This weekend the Greens will debate whether to amend a policy to effectively ban all cars from the roads. The motion, sponsored by Rustam Majainah, Daniel Lee, Emmanuel Blondel, Sam Peters, Ben Samuel and Sam Coates, reads:

Our current transport policy has a line that would ban almost all currently roadworthy cars. As this would probably prove unattractive with the electorate, this motion replaces it with text that is more in line with the intentions of the policy.

The offending clause of the policy book (TR310) reads:

Vehicles would not be permitted for road use that had the ability to travel at greater speeds than the majority of EU national maximum speed levels.

They propose replacing it with the words:

The Green Party would introduce legislation to encourage car manufacturers to introduce speed limiters in vehicles to prevent them travelling faster than the UK national maximum speed limit."

They will also scrap the words:

“to encourage car manufacturers to introduce speed limiters in vehicles to prevent them travelling faster than the UK national maximum speed limit.”

And replace by the following text. “to require manufacturers to install suitable technology in all new motor vehicles such that compliance with speed limits is better achieved. The prescription of the most suitable technology will be based on the best evidence available at the time the legislation is passed and will be reviewed from time to time. The maintenance of such equipment will be covered by the annual vehicle test (MOT).”

And of course none of this will apply to Green MP's, hmmm, gets my vote.

How about this one then OTE?

"We believe that public transport should be run in the interests of passengers, not to make a quick profit for shareholders.

The privatisation of Britain’s transport network has done a huge disservice to to passengers: driving up prices whilst creating a race to the bottom in service provision.

It’s clear that passengers are not getting a fair ride.

We will:

Return the railways to public hands to stop profits being put before passengers.
Introduce an immediate cut in fares of 10% to give passengers a much-needed financial break."

Do they get your vote??

Great, if you live in a city, town or village that's served by a railway. If not you're stuffed.

bunch of loons; their MP once uttered that anyone who dared to question climate change, were as bad as holocaust deniers.
They are making (not) great job of running the City of Brighton.

Sounds a good ideas not to vote for the Greens (if one was ever thinking of voting for them).

Actually, yes - I'd be inclined to seriously consider at least. I must say, I feel that certain clearly monopoly provisions should not be in private hands. However 'nationalisation' or rather central control isn't the only answer; there are other much more accountable and effective models.

I lost faith with the Labour Party when that tribune of the people John Prescott failed to seize the opportunity to take the rail infrastructure back into public ownership for nothing when the private firm who'd made a complete cods went under.

When we talk of money being invested in the railways, we ought to remember the huge sums p1ssed away selling off the assets and properties. It wasn't market forces, more executive greed.

Umm. So says the Daily Mail! I have a few colleagues and friends on the South Coast who are just as cynical as I am. Compared to the governance we have to put up with round here, Brighton (which is rather larger) isn't seen as all bad. At least they do things with the money they get.

Absolutley, but what about those big things with lots of seats in we used to call buses? Oh yeah, don't need them no more because we can all drive can't we?

(Irrelevant PS - I met some silly old bloke I used to work with, lives a few miles from Newbury. Medical issues meant driving licence taken away. Still he gets into hospital for his appointments via the volunteer service.....)

At least the Greens are doing what we've asked time and again and are discussing things. UKIP on the other hand according to its leader doesn't even take notice of its policies, let alone what it's supporters might say at a conference.

A vote for UKIP simply means you get Farage deciding instead of Cameron; big deal!

Yeah, but with local bus services being cut to the bone, and sometimes beyond, you're doubly stuffed. And not every where has a Volunteer service (God blessum).

If you want to go back to the Stone Age vote Green. Hey, New party slogan right there.

Yeah, you are right....but given what's happening you'll be there a lot quicker if you vote for the traditional trio.

My God! Forced to drive within the speed limit? Whatever next!

Still at least we'd still be able to do 70 in town.

Does this apply to bikes then?
I notice they say "car manufacturers"
I wouldn't get my bike out of second gear!!

So jaguar, BMW, Audi, Ferrari et al will still find a UK market will they? Also it's the thin end of the wedge, once you have it installed the GPS will know where you are and when = road pricing. You'll pop out to buy a paper and find it's just cost you an extra fiver. It's all getting a bit too Orwellian.
And as I said, it won't apply to MP's "for security sir". Ooh, I could spit, I really could.

Absolutely, anyone not fitted with stabilizers and travelling more than 20kph will be immediately taken into custody on charges of endangering.smugness and having fun.

Having recently retuned to using the train, I was immediately reminded how miserable using them is compared to my modest car. My car is completely competent to travel on the motorway and I rarely go above 70. Trains, however, OK if you get a seat on a HST, quite pleasant in fact, indeed, it isn't too bad on the old snails, BUT, the service!!!

I've already said I hate Reading station and I still do. I made the mistake of assuming a late train, so I fire my app up and guess what, last train was the Plymouth 2102!!! So I go into mild panic, phone a friend, then I discover by accident by another passenger that there is a replacement bus service. OK, at least I can get home without calling on a friend's charity, albeit 20 minutes later than I would otherwise had. So when I get to Reading, yep, Bus it says on the board, but ferk all about where you actually catch the bloomin' thing!!! So I queue at the excess fair kiosk, wait patiently for the foreigner in front of me to finish spinning a **** and bull story about why he hasn't the wherewithal for what ever they were trying to sort out, then get told it is all the way over the other side of the station.

I must remember to service my car this weekend. By car to work ~1hr door to door, by train (and bus when I get there)? No faster than ~2hrs; 2.5 hours if I have to walk to the station. Cost in fair? ~£28; cost in petrol (I know not a completely fair comparison, but I still need a car anyway), ~£12.

This is because NR are working on the line for electrification.
Always best to check before you travel especially at weekends.

Cars never get held up eh?
Not making excuses. Bad service is bad service, but I am surprised there was no-one at Reading apart from the excess fares to help you.
Were the gatelines not manned?

Can't say that I care but I doubt that every purchaser of a Jag, BMW or Audi is only buying them for their ability to speed.


The Greens propose speed limiters to the EU maximum speed limit - which would actually be about 85mph. Not a GPS linked system.

I wonder why there is an EU ban on more powerful vacuum cleaners but these types of car are still available?
Double standards?