Abandon northern English cities to the rats and pigeons, argues Tory-influencing think tank
Proving conclusively that the phrase ‘think tank’ is misleading in suggesting that such influential groups actually involve any thinking, a think tank has announced that northern England cities such as Liverpool, Sunderland and Bradford are ‘beyond revival’ and residents should move south. Policy Exchange is a very influential right-wing think tank credited with many ideas taken up by the Conservative Party under David Cameron.
Policy Exchange said current regeneration policies were ‘failing’ the people they were supposed to help, and that a mass migration to London, Cambridge and Oxford would stop them becoming ‘trapped’ in poorer areas. One of the report authors, Tim Leunig, a lecturer in economic history at the London School of Economics, has acknowledged this may be seen as ‘barmy’. A Liverpool Labour MP, Peter Kilfoyle, has called it ‘utter nonsense’.
tags: Bradford, Cambridge, Conservatives, Liverpool, London, madness, northern, Oxford, policy, southern, suburban, Sunderland, think tanks, urbanThat’s progress?
New London mayor, Conservative Boris Johnson, has scrapped plans by his predecessor, Ken Livingstone, to introduce a £25-a-day congestion charge for the most polluting vehicles, saying that this will save legal costs. How that justification is supposed to be better than tackling climate change, who can say? But all the rich Kensington and Chelsea mothers driving little Tarquin and Princess La-la to school every day in cars the size of lorries will be grateful, no doubt. Bonkers Boris has also scrapped a proposal to allow low emission cars free entry to the congestion charge zone.
“I am delighted that we have been able to scrap the £25 charge, which would have hit families and small businesses hardest,’ said Johnson. Who’s he kidding? How many ordinary families do you know who can afford to run one of those ugly metal monsters?
tags: Boris Johnson, cars, climate change, CO2 emissions, congestion charge, Conservatives, Ken Livingstone, Labour, London, pollution, Transport for London
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