Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Petition to reduce road tax

I still worry that concessions on older cars (VED & MOT) will ultimately lead to restrictions on use as has already been the case in some other countries.

Agreed, but difficult to enforce here as some vehicles exempt from the MOT (mileage check ?) and ANPR cameras struggle with black 'n silver plates

Despite all the tech we still have thousands of motorists on our roads with no insurance or road tax

And our relatively local low emission zone is not as amazing as the council brags, but they're happy to charge £££

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/envi...-top-10-most-polluted-in-country-5616031

I think this Government is prepared to break the UK industrial base and economy in the search for net zero emissions. I seriously doubt they will make many concessions for the ICE now or post 2030. Clearly demonstrated as they recently voted to keep increasing the fuel escalator, even when they know there is a real economic disaster about to unfold. Need the tax revenues for benefits, and net zero target is on everyone's back............the way things are looking they wont open up the North Sea, then they will drive down imports of hydrocarbons to achieve the impossible net zero.

All I see is a world of increased cost of ownership of all powered modes of transport. Add in over zealous local councils who will make entering their area become too prohibitive either on cost or emissions levels........and the inevitable end of the ICE is on the cards.

How could this possibly help? The government doesn't own the oil, it is extracted by private companies and sold on the world market. Imagining that somehow they would sell it for less to the UK is hopelessly optimistic.

I suppose we could decide that the best thing to do would be to maintain control over our own energy assets by nationalising the oil companies operating in UK waters, but I can't see that ending well, the Iranians tried it in 1951 and look what happened to them.

Expanding our Green industries and reducing our dependence on oil controlled by extra-national bodies seems like an excellent strategy for energy independence to me.

Will help with increasing our security over energy supplies.......not suggesting nationalisation but from previous reports 40% of North Sea oil went to domestic UK consumption. Wasn't it the UK and US that undermined the Iranian nationalisation which lead to the creation of BP even though Labour had a policy of nationalisation of UK resources.


Yes we still need to have a clean energy policy and clean up our act, but I do smile that all the massive wind farms we have dotted around the coast energy generation is feed onshore by cables...which are open to sabotage and when we don't have enough Naval assets currently to protect them it all becomes laughable. One could say the same for the North Sea oil being bought on shore are open to similar attack.

We have yet to find ways of replacing hydrocarbon produced plastics to eg bring your milk home from the shops.......just little practical everyday things like that, that the type of power generation wont solve. We can use glass again but that's a very energy intensive industry..........but a glass car dashboard may have a few safety issues.......people seem to lose sight of the extensive use of hydrocarbons in everyday life...it doesn't just fuel vehicles or our central heating......our everyday dependance on hydrocarbons today goes way beyond energy sources.


Approximately 98% to 99% of all plastics produced globally are derived from fossil-based hydrocarbons, primarily crude oil and natural gas.

Key details regarding plastic production feedstocks include:

Fossil Fuel Dependence: Almost all conventional plastics are made from petrochemicals, which are refined from fossil hydrocarbons.
Source Breakdown: According to a 2022 analysis, the feedstock for virgin plastics is approximately 40% petroleum, 8% natural gas, and 44% coal, with the remainder from other sources.

Bio-plastics Share: Plastics produced from renewable biomass (bio-plastics) make up only a very small fraction of the market, estimated at less than 1% to 2% of total production.

Production Volume: Over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually.
Future Trends: Despite the push for green energy, petrochemical production (and thus plastic production) is expected to grow and account for almost half of the growth in oil demand by 2050.

Thats why I don't buy the current governments propaganda agenda which only focus on fuel/energy use of hydrocarbons.........which ignores everyday life plastics need, While the UK plastics industry processes roughly 3.5 million tonnes of material, it only produces about 1.8 million tonnes, heavily relying on imports to meet total demand............again an issue of resource security...unless you think you can use cupped hands etc to get your milk or whatever home from the shop.

Always assuming that UK companies don't get outbid in the market. Just because the oil is extracted from the North Sea it doesn't give us any particular rights to it, it's traded on the international market.



Bit of a stretch to conflate Labour's nationalisation policy from 20 years later with the destabilisation strategy of Winston Churchill's 1951-55 Conservative government


All our infrastructure is open to terrorist attack, successive post-war governments of all types haven't seen it as a priority issue. Perhaps they will now.


We have perfectly viable alternatives already available to petrochemical-derived plastics, we can grow hemp and potatoes very successfully in the UK and PLA manufacture is very straightforward, there are thousands of 3D printers all over the country (including the one in my garage) that produce plastic items quite happily without ever going near any petrochemicals. The reason we haven't gone for it wholesale is that up to now oil has been readily available and the technology is all in place, but there's absolutely no reason why it can't change.

Actually it was the Labour Government in early '51 that was in power (with an Nationalisation agenda) ,when Iran nationalised their own oil.


Grow hemp and potatoes, give up valuable farm lands to produce plastics when we can't feed ourselves is laughable. What about UKfood security. Approximately 40% to 46% of all food consumed in the UK is imported, with this figure rising to nearly 50% for fresh fruit and vegetables. While the UK produces around 60% of its total food needs, it relies heavily on imports for staples that cannot be grown domestically year-round or in sufficient quantity, such as fruit, vegetables, and certain meats. According to Labour's 2026 land-use strategy, approximately 500,000 acres (around 200,000 hectares) of English countryside are designated to be transformed into solar farms and wind turbine installations by 2050 to meet net-zero targets. Add in the rezoning of agricultural land for housing, the growing impact of inheritance taxes on farm estates Based on UK government data and industry analysis regarding the reforms to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget and subsequent 2025 updates, the following points address the potential impact on farmland, effective from 6 April 2026:

185–500 Farm Estates Affected Annually: The UK government projects that around 500 estates (including those with both agricultural and business relief) will pay more inheritance tax, with recent revised estimates suggesting around 185 estates claiming APR will be directly impacted.

4 in 10 Farms Considered Unsustainable: According to research among farmers, nearly 4 in 10 (41%) believe they will need to sell at least half of their farmland to cover the new inheritance tax liability.

SO we may well finish up with less and less land dedicated to farming or so reduced in size as not to be commercially sustainable or viable..............

If only that were true nowadays Jon

In 1951, the Labour government led by Prime Minister Clement Attlee took a series of severe economic, legal, and military actions against Iran following the nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) on May 1st. The British strategy aimed to cripple the Iranian economy to force a reversal of the decision or the downfall of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

Key actions taken by the Attlee government in 1951:

Economic Sanctions and Blockade:

Embargo on Key Commodities: Britain imposed a strict trade embargo, prohibiting the export of vital commodities to Iran, including steel and sugar.
Blocking Financial Assets: The UK blocked Iran’s access to its sterling hard currency accounts in British banks.
Tanker Embargo: The AIOC withdrew its tanker fleet, effectively stopping the export of Iranian oil. Britain warned other nations that purchasing Iranian oil would result in lawsuits, treating it as "stolen property".
Withdrawal of Personnel: Following the nationalization, Britain instructed its technicians to stop production and withdrew most staff, leaving only a small "hardcore" group of around 300 administrators in Abadan.

Military Threats and Pressure:

Naval Presence: The Royal Navy built up a significant military presence in the Persian Gulf, including sending warships such as the cruiser Mauritius to anchor near the Abadan refinery.
Threat of Intervention: While Attlee ultimately decided against a full-scale invasion of Abadan to avoid international condemnation and a Soviet response, the government maintained a credible threat of force to protect remaining British nationals and interests.

Legal and Diplomatic Actions:

International Court of Justice (ICJ): On May 26, 1951, the UK filed a complaint against Iran with the ICJ, demanding that the 1933 Concession Agreement be upheld and that Iran pay damages for violating its international obligations.
UN Security Council: Britain brought the dispute to the United Nations Security Council, accusing Iran of endangering international peace by violating the ICJ’s interim orders to stop the takeover of AIOC facilities.
Intelligence and Internal Pressure:
Intelligence Operations: The British intelligence services (MI6) actively sought ways to weaken the Mossadegh government, beginning the process of plotting against him, which culminated in a joint British-American coup in August 1953.
Diplomatic Coercion: Britain urged the United States to align with its position, arguing that Mossadegh's actions would allow communism to spread in the region.

These actions, often referred to as the "Abadan Crisis," led to a severe economic collapse in Iran. While the Attlee government ultimately decided to withdraw all British personnel from Abadan by the fall of 1951, the economic embargo effectively shut down Iran's oil exports. Actions taken by a Labour Government that had it's own nationalisation agenda, demonstrated the UK hypocrisy over the right of an elected Government to nationalise it own economy......Churchill (with no nationalisation agenda) just went a stage further and with US lead help deposed the Iranian Government and install the Shah, which lead to the '79 revolution which lead to where we find ourselves today.


In an increasingly more volatile and unpredictable world, the UK faces some serious exposure to imported needs from food, plastics, hydrocarbons which we simply are not addressing. THE changing shape of warfare eg inexpensive drones and the lack of UK military assets to protect off shore energy generation or protect our shipping lanes and import routes, shows the true extent of our exposure in an increasingly aggressive world. Globalisation is fine in peace times but leaves many nations exposed during times of unrest. Most recent wars have started over need to secure resources and green energy alone won't save the UK.
Up to 23% of currently farmed land in the UK could be lost or repurposed by 2050 (roughly 25 years, not 50, based on recent studies) due to competing land-use demands, including climate change mitigation strategies, development, and environmental changes.

Science For Sustainable Agriculture

If current trends continue without factoring in full policy changes, a further 835,000 hectares could be lost by 2050.


Here is the breakdown of land loss and risks within the next 25-50 years based on recent reports:
Key Land Loss Factors (2050 Outlook)

Total Risked Land: Up to 3.96 million hectares of farmland are considered at risk by 2050, representing nearly a quarter of all agricultural land.
Government Policy Impact: Full implementation of environmental and net-zero policies (such as tree planting and nature restoration) could lead to the loss of up to 23% of farmland, particularly high-value arable land.
Repurposing Land: Government analysis indicates that 1.6 million hectares of farmland may need to be repurposed to meet environmental targets by 2050.
Development Pressure: Roughly 14,500 hectares of top-tier agricultural land in England has been lost to development since 2010.


Climate Change & Sea Level Rise Impacts

Flooding Risk: Over half (60%) of England’s finest agricultural land (Grade 1) is already at risk of flooding, with this risk increasing further by 2050.
Coastal Erosion: Rising sea levels are increasing coastal erosion, with roughly 205,000 hectares of agricultural land in England at risk of coastal flooding each year.
Soil Degradation: Over 5 million hectares of high-grade agricultural land could become less fertile due to drought by the 2050s.
Sea Level Projections: Sea levels around the UK are expected to rise by 0.33-0.46 meters in 50 years (by 2070s), with some projections warning of a 1.5-meter rise by the end of the century.



Impact on Food Security

If these projections hold, the reduction in farmland could lead to:
A 32% fall in domestic food production by 2050.
A 12% decline in self-sufficiency in primary agricultural products.
Increased Reliance on Imports: Food imports may need to rise by 160-260% under worst-case scenarios.



Note: The primary source for these projections, the "UK Food Security – Outlook to 2050" report, focuses heavily on the next 25 years (by 2050) as the critical window for these changes.