I got an email from Tony Blair - http://www.grumpyoldsods.co.uk/blog/_WebPages/Blairmail.html. Then again so did 1.7m other people opposed to the governments new revenue raising scheme aka road pricing. And I bet everyone got the same email, I doubt that Tone was up all night replying to each and everyone of us - and he probaly got one of his staffers, in whom he has the utmost confidence, to do it using a fancy piece of email broadcasting software.

My main gripe is not road pricing per se, particularly if it replaces existing methods of road taxation (fuel duty and annual car tax) but the fact that we will have a differentiated pricing model of paying more at peak times. In other words, we will be penalised for going to work. You know, that place we begrudgingly go to every day to earn money to keep a roof over our heads, feed, clothe and educate our children and PAY TAX ON, and will then have to pay for the privilege. So really it's just a tax on going to work.

If the government is keen to reduce congestion - something which John Prescott failed miserably to deliver even though he promised he would resign if he didn't fulfil his promise. Now the fat git gets paid for doing bugger all. OK, he gets paid to sleep on those uncomfortable green benches in the House of Commons.

Now, a bit of joined up thinking is required. To reduce congestion you need to remove the unnecessary journeys at peak times - ie. mummies who think paedophiles lurk around every corner just waiting for Tarquin and Portia on the way to and from school so they need a huuuuuuuge 4X4 to ferry them along the bus route to St. Incestia's 200 yards from where they live. So, how about subsidising school busses. Oh, that's right the government already do. But they have now removed that subsidy - good thinking Gordon.

There is a webchat with the Road's Minister Dr. Stephen Ladyboy on the Downing Street website (http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page11046.asp) on Thurs 22 Feb at 4pm. I shall be asking him some challenging questions - if he deigns to answer I'll let you know.

Oh and the environmental excuse? Don't even get me started on that - that's just fraud, that is.