Major Beware!

In extension of the comments I made about the Government’s proposed “Continuous Licensing” of all motor vehicles, whether on or off the road, the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, which looks after the interests of a big majority of owners of the older cars, etc, has definitely given the “thumbs down” to this preposterous proposal. The FBHVC Press statement reads as follows:

“Repeated promises given to the Federation by Ministers that continuous licensing would not inconvenience honest motorists have been broken,” declares Federation Chairman, Peter Glover. “These proposals contain no deterrent to the small hard-core of tax evaders with modern vehicles who are the avowed target of the continuous licensing scheme. Indeed continuous licensing would make it easier for them to escape detection, since the Ministry proposes cutting the number of enforcement officers.”

Not only “snooping into an individual’s possessions,” I would add, but an infringement of the citizen’s right to use private land as they wish, without incurring extra taxation aimed at only one section of an innocent community. The FBHVC has a 250,000 membership and while politicians may dismiss this as insignificant, let them ponder on whether the loss of these votes might not represent a disaster, to a Government which has disappointed the electorate in so many ways. The FBHVC says those who have not done so should still protest to their MPs, etc. The Prime Minister may have been re-elected from a curious abdication — but let John Major be aware of the votes he may lose, and so badly needs, from irate motor-owners if “Continuous Licensing” is introduced.