
Political play and road pricing
There is no doubt that the government is badly wrong-footed on this. Equally, all who are less than on their side smell blood and opportunity. Shame it seems to be for self-promotion at the expense of anything like a positive solution. Because one thing is for sure, even if we (well, 1.6M misguided fools so far, who are to be put straight soon by Don Tony) don't fancy the way this one was pitched, something to fairly manage transport UK-wide IS needed.
I believed I watched Mr. Penning on SKY news last night exchange waffle swipes 'n snipes with a Scots Lib Dem MP (Lab talking head a tad absent), but when challenged to offer an alternative managed 'it should be looked at'.
Criticise for sure, but if you can't manage a coherent policy by way of an answer mate, you won't get my vote.
Guardian - Con Charge - Good a place as any
Guardian - Congestion zone could fuel voter revolt against Livingstone
Times - Smooth start as London’s zone spreads westwards - Myabe it's all OK, yah.
Times - ‘I will now be driving my grandchildren about’ - So it's all about congestion then?
Labour's poll tax
Just saw my abbreviation label for Congestion Charge. Seems apt.
National road pricing? No way
I am glad to see at least one London-based commentator accepting that life may be a bit different outside the Islington-Westminster-Fleet St (ok, it should also include Canary Wharf and wherever the BBC and Ken live, but that's a hexagon too far) triangle.
Speaking of our fair capital, I was amused that one another of this sites fair pages it has been pointed out the the denizens of Kensington & Chelsea can now swan about in their Cayennes to work, or indeed all day long, at very fair rates. Bless.
Political play and road pricing
There is no doubt that the government is badly wrong-footed on this. Equally, all who are less than on their side smell blood and opportunity. Shame it seems to be for self-promotion at the expense of anything like a positive solution. Because one thing is for sure, even if we (well, 1.6M misguided fools so far, who are to be put straight soon by Don Tony) don't fancy the way this one was pitched, something to fairly manage transport UK-wide IS needed.
I believed I watched Mr. Penning on SKY news last night exchange waffle swipes 'n snipes with a Scots Lib Dem MP (Lab talking head a tad absent), but when challenged to offer an alternative managed 'it should be looked at'.
Criticise for sure, but if you can't manage a coherent policy by way of an answer mate, you won't get my vote.
Guardian - Con Charge - Good a place as any
Guardian - Congestion zone could fuel voter revolt against Livingstone
Times - Smooth start as London’s zone spreads westwards - Myabe it's all OK, yah.
Times - ‘I will now be driving my grandchildren about’ - So it's all about congestion then?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)