DEATH OF THE CITIES..THE WAR AGAINST CARS! 

DEATH OF THE CITIES..THE WAR AGAINST CARS!

With the local elections only a couple of weeks away it is being widely forecast that the turnout will be abysmal. It is argued that the electorate is not interested and Local Elections and Local Government are unimportant.

That is very wrong, let me give you some quick examples, current ones, that will be determined by Local Government.

Let’s start with business rates, this is an archaic form of taxation. For instance it still goes back to the window tax, where the more windows and bigger windows you have the more your rateable value will rise. It is quite difficult to run a retail business without having windows to let customers see what goods you have available to sell. These business rates have not been reduced to take account of the huge growth in online shopping like Amazon who operate from out of town locations with much lower rating values, indeed often in receipt of Government funding. Business rates are closing businesses every day. They have become unaffordable for many businesses and local authorities face the quandary of choosing to enforce payment, knowing this is likely to lead to the struggling businesses closing, and loads of lost jobs in the process. The need is to replace this outdated unequal tax. Local Government must insist on an alternative viable system being introduced before the existing system collapses entirely. The need is overwhelming. Annual Ground Rent is the answer yet nothing from the SNP despite an SNP NEC MEMBER Graeme McCormick being the main proponent of this system in Scotland. He has done a huge amount of work on this including creating a very substantial data base of properties across the country. Sadly thus far he has been unable to get the issue even discussed or debated at the SNP Conference.

Now the SNP and their Green allies are looking to pass a Workplace Parking levy that will force companies who have space for their employees to park their vehicles at their work to pay the “Council” for the privilege This is madness and will lead to problems across the cities where this will be introduced. The employee will hope the employer will pay the levy for them. The employer however, already burdened with business rates, will take the view that it is the employee’s parking space and they will require to pay the levy.

There are so many obvious reasons why this levy is impractical. Firstly public transport is entirely unable to provide a satisfactory alternative. A car can go from A to B in a short period of time. Perhaps having to get two, or even more, different modes of transport to complete the journey from A to B greatly increases the travel time. In all weathers into the bargain, this is wet and windy Scotland, not California! I have not even mentioned the cost yet, or the large areas of any city not served adequately with public transport, or shift patterns or the need or desire to shop or visit other retail outlets before or after work. Or with many families having both parents working, dropping off or picking up the kids from school. A late bus could be a disaster!

Who are these people who come up with these daft proposals? Well they will be the same folk who voted jacking up parking charges in the city centre to Dick Turpin levels making it unaffordable for many to take their car to shop when they go shopping. Instead these people urge shoppers to take part in a Crackerjack contest on public transport juggling parcels while they get home ( apologies for younger readers who know nothing of this old TV show ) but it was based on contestants holding parcels with cabbages being added until the packages fell or three cabbages were issued for wrong answers. Every day an education eh?

Again retail outlets face declining shoppers as parking places are axed and charges soaring for the remaining places. Of course these anti business taxes affect the shoppers as well but while these new costs are introduced, no reduction in business rates are applied to compensate for the loss of business or for the growth of online shopping. I think our councils are being run to boost Amazon and other online suppliers. God help those who cannot access or use the internet. They will soon be the only shoppers in our cities if that continues.

The Councils are at war with motorists, so car owners need to vote to make sure this madness does not happen.

The art of good governance is fairness. That demands sensible policies that are equitable, that increase jobs and business, not destroy them. It takes National Government and Local Government working together, not at odds with each other.

Above all it means not shooting the golden goose. Declaring war on the working motorist, making it hugely expensive to shop in city centres means a rush of business seeking new out of town locations. Many of them will be found in shopping malls owned by hedge fund speculators charging very high rents that effectively rules out the vast majority of small business and leaves retail in the hands of the giant retail chains and corporations. They enjoy much lower rates than city centre business and ironically offer free parking.

Finally there is probably the most important issue of all. The persistent attack on woman’s right to private spaces and the SNP sex education programme that is a national disgrace. It seeks to divide teachers from parents, instead of building partnership it encourages secrecy and keeping information from parents. It supports Self ID and GRA and it will only be a matter of time before some kid is raped, or worse, by the predators who we all know exist and who will jump on the self ID element that provides the open door that will gain them access. Self ID is set to become law soon despite it NEVER featuring in the SNP Manifesto or even being debated at a Single SNP CONFERENCE. It is Local Government that is responsible for running our schools. They can stop this if the will exists. This is Sturgeon and Somerville at their worst. This is Government by deceit and avoidance! I intend to write more on this topic between now and polling day.

We are witnessing our country being reshaped, for the worst, in front of our eyes. The  only way it can be stopped is if people elect folk with decency, vision and ambition. Forget Party labels, elect the best candidate for your ward. Ask all the candidates about these important issues then vote for the one who is closest to your wishes. Also ask them about Independence because that matters as well.That is how Local Government should work. It doesn’t at the moment and we are all paying a big and growing cost because it’s not!

Please take the time to vote. As I have outlined above ,it really does matter. Finally any candidate standing for election and who agrees with the content of this article have full permission to use all or part of this text as part of their campaign.

I am, as always

Yours for Scotland

BEAT THE CENSORS

Sadly some sites had given up on being pro Indy sites and have decided to become merely pro SNP sites where any criticism of the Party Leader or opposition to the latest policy extremes, results in censorship being applied. This, in the rather over optimistic belief that this will suppress public discussion on such topics. My regular readers have expertly worked out that by regularly sharing articles on this site defeats that censorship and makes it all rather pointless. I really do appreciate such support and free speech in Scotland is remaining unaffected by their juvenile censorship. Indeed it is has become a symptom of weakness and guilt. Quite encouraging really.

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