On Tue, 02 May 2006 13:34:48 +0100, Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

What I find strange is IIRC both Huge and Steve actually need something
like a 4X4 because of the rural locations of their homes but choose to
defend Chelsea Tractors.

Because no one ever attacks just urban use of 4x4s they always attack *all*
4x4s. Most of the moaners don't even know what they are moaning about. Will
they ban Audi quattros, Subaru WRXs, Fiat Pandas and the like? And where do
they sit on the subject of the Subaru Forester?

Perhaps because they've never experienced the
havoc they cause in urban side roads - mainly through poor driving.

Then campaign against poor driving. If you get these people out of 4x4s do
you imagine they will all choose to drive Smart cars? Or indeed that their
driving will improve?

The problem is that action taken against city dwellers use of 4x4s is broad
brush - to increase fixed taxation in the form of VED, to increase fuel
prices and possibly in the future to impose taxation on those who enter
cities in a 4x4. The intent of the legislation may be to target those who
offend you, but the practice will be to hit those in the country.

BTW, I've said before I'm happy to see legislation banning country folk
from visiting cities, provided that the same legislation band city folk
from leaving cities. I'd love to see the roads here at the weekend free
from the flood of drivers of perfectly ordinary saloon cars who can't drive
for toffee rushing to get to the west country or to their holiday cottages
on the Downs.

Perhaps they want a source of immaculate secondhand ones which have
never put a boot in mud?

Well it's damned useful, my current Ford was bought off a city boy, let him
take the £14k in a year depreciation hit.