A single point of contention: could it be possible that you are misinterpreting Lord Oxborough's use of the Queen's English when he speaks of free access to automobiles. I believe "free access" means readily available at an affordable price in this context. However, I don't disagree with the thrust of your post.

It is my fault for paraphrasing - I took his remarks to mean "free - as in without central government control", and I should have used "open" perhaps instead.