Your Shout – from my July mailbox
I received a bulging postbag following the blog last month, many responding to my comments about the Bishop of London’s claim that flying abroad for a holiday is sinful.
I have to say I was impressed by how many people – John, Alex, Gerry, Bruce and Byron to name just a few – sent me a passionate defence of their religious beliefs. I may not agree with them, but I respect their views.
Others simply sided with the Bishop over his views on flying. Richard referred me to an article written by Nicholas Crane, in The Daily Telegraph, who argued against flying. I strongly disagree with Nicholas. We’re too far down the line of cheap travel to think there will be an end, or even a decrease, in the number of trips people take. Also, by his own admission, Nicholas spent many, many years flying around the world as part of his job. When you’ve seen it, done it and bought the t-shirt, it’s easier to say ‘I’m not going to do that any more’. I have no doubt that Nicholas is a genuine person who is very concerned about the environment, but what right have any of us to tell people that they shouldn’t go out and explore the world?
Richard also asks if I’ve got a gas patio heater. Yes, I have, although I haven’t used it for two years. I’ll tell you something else I’ve got as well – a 4×4 SUV. I find the recent broad-brush attacks on them pathetic and hypocritical. Yes, there are some gas guzzling six litre monsters which probably deserve to be taxed highly. Mine has a two litre engine and does around 35 miles to the gallon. My wife and I decided to trade in our two cars for the SUV, because we can easily share a vehicle. So we have actually gone down from four litres to two litres (and my previous two-litre sports car did around 25 miles to the gallon). So am I more environmentally-friendly now or not?
Meanwhile, many of you are incensed about the pricing policy of airlines. Richard agrees they are misleading the public by charging fares exclusive of taxes and charges, as does Melitta, who points out that it would be difficult for them to quote exact prices as charges and fares vary from airport to airport. But couldn’t they just quote different prices for the various destinations?
Alan would like to levy a weekly road tax on anyone bringing a car into the UK and Terry suggests a tax on lorries coming in from the continent.
Frank attacks my blog as a ‘boring, trivial tirade’ and claims that I make money out of encouraging people to travel. He’s perfectly entitled to his opinion; I certainly don’t set out to please everyone. But get your facts right about how I make my money. I’m a reporter and am paid to report the news, regardless of how many people are travelling. Ironically, I was extremely busy reporting for various newspapers in the week following the terror alert, which deterred many people from flying abroad.
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Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore
Thursday, August 31st, 2006
My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the UK Ferry Tickets web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
