Watching BBC’s News at Ten last night I was delighted to see one of the party’s MEPs, Fiona Hall, do a piece on patio heaters. It appeared from what she said that she wanted them banned. She wouldn’t be the first Liberal Democrat politician to question these oddities. For example, I have seen comments from both Norman Baker and Martin Horwood questioning these. Norman Baker said in 2006: “Patio heaters are an absurd invention. It is ludicrous that people are trying to heat the open air, as well as being irresponsible in the light of the climate change challenge we face.” I certainly wouldn’t disagree with that. However Fiona Hall appears to be calling for an outright ban, for in her report, to be debated in the European Parliament this afternoon (Action Plan for Energy Efficiency: Realising the Potential), it specifically states:
16. Urges the Commission to establish timetables for the withdrawal from the market of all the least energy-efficient items of equipment, appliances and other energy-using products, such as patio heaters;
I am open to persuasion that it means something different, but this looks like the first step on the road to a ban! This is a major policy move from the Liberal Democrats and I wonder if this actually has the majority support of the party. It is also surely an unprecedented way of establishing party policy, given the almost complete absence of any debate.
January 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm
And people wonder why the Liberal Democrats are seen as a bunch of nannying, bansturbating, interventionist, big state obsessed ’socialists’.
We should have a test for every policy
1) does it restrict freedom?
2) If it does, is there a way to achieve the desired end using market forces (eg in this case a carbon tax or trading scheme - or reversing the ban on smoking…)
3) If not then is the resulting loss of freedom worth the benefits? (In this case I’d say no - patio heaters are not a major source of greenhouse gasses)
Unfortunately we have the ‘Al Gore made a film full of hyperbole, we must do something! Ooh, people like gas heaters on patios, but these people are generally nasty smokers who shouldn’t do that (because everyone should agree with my value judgments), so lets ban those, it makes me look like I’m ‘doing something’.