Leatherhead Matters

The Government’s strategy for reducing & eventually reversing climate change is to penalise carbon emissions, through the tax system and subsidise “green” energy. In a compelling paper in the Financial Times, Lord Howell of Guildford offers a damning critique of this strategy and offers an alternative.

He argues that the high tax on energy dampens price signals (for example US petrol prices have increased over 200% over the last 3 years in response to the climb in oil price to $100 oil. UK petrol prices have risen no where near as fast due to the already heavy tax & duty dampening the raw material price increase). The Government is also trying to pick technology winners by providing Government support and subsidies to specific projects. Government’s have a poor historical record when it comes to picking winners. The Government is already picking wind farms and supporting them in some of the most heavily subsidised schemes in Europe. The cost of this is hidden in our electricity bills.

Read more Home UK / UK - Stop penalising consumers for climate change

 Incredible statistic reported in the New York Times:  1 in every 100 US adults is locked up in jail! But for some ethnic groups the figures are even worse. 1 in every 15 black adults and 1 in every 9 black, males, between the ages of 20 and 34 are incarcerated. For Hispanics adults 1 in every 36 adults is in jail.

The report also found that only 1in 355 white women between the ages of 35 and 39 are behind bars but that vs 1 in every 100 black women

However the report points out that many argue that these rates of incarceration are working since the Federal Bureau of Investigation report that violent crime has reduced by 25% over the last 20 years, falling to 464 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in 2007, from 612.5 in 1987.

1 in 100 U.S. Adults Behind Bars, New Study Says - New York Times

You can also read more statistics on the US prison population trends on the Bureau of Justice website.

On the BBC News Website a report includes the following table:

RATES OF INCARCERATION

USA: 750 prisoners per 100,000 people*

South Africa: 341 per 100,000

Iran: 222 per 100,000

China: 119 per 100,000 

*(Note: differs from the NYT data since they use data for just the adult population vs the BBC using total population)

Interesting that the BBC make no mention of UK rates of incarceration. With the prison population overflowing on to the streets it would be interesting to compare international incarceration rates! Any offers?

Here was I thinking that Gordon just doesn’t listen! Only a month ago I posted this article on the need for Government action on plastic bags. Then yesterday……….  a flurry of action in Whitehall and Gordon releasing press statements that he may ban plastic bags!

Now all Gordon has to do, in no particular order is:

Sort out the NHS, sell off Northern Rock at a profit for the tax payer, stop inflation rising , reduce violent crime  and binge drinking on our streets, reduce the huge population for which living off state benefits is a lifestyle decision, develop a serious immigration strategy, develop a strategy on devolvement of power & decision making to local communities, properly fund our military while engaged in both Iraq & Afghanistan, stop the practice of constantly distracting attention from real issues by spinning, meaningless stories to the media……………..

oh! wait a minute…..NOW I understand why Gordon is commiting his Government to reducing the use of plastic bags!