Government is in a bind over loss of tax as more cars go electric. Estimates of the tax loss are £10 billion by 2030 and £30 billion by 2040. It can hardly put tax on electric cars, at least until they are the norm, and cannot replace the fuel tax as electricity is ubiquitous. We already have road pricing of sorts with the congestion charge in London, and the Motorway Toll road.
ENVIRONMENT
it is time we got some accountability from government. it was sadly better when we had nameless bureaucrats in Europe running the show. There have been numerous International Conferences and Treaties over the years, but none have resulted in accountability. We expect teachers to report on the progress made under their tuition in numerous subjects and social ares. Why not the same for each ministry.
EMMA RADUCANU
Football week 4 results
Ig NOBELS
I had never heard of these until today. Established in 1991 by an American magazine called the Annals of Improbable Research awards are made to … just that, the zany and the improbable. A previous winner, Andre Geim went on to win a Nobel prize for developing graphene (although his Ig Nobel was for research levitating amphibians! I have no idea what that is about! But the key is that research can sometimes throw up something unexpected, and that means we should encourage a certain amount of eccentricity in our lives.
COVID
Vaccine levels in North Somerset are 87.6% one jab; 82.1% 2 jabs. I am surprised it is not higher – Scotland has almost everywhere at over 90%, even 95% for once jab and over 85% for 2. Yet Scotland has a higher rate of infection than England where some areas are 55% one jab. Does this make sense? Schools went back earlier than England so we will see what happens next week. North Somerset level is 395 and Sandford is 414 per 100000 (7 days to 5 September). At least 2 teachers have tested positive ing the last week at Churchill.
COVID VACCINE
Surely no one believes anything Johnson says. At the G7 he stated that the whole world would be vaccinated by the end of next year. WHO set a target of of this month to jab 10% of the population in all countries. December deadline is 30% with no chance of success. COVAX has channelled just 4% of vaccines to poorer countries. By January we will collectively have produced enough vaccine for every adult on the planet. So what is going wrong?
EMMA RADUCANU
PASTA CONCERNS
The hot dry spell has hit the durum wheat crop in Canada, whilst the wet spring has already affected the Italian crop. Climate change hitting spagbol and pizza is a real crisis.
Prices for pasta are expected to rise by 50% in line with recent price rises of the wheat. I shall stock up on ‘OO’ flour.
OUT OF HIBERNATION
Gavin Williamson? In a rambling speech to the Universities conference he managed to criticise many aspects of universities including debates about statues, inadequate teaching, antisemitic incidents, non-disclosure agreements to silence victims of sexual assault, inadequate facilities for disabled students. And then an increasingly casualised workforce, too much money spent on corporate activities and marketing.