A lasting regret of my time travelling in the ex Soviet Union is not having bought a postcard. In my mind I can still see the object of my regret. It was titled 'Sofia by Night'. The photo was of the main square in Sofia, Bulgaria. Brightly lit at night. No traffic, no people, not a dog, cat or owl, just an empty square.
I never enjoyed my business trips behind the iron curtain, but it was my job working for a firms that included trade with the bloc. In Sofia I once managed to escape my minder and walk in side streets. A grocery shop had some boxes with fruit and vegetables that would have been chucked into a pig bin in the west. More than 80% of the shelves groaned under the weight of bottles of Slivovitz. I was to learn that this was common in the bloc. Limited food, but lots of booze.
Having been 'caught' by my minder, now reinforced by two others, we walked back to the hotel. A black ZIL limousine swept past its curtained windows hiding its occupants from the gaze of those who must obey. I asked my minder about the appalling produce I'd seen. "The first quality goes to the west for hard currency" he explained, "the second to other Socialist countries so they can appreciate the quality and abundance of the Bulgarian SSR, the third quality stays here and is good enough for the workers". Communists. You had to love their honesty. Anywhere else this would have been a joke. There it was deadly serious.
Other than the elite, few had a car. In East Germany there was a waiting list. A man I got to know well explained. "As soon as possible after a child is born we put its name on the car waiting list. With luck s/he will get one when they are 18". He also joked about a friend who finally got a call to say he could pick up his Trabant. Overcome with joy he asked "What colour is it?" "Black" "Can I have a white one" Silence, annoyed throat clearing. "You have been placed at the start of the new queue".
Net Zero fanatics can relate to these reminders of a bygone age. It is what many would like our future to be. At the extreme are those who want the world to return to the way it was before the industrial revolution. There were one billion people. Famine and disease were common and life was short. Perhaps in their childlike way the Eco loons imagine we can all revert to bucolic reverie without the bad bits. And, of course, there is the other problem of disposing of the seven billion plus extra humans that are surplus to their plan. Perhaps there is a halfway house? A gradualist method of creating a society that will resemble the USSR?
At the heart of the plan are Electric Vehicles. The batteries use natural resources that are mined using huge amounts of energy. The components can be recycled, but at present that costs more than mining new. Then, there is the problem of charging. Take a walk down any suburban street anywhere in the UK. Look at all the cars parked. Then explain how, if they are all replaced by E Vs they will be charged? Where will the charging points go? With charging taking from four to ten hours depending on size, how will charging be allocated or will it be 'rationed'. Flat dwellers will be even more disadvantaged. In reality this is simply going to make car ownership impossible for most. Is that the intention? Then, there is tax. Taking average fuel consumption a petrol or diesel car will pay £20.80 tax and VAT for every 212 miles travelled. An EV charged at a domestic charger paying 5% VAT will pay £0.65 for the same mileage. Charged in public at 20% VAT it costs £5.20. To match the tax on fossil fuels, the tax on domestic electricity would have to be 160%. On public 90%. Alternatively a charge per mile of £0.10. This would require a tracking system for every vehicle in the country.
The Green Lobby is well funded and rich with subsidies. It is almost certainly the greatest confidence trick in history. Any 'movement' that silences critics and refuses open debate is hiding something. Our way of life and to an extent liberty are being sacrificed to save the planet from - a Vital Resource. CO2 accounts for 0.04% or 420 ppm (parts per million) of our atmosphere. It is vital for life and essential for food production. If it falls too low we will starve. The UK has the most expensive energy in Europe. Due to serial incompetence we are importing electricity. Our industries are closing down.
We stand to lose more than our right to own a car or motorcycle. Do we actually want to live in a world that resembles that of the early 18th century? Where only an elite minority will be able to ride in a carriage? It sounds far-fetched, but it is the logical conclusion of the Net Zero scam. We are being lied to on an industrial scale. It is time for honesty. Time to reverse the damage being done to our economy and people.
