Wolfie gets it wrong on privilege

Friday 21st October 2011, 2:30PM BST.

ENVIRONMENT – as this newspaper well knows – does not like criticism it regards as unjustified. As a result, it is ultra-sensitive to trying to avoid that which might draw it into controversy.

Its major transport report out today is a classic example. And in fairness to the political board, anything to do with car use, paid parking and the buses is a recipe for drawing the wrath of the island’s considerable number of traffic experts.

The result, however, is a bizarre, not to say bewildering, Billet d’Etat item that ranges over its 52 pages from attacking the States for not knowing what it wants to having been written by the Tooting Popular Front’s Wolfie in Citizen Smith.

Its wording is also disingenuous over previous attempts to establish a meaningful transport strategy and the department’s refusal to implement paid parking, a central element in reducing commuter traffic.

What it does well is to pull together the elements – and difficulties – associated with reducing car use but resolutely backs off making any commitment as to what happens next, hence its title, ‘towards’ a new integrated road transport strategy.

But it is precisely where Environment does commit itself – on a ‘vision statement’ as a strategy starting point – that it is most open to criticism and where the clenched fist and beret of Wolfie Smith is most evident.

‘Not only is using a vehicle a privilege and not a right but exercising that privilege means embracing the social, environmental and economic responsibilities that go with it.’

Yes, it is ‘Freedom for Tooting’ claptrap but all the more worrying because the political board clearly hasn’t given a thought to how the island’s taxi drivers, white van men, bus drivers, delivery-men, newsagents and ordinary mums, dads and teenagers will react to being on the end of Wolfie’s wagging finger being told they are jolly lucky to be using a vehicle at all.

Even worse, the States’ own report on setting a minimum income standard for islanders – a key element of the social inclusion policy – acknowledges that car use is essential: ‘as a minimum, all households required one, second hand economy car’, it stated.

By any standard, this is beyond bad.

1
Arnald

October 21, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Get a grip, Mr Editor!

‘Not only is using a vehicle a privilege and not a right but exercising that privilege means embracing the social, environmental and economic responsibilities that go with it.’

Exercising privileges and embracing the responsibilities that go with it is pure liberalism.

To get on in Guernsey, we need to be privileged enough, mostly, to have some sort of private vehicle at some stage in our lives. Ignoring the cause and effect of exercising that privilege makes most commentators on this subject, you included, sound outraged to the point of sociopathy.

Have some respect.

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2
Tony

October 21, 2011 at 3:28 pm

Far from being claptrap, stating that a car is a privelege is probably the most sensible statement ever to come out of a States department. Although I will concede that the rest of the report is utter nonesense …..

And if asked to choose, I would say the minimum income report is in the wrong – a car is NOT essential for everyone in Guernsey ( I know because I have in the past coped perfectly well without one for months )

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3
Ray

October 22, 2011 at 6:20 pm

Tony

That’s what happens when you do 40MPH in a 20MPH zone

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4
Tony

October 23, 2011 at 3:10 pm

@ Ray ….. Sadly my clapped out ageing banger wasn’t capable of going 25 mph let alone 40 !!

Whilst waiting for a ridiculously overpriced piece of plastic to arrive to fix it I think I fell into a coma, because I must have been dreaming when I somehow didn’t starve to death, I didn’t lose my job, the kids managed to get to school, and we all managed to go bowling and visit the cinema.

I know many of you will be wondering how, because without a car life is officially impossible in Guernsey. But I discovered these things called legs – we all have them apparently, and if you keep putting one in front of the other you can actually move from one place to another – its called walking I think. And by moving my legs up and down on a new fangled contraption called a bicycle I was able to get around even quicker !
After doing some of this “walking” stuff I encountered some funny looking signs which it turned out were timetables for something called a “bus”. And by studying this timetable I discoverd that I could walk 5 minutes to a “bus stop”, pay £1, and then I would get driven to right outside the Mallard Cinema ( thus not depriving the kids of their weekend treat ). And these buses could also take me to right outside lots of shops, so I could still buy the groceries. They could take me to Saumarez Park for the kids to enjoy the playground. They could take me to the harbour and the airport if I wanted a trip away somewhere. And take me into work in the morning, and home again in the evening. And if they didn’t fancy walking, they would take the kids too and from school as well ( and they didn’t even have to pay for that ! )
And on the odd occasion I had to go somewhere out of the way, or very early in the morning, or late at night, I found that you could ring up something called a “taxi”, that you could pay to take you from just about anywhere to just about anywhere. And I could then have a few beers as well whilst I was out!
Sadly though, all too soon I came round and had to face life in what is apparently the real world where none of the above is possible, and I have to exercise my right to sit in rush hour traffic jams, to drive round and round looking for parking spces, and drink orange juice and mineral water on nights out …..

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