Review of air passenger duty on domestic flights

[whole diary]

[broadgage]

Air travel is bad due to the fossil fuel used and the carbon dioxide emitted, thus worsening climate change. HMG have a publicly stated policy of greening the economy.

"Union connectivity" OTOH^▸ (On The Other Hand) sounds good and nothing to do with global warming. (RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) note they do not mean trades unions)

[stuving]

Report (Department for Transport - about)-Union-Connectivity-Review-Interim-Report-March-2021-accessible.pdf" target="_blank">here ... "Union Connectivity" - Scotland, Wales, Northen Ireland and England

I'm not sure if this review is worth its own thread, but its interim report is probably worth a comment or two. I'm not impressed so far, and can see some big holes in it.

For one thing, having noted that Brexit has removed the TEN-T planning framework, they don't say anything about the continued need for transport links with the EU^» (European Union - about)/EEA or what joint planning mechanisms there will be. This (unlike air and sea transport to farther away) is to other places so close that the routing has implications for internal connectivity. Thus it ought to be included, and the wider question of "who's doing our joint planning with the EU" at least clarified.

It's probably too much to ask for the economic analysis to address the changes implied by decarbonisation - I expect higher GDP and employment but lower living standards. They are transport experts, so have to rely on conventional government economic analysis. But we'll have wait for the final report to see how well they have coped with these - admittedly difficult - future changes.

Oh, and if on the first map you are going to arbitrarily label one grey blob in Fife as "Kirkaldy", do try to get the right blob (or name)!