Dear All,
The 2024 BTST Member new years message is taken from some of the newsletters I wrote, but didn’t publish in 2023…
“Save Tyres, Save Lives” 🤷
I’m always amazed when I take a long drive in the UK, just how many completely insane things I see.
For example, on a recent drive from Kent to Norfolk, then down to Portsmouth, I saw a number of things that show just how backwards this country has become in recent years.
A few months back, I drove past an overhead sign that said:
“Save Tyres, Save Lives”…
When I first saw it, I genuinely questioned whether I’d imagined it.
I thought to myself “I’m not really *that* tired, am I?”. I mean, what on earth does “Save Tyres, Save Lives” even mean?
Anyway, when I got another 10 or so miles down the road, there it was again…
“Save Tyres, Save Lives“!
This time I looked to make absolutely sure I’d read the sign correctly, which — thankfully for me at least — I had.
My best guess is that the highways agency (yes, I know they call themselves “Highways England” now) are trying to persuade people not to drive their cars so that they won’t use their tyres or …kill anyone!
Perhaps the embedded command in this road sign is “proceed directly home, then never, ever, think about driving your car again!”…
If that’s true, do these people really think we’re that stupid?
Sadly, I think they do.
But what on earth is their *motivation*?
I could make this a REALLY long blog post by attempting to answer that question…
Anyway, after pondering it for a while, I found myself on an absolutely beautiful, flowing country road in the South Downs.
No houses, schools, businesses, or development of any kind. Just road and scenery.
The road was just made to enjoy driving — a flowing and undulating strip of tarmac through beautiful countryside.
And — you guessed it! — the whole road was covered by average speed cameras!
However… just as the average speed camera zone ended, we entered a quaint little village.
The village had an extremely tight left hand bend that requires vehicles to slow down to a snails pace to avoid crashing.
A sign — clearly made by locals rather than by a government agency — said “Danger! Concealed Entrance”.
Oh yes, and there was also a primary school in the village.
But, you guessed it…
No speed camera!
Instead, the speed cameras were reserved for the open, flowing country road with no pavement, buildings or people preceding it.
Far better there than in a small ancient village with a dangerous corner, concealed entrance, and a primary school, I’m sure you’ll agree?
On a purely ethical level, I don’t agree with the concept of speed cameras in the first place.
But I don’t think that many people — myself included — would have any real objection to a speed camera if it was used where its actually *needed*, for the safety of others.
And this village was the perfect example of where you could, at least reasonably, make the argument for having a speed camera.
But no… Lets stick them along this beautiful wide, flowing, country road, restricting Motorists to 50mph “or else”…
Talking of ridiculous speed cameras…
AI Speed Cameras
In November we discovered that 70.6% of BTST Members didn’t know that the new “AI” speed cameras that were sneakily introduced earlier in the year could automatically scan inside your car and fine you for a whole host of supposed “offences”.
Here’s how they look:
Members don’t always agree with me on everything, but I was encouraged to learn that 94.4% of Members said that they were completely against such intrusions upon their privacy.
And speaking of Big Brother…
I wrote an article earlier in the year about the possible introduction of “anti braking” speed cameras in the UK, which are already being used to extort Motorists in Northern Spain.
As part of the research for that newsletter, I took a look at the news publication TimeOut.
In their report on the story, they said that Road Angel of all people were the inventors of said speed camera!
I disregarded it as a mistake.
However — just to check — I visited Road Angel’s website.
And I have to say …oh dear!
While they indeed did not invent this new speed camera, I was horrified to read about their endorsement of such ideologies.
As a company, they appear to be completely devoid of ethics in my opinion.
From their own website, it appears that they actively support totalitarian control over how people drive.
From a prominent article on their website:
“Road Angel welcomes proposal which could see fines for being 1mph over limit”
It goes on to say: “we welcome a proposal from The All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group about a change to the driving laws which would see drivers punished for exceeding the speed limit by just 1mph.”
So let me get this right …they want to see their Customers punished?
It appears that Road Angel, like so many “woke” companies have done in recent times around the World, are cosying up to government to endorse their totalitarian ideas, and help them push their control mechanisms onto the rest of us.
I don’t know about you, but when I see behavior like this from a company, I simply refuse to patronise them ever again.
Don’t you agree that this is disgraceful behavior from a company that should have the backs of its CUSTOMERS rather than the government?
Of course they used the age old argument about “saving lives” etc.
But as anyone who has ever thought about it for more than a few seconds knows — and as I recall Road Angel themselves pointing out in the past — arbitrary and punitive speeding laws do not have any affect on road safety.
What does have an effect is doing things like getting rid of hard shoulders.
…And having temporary speed limits that are used as weapons, and cause drivers to suddenly brake on Motorways.
Meanwhile in Wales…
On 17th September Wales became one of the first countries in the World — and the first in the UK — to lower the default national speed limit on “residential” roads from 30 to 20mph…
The Welsh government took to social media with glee.
Just look at the language of “Welsh Government Transport” in their twitter post, which — I think — betrays how they see us “plebs“:
This post illustrates perfectly how politicians these days see themselves as public masters rather than public servants.
Other than rare exceptions, these people see themselves as educators rather than representatives.
And as they all — as far as I can tell — are borderline halfwits (or even worse, midwits
Personally, I’ve slowly come to the realisation that governments, by their very nature, must extort and coerce with the threat of violence in order to exist.
Therefor they are criminal in nature.
Therefor I choose not to endorse them by voting.
However, if I were a voter, I would be pretty pissed off about the person I’d helped “elect” speaking to me and my fellow voters in this outrageously condescending manner!
My thought — and let me know if you think there are other options — is that we can either:
1) Defer to them;
2) Fight them;
3) Ignore them.
In the past I used to be of a mind to fight.
However in more recent times I have discovered the power of ignoring.
Sure, it doesn’t solve everything, but I does solve much more than you would imagine.
I guess Mahatma Gandhi must be the most famous proponent of this way of thinking.
I truly hope that in 2024, more and more BTST Members will join me in liberating ourselves from the government and those awful halfwits and midwits within it by practicing the power of ignorance :-)
Have a wonderful 2024, full of contentment, happiness and Freedom.
All the best,
Adam
P.S. I bet you’re shocked that I haven’t mentioned Bitcoin yet, aren’t you? :-) Well, if I can pass just ONE idea on to you as a BTST Member, it is get yourself some freedom money to ensure your future Freedoms and prosperity…
– Read my latest article on why you need Bitcoin to preserve your wealth here
– Or if you’re ready to go, you can check out the BTST Member Bitcoin Buying Service here
Happy new year Adam. I agree with everything you have said in this newsletter, nothing more to add, except if you are not involved in the Crypto world then for your own future wealth get on board.
Adam, the message should say “Safe tyres save lives”.
Yep, what I was going to say mate as well.
Always was a conundrum – maybe a midwife coined it but who approved it? Ignorance is certainly the way to go – bliss!
‘midwit’, as anyone with half a grey cell will know..
I do not agree that arbitrary and punitive speeding laws have no effect on road safety. My experience leads me to conclude that in the main, they have a very negative effect on road safety.
I do agree to a certain point but by endorsing no vote you are helping the present government to remain in power the Tory’s who if we want to save the country need to be removed.
Their replacement would be even worse, nearly all are a bunch of self-serving, self righteous hypocritical never-has-beens.
The problem is not ‘the Tories’. Do you really thing they are a conservative party? Every party will do the same thing when in government. They have no real aim themselves, except to follow their masters orders, which is to make our lives more miserable, steal more money from us and to steer us into an ever more totalitarian existence.
Different political parties exist ONLY to give the illusion of choice, and to divide people
People need to wake up and understand that the government is meant to run the country for OUR benefit. But the fraudulent system we are ‘governed’ by has convinced us that they have power over us and can force us to follow their policies. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Spot-on analysis Glenn.
Great summing up the NUMPTIES are in charge: and the PLEBS to abide by their Coersive rules
MY ANSWER Shove them where the sun doesn’t shine !!!!!!
Happy New Year Adam
Its interesting that the Government continues to demonise speeding
we are one of the safest countries in the world for road deaths per million passenger miles
Why does the cycling lobby carry so much weight in Central and in local government? It is disproportionate to their numbers and is mainly shouty, white, middle class males aged between 23 and 49, who usually can work from home and have goods and services delivered.
I dislike speed cameras and governments but not voting does not help.
Read what new parties promise. I will vote UKIP or REFORM and try and worry the existing 3 main parties.
Perhaps a new party will have more sensible views.
Just wish that we had a UKIP and Reform local MP to vote for in South Glos. Maybe one will appear before the next election.
VOTING FOR A PARTY IS LIKE CHANGING DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC!
I stopped voting 4 years ago
Fantastic idiom!
But also “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”
This is exactly what I was going to post, Here Here!!
I only read these for entertainment purposes these days but, even by the previous low standards set here, this is an absolute doozy. What a load of old twaddle, completely free of rational thought and logic. My favourite bit was you classing other people as “devoid of ethics” – ha! As well as calling others halfwits! A really good laugh, so thanks for that at least.
The Un-educated educators can’t spell “Safe”.
How many more years will the people of Great Britain tolerate the depravities and corruption of Government and their sub agencies.
As I am getting older, I am becoming less and less tolerant of these self absorbed, dishonest, fraudulent Bigots.
As for Road Angel, maybe there is method in their madness? How many more camera warning systems would they sell if the legislation tightened up to 0% tolerance.
Yes Adam, Ignorance is bliss, and so is avoiding companies who repress the common man.
The trouble with ignoring these folkers, is that they get worse.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”