Wakefield MAG December 2022 Newsletter

Merry Christmas from Wakefield MAG

Dear Wakefield MAG Member,

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Welcome to the Wakefield MAG e-newsletter. If you can't attend our Tuesday meetings regularly, it's the next best thing to keep you up to date with what we are up to.

CONTENTS

1) Call to Action
2) Quiz Nite Report
3) Remembrance Sunday Report
4) Christmas Present Ideas
5) New MAG report recommends full review of motorcycle licencing regime
6) Post Christmas Auction
7) Wakefield MAG Annual General Meeting
8) Kidzaware Christmas Toy Collection
9) Christmas Meetings
10) Christmas Raffle
11) Forthcoming Events (for December and beyond)

1) Call to Action

The British Government wants to ban your right to buy new, internal combustion engine (ICE) powered motorcycles from as early as 2030 (small-capacity petrol bikes and scooters from 2030, and all other, larger capacity bikes and scooters by 2035). The start of that ban is a mere SEVEN years away !!!!

MAG's own survey of riders (which included a large number of MAG and non-MAG members), backed up by a very similar survey by FEMA of European riders, showed that at least 80% of motorcyclists oppose this ban, despite green activists having targeted the survey to skew the result - We estimate that the real proportion of motorcyclists who oppose the ban is well over 90%. Both survey's also highlighted, quite worryingly, that the majority of riders will hang up their leathers and give up biking altogether once petrol powered bikes are no longer widely available. This is the biggest danger to our chosen lifestyle EVER, motorcycling as we know it will simply wither and die out.

ACTION REQUESTED:

MAG is asking all bikers to contact their MP and ask that they support opposing this ban. To make this as easy as possible, MAG has put together an Operation Earthquake Campaign Pack, which contains a couple of template letters together with lots of other useful information.

Link to Campaign Pack: operation-earthquake.mag-uk.org/take-part-operation-earthquake-campaign-pack-makes-it-easy

You can use the template(s) as is, or alter it to add some points you personally wish to emphasise, the choice is yours, but the key bit is to ask your MP to oppose the ban (and hopefully get them on-side). Once you have contacted your MP, let us know the name of the MP, and similarly, let us know what response you get as MAG is collating all the responses so these can be published.

Whatever your personal views on man made climate change, this ban will have a miniscule positive impact: All road transport (cars, vans, lorries, buses and other road vehicles) accounts for around 30% of global carbon emissions. The UK contributes a mere 1% of this 30% of global carbon emissions, so a total ban of ICE vehicles in the UK will reduce global carbon emissions by a whopping 0.003%. Motorcycles and scooters represent a mere 1% of UK traffic so a ban of those will reduce global carbon emissions by a collosal 0.00003%. Now factor in that carbon dioxide, which is blamed for climate warming, has only a volume share of 0.04% in the atmosphere. And of these 0.04% CO2, 95% comes from entirely natural sources, such as volcanoes or decomposition processes in nature. The human produced CO2 content in the air is thus only 0.0016%. Mathematically, 0.0016% of 0.003% is 0.0. If we really want to reduce the 0.0016% of CO2 attributed to humans, then we had all best stop breathing.

And the cost of the UK ICE ban to reduce global carbon emissions by a whopping 0.003% is ...... £14,700 for each UK average household - money well spent eh, just what we need in a cost of living crisis !!!

As covered in the November 2022 newsletter, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) has co-funded a report from The Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on the government's proposal to ban the sale of internal combustion engined vehicles (ICEVs) from 2030 to 2040. The report shows the economic impact of the ban will be five times higher than any economic benefits. Using the Government's own methodology for calculating costs this policy will cost the average household £14,700.

The CEBR study, 'Economic impacts of the 2030 - 2040 bans on the sale of fossil fuel vehicles', shows that the additional costs of the policy dwarf any environmental benefit, specifically:

  1. New vehicle purchase costs of £188 billion.
  2. Time wasted by drivers waiting for EVs to recharge £47 billion.
  3. Charging and distribution infrastructure £99 billion.

Any benefits battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer will also be vastly lower due to the emissions involved in vehicle production, mining for battery minerals, shorter vehicle lifetimes (8.1 years for a BEV compared with 13.9 years for an ICEV.) The study also forecasts a significant loss of tax revenue which can only result in higher rates of Tax or VAT, or cuts to essential public services.

MAG Chair, Neil Liversidge said: "This report shows the Government's proposal to ban internal combustion engined vehicles is utterly misguided, even if you accept the assumptions which they themselves have made, and without even getting into the environmental arguments. Millions of motorcyclists stand to lose their freedom to buy and ride a practical petrol-powered machine. The costs of this ban are orders of magnitude greater than any possible benefits. This is economic madness, a blight on civil liberties, and a threat to the UK's prosperity, our quality of life and national security. We call on Ministers to drop this disastrous policy immediately before it does any more damage."

The full CEBR report is available here

Battery electric vehicles are not the solution (and as the CEBR report proves, as a country, we simply can't afford it), but the government's insistence on zero emissions at the tail pipe is effectively forcing us down this route. Until an alternative offers the same range as fossil fuel, and the same speed and convenience of refuelling, anything else is a backward step.

Please support this campaign, your chosen lifestyle very much depends on it !!!

2) Quiz Nite Report

Check out the event report Here

3) Remembrance Sunday Report

Check out the event report Here

4) Christmas Present Ideas

Stuck for a Christmas present idea for the biker in your life this year? Be stuck no more, as we have two great suggestions:

MAG Membership

A MAG Membership makes an ideal Christmas present ... and as it will last for at least a whole year, it's the present that just keeps on giving !!!!

You can join MAG at any of our weekly meetings, by phone (0800 988 3193 during office hours), on the Internet (www.mag-uk.org/motorcycle-action-group-membership/), or by post (MAG UK, Unit C13, Holly Farm Business Park, Honiley, CV8 1NP).

Membership fees are £27 (Individual) or £40.50 (Joint). Family Membership is £5.00 per child on either a single or joint adult membership. New members between the ages of 16 and 25 years old receive a £5 discount on first year of MAG membership. If you are feeling particularly generous with your Christmas gift this year, Life Memberships of MAG are available for £405 for an individual or £594 for a Joint.

Yorkshire MAG Mugs

Yorkshire MAG Mugs

Look at these mighty fine beverage vessels, which would make jolly nice stocking fillers .... a snip at £5. Available from any Wakefield MAG meeting.

5) New MAG report recommends full review of motorcycle licencing regime

Link to the MAG Press Release: www.mag-uk.org/new-mag-report-recommends-full-review-of-motorcycle-licencing-regime

6) Post Christmas Auction

2023 Auction

Our 18th Post Christmas Auction will be held on Tuesday 31st January 2023. Our Post Christmas Auction's are the stuff of legends. The idea is you donate all your unwanted Christmas presents, together with other stuff you no longer want, or have the room for, to the Branch and we auction them off to the highest bidder .... with the proceeds split 2/3 to MAG and 1/3 to charitable causes. Check out the For Sale page for what items have already been donated and will be in the 2023 auction.

I hope to see you there. Be there early, with viewing from 07:00 onwards, and the auction starting at 08:00 prompt (and don't forget to bring your unwanted Christmas pressies and other stuff you no longer want, or have the room for !!!).

7) Wakefield MAG Annual General Meeting

The Wakefield & District Motorcycle Action Group Branch AGM will be held in the Thatched House, on Tuesday 17th January 2023, starting at 8:00pm (prompt). All members are invited to attend this special meeting, so please try to attend if you can. At this meeting there will be a review of the year, elections for the branch committee and the prize giving for our branch heroes. As this meeting is effectively a MAG political meeting, it carries with it a whopping 75 branch points for everyone who attends (a normal branch meeting only carries 5 points). As all the points are tallied at year end and go towards the branch heroes presentation, points really do mean prizes !!!! What better boost to your branch heroes tally for the new year !!!

In order to save costs (given the huge hike in postal charges), the Annual Wakefield MAG mailshot will be emailed to all eligible Members, i.e. current or recently expired MAG members with a WF postcode, to formally place notice for the meeting. Those members for whom we don't have valid email addresses, will be posted the letter. The meeting is also advertised in the events section on the main MAG website (www.mag-uk.org), on our own website, and in the latest edition of The Road magazine. If anyone has a preference for a mailed copy of the AGM mailshot, instead of an email, please let me know.

Previous years AGM minutes are available on the Wakefield MAG website (AGM's)

N.B. Motions for the AGM should be submitted at least the week before the AGM (Tuesday 10th January 2023).

8) Kidzaware Christmas Toy Collection

Christmas Toy Collection

We are hosting another Christmas Toy Collection for Kidzaware, for Christmas 2022. We are collecting toys and presents (age range: A few months to early twenties) which we will deliver to this very worthwhile local charity in early December.

Please bring along any toys / presents (unwrapped at this stage) to any Tuesday Wakefield MAG meeting, up to and including Tuesday 13th December. If you can't make a meeting but would still like to donate some toys / presents, please let us know, and we'll arrange to collect them from you. Thank you in advance for supporting this most worthwhile Wakefield based charity.

9) Christmas Meetings

Please note there will be no branch meetings over the Christmas and New Year period i.e. Tuesday 27th December and Tuesday 3rd January 2023. Meetings as normal this year up to and including Tuesday 20th December. Meetings in the new year will commence on Tuesday 10th January 2023, then every Tuesday thereafter, as normal.

10) Wakefield MAG Christmas Raffle

Wakefield MAG Christmas Raffle

Following the undoubted success of our Christmas raffles in 2019 and 2021, we are hosting another Christmas Hamper Raffle for 2022 with the chance to win a luxury hamper plus many other prizes. The tickets are ON SALE NOW at our weekly meetings and are £1 each (although Chas prefers to sell a book at a time for £5 ;-) and will be drawn at the Wakefield MAG meeting on Tuesday 13th December at 20:00. All proceeds to the MAG Fighting Fund for the on-going protection of your freedom to ride your motorcycle. Please buy some and let's boost the MAG coffers.

We are also collecting items for the luxury hamper main prize and other prizes, deadline to donate for the hamper is Tuesday 6th December (as we need to physically package the hamper before the draw date) and Tuesday 13th December for the other prizes.

11) Forthcoming Events (for December and beyond)

Saturday 10th December - Leeds and Bradford MAG Toy Run

Leeds and Bradford MAG Toy Run to Lineham Farm children's centre is being held this year in conjunction with the Burley Biker Breakfast. LABMAG are meeting from 09:45 at St Matthias church (LS4 2DZ) to have a breakfast and a bit of a natter and then getting on the bikes at 11:30 and riding up to Lineham Farm in convoy, aiming to arrive for approximately 12:00 noon. Alternatively, you could meet at Lineham Farm, the postcode is LS16 8AZ. Wrapped presents marked boy/girl/either up to the value of £8 each, for kids aged 8-11 years old would be appreciated. If you can't make the run, presents can be dropped off at LABMAG meetings or you can drop them off at the Burley Biker Breakfast and we'll take them for you! If you want to donate money instead of presents, we are happy to pass this on to Lineham Farm from our PayPal account using the leeds-rep@mag-uk.org account.

Tuesday 13th December - Christmas Hamper Draw

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Tuesday 13th December - Deadline for Kidzaware Christmas Toy Collection Donations

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Tuesday 17th January 2023 - Wakefield Branch 21st AGM - The branch will be 21 years old !!!!

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Tuesday 31st January 2023 - Post Christmas Auction

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Got lots of unwanted Christmas presents ? Got items that are of use/value but you don't have the space for them any more ? Prepared to donate them for a good cause ? Bring them along to the Wakefield MAG 'Post Christmas Auction' where they will be raffled off to the highest bidder, with all the proceeds being donated to MAG and other worthy causes. 20:00 in the Thatched House.

See the events page for further details and more !!!

That's all for this month, have a great Christmas, hope Santa brings you lots of biking goodies, and I hope to see you all soon.

Ride Safe .. Ride Free
Steve Travis
Chairman
Wakefield MAG
0772 078 4734

Wakefield MAG meet at the Thatched House, Stanley, Wakefield at 8:00pm every Tuesday. New (and Old) faces are always welcome.