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Parp! parp!
14 May 2001
Friends of the Earth today slammed the Conservatives' new pro-car statement “Standing Up for Motorists”. Charles Secrett, director of Friends of the Earth said:
"The Tories are obviously getting desperate. Rather than set out a policy programme for a real Government in waiting, they have been reduced to promising bribes to motorists. But most people - including those who use cars - won't fall for this nonsense.It would simply lead to more traffic, more pollution, more road building, and more emissions of climate changing gases.
“When he was a Minister, Mr Hague signed up to the fuel tax escalator because he understood the need to reduce road traffic. Now, instead of at least trying to look like a statesman, he has been reduced to doing a bad impression of Mr Toad.”
In February 1997 a clutch of Secretaries of State including the Secretary of State for Wales,including the Rt Hon. William Hague MP presented Parliament with a UK programme for tackling climate change. It includes the following (Paragraph 2.38-2.39):
"A key element in improving fuel efficiency and indeed total fuel consumption is to send the right price signals.
To provide a clear, consistent signal to consumers and manufacturers, the Government announced in 1993 its commitment to a long-term strategy of annual increases in road fuel duties. .... The expectation that the increases will continue gives consumers and manufacturers and incentive to respond.
This fiscal measure works because higher fuel costs encourage manufacturers to improve the fuel efficiency of vehicles and also encourage road users to take action to conserve fuel,for example, by driving less or changing their driving style, and for fleet users by managing their operations (freight or car) more effectively."
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
