The flag was flown and the salutes were mostly of the two finger variety. So now we see a climb down.
Plans to make anyone carrying out a loft or garage conversion pay more for environmental upgrades “will not happen”, Downing Street sources say.
Proposals to require homeowners spend 10% of the value of any such work on energy efficiency improvements were unveiled in January.
It would extend rules for large developments to domestic improvements.
But senior Conservatives, including the prime minister, are reportedly opposed to the proposal.
Yes, well, given that it was a massive vote loser, I’m not surprised. The proposal would have seen building regulations extended into areas that should be well outside the state’s remit. And, frankly, as mentioned when I discussed this earlier, any improvements made should be at the discretion of the home owner, not the state or its hangers on in the environmental lobby. I for one, will not replace windows that are old just because new ones are more efficient. The capital cost of doing so does not justify the saving, so I will wait until a window needs replacement and replace it. Likewise with any other energy efficiency improvements – they will be made as and when I deem them necessary and according to my budget.
According to the Daily Mail, a source close to David Cameron said the plans were “bonkers” and “should never have been in the consultation”.
Okay, so the Mail is similar in its use of rhetoric to the Sun, but on this occasion it is right, the idea is “bonkers” and most certainly should ever have been mooted. However, as is always the case with these illiberal ideas, the bureaucrats and politicians like to fly the flag and see if the cat licks it. On this occasion, it didn’t.
Now we wait and see what the next outrageous intrusion into our private lives this coalition of the numpties comes up with next.
Smoking in the home,just wait.
Compulsory smart meters?
Limits on alchohol purchase?
The Conservatives just threw away 314 years of history and confined themselves to the dustbin of said history in the last month.
UKIP will mop up soon ,eyebrows are being raised.
Maybe some Mp’s will defect once one goes the dam will burst.
Got a feeling the local elections are going to give them a fright.
The Conservatives just threw away 314 years of history and confined themselves to the dustbin of said history in the last month
The Tories have a wholly unmerited reputation for defending individual liberty. They have never done so. 30 years ago, the Tories exploited the moral panic over ‘video nasties’ with as much vindictiveness and cynicism to make New Labour seem like amateurs by comparison. Several people were jailed for selling horror films!
Quite so. The conservatives are only the friends of liberty when compared to some of the excesses of the last lot.
Had there not been a chorus of complaint, does anybody seriously think the Government would have dropped this idea of their own volition ?
Quite.
Not only that @ ReefKnot.
I think they woke up the sheeple with that one.
A lot of people have lost more trust in government.
Joined up thinking is not something that seems to exist within governments any more, haven’t we just had a “relaxation” of the planning regulations and they come along with this!
Twas the Huhne monster that came up with tis nonsense, was it not? But his resignations seems to change nothing about the in house trade offs between the Lib/Dems and the Tory’s.
What happened to Huhne’s court case for Perverting the Course of Justice by the way? He and his ex wife were first up in Court in Febuary. I used to work in the Crown Court, and that is one long bleedin ajournment! Something smells