HikerGuy83
Diamond Member
- Dec 26, 2021
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Elections have consequences, and that sometimes includes even the obscure ones. The latest example comes from the United Kingdom, where last week’s election for a single parliamentary seat has set off debates within Britain’s two major parties over climate policies.
The ruling Conservatives barely held the suburban London seat vacated by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s resignation. The Labour Party had been expected to grab the district, which Mr. Johnson won by around 7,000 votes in the 2019 election, and on the same day Labour pulled off a far bigger swing in another by-election in the north of England.
Within hours of the result, it was clear Labour’s loss came down to environmental policies. The Tory candidate to replace Mr. Johnson framed the race as a referendum on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand a tax on older vehicles to crack down on carbon-dioxide emissions. The tax disproportionately hits lower-income households and small businesses that can’t afford to buy newer cars, and it is unpopular.
Message received. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on Friday called on fellow party member Mr. Khan to “reflect” on whether the extension of the vehicle tax should go ahead as scheduled in August. Over the weekend Mr. Starmer warned party leaders that Labour is doing something “very wrong” if it sticks to unpopular policies such as the car tax.
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This epitomizes the entire problem for me.
It's hard to know where to start.
The law in question will likely NOT move the CO2 needle. It just irritates people and caused a POLITICAL PARTY an issue.
So, that does not mean the law is a bad idea from a climate standpoint. Awareness is important.
But this simply isn't the way to do it.
And if the labor movement folds....what message does that send ?
Way way way to complex when it doesn't need to be.
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