Great article. Glad I’m not the only one who sees an overarching agenda to restrict our civil liberties underway, and a concerted attempt to label anyone who dares object to losing these hard-won civil liberties as far right or a conspiracy theorist. I read a lot about WWII, and the parallels between modern Britain and the Vichy Regime get more chilling by the week. Everyone is living in fear of saying or doing ‘the wrong thing’ and we all know deep-down that our councillors and politicians no longer answer to us, but to some ‘higher power’. On a completely different note, I do hope the MPs skiing trip to Davos I read about this morning goes well, and that all the UK politicians attending the WEF meeting next week have a great time and come back full of new and productive ideas to coerce us into!
"What are 15-minutecities and why are anti-vaxxers so angry about them?’" - ROTFLMAO! Seriously, that's had me LOLing for a good two minutes! I expect I'll wake up in the night, remember it, and start off all over again. Better warn my husband!
It's interesting that these terrible people aren't also labelled anti-Semites, isn't it. That would muddy the political waters and blow the labellers' cover...
Three things 15 minute cities and the London ULEZ scheme have in common: Increased surveillance, increased limitation in free movement, and increased costs to people. Two different tools for increased control and demoralisation of the population.
Oxford 2023, some WordPress food for thought from an ex-local who attended the College of Further Education in the Oxpens back in the mid-1980's (though not the University or Poly, as it then was).
What a muddle and a fuss over a new traffic regulation. It may be mistaken (I think it is too complicated), but it is just an attempt by Oxford County Council (a democratically elected body) to deal with traffic congestion. We already have bus lanes, resident's parking permits, one way streets etc. and no one thought they were part of some sinister political movement.
Also they have almost nothing to do with 15 minute cities which is an urban planning principle - what do you build, where - supported by Oxford City Council (i.e. not Oxford County Council).
I feel you have missed the point of the piece or perhaps not even read it properly. I'm trying to point out the conflation of two things that are entirely different - 15M cities and localism - and a new level of restrictions on vehicles. The former is being explicitly used to justify the latter in Oxford - quoted in this piece - and elsewhere, and that is the problem.
This is a brilliant article and I wish I had come across it when I was engaged in debate with Cycling UK who are promoting 15 minute cities as a no brainer and accusing anyone who protests at the concept as mad cap conspiracy theorists. I’ve been a member for years and took exception to being labelled as such having challenged mask wearing and lockdowns etc in my role as a health and social care professional. I’m a walker, cyclist and driver in that order and agree we need to drive less and walk more but not through coercion and the other reasons you state. You’ve unpicked and explained the situation so perfectly. I wish I could have written it myself. Thank you.
Great article. Glad I’m not the only one who sees an overarching agenda to restrict our civil liberties underway, and a concerted attempt to label anyone who dares object to losing these hard-won civil liberties as far right or a conspiracy theorist. I read a lot about WWII, and the parallels between modern Britain and the Vichy Regime get more chilling by the week. Everyone is living in fear of saying or doing ‘the wrong thing’ and we all know deep-down that our councillors and politicians no longer answer to us, but to some ‘higher power’. On a completely different note, I do hope the MPs skiing trip to Davos I read about this morning goes well, and that all the UK politicians attending the WEF meeting next week have a great time and come back full of new and productive ideas to coerce us into!
"What are 15-minutecities and why are anti-vaxxers so angry about them?’" - ROTFLMAO! Seriously, that's had me LOLing for a good two minutes! I expect I'll wake up in the night, remember it, and start off all over again. Better warn my husband!
It's interesting that these terrible people aren't also labelled anti-Semites, isn't it. That would muddy the political waters and blow the labellers' cover...
Three things 15 minute cities and the London ULEZ scheme have in common: Increased surveillance, increased limitation in free movement, and increased costs to people. Two different tools for increased control and demoralisation of the population.
Oxford 2023, some WordPress food for thought from an ex-local who attended the College of Further Education in the Oxpens back in the mid-1980's (though not the University or Poly, as it then was).
https://warwickvegan.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/green-routes/
Published eleven months ago, I shall update this in due course for Substack.
What a muddle and a fuss over a new traffic regulation. It may be mistaken (I think it is too complicated), but it is just an attempt by Oxford County Council (a democratically elected body) to deal with traffic congestion. We already have bus lanes, resident's parking permits, one way streets etc. and no one thought they were part of some sinister political movement.
Also they have almost nothing to do with 15 minute cities which is an urban planning principle - what do you build, where - supported by Oxford City Council (i.e. not Oxford County Council).
I feel you have missed the point of the piece or perhaps not even read it properly. I'm trying to point out the conflation of two things that are entirely different - 15M cities and localism - and a new level of restrictions on vehicles. The former is being explicitly used to justify the latter in Oxford - quoted in this piece - and elsewhere, and that is the problem.
This is a brilliant article and I wish I had come across it when I was engaged in debate with Cycling UK who are promoting 15 minute cities as a no brainer and accusing anyone who protests at the concept as mad cap conspiracy theorists. I’ve been a member for years and took exception to being labelled as such having challenged mask wearing and lockdowns etc in my role as a health and social care professional. I’m a walker, cyclist and driver in that order and agree we need to drive less and walk more but not through coercion and the other reasons you state. You’ve unpicked and explained the situation so perfectly. I wish I could have written it myself. Thank you.
Here’s the Cycling UK article where they slightly amended the conspiracy theorist description https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/why-we-are-standing-15-minute-cities-and-20-minute-neighbourhoods
Thank you. It helped that I was abroad when I wrote it. Britain often seems like a madhouse these days!
Excellent article. Thank you.
Strange isn't it, that these days the solution to every supposed problem is always more authoritarianism, more restrictions and more control.