I think the end is nigh for most diesels in Europe looking at the New legislation they are going to bring in..


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43211946

They say "older" diesel cars, how old do they mean I wonder? We should be ok for a little while but that won't be of much help to a lot of diesel owners.

There would be less polution in this country if there were less vehicles, less houses and less people. So all these new houses we are intent on building means their new owners will have at least one, if not two cars. Not only will these new houses need fuel (oil, electricity, gas or solid fuel) the infrastructure to support these new developements on this already overcrowded island is required. The most economical way of transporting goods overland is by rail using diesel locomotives. Since we don't have a decent rail system I'll give up my diesel car when the government removes diesel lorries and buses from our roads. Britain is fast becoming a third world country and it is high time we stop giving foreign aid and look after our own. Diesel vehicles (cars) and wood burning stoves are the least of our worries. Rant over.

I don't think new houses generate more cars. The cars come with people. They don't buy one or two cars just because they've purchased a new house.

Marginally new houses will use more energy because they are an additional resource. Though they're massively more efficient than houses of just a few decades back, due to higher standard Building Regs insisting on more economic appliances and much better overall insulation.

The Government have announced an aspiration for diesel locomotives to be phased out, though like most things from our government they appear to have no idea how to achieve it. Working on the Captain Picard system of sitting on the bridge and shouting 'Make it so!'

I'm afraid rail never did and never will provide the sort of personalised micro local transport that cars and lorries provide and either we continue using them or accept substantial limitations on our freedom of movement.

Foreign aid is a tiny portion of our national budget which would make very little difference to our infrastructure spread over the whole country. It serves many functions including helping our fellow human beings who also live on this planet, possibly goes some way to assuaging the terrible wrongs inflicted on the rest of the world by our past abuses and some way to reducing the potential risks to our society. Rant over

I respect your point of view and I don't want to enter into a poltical argument but I would just say that I was and am not responsible for the any past wrong doings by my ancestors and therefore feel obligation to accept any responsibility for their actions. Suffice to say that one should not argue politics with friends (Eriba friends) so I'll agree to disagree.
Dave