The sales were forced upon us by emissions legislation which means we are no longer able to run them, despite their being perfectly roadworthy and capable of carrying on for at least another 5 years or so (similar to rules concerning London Taxis). However, they are considered too inefficient for our apocalypse-bound planet and so they had to go.
We imagined that it would be difficult to sell them. After all, who wants to buy specialised business transport vehicles when no business is allowed to use them?
We were very wrong.
Immediately on placing them on eBay Motors, we were inundated with enquiries and could pick and choose which buyers were offering the most cash. They were all sold in no time at all with just the matter of collection to arrange.
The last two exited our premises today ... bound for Ukraine. Two others have been taken to Ireland, with the last of the five now somewhere on its way to Zimbabwe!
It would appear that although the UK has very strict emissions regulations to save the impending environmental catastrophe, they don't seem to be as harsh elsewhere. I'm not too sure how this helps protect the polar bears, myself, unless the countries mentioned are somehow using a different atmosphere to us. Nope, I simply can't work out how re-arranging the planet's vehicular furniture is going to stop global warming.
Naturally, accompanying the loss of those vehicles is the necessity to buy brand new (or very recent) replacements in order to get the most out of them before they too are declared obsolete by the state, and that, of course, increases our overheads.
Now, while the companies who will be using our vehicles don't compete with us, I'm sure there are many companies in the UK who are at a disadvantage to foreign competitors who can run their vehicle fleets for a lot longer, thereby providing economies not available to British firms.
I've also mentioned before the fact that newer vehicles are taxed a lot higher, which is yet more business costs self-imposed by the UK government in the name of safeguarding the environment.
If other unilateral enviro-laws are as futile at improving the Earth's environment as the one described above, aren't we just unnecessarily shooting our own businesses in the foot?
14 comments:
"If other unilateral enviro-laws are as futile at improving the Earth's environment as the one described above, aren't we just unnecessarily shooting our own businesses in the foot? "
In both feet, actually. Welcome to the wacky world of practical environmentalism. What do the proponents of man-made global warming call this kind of legislation?
A start!
Get used to it. There is plenty more where that came from if we are going to implement the Climate Change Act.
Only the EU are stupid enough to destroy their economy with this madness.
Everywhere else in the world is merely paying lip service.
Just goes to show the low standard of leadership running the EU.
The idea is to open up the UK as a historical museum with thousands of ghost towns and cities that used to have industries.
Visitors will be Chinese, Indian etc who will be easily able to afford it having ripped out ungreen factories and infra-structure lock, stock and barrel for next to nothing. These are then re-installed, made operational in the likes of China, lndia and the products they make sold back to us.
Pure insanity orchestrated by politicians for their own gain and stuff the people and the country.
But l suppose we can all sit back smugly and revel in how 'GREEN' we are.
There is a vague echo here with the mindset that dictates that a fridge that worked perfectly in its owner's house, and was no harm to anyone in the process, immediately becomes hazardous waste as soon as the owner decides to replace it. Regardless of the fact that if it was charitably exported to the Third World rather than added to the EU fridge mountain, it might add to quality of life over there and still harm no one. However, such sentiments are perhaps best not uttered too forcibly, in case some bureaucrat thinks that an EU lorry mountain is a worthy goal to strive for.
@Smoking Hot
It would certainly explain the proposed chinese loan to prop up the Euro.
However I think they will want to build the factories around the eastern and southern periferies of the EU where the labours cheaper.
The Japanese built factories in the UK but that was before the southern and eastern European nations joined.
It's a good way to import though, less distance and regulation .
It comes with strings attached of course.
You take at face value their claims that they do this because they love the environment.
In truth, they do it because they hate a successful UK business.
Any thoughts?
Lorry drivers face £9 a day UK road charge
Aren't we just unnecessarily shooting our own businesses in the foot?
A rhetorical question?
It is not about saving the planet Dick, it is about being SEEN to be saving the planet.
Hypocrisy is what unites Conservative, Labour and Lib Dem and shared hypocrisy is the foundation of our special relationship with the people across the pond.
You knwo, this green nonsense my well be what pushes the British people over the edge similar to events in Tunisia, Egypt, Yeman and Jordan.
Then again, I'm ashamed to say, the British have become such an apathetic lardy-arsed bunch of wets that nothing is likely to drag them away from the 42" plasma while Jermey Kyle is on.
As already stated, this has nothing to do with "saving the planet" and everything to do with extracting the maximum amount of feathers with the minimum amount of hissing.
However, (to mix my metaphors) the goose, when finally bereft of feathers, will no longer want to keep laying those golden eggs.
It's a short-sighted approach much loved by politicians, who know they have a limited shelf-life. Unfortunately, since most of them are totally divorced from reality, never having worked in the real world, they have no real empathy with either the "working man" or with businesses apart from massive corporations who operate along the same lines as governments. Hence all the (small) business-destroying legislation.
As for the link @nbc
"The devil is in the detail. This is great in theory, but putting it into practice will be a minefield."
The daily charge for lorries seems to me to be one of the better ideas that the ComDems have had. At least, it will catch the foreign lorries.
Having said that, as someone said, the devil is in the detail - how will the scheme be implemented? It seems very odd that the Gov have ruled out satelite systems - I wonder why? It seems simple enough to have a 'meter' in each lorry just as we have a 'meter' in our homes to measure and charge for our electricity use.
I fact, why not do away with road tax and charge for the use of all vehicles, including cars?
I have to confess a personal motive! Since I am 'getting on a bit' and retired, I hardly use my car - no need. Why am I paying nearly £200 per an when I only use my car once a month to go to town?
Smoking Hot: I think you have that bang on. We're adding burdens to our own busineses just so politicians can brag to their peers how very good they are being. Doesn't help the country, nor does it help the fortunes of businesses or those who are seeking employment.
Cazzy: Good point about the fridges, it's a prior precedent along the same lines.
NBC: The idea is a good one if you think of it solely from a UK haulier's point of view (which is why they naturally support it), but does anyone seriously believe that foreign haulage companies are not going to pass that cost on? MPs obviously do.
No, what will actually happen is that a premium will be placed on supplies sourced from other countries, and UK businesses will have to pay it. OK, it may well prompt some to source from British companies instead, but those who can't (specialised materials etc) will be forced to pay higher costs. It looks like a zero sum idea overall to British business to me. Great for xenophobes, mind. ;)
Why we bother when China allegedly opens 6 new coal fired power stations every day(or whatever) I'll never fathom. But our government seems to delight in imposing regulations that cost us all money many of which are quite unnecessary.
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