For many years increased mobility was touted as one of the benefits of economic development as well as one of its main drivers, reflecting a virtuous cycle connecting the movement of labor and goods with rising prosperity. Now, however, mobility is viewed as anything but virtuous due to all-important environmental concerns. As in all other areas of political and ideological contention, that means that common activities like car ownership and air travel have become the target not only of governmental “nudge” policies but outright public shaming, otherwise known as social and economic coercion.
- In the UK, data from the Civil Aviation Authority reflects a triumph of state-led social engineering, as the number of domestic flights has tumbled 20% over the last decade, which the Financial Times attributes to “taxes, improved train services and market economics.” This is an interesting if somewhat misleading list, as the last item would seem to cover all sorts of government meddling (after all, taxes that increase the prices of things decrease demand through “market economics,” just not necessarily free market economics).
- All of the canceled domestic air routes were between provincial cities, while all the flights from second-tier cities to London, otherwise known as the center of the world, are of course still active. This reflects the “government’s priority” per the FT – an open admission that in centralized Britain, all roads and air routes really do lead to London, and everyone else can go toss.
- The claim of “improved train service” is a bit hard to swallow, however, considering the growing chorus of complaints about the fact that it is utterly terrible, including the recent bankruptcy and (maybe) temporary renationalization of the East Coast mainline. Of one long-awaited timetable overhaul last year, the Guardian quoted Nigel Harris, a veteran trade journo covering the rail beat, to the effect that it was “the most chaotic, fundamental and humiliating failure it has been my misfortune to witness in 40 years as a rail journalist.”
- Sooooo… it kind of seems unlikely that improved rail service is the main driver behind the 20% drop in domestic flights over the last decade, especially since local airlines could always presumably do things like lower prices or improve their own offerings in response to competition. Which leaves the much more plausible explanation of punitive taxes as the real cause. On that note the tax, levying an additional £13 on each economy flight means that the surcharge now represents 20% of the total price in the case of airlines like Flybe.
- Costs not mentioned in the report include the increased inconvenience to individuals forced to spend hours on trips that might be measured in minutes, and potential negative economic impacts due to foregone business and leisure travel, especially to provincial towns. But as long as everyone can get to London, it seems, the others can continue to wither on the vine.
- Meanwhile Scandinavia, the birthplace of weaponized shame, is once again leading the way by turning the ice powers on people who travel by plane. “Fly shaming” even has its own Swedish name: “flygskam.” This important advance in virtue-signaling calls for Swedes, who have long made a habit of flying to sunnier places during their long cold winters, to either stay and suffer in true Nordic fashion or travel and suffer by taking ideologically acceptable forms of transportation such as trains. Because shame works best on social media, an anonymous (of course) Instagram account is shaming “influencers” who promote travel to far-away destinations, while actors are calling for producers to do fewer foreign shoots. Not far behind, one imagines, will be total cessation of travel to destinations which can’t be reached by train. In fact it’s already happening: a Swedish travel mag reports that two-thirds of Swedes who reported traveling less last year said they did so to cut down their carbon emissions. Does this mean no more travel to the U.S. for business? It’s not a big business destination anyway. Multi-week journeys via rail and ship to destinations in Africa and Asia? Why not return to the 19th century after all?
