Even Though I Say It Myself,

I had a great childhood,

one of the things I liked the most was a trip to the Zoo, London, Chesington, even the small one at Crystal Palace, but like many things from our Victorian past these too are under threat from Labour, Minister Angela Smith, who stated it was wrong to keep animals in captivity and called for a debate on whether the Government should close all Britain's 400 zoos, describing them as cruel 'relics of the Victorian era', luckily knowing a public outcry would ensue the party have distance themselves from her in a case of operating mouth before engaging brain, Ms Smith is patron of the Captive Animals' Protection Society campaign group, and earlier this year she boycotted an event because it was being held at London Zoo, nothing like keeping an open mind and putting your side into the debate, her statement 'You can understand the Victorians who were amazed by what they saw when these specimens were brought back, because they couldn't travel - but now they can travel', would be comical if it were not so tragic, this statement from a goverenment minister whose government have just put up the tax on long haul travel by some £40.00, increases in Air Passenger Duty (APD) will see departure taxes on long-haul flights rise by as much as 112 per cent next year, “APD was doubled two years ago, making air travel from the UK the most heavily taxed in the world,” said Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways. “The Government’s own figures show that British airlines already meet their environmental costs, so there can be no ‘green’ justification for these additional taxes.” just so you know what you will be paying to take Ms Smith's advice and travel to see the animals in the wild, here is a break down of the governments new travel taxes,

economy/ premuium Currently £40/£80 November 2009 £50/£100 November 2010 £75/£150 this is for band C (4001-6000 miles) it includes: Botswana, Brazil, Caribbean, China, India, Japan, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Seychelles, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Thailand, of course even more if you want to see kangaroos in the wild! that is band D, it includes: Argentina, Australia, Chile, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru and Singapore, message to Ms Smith, whilst I think in the past some zoo's did need to change, we have past that stage now, please let the kids of today have a bit of fun as I did when I was a child.