(Image: ANNIE MACPHEE)
It is becoming increasingly clear that the price of diesel in the UK is damaging the economy.
Are McDonalds showing us the way forward?
In 2005 when Andy Burnham’s party was last in government, Deputy PM and Minister of Transport John Prescott imposed the same level of tax and duty on bio-diesel as on ordinary diesel.
The production of bio-diesel for resale ended virtually overnight here in the UK.
Should we re-visit this decision and instead make bio-diesel, recycled cooking oil and oil seed rape part of our energy strategy for the shorter term?
As I was driving around this spring I saw oil seed rape growing wild on the roadside verges of England.
This is, after all, just a variety of wallflower.
If local authorities were instructed to plant wallflowers on all our roundabouts and in all our public parks and if roadside verges were planted with oil seed rape, could the humble wallflower provide this vital fuel and boost the British economy?