Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Manchester Congestion Charge

The powers that be are moving into extremely sinister propaganda territory here in the wild North West. On TV and radio they are regaling us with ads to try and sell the inevitable congestion charge in Greater Manchester. Theoretically it needs 7 out of 10 of the Greater Manchester authorities to agree before it can be intoduced in 2013. However, I suspect they will use 'EU rules', which means they will introduce it anyway even if only one agreed.

The ads on TV, I have yet to hear the radio ads, show a former Coronation Street actor wandering through a mock traffic jam. He is promising a massive improvement in public transport to ease those awful traffic jams we all hate so much. There will be, by 2013, more trams, more tramways, more buses (and no doubt more bus lanes) and more trains with more carriages. All this just for you and, to show how really nice Big Brother really is, you can assist in this wonderful investment by contributing to it via a congestion charge. Oh, but only during the week and in the morning and evening rush hours. So it's nothing really is it?

The ads are truly totalitarian in nature, Dr Goebbels himself would have been proud of them, but what really worries me is how many muppets will fall for the propaganda. Or am I being cynical again?

Why not visit Manchester Against Toll Tax here?

2 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

Traffic lights.

Gregg said...

Traffic lights? Better Off Off!