06 February 2007

McConnell's lollipop

Alan Cochrane in The Telegraph asks some sensible questions about the First Minister's proposal to reduce council tax for the greenies:
To underline his supposed election-winning credentials, Mr McConnell presented a "lollipop" to some newspapers at the weekend which suggested that if he wins in May, he proposes a ripping wheeze to cut our council tax bills.
It would mean that those of us who are good boys and girls and who insulate our homes and who also re-cycle all that's recyclable in our rubbish, will get between £100 and £200 off our annual council tax bills.
Brilliant! Just what the election doctors ordered. Except for one thing - how on earth will it work?
It's probably pretty straightforward to reward those in new houses, where insulation is mandatory nowadays, but what about the rest of us?
Will we have to show a receipt for having our cavities foamed or our lofts felt?

And what about those of us who live in stone-built tenements without cavity walls or lofts?

What about the recycling aspect? Will those of us who dispose properly of our empty wine and spirits bottles - a modest quantity, naturally - be in line for Jack's refund?
Another important question is, of course, who will judge whether those at number 34 are to get the loot, while those at 36 get nothing?
Are our binmen to be turned into refuse adjudicators? Or will our town hall masters take our word for it that we really are save-the-world environmental warriors, like they most certainly do not for just about every other aspect of our lives.

No, it's just another election promise, one that will never have to be implemented.

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