Thursday, August 31, 2023
Tories abandoning the rule of law
As the Conservative party is supposedly a strong supporter of the rule of law, this article in the Daily Mail must have come as a shock to the hang 'em and flog 'em brigade, or is it just that they want to enforce the rules against those who disagree with them politically?
The paper reports that Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said that he backs the 'blade runners' who are vandalising ULEZ cameras, om the rather spurious and debateable grounds that his constituents have been 'lied to':
Sir [Iain Duncan] Smith said: 'A lot of people in my constituency have been cementing up the cameras or putting plastic bags over them.
'I am happy for them to do it because they are facing an imposition that no-one wants and they have been lied to about it.
'The actions you are seeing show how angry people are at what is being imposed on therm. Sadiq Khan has gerrymandered all the information – people have had enough.'
His comments come as the Transport Secretary has said that the expansion of the ULEZ to all London boroughs is not about air pollution but a 'money-raising exercise'.
Today, London became the world's largest pollution charging area after Ulez was expanded to include the whole of the capital.
People who drive in the zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are now required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has faced strong opposition to the scheme, although a £160 million scheme run by Transport for London (TfL) enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants.
Speaking on GB News this morning, Mark Harper said he would stop the rollout if he had the power to do so and highlighted his reservations about the true motives behind the expansion.
Meanwhile, in a separate round of interviews, the London mayor denied that extending Ulez was 'anti-car' and accused Mr Harper of 'factual errors'.
Will the Chingford MP now be supporting climate change protestors who have been disrupting traffic and daily life in London and elsewhere? After all, they are taking direct action against a government that has lied about its commitment to the environment. No, I didn't think so.
I hope that government ministers refer Duncan Smith to the police for inciting vandalism and law-breaking. I'm not holding my breath however. If there is one thing this current government excels in, it's hypocrisy.
The paper reports that Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said that he backs the 'blade runners' who are vandalising ULEZ cameras, om the rather spurious and debateable grounds that his constituents have been 'lied to':
Sir [Iain Duncan] Smith said: 'A lot of people in my constituency have been cementing up the cameras or putting plastic bags over them.
'I am happy for them to do it because they are facing an imposition that no-one wants and they have been lied to about it.
'The actions you are seeing show how angry people are at what is being imposed on therm. Sadiq Khan has gerrymandered all the information – people have had enough.'
His comments come as the Transport Secretary has said that the expansion of the ULEZ to all London boroughs is not about air pollution but a 'money-raising exercise'.
Today, London became the world's largest pollution charging area after Ulez was expanded to include the whole of the capital.
People who drive in the zone in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are now required to pay a £12.50 daily fee or risk a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.
London mayor Sadiq Khan has faced strong opposition to the scheme, although a £160 million scheme run by Transport for London (TfL) enables residents, small businesses, sole traders and charities scrapping non-compliant cars to claim grants.
Speaking on GB News this morning, Mark Harper said he would stop the rollout if he had the power to do so and highlighted his reservations about the true motives behind the expansion.
Meanwhile, in a separate round of interviews, the London mayor denied that extending Ulez was 'anti-car' and accused Mr Harper of 'factual errors'.
Will the Chingford MP now be supporting climate change protestors who have been disrupting traffic and daily life in London and elsewhere? After all, they are taking direct action against a government that has lied about its commitment to the environment. No, I didn't think so.
I hope that government ministers refer Duncan Smith to the police for inciting vandalism and law-breaking. I'm not holding my breath however. If there is one thing this current government excels in, it's hypocrisy.
