26th June 2007

In the tatty notebook that rarely leaves my side, there's a dog-eared page that has remained empty for weeks. Long ago, I scribbled at the top of the sheet: "What did Blair/Prescott do for car users and manufacturers?" But underneath there is nothing but some doodling... and lots of white space. My question was an easy enough one to pose. Yet it's proving too tricky to answer. I've spent hours desperately trying to think of anything that the outgoing PM and his Deputy-cum-Transport Supremo have done for drivers, their passengers and British-based car companies since 1997.

	I've spent hours trying to think of anything that the outgoing PM has done for drivers since 1997. I genuinely can't think of a single thing

I genuinely can't recall a single thing. However, if I change the question to read: " What did Blair/Prescott do TO car users and motor manufacturers?", I find myself with enough material to write several books.

Thanks to the high levels of motoring taxation they introduced and collected, these two men had billions of our pounds at their disposal. They enjoyed a decade of rule which meant they had time to get things done in the short and long term. They had opportunities to make a positive impact on the road network, and the lives of 50 million people who use cars on a regular basis. Instead, they delivered to us little else but negativity and, at times, pure sabotage.

Just think of the damage they did to journey times, fuel consumption and air quality when they inexplicably allowed so many roads to be narrowed, closed or fitted with traffic lights designed to create extra congestion by staying red for longer. Speed cameras have been transformed from credible safety devices to discredited, state-sponsored, money-making machines.

Countless other sneaky fees and fines (same thing, really), from vehicle registration charges to parking costs, have gone through the roof. The barely legal Congestion Charge scam has Blair's and Prescott's smell about it, despite Ken Livingstone being the stooge for the appalling social experiment.

Similarly, the PM and his sidekick are the daddies of the imminent, up-to-£1.30-a-mile road tolls swindle. History books will also prove that Prescott was the hypocritical cheat who spoke with salivating enthusiasm about the prospect of yet more taxes on workplace parking spaces. Disgracefully, Blair tried to pretend that if fuel prices were reduced from the record highs his Government imposed, schools and hospitals would have to suffer.

Even in the final few days of their reign they made the newspapers with the possibility of extra taxes on motorists who drive to work (nurses and other essential employees please note). On-its-knees Longbridge suffered further humiliation and broken promises, TVR staff continued to pick up their dole money and Jaguar and Land Rover were forced to erect 'For Sale' signs. Worst of all, while Tony and Two Jags were clearing out their desks and waiting to be whisked away in limousines paid for by us, it emerged that their preferred 'alternative to the car' can be even more of a rip-off than many of us imagined.

The latest con at some rail stations is for ticket machines and clerks to be absent, forcing passengers to buy from guards on-board. And yes, you've guessed it, they often have to pay double the normal fare for the privilege.

The two men have probably been busy celebrating the fact that during their 10 years at the top, their Labour fiefdom raked in a total of around £400billion in road user taxation. May I ask: for what, exactly? Discuss here

Mike Rutherford writes for the Times, Daily Telegraph and Independent, presents ITV's Pulling Power and is founder member of the Motorists' Association

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