Guest at the RAC (Royal Automobile Club) dinner at the Science Museum.

I walk in to the reception to discover that it is me and about 300 men – whilst for a single gal these proportions might look promising, in reality it is quite daunting, even for me who is used to talking to people I don’t know.

The RAC hold this dinner annually to present their report. So we were herded up into the IMAX cinema for the presentation of their findings. Very difficult to make head or tail of the stats as the variables across the country are so wide.

One broad finding they presented was an answer to the question – if motorists were to have to pay more through some mechanism what would they prefer? The majority by a long way opted for tax to be added to the fuel cost alongside the removal of tax disks etc. Hmmmmmmmmm I am sure last time there was a rise to fuel prices we saw the car and lorry lobby picket and strike! So I am not sure what motorists say and what they do are quite at one.

The dinner was very nice and the speaker was Professor David Begg, who is the Commissioner for Integrated Transport, and at least is an amusing and relatively witty speaker. I sat next to Ann Skey who is Head of Public Affairs and really excellent at doing the sort of stuff the motor industry needs. Lots of good work with schools and education. The RAC is (as motoring organisations go) extremely responsible about its need to be committed to reduce driving, congestion and pollution. Visit its website – lots of good reports on all the motoring issues of the day.

PS Pick up news that Barbara Roche after all her media appearances to say she would vote against top-up fees, switches sides again and votes with the government. That will not go down well as was heralded as the ‘first time Hornsey & Wood Green MP had rebelled’. And she didn’t!