A simple solution to a not so simple problem

John Gormley, leader of the Green party and recently appointed minister to the environment. He hasn’t really had much to say since the election, until now. Clearly Mr. Gormley has done a lot of research into engine emissions and knows a lot about how engines work. I say this because he has plans for an up to ten per cent tax increase on vehicles carrying a 1.6 litre engine or higher. What a genius!! Actually this plan isn’t entirely without merit it’s just terribly misguided. I say this for two reasons, the first being that higher tax on larger engines, in theory does make a kind of sense. The second reason being that higher tax on larger engines is a simplistic, and lazy attempt at reducing emissions. For a start, cars across the board, it doesn’t matter what the brand is tend to be rather efficient in a 1.6 litre engine once they’re maintained. It is a far better engine, with respect to the mile to the gallon then a 1.8, which is obvious, but whats not so obvious and a little surprising is that the 1.6 tends to be much more echo friendly then a 1.4, an engine which is not being chastised purely for its capacity. So here is my proposed solution for the clearly well informed minister, instead of slapping a tax increase based on engine capacity, go out and find out what the efficient engines are, and what the inefficient ones are. Take the facts from the specific manufacturers and discriminate against the heavy offenders, so for example if an Opel 1.3 has higher emissions then say a Ford in a 1.6, surely the Opel deserves to be in a higher tax bracket. To be fair this does sound like far too much work to go into a government policy, it wouldn’t be fair to ask for legislation that can’t be written, read and re-read inside someones lunch hour (it’s not like government officials are over-paid or don’t deserve an increase or anything). If the government wants a simple solution then they don’t have to look very far to get it. Motor tax in France is far more efficient then the system we employ here, and oh yes its much more democratic. Those crafty French, they don’t actually pay the tax on their cars, they pay it on the petrol! So if a persons car is very economic then they don’t get stung with a heavy tax burden, however if they drive a big gas guzzling SUV, then they have the luxury of paying through the nose in tax just to ensure that they can run it. Why then could we not adopt such a policy in Ireland? Because it would be too efficient and make too much sense thats why! Seriously though, does the notion of pay as you go driving not seem appealing to anybody? It would make so much more sense then blanket tax increases on specific motor classes. So to the minister, I implore you, wake up! Don’t make polices because they’re easy, make them because they serve the public, with this pay increases you’ve just received, the least you could do is earn it.

When Christmas was just one month a year

So before I start, I don’t want anyone to misunderstand this piece. I’m the first one to say that I love Christmas, or at least I did before I started having exams in December. Seriously though, it is a great time of year, there’s a buzz, an atmosphere, and it’s a time when we can all let our hair down and enjoy the spirit of things. I’m not complaining about Christmas as such, just what it has become. I’ve never really been particularly interested in the whole religious aspect of the holiday, but that’s more to do with my opinions on religion in general, and I’m not going to go on that particular rant right now. No this is to do with something I’ve noticed around this time of year, for a couple of years now and I saw it again last night when I went into work (I work in Liffey Valley shopping centre in case anyone who doesn’t know actually bothers to read this). Anyway, I walked in and there to my discust, were all the Christmas decorations hanging from the ceilings etc. Seriously, when did Christmas start in November?! If anyone knows please tell me because I must have missed that episode!! Christmas, last time I checked started about half way through December (remember the Twelve days of Christmas?), and like I’ve already said I’m not all that taken with the whole religious side of the affair, but I still don’t think that retailers should be allowed to exploit Christmas by making it into a two month shopping frenzy. It seems to me however that our two month Christmas shopping bonanza is only perpetuated by the greedy consumerist portion of society that I like to call, the middle class. A group who it seems would be only too delighted to see late night shopping all year, and not only at Christmas. The fact is that retailers across the nation are allowed to get away with turning Christmas into their own private money making racket in a way which they can’t do during the rest of the year in a bid to achieve the ultimate goal, 24 hour shopping. Which by the way many stores do now partake in around this time of year. I honestly cannot understand what this obsession that our society has with the need to buy things we don’t need. Christmas only amplifies the consumerist needs of the mob and is exploited by these parasitic retailers who’s only aim in life is to part us from our hard earned. Oh how I long for the days when shops didn’t open on Sundays or bank-holidays. To be honest, the whole notion makes me sick just thinking about it.