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Feeling grateful that caring, motorist-friendly Home Secretary David Blunkett has spoken enthusiastically about giving drivers fewer points on their licences after they've committed minor misdemeanours? His department claimed the story had been taken out of context and nothing was planned. Yeah, right. Look beneath the surface and you'll see that this latest ruse is yet another way for the Government to extract even more cash from our pockets.

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By Mike Rutherford

04th February 2004

I'll explain; when Labour spent the best part of two decades in opposition, it had ample time on its hands to work out how it could raise money when it came to power. On the basis that even the most law-abiding driver almost inevitably commits some sort of trivial offence on a regular basis, all the incoming administration needed to do was fine all 30-odd million of us, say, once a year. Lovely jubbly!

Exactly where this fortune goes is unclear, but one thing is certain: the authorities have got so efficient at identifying and punishing legal, registered drivers and bikers that we're now in danger of becoming a dying breed. Countless Brits are already throwing in the towel, leaving the UK in protest and choosing instead to live in places like mainland Europe, where speed cameras are rare and parking attendants are human.

Others who put up with the persecution and expense are getting caught with such zealousness that they're quickly losing their licences. That in turn can mean loss of employment, and even the family home. Such people are transformed from being an asset to a drain on society. Instead of taking care of themselves, using their cars to have a social life and earn a living which then enables them to pay tax, they're forced to rely on subsidised transport, income and accommodation - all provided at enormous cost to the Treasury and local authorities.

I wouldn't trust Blunkett as far as I could throw him, but you have to give him credit for identifying a very real problem his Government has created for itself. Its decision to cull motorists and bikers by bludgeoning them with speed cameras and other weapons, fines and endorsements has been far too brutal. For sure, Blunkett and his chums want to scare us and wound us. But he doesn't want to kill us off, because all the time we're alive and kicking, driving and riding, we're still getting done for piddling little offences, still putting our hands in our pockets and still giving up more of our hard-earned cash.

Under the current system, we might only be fined four times before we lose our licences. But under the Blunkett plan, they might squeeze five or six lucrative fines out of us before we're banned. That means yet more additional money for the politicians and the cops. Nice work if you can get it, lads. You should be immensely proud of your grubby, revenue-raising prowess - although how you manage to sleep at night after robbing the very people you're supposed to serve, I'll never know.