Gordon's death wish politics

The answer is the 1974 picture's title, Death Wish '” and that's something which this present government seems intent on pursuing.

In fact, Labour seems to be bending over backward to make sure that David Cameron moves into No. 10.

Let's start with plans to charge individuals for the amount of carbon they use.

Consumers would carry bank cards that record their personal carbon usage.

Those who use less energy will be able to sell their carbon points.

The whole idea would be laughable, were it not being taken seriously in Whitehall circles.

I can see it now, eBay bargains galore offering "Two kilos'-worth of pure carbon, guaranteed unused, cash offers invited, or would swap for diesel vouchers".

And to reduce total UK emissions, the overall number of points would shrink each year. What a jackpot bonanza for black marketeers.

What a new nightmare of bureaucracy and even more government spending.

One top Labour parliamentarian said that consumers will "have to take responsibility for what they do".

I recall previous sentiments being expressed by Margaret Thatcher when she introduced the ill-fated Community Charge (poll tax) in 1989.

It sounded good, but it proved an impossible task to ensure that EVERYONE paid their bit individually under the rates-replacement tax.

It was one of the most hated taxes in British history, and was a prime factor in Maggie being booted out of Downing Street only a year later.

The carbon tax plan is just one of the New Labour measures which make voters heartily sick of being fleeced by any idea to part us from more of our money, and all with very dubious expectations that they are going to have a significant effect in saving the polar bears.

And the Death Wish really kicks in with the weekend's news that, under the "emissions" gospel, owners of larger cars bought since March, 2001, will find that their road tax will rise steeply from next April.

In addition to owners of, say, the Ford Galaxy and Vauxhall Zafira paying double (430) for their road tax by 2010, there will also be rises of up to 100 for medium-sized cars.

This will hit hard at poorer members of the driving community.

They didn't know what extra tax burden was ahead when they chose their particular vehicles, to suit their family needs.

The tax should apply to new vehicles, so that owners know what they are taking on from the start.

And, of course, the 10p tax storm is still not over.

This was a classic case of fiscal incompetence in the first place, followed by botched attempts to put right a measure which hit the poor hardest.

All the above is not just a case of shooting one's-self in the foot '” it's more an example of self-amputation of both feet!

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