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At long last

By Alan W Collins on Thursday 22nd May 2008 12:41 / 3 comments

After nine months, and countless test, I can now, legally, drive!

Driving today is an expensive business. It is going to cost me £120 to tax my car for one year, up to £50.35 to get it MOT’d (although this was done in February, so that is one less cost to worry about), anywhere up to £2000 for one year’s insurance and up to 117.9p per litre of petrol (at the moment!).

Not counting the cost of petrol, I am going to be stung anywhere up to £2170.35 to drive for one year, then try to find sufficient money to continue to drive next year.

And still government ministers, in their chauffeur-driven Jaguars, try to convince us that they understand the concerns of people like myself! Mr Brown turned his back on his old Grammar School, and now it is becoming a failing Comprehensive. Mr Darling wants us all to believe that he is helping the worst-off families, after being hit with the scrapping of the 10p tax band, yet he stings them with an increase in road tax and fuel duty!

When will they listen? When will they finally get it into their heads that we are suffering?! The economy is heading into uncertainty, the cost of living is rising and all the arrogant politicians and pen-pushers in Whitehall can say is “there there, it will be alright”.

No, it won’t be alright! And nor will it be whilst Labour are in power and not listening!

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3 Comments

John Ward says:

Thursday 22nd May 2008 at 17:05

Got there in the end. Well done, Sir!

I have on tape an excerpt from a Tony Hancock radio show in which he admits that he’d been up for driving test 73 times but they kept failing him. You got through (which he never did, in the show) with far fewer attempts, which must surely count for something!
Rob says:

Thursday 22nd May 2008 at 21:58

Nice one. How many minors did you get? (Minors being the bits on the test, nothing else )

Not sure about your comments on the economy. Fuel duty and road tax has to increase year on year otherwise the government actually end up with (in real terms) less than they had last year (and the gov’t needs a bit of cash if recession is around the corner).

Also, I think everyone accepts the economy is going through a rough period, even Mervyn King. Most of it is caused by forces outside the UK and, at the moment, the usual monetary policies won’t work.

I hardly think a Conservative government will be able to change much, in terms of the economy.
Alan Collins says:

Friday 23rd May 2008 at 00:51

I got 7 minors, which were all, according to the very nice examiner, events which were “uncharacteristic with my generally good driving control”.

I understand that all taxes need to rise year on year because of inflation etc. It is when they are increased by amounts grossly disproportional to the level of inflation which annoys me.

Yes, the government needs to have a spare bit of cash for the tougher economic times. However, these past 11 years, Labour has been fortunate enough to preside over a tremendously strong economic period, and rather than be sensible and keep some of the proceeds of that to one side for the darker days, they squandered and they wasted, almost as though they didn’t think the inevitable was going to happen during their tenure in government.

You are correct in what you say about the economy. There is not one well-informed person who cannot see the uncertain position we are currently in in terms of the economy. My point was that it is up to the government to ensure that it’s citizens, particularly those worst-off with little monetary reserves, incur the damages as little as possible.