A story from Euronews hails various government incentives to force people to take public transit instead of their wretched private vehicles, which they are unaccountably reluctant to do even when told it’s better by people who personally wouldn’t know: “Climate tickets have become a hot topic in Europe. With rising cost of living and ongoing concerns about carbon emissions, these national public transport passes have been popular with the public. But there are mixed messages on just how effective different schemes to encourage people to take trains and buses have been.” Gosh. Have they really, despite being “popular with the public” that enjoys sitting in the rain while their valueless time slides away before being shoved into a dirty sardine can? We can’t imagine why.

Likewise we apparently secretly long for 20 mph speed limits. It’s not as if we had anywhere important to go anyway. If only we knew. And it’s not just cows that have to go, though the zealots certainly insist that they must. Including of course lamb, shellfish, cheese, asparagus, pork, chicken and your little dog too. Yes, that’s right. It’s not just food. Fido and Boots must go along with everything else you like.

The contempt for ordinary people and the wisdom of practical experience in such proposals is amazing. Like the one for “carbon passports” to stop the proles from taking all those planet-destroying vacations to luxury resorts better employed hosting climate conferences to which participants travel by private jet. See:

“A travel company has warned that carbon passports may restrict international travel as the world's temperatures rise. According to a report by Intrepid Travel, drastic measures may be implemented because many well-known locations are in danger of ‘extinction’. It predicted that ‘personal carbon allowances’ might be implemented in order to cut emissions…. By 2040, we can expect to see limitations imposed on the amount of travel that is permitted each year.’ It added that travellers will be ‘forced to forgo the horizon-expanding experiences so readily embraced by today’s tourists’. The report, produced in partnership with foresight agency The Future Laboratory, warned that climate change means destinations such as Greece and Majorca may become too hot for many people to enjoy summer holidays, causing a switch to cooler locations such as Belgium, Slovenia and Poland.”

So you’ll only really be prevented from flying to places where you wouldn’t have fun anyway but you’re too dumb to notice. Although whether the typical tourist really does have their horizons expanded while vandalizing something they didn’t realize was old is also unclear.