The Case for the Might-Have-Beens

These days we all seem to head into the future with so much of a past, all pigeon holed nicely so that at any time we can produce a handy list or do a nice internet search to reconnect (lovers, partners, school friends, university friends, ex-colleagues and so on). But what about those people that had an impact on our lives but don't fit neatly into any category? We all have people who, perhaps in different circumstances, might have become something quantifiable but for some reason, some fated obstacle this wasn't to be. For me I can remember the colleague who sat opposite me and for 18 months we flirted, fought, ignored and generally distracted each other from working constructively. The attraction was unmistakeable but neither of us was in a position to pursue it, so we tried to ignore it. I still remember him fondly and wonder if he still sings Sinatra while he works but I doubt I will ever have contact with him again. It is not that I hanker for the past - my present is so much happier - or even that I would like to find out what might have been, it is more a sense of acknowledging that he also had an influence on my life and a hope that life has been good to him.

The authority of old age

I like the bit in the Importance of Being Ernest when Lady Bracknell utters those famous words "A Handbag!!". She speaks with the authority of age and everyone present knows that her opinion counts. This image of Lady Bracknell was in my mind when, at the age of 21, I had to tell my formidable grandmother that I was just about to graduate, unmarried and pregnant. To me this was more terrifying than facing childbirth itself - despite the fact that I had been in a relationship with the father of my child for five years and we had planned to marry soon, I knew that for her this was not how things were done and I knew, that to me at least, her opinion mattered.

Now, though, authority does not seem to sit with age. Old people are seen as somehow foolish, out of touch with the world and therefore unable to dictate to us what should be considered right or wrong. I suppose that in a world of such rapid technological change it is difficult to equate wisdom with someone who struggles to understand what a DVD is let alone how to actually play one. But this is wrong - we should look to the older generation for guidance and perhaps at times it would do us well to be a little bit scared of what they might think of us.

The Green Con

Is it just me or are there other people who think green taxes are just a good excuse to get more money out of us? Politics seems to have jumped on the eco-friendly band wagon and we are all being financially punished for our carbon curses like some big swear box. And like a swear box we feel in no position to argue - we know we are doing wrong by driving our polluting cars and by throwing away our tesco plastic bags so even if we feel we are being unfairly taxed and suspect that our money is not really being used for the furtherance of the green cause we don't feel in any position to protest. Very clever.
But the more I think about it the more I question just what these current policies will achieve (other than the obvious financial gain). For example cars are now taxed on their carbon emissions and my husband, with his 2001 high powered petrol car, will have to take out a small mortgage to tax it in the future. Whereas my car (yes, I admit, we are a sinful two car family) is a diesel and will cost me substantially less. But my husband barely uses his car and with the mileage he does his emissions must be minimal against the 300 miles of emissions I rack up on a weekly basis with my commute to work. Surely if the government was serious about reducing the impact of cars on the road they would be encouraging better public transport (with big free car parks next to stations and trains that aren't standing room only in rush hour). Or perhaps giving companies incentives to encourage working from home - just one day a week would radically decrease the traffic on the roads and may even help to solve some of the childcare issues we all face.
It doesn't take much to think of ways in which we could so easily make our lives more eco-friendly with a little help and incentive from the government, but it would be so much better if this help and incentive was constructive and focused on the end result rather than just using financial penalising as a quick way to help balance the treasury books.