The front page of today’s Daily Express:
The same story is also displayed front and centre on the Express’ website:
Have you got it yet? The European Union has said “hammer British drivers”. The EU wants to “hammer” British drivers with taxes to pay for climate change policies. The headline also seeks to imply that it’s only British drivers that are going to be “hammered”.
It’s perfect, isn’t it? The story fits in nicely with the Express’ ongoing narrative that the EU is an evil empire that wants to tax us all to hell and back.
Except, they don’t. The EU has said no such thing.
The article starts off well enough with:
BRITISH drivers face being hammered by taxes from Europe to pay for climate change policies.
The plans include controversial road pricing and higher levies on fuel.
But then it goes on to say:
A 99-page study commissioned by the European Union says “aggressive policy measures are vital in reducing transport emissions”. It favours imposing the same measures across the continent – a move critics say would further erode British sovereignty.
Oh. So it’s not a “plan” from the EU at all. It’s merely a study commission by them. The two things are not the same.
The Express then includes a lengthy quote from someone who is opposed to the EU’s “plan” to introduce road-pricing.
Last night Peter Roberts of the Drivers’ Alliance, which organised an anti-road pricing petition that attracted 1.8 million signatures, said: “The costs of pollution and congestion are already more than covered by taxation on motorists in this country.
“If you were to apply the same taxation structure to household fuel bills as that used on petrol, domestic bills would rise several hundred per cent.
“This call for more fuel taxes and road pricing smacks of a cultural dislike of personal transport and the freedom it brings.
“If the EU forced through road pricing it would be an affront to the sovereignty of the UK and an insult to the people who have shown their contempt for such measures.”
Pretty strong words for a plan that doesn’t exist.
The Express then mentions the true source of the report:
The report by energy and climate change consultants AEA was carried out for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Climate Action.
So the headline should have read: EU COMMISSION STUDY BY CLIMATE CHANGE CONSULTANTS WHO SAY “HAMMER BRITISH DRIVERS”.
It’s not quite as punchy but it does have the virtue of being true.
The article then continues on to say that road-pricing has been “overwhelmingly rejected” by British motorists, including an opposing quote from the president of the AA and a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers.
Then, you get to the penultimate sentence:
Last night a Department for Transport spokesman said: “We have no plans to introduce a charging programme for roads.”
To sum up, the EU didn’t say British drivers should be “hammered” and our Government has no plans to introduce the road-pricing measures that the Express article mentioned ad nauseam.
The EU has obviously conducted this research to look for possible measures to combat climate change. It doesn’t mean they advocate the recommendations of the report or that they will implement any of its suggestions.
Perhaps the Express should stick to Princess Diana…
Anybody who reads that headline and believes all it insinuates is a serious fucktard that could help the world be getting sterilised.
"Oh. So it's not a "plan" from the EU at all. It's merely a study conducted by them. The two things are not the same."
Not conducted by the EU either,
Commissioned by them but conducted by AEA.
Thanks for pointing out the mistake. Have corrected that sentence now.