Greens plan to clip the wings of families who travel abroad more than once a year with ‘frequent flyer’ levies, scrap Trident and increase NI rates, under party’s election pledges
Britons who travel abroad more than once a year would face punitive ‘frequent flyer’ levies under Green Party proposals.
The party – which is on course to have its best ever general election result – also wants to raise National Insurance rates for those earning more than £50,000 and scrap the Trident nuclear deterrent.
Announcing a £70billion investment to mend ‘broken Britain’, the Greens said they would fund their plans through a wealth tax on assets above £10million and by expanding the windfall levy on energy giants.
At yesterday’s manifesto launch in the Brighton Pavilion constituency – their only seat in Westminster – Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay also proudly unveiled plans to ban domestic short-haul flights in the UK.
Under their ‘frequent flyer’ proposal, travellers taking ten flights a year would be forced to pay an extra £585.
Mr Ramsay told the Mail: ‘This is not intended to affect the average family. People who fly on holiday once a year would not be charged extra because we’re talking about frequent fliers.
‘Just 15 per cent of the population take 70 per cent of the flights. So we’re talking about business people or people who have wealth and fly frequently.’
The Greens have come under fire for their nuclear policies – which include cancelling the Trident nuclear programme and aiming to ‘phase out’ nuclear power.
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Related:
Nick Bowett – GreenWorld.org – Jan 2023: We need to think about cutting carbon equivalent emissions in every sector, including those that are difficult to decarbonise – such as aviation – in a culturally sensitive way. Introducing a frequent flyer levy would force frequent fliers to think more about their aerial carbon footprint and give them a financial incentive to lower it. …
Instead of hiking the price of all flights a fairer way to counter the burgeoning demand for air travel is to impose a frequent flyer levy. Under well detailed Green Party proposals, this would allow people to take one return flight a year, with no extra levy, so people could go on annual holidays and visit any family they may have abroad. A frequent flyer levy will make people consider if the trip they want to make is necessary and incentivise them to consider taking less carbon intensive forms of transport. …
The freedom to fly at will to almost any country in the world – in hours – is an incredible privilege which is now largely overlooked as travelling far afield has become so commonplace, but unfortunately, aviation is notoriously difficult to decarbonise. … Too much air travel is taking place which is warming our planet, hence damaging ecosystems which we rely on for food, and so forth. More British people travel abroad each year than any other nationality, so it is entirely fitting for the UK to show leadership on tackling this aspect of the climate emergency.
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Well, yes. Plans, Green party plans. It means nothing. Itll be interesting to see how green Labour is going to be. They say they want to force green policies. We will see how that pans out in reality. The pushback will be huge..
So all those ‘green’ activists flying all over the planet to protest would pay more. It is true that many are richmen kids.
People who can’t be bothered to save the planet have to give money to people who say they’re saving the planet by telling other people that they have to save the planet. Gottit.
Isn’t it fascinating how all left wing proposals can be boiled down to a simple statement.
Take money from those who have more than I do, and give it to me.
Actually, I know plenty of Labour voters who believe in ‘take money and dignity from those who have less than me’…..obseqious upwards and bullying downwards is their mantra….
That’s always the end result. All those left wing leaders want to be part of the by them so hated 1%. You can only do that by taking from the poor so they stay poor forever and vote left wing because you make them believe it is those evil capitalist preventing the poor to get out of poverty.
Politically in the UK the greens are no-hopers and now that the barmy Lucas has gone so has their single MP. Whatever they might say or claim can be taken with a very large grain of salt….
Elected Greens will push for:
Wind to provide around 70% of the UK’s electricity by 2030.
Delivery of 80GW of offshore wind, 53 GW of onshore wind, and 100 GW of solar by 2035.
Investment in energy storage capacity and more efficient electricity distribution.
Cancel recent fossil fuel licences such as for Rosebank and stop all new fossil fuel extraction projects in the UK.
Remove all oil and gas subsidies.
Introduce a carbon tax on all fossil fuel imports and domestic extraction
We want to see the phase-out of nuclear energy, which is unsafe
https://greenparty.org.uk/about/our-manifesto/powering-up-fairer-greener-energy/
Who in their right mind would vote for that other than arts students in Brighton?
And as we saw in recent local elections, the Greens are in bed with radical islam.
The greens also deny the Cass report:
“” In the Scottish Parliament Green MSPs now stand completely isolated on the Cass findings. Their co-leader, Patrick Harvie, was reluctant to even accept the report as a valid scientific document.
In London, Zoë Garbett, the Green mayoral candidate last month (who now sits as a London Assembly Member after her predecessor resigned her seat just days after getting elected) joined Harvie in attempting to undermine the findings. Apparently without even a pause for reflection over the monstrous way vulnerable young people had been let down by the NHS, she put out an upbeat and bouncy but completely nonsensical video dismissing the Cass Review as “really worrying” and saying that while “it’s widely recognised there are problems with trans healthcare, this review does not speak to the heart of those.”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/30/the-greens-are-putting-trans-ahead-of-childrens-health/
Readers may not catch the reference to the Cass Review.
There was an NHS clinic in London called the Tavistock Gender Identity Service (GIDS), which offered gender services particularly to young people.
Whistleblowers complaints about safety and ethics of medical practice there, coupled with lawsuits by some who felt they had been pushed into treatment, finally forced the Government to order a review, by the prominent pediatrician Hilary Cass. Her review is understated in the usual British way, but its implications, decoded, were so devastatingly clear that they led in short order to the closure of the clinic and a national ban on the routine prescription of puberty blockers.
An account of the legal case of Keira Bell can be found here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_v_Tavistock.
She lost the case in the end, on appeal, but the impact of the lower court victory and of the evidence presented was considerable. Her own account is here:
https://www.persuasion.community/p/keira-bell-my-story
The Cass Report is here:
https://cass.independent-review.uk/home/publications/final-report/
This review and its conclusions are what the Greens are objecting to, on what grounds is not clear.
There are disturbing parallels between the Trans movement and the climate movement. Both address a largely imaginary problem with measures which have no proven positive effects on it, even were it a real problem. Both have come to be dominated by ideologues demanding policy implementations without any consideration of their costs, whether financial or human.
The underlying framework of the GIDS was that there are lots of children who have been born in a body of the wrong sex, and that prescribing them puberty blockers and setting them on the pathway to surgery and hormonal treatment was an appropriate and safe remedy.
In fact, there is no evidence that anyone is or can be born in the wrong sexed body, and still less evidence that surgery and hormones can give people who claim to have this condition what they want. You cannot change a boy or man into a woman (or vice versa) by surgery and hormones. Anyone acquainted with the specific procedures that ‘gender confirmation’ treatments involve knows that. And one of the worst aspect of the GIDS clinic practice was its failure to assess the effects of the treatments it was prescribing.
Similarly there is no evidence of any climate crisis, and still less evidence that the favored policy nostrums of activists are either practical or effective either in reducing global emissions or reducing global temperatures. But huge amounts of money and effort are being taken from worthwhile policies which would promote human welfare and wasted on wind and solar farms which neither generate reliable power nor lower emissions.
At some point in both areas the English speaking world seems to have totally abandoned evidence based critical analysis of the policies being demanded by ideologues. The damage being done in both areas has been huge.
The thing is, not sure that this is all that much different from what both Labour, Conservatives and Liberals are intending doing or are endorsing. Labour for instance intends 90 GW wind (on- and off-shore combined) and about 50 GW of solar. They intend to be net zero in generation by 2030. Its impossible, and totally impossible with those amounts of wind and solar. But its not all that far off the Green dreams.
The Conservatives seem not to have given many numbers, but they intend net zero in generation by 2035. Solar seems to be 70 GW by then. Wind will have to be well over 100 GW to make that at all plausible. Again, not all that far off.
Then you have the licenses. Well, the UK Supreme Court just ruled that when giving planning approval to drilling, the authorities have to take into account the climate change effects of the burning of the fuel, be it oil or gas. This will also apply to coal.
Yes, the Greens are mad. But they are only a little madder than the rest of the political parties in the UK.
The only hope for drilling is now that some council will have the intestinal fortitude to point out, in a plea, how little effect on the climate their proposed drilling approval will have. Don’t hold your breath for that one!
what both Labour, Conservatives and Liberals are intending doing or are endorsing
Are merely variations on a theme. The Net Zero theme. The Tories are finished.
The media and the elites are having to come to terms with the idea of a new populist party, one people might “want” to vote for.
Again, plans are plans. Fine when you are in opposition or a fringe party like the Greens but reality will hit the wall when its implementation time. The economic outlook is bad. Labour will not be able to afford going full Green. Reality has already kicked in big time f wind. Companies are pulling out. Is the state taking over? Fat chance. Solar will always stay small scale, top of roofs etc. Look at the difficulties bringing in heatpumps has brought. Or hyping up EVs.
I think in the end Labour will talk big Green but accomplish little outside of subsidies. To offset they will go the already agreed road: nuclear..
I hope you are right, but fear you may be too hopeful. The thing about extremists is that they publish their extreme intentions in advance quite explicitly, but no-one takes them seriously. Everyone says, things like you say ‘in the end Labour will talk big Green but…..’
There is a chance, I think greatly underestimated, that they will do exactly what they have said they will, and drive the country off the cliff. A combination of unstable power, high energy prices and high taxes will do it.
Remember the immortal words of that German statesman after Hitler became Chancellor. He said something like, good, now we have this fellow Hitler just where we want him. You may think they cannot possibly implement their energy plans, because they are both impossible and pointless. So they will come to see this and back off.
You would back off. I would. Any reasonable person would. But as their pronouncements show, its not at all clear they are reasonable people. And they may not back off at all.
Pretty much every point in the 1920 US Communist party platform had been enacted by the Democrats before the 70’s were over.
Art students in Bristol 🙂
Greens don’t preserve life; they destroy it.
“…the Brighton Pavilion constituency – their only seat in Westminster-”
Translation for US readers: That is the equivalent of downtown San Francisco.
Greentards are the same everywhere.
Something to deflate a certain ‘Username’…
The world’s consumption of fossil fuels climbed to a record high last year
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/20/fossil-fuel-use-reaches-global-record-despite-clean-energy-growth
True to form, the Graun tries to muddy the waters by using units the layman will never understand…
“Juliet Davenport, the president of the Energy Institute, said the report had revealed “another year of highs in our energy-hungry world” including a record high consumption of fossil fuels, which rose by 1.5% to 505 exajoules.”
Roughly speaking, 1 barrel of oil holds ~6120000000 joules…..
That’s somewhat self defeating for the Guardian because most people won’t have a clue what an exajoule is.
“won’t have a clue what an exajoule is.”
Certainly not Gruniad readers !!
Guardian because most
peoplereaderswon’tdon’t have a clueHumanity set a record right before the pandemic of 90+ billion gallons of jet fuel burned. A conservative estimate of 60% of that went into the stratosphere. It happens every second of every day and it takes 3+ years to cycle through the stratospheric column. Every time you fly you are doing your part to keep the world warm and get us above pre-pandemic levels and keep the temps rising. So, by all means keep flying.
One correction: After 9/11 there were no planes in the air over the USE for several days. They tested the impact and found no warming, just a decrease in day-night temperature range. So wbike flying extra miles may seem virtuous, it might not do as much good as you think.
Sorry about the typos: USA, while.
They were wrong, the red line on the graph shows a decline in global temperatures following the 9/11 event.
Story tip
Not content with upsetting the Druids at Summer Solstice…
Two Just Stop Oil supporters have sprayed private jets with orange paint at an airfield where Taylor Swift’s planes are believed to be parked.
The climate activist group shared a video of two members cutting into a private airfield at Stansted on Thursday morning and vandalising the planes using fire extinguishers filled with orange paint.
Stansted airport confirmed Essex police have arrested two people for entering the private aviation area this morning.
Swift, currently touring the UK, has been criticised for her carbon footprint due to her extensive use of private jets.
https://metro.co.uk/2024/06/20/just-stop-oil-paint-planes-hours-taylor-swifts-private-jet-arrived-21068979/?ico=top-stories_news_top
People in Swift’s bracket can always get another.
The Greens for a paper cut would be euthanasia they are that out of sync with reality.
From the article: “Under their ‘frequent flyer’ proposal, travellers taking ten flights a year would be forced to pay an extra £585.”
That ought to save the world from CO2!
Clueless people leading other clueless people. What could go wrong?
________________________________________________________________
The scare mongering never stops. A Google search on “food production graph” with images selected, shows the opposite.
When it comes to comparing data to what models have predicted, the left will always go with whichever one shows what they want to believe.
Wasn’t it Biden who proclaimed that he would always take truth over data?
Story tip – video – EV charging cable thefts rising (copper)
EV charging cable theft sparking up across Las Vegas valley (youtube.com)
Meanwhile in Oz the great travel reset is fast resetting-
‘We were team BYD’: Canberra family’s Chinese EV nightmare | news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site
Yeah I’d want a refund too given that’s the major worry for used buyers out of warranty and hence the awful depreciation.
Then there’s the general problem of incendiary lithium batteries for which the numpties have no management or recycling plan to date-
Lithium-ion batteries are causing more than 10,000 fires a year in Australia. Waste chiefs say an ‘urgent’ management plan is needed (msn.com)
But wait there’s more for the intrepid whopper lithium battery on wheels buyer-
EV charging in apartment car parks is an insurance NIGHTMARE | MGUY Australia (youtube.com)
So now it’s a race to see if insurance underwriters can put the mockers on the EV fantasy before they run into the resource scarcity problem. My money is on the insurers and if I were Toyota I’d ditch the lithium and go back to NiMH batteries for their hybrids.
Fisker just filed for bankruptcy. It had offered excellent warranties. Good luck with those.
Of course with the usual carveouts for party leadership and big donors.
In the FPTP electoral system Reform need about 25% of the popular vote to match the Greens’ single seat of Brighton.
No, they don’t. They need 35%+ (whatever it takes to win) in one constituency out of 650, which is rather less than 0.1% of the national vote. The way FPTP works is that you win most seats if your votes are concentrated in as few constituencies as possible, which is why the SNP do very well, but UKIP/Reform UK and the Greens haven’t to date. As Reform UK is really a vehicle currently for Nigel Farage, whose UK brand is very strong, it doesn’t matter what vote share they get nationally if he polls well in Clacton. Obviously, to get more than 1 seat, then yes, they do need a significant percentage of the vote, as very few others of their candidates are widely known (their best bet is to have plenty who are locally well known).
Leftists flying to the latest stop oil get together will be excluded from these penalties.
Don’t worry. People don’t want to fly in orange planes anyway.
Easyjet customers have been doing it for 25 years and more….
For our friends in the US who can’t be bothered to follow the leadup up to the UK’s general election (understood: you have much more globally significant internal issues of your own) the Greens are one of a number of barking mad political parties whose immensely forgettable ‘manifestos’ only ever get an airing once every 5 years. Much more fun is the Monster Raving Loony Party (founder & RIP David ‘Screaming Lord’ Such). I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this time round a jaded and cynical UK electorate voted them in as our next government. Please !!
It’s proposals like this that keep the Greens in all countries at the bottom of the popular vote and with the fewest elected officials in almost every country. People don’t want to ordered what to buy and how to conduct their lives by groups of climate-fanatics whose proposals will just cost them more money, leave them saddled with unreliable products and restrictive, inconvenient lifestyles.
After the massive reductions in air travel after 9/11 and the more recent Covid restrictions, the Greens should be able to show conclusively that such reductions will have an effect on both CO2 levels and weather.
Crickets
Of course, politicians like Sadiq Khan would expect the taxpayers to fund his own lavish travel budget (I believe he has clocked up 100,000 miles in just a few years) – make politicians more expensive and make life less enjoyable – the Green offer for taxpayers.
These people are dumber than I thought. Number one there is no climate crisis. Number two CO2 is not the control knob for our climate. Number three giving more money to the government has never solved a damn thing. The only thing I want the Green Party to do is give up all fossil fuel use so there will be more fossil fuel for me.
Basically….. F*** OFF and stop trying to control everybody’s life !!