It’s a bad time to be a politician at the moment and so it should be. We now know why they are so out of touch with the everyday running costs and implications of running a house let alone a car. They have never been much good at answering questions and although I’m no Woodward or Bernstein for that matter (ask your parents), I did try once to find out just how they justified what they drove.RIP John Prescott
In May 1997 I wasn’t exactly humming ‘Things can only get better’ along with Tony, Cherie, Gordon, John and Mandy. That’s because it didn’t take long for New Labour in general and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in particular to suggest that not only was one car bad, but two would virtually become a criminal offence. Considering that it was ‘Mondeo Man’ who had voted Blair and Co into power it seemed odd that they decided to target car owners. Well they did win a further two elections, so maybe it didn’t really matter, maybe motorists are a forgetful lot. Anyway they had declared war on second car families by promising to make public transport so good that we would abandon our cars. However, details about the double decker/Inter City carrot were sketchy whereas the stick being used to beat the poor old motorist (road pricing, car tax rises) was the size of a motorway flyover reinforcement. It seemed reasonable to ask in a national newspaper whether those responsible for implementing these policies, just how they managed to get around when not enjoying free first class rail travel or being comfortably chauffeured about in the back of a ministerial Rover. What cars were we the taxpayers subsidising at 48.4 pence per mile? What Labour Drive was published in September 1997 in The Independent, who were at the time very much on message when it came to New Labour. “I’ve had John Prescott’s office on the phone,” said the bloke at the Indie and Prescott isn’t happy.” Job done then, I thought, but the timid voice went on. “They want to speak to you so I’m going to give them your number.” I re-read what I’d said about the Deputy PM: ‘At the lair of Deputy PM John Prescott, The Department of Environment, they promised to call back, but never did. That didn’t matter because Mr Prescott is Parliament’s most famous Jaguar driver. When asked by a Conservative MP how a Socialist could drive such a quintessential Home Counties and Tory motor, he simply replied, “I turn the key.” Now Mr. Prescott doesn’t even have to do that, there’s a government driver to steer his much newer Jag and also a Golf parked on his large driveway. So much then for the one car family.’ That seemed harmless enough then the phone rang again, “I have the deputy Prime Minister for you” said a civil servant. Next was the grammatically and syntax-ally challenged DPM. “What business is it of yours what car I drive? That car belongs to a member of my family.” I argued that New Labour were attacking the two car family and wasn’t it a little hypocritical for him to have three (two Jags and Golf) at the last count? Couldn’t he set an example to the rest of us? Apparently not. For five minutes it was the don’t do as I do, do as I say school of politics. The brief conversation didn’t change my mind and Prescott only seemed pleased that he’d let off some steam. I understand he got a taste for calling off message hacks and berating them. Here was proof that the bloke who was a heartbeat away from Number 10 had nothing better to do with his time. For my part I printed no retraction, no apology and no surrender. The Independent were not very interested and potentially quite terrified of any further blowback. Prescott continued to Jag about and New Labour has turned motoring into a fantastically expensive and even more necessary evil. So much for the power of the press.
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