Thursday, 22 December 2016
Smoke Mirrors And Political Style Bullshit, Baffles Brains
There is clearly no other route except direct confrontation. I never thought I'd be driven to the last resort of complete civil disobedience, but as recent events surrounding the mobile phone footage of TFL transportation top hierarchy having cosy relations with self suited and high level financially corruptive Uber operatives, it is (and has obviously been for many years) patently corrupt, deceptive, and always questionable on the rationale of legal rules on written licensing obligations which were quashed in direct favour of ubers style of non private hire anarchy.
The simple facts are it did not require notification because we were not on top of our game and our licensing authority had vested interests.... Substantial Licensing increases... and TFL corrupted covert Mayfair restaurant engagements.
Many of us have survived through several recessions and kipper seasons and this January will be an exceptional kipper.
Taxis are fit for all of the public including the disabled, plus passengers with guide dogs which entitles bus lane usage. We are superior in every way, verses
family saloon private hire cars, driven by unqualified and mostly
dangerously lost drivers. Without their sat nav drivers in London they can't operate, which is pathetic in a major world city... not a third world one...!
Merry Christmas & Keep up the fight.
greenbadgejohn
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Wednesday, 21 December 2016
The Further Backward We Can Look, The Further Forward We Can See......................By Semtex.
Not my words of course. But the words of arguably the greatest leader of people in England's history, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. And the words make sense too, don't they ?
Battles and wars are not always won on firepower, bravado and manpower. Indeed, the victors are very often the ones who use psychology, strategy and tactical stealth.
It's been a rough old year for our battered profession, hasn't it ? Thanks to our former traitor Prime Minister's incestuous relationship with some of Uber's high command, London "registered" Uber mini cabs are now causing havoc as far up as the Midlands, Birmingham and further. Swooping onto areas of work for which genuine members of our industry have worked so hard to have the right to ply. The unqualified imposters are like the giant mutant rats who have recently infiltrated our shoreline. The green roundels from Palestra will be spotted on the moon next.
It can only get worse. The genie is out of the bottle, and I would be amazed if we or anyone else could get it back in.
So what then ?
Where now ?
Where do we go from here ?
A trade Public Inquiry ?
Hard Core United Demos ?
Both ?
What ?
Without doubt, we are under the cosh. Without doubt we have our work cut out, and without doubt we should have seen it coming. We should have put up a realistic challenge long before now too, but this is not the time to be looking back blaming each other and stewing in our mistakes. Christmas is here now. A chance to reflect. A chance to be with our loved ones. A chance to sit back for two minutes and hopefully plan where we are going next. And be grateful that we have that option, as not everyone has got it.
My mates will know that I have another professional life away from the Black Cab Trade. I train and operate a service traveling all over the world, with my Specialist Detection Dogs. I have done it for many years, and I absolutely love it. Most of the time I do anyway. Normally, and very sadly, when I get the call for assistance to deploy and load the dogs into the car, it is already too late for good news for the suffering families concerned, as my dogs are Blood and Human Tissue Detection Dogs. When the emergency services call for my help, they are generally not expecting a happy outcome.
For the last two weekends though, I have been assisting Suffolk Police and other Specialist Search Teams in the search for missing RAF Airman, Corrie McKeague. I haven't enjoyed it at all. I have sons around the same age as Corrie, only 23. His life in front of him, everything to live for. A good looking, strapping young lad, disappeared. Vanished into thin air. The kid must be somewhere, but it's not looking good. To look into his poor Mum's eyes and listen to her anguish and pleas to our specialist dog units, is a feeling that I find hard to describe. She is a very level headed, rational women too, a serving Police Officer no less. Her despair and heart breaking in half literally as she stands in front of us, was very upsetting. I struggle to think what this poor women and her immediate family's Christmas and Christmas's to come, will be like.
I am not one of those Bible bashing cranks, but attend my local church on any Sunday that I am not deployed with or training the dogs. I keep my Christian values and beliefs quite private, as I know it is not to everybody's taste.I understand why, too. I agree that the Big Man has much to answer for. Personally, I have had some extremely close calls in my life time, one in particular, but have honestly found strength through prayers and the church. I have not always been comfortable in some of the pathways that I have been forced to walk down in life either, so have used the church as an excuse for a pardon, and put the blame on someone else ! I'm not silly !
Normally, I only attend on the Sunday Service normal days, but this week and during an ordinary weekday, I found myself the only one in there, offering up a prayer for strength for the suffering family Of Corrie McKeague. It was the least I felt I could do, as our arduous search came to nothing. I hope to God that closure can come to these people, one way or other real soon. It must be hell on earth.
As I say, not everyone has the luxury of planning where to go next......but we do. So let's get down to the drawing board .
A Public Inquiry for our trade will take time and money, but it may flush out the rats, and maybe we should throw the dice and go for it. On an optimistic note, it is nice to see our UCG Battalions will deploy in the New Year. Please trade org leaders, please consider supporting them. We can no longer continue with the football supporters mentality, and need every bit of help we can get.
I believe that 2017 will be a big game changer for our London trade, one way or the other. TFL don't need me to tell them that they just can't keep selling 600 mini cab licences a week without something very bad happening to the foundation infrastructure of London's ability to move around. Or do they ?
Perhaps they DO need me to tell them ! They MUST know it is ludicrous ! Somebody up there surely has to intervene. Mayor Khan, eh ?
The promises, the spiel, the hype, the drama ! And what ? I tell you what. Two bob mate, that's what ! The same as Mike Brown. Absolutely useless ! Another two Government and Civil Service stooges. Another lame duck. Just like Livingstone, just like Johnson ! Just like Hendy.............Not worth a rub !
How about when our Mayor said London was open for business ?!!
Its like saying that Wembley is open for business to go and see Adele perform.................you try and get in there !
London has melted down and paralysed itself. You just cannot put 100,000 mini cabs into a City built primarily for going from A to B in a horse and carriage ! As me and my taxi knowledge colleagues know, there are many parts of central London that have remained unchanged since the reign of Queen Victoria ! Quaint cobbled roads and streets, just about wide enough for a taxi.
I hope it stays like that too. It is beautiful, it is historic and it is unique. But you don't have to be a Statistical Transport Analyst to grasp that you can't just add 100,000 extra vehicles in the mix, just because they earn you two and a half each ! Well, you can, but it's a false economy and sure to bite your arse somewhere down the line real soon.
One thing is blatantly obvious by now, The Great London Taxi Trade is surplus to requirements according to the Rt. Dishonourable Transport For London. They won't be happy until we are gone. Brown Bread. Extinct. And to give them their due they ain't doing too bad a job on us, either. We have had a terrible hiding this year, and if old cut man Danny Holland was still alive, he would have applied the vaseline and adrenalin sponge onto us a few rounds ago.
I am confident that 2017 will see our destiny decided for us folks, and it is entirely up to us, to decide who the victors are.
It is inconceivable to me to allow them bent shysters up there to beat us to pulp and finish us off forever. What they wouldn't give to host the winners celebration party among the dubious stench of City Hall and Palestra's party room, as we were carried into the Transport Museum.
Do you know what chokes me up the most though ? The thing that upsets me so much and winds me up like a spring ?
We didn't deserve ANY of this ! We were doing the job that we had trained bloody long and hard for, in a professional, legal and honorable manner. We weren't incompetent, we weren't complacent, we weren't disrespectful. We worked hard, we proved ourselves through vigorous knowledge, thorough long drawn out training, and evidenced, transparent character investigation. We gave 100% loyalty and commitment and worked totally and utterly within the legal compliant remit of our profession. We served Governments and London's people with steadfast loyalty and abiding affection. Not for six months, not for five years and not even for fifty years. No, we served Government, London, Londoners and visitors to our great capital from all over the world..........for almost 400 years !
400 years of Platinum, Loyal and Professional service. And the distrustful, low punching, snidey betraying imbeciles of City Hall and Palestra.............have ceremoniously shit on us ! They have stood by and watched us struggle gulping for air, slowing dying , and witnessing some of our colleagues taking their own lives. Houses repossessed, marriages dissolved, family breakdown and taxis taken by bailiffs. Our working tools, our only hope and our future towed away from outside the door.
And for what ?
What was in it for them ?
I tell you what it was. Money. Loads of it. And loads more to come. They all thought it was worth it. They all thought that our Iconic, World famous brand known in every isolated corner of the globe, was worth killing off...............all for a poxy few quid ! And they didn't give a monkeys.
If I didn't have such a loving family and seriously ill stunningly beautiful wife, I would confront the lot of them on my own.
But I do, and thank God that I do, I am immensely grateful that I have.
I tell you what else I've got shall I ? I've got a Green Badge of Pride around my neck, I've got 25,000 good mates, I've got my health, I've got my strength and I've got the right fu**ing hump !
I've swapped the Government issued sub machine gun and balaclava for Unity, Democracy and the Right of Protest these days. And I'm gonna test the granny out of it after Christmas ! I shall be joining my UCG mates out there soon, and hopefully all of our other Trade Organisations, Clubs, Unions and Associations who I know will join them. We have much to fight for folks, but more importantly.......much to lose !
As our great Sir Winston also said "It's no use saying we are doing our best. You have got to succeed in doing what's necessary if you want to win the battle"
I can't wait to get stuck in.
Colleagues, friends, allies, UK Taxi drivers nationally, fellow scribes and especially our own Taxi Leaks and it's legendary founder, Jim Thomas.....
May myself and my family wish you all a very Happy and Merry Christmas. I hope you all have peace, love, friendship and good luck, not just over the holiday but throughout the New Year. Enjoy you're families enjoy you're health and enjoy you're well earned rest.
We have got a lot to do after Christmas. We are on the ropes for sure, but as we all know, not out of the fight yet. We can and will win this. You watch.
Be lucky all. Be careful Merry Christmas and God bless.
8829 Semtex.
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Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Crash Sparks Warning Over 'Out-Of-Town' Minicabs Touting For Business At City Ranks
BLACK cab drivers have warned revellers to steer clear of ‘out-of-town’ taxis over the Christmas period after an incident which left a driver in hospital.
A cabbie was taken to the John Radcliffe hospital on Sunday morning after a collision involving three vehicles at the taxi rank at Oxford Railway station.
None of the vehicles were Hackney carriage licensed by Oxford City Council and therefore should not have been waiting at the rank in the first place.
Eyewitness and licensed Oxford hackney carriage driver Darran Beal said: “One of our licensed drivers walked over to to speak to the drivers as they shouldn’t be there.
“Suddenly there was a large bang, Darrran was hit and was taken to hospital in an ambulance.
He added: “It’s getting out of hand, when I go to work on Fridays and Saturdays there are more out of town taxis compared to Oxford City Council licensed cabs.
“They are always outside the bars and clubs waiting to pick people up.”
Great Western Railway - which runs the station - confirmed the crash took place at its customer drop-off point and British Transport Police said it was investigating the circumstances of the collision just before 8.30am.
Under Oxford City Council licensing rules, only Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by Oxford City Council can pick up from the city’s ranks and carry passengers without a booking.
Sajad Khan, secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxicab Association - which represents drivers of 107 black cabs in the city - said cars were coming from as far as Birmingham.
He said: “Thousands of revellers are set to be out and about in Oxford during Christmas and especially New Year’s Eve.
“Passengers must be aware of the illegal touting that’s going on and reminded that the Private Hire vehicle or taxis licensed outside of Oxford are not allowed to pick up passengers if hailed.
“If they do they will be doing it illegally which makes their insurance invalid.”
Those licensed by Oxford City Council provides passengers with insurance cover against accidents, but vehicles licensed outside the city only cover customers with bookings.
- Private Hire vehicles and Hackney Carriages not licensed by Oxford City Council cannot access the city’s 13 taxi ranks.
Taxi marshals are hired by Oxford City Council to reduce ‘illegal pick ups’ and ‘touting for business’ by taxis not licensed to take passengers.
Every driver pulling up at a rank must show their badge to identify they are licensed by Oxford City Council.
Uber have been refused a licence to work in this area, on the grounds that Oxford have a cap on the number of Taxis and private hire licenses issued by the City Council. This hasn't stopped Uber drivers many registered with TfL in London, from driving out to Oxford at he weekends, where there is a large student population.
Tony Dwyer a licensed Oxford driver said:
"At the weekend, it's a free for all, just like the Wild West. You can spot these Ubers from London by their TfL green roundels, many of these drivers are very aggressive".
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Monday, 19 December 2016
Can I Have Chips This Time ? ...............By Semtex.
I've got four wonderful adult children. They have grown into fantastic citizens, all with excellent jobs, and dare I say it, two of them are Senior Civil Servants. One son one daughter, and one of them extremely senior. My wife and myself are very proud of them. They are fully aware of my opinion on Senior Civil Servants, and have promised not to be like the ones I dislike.
Both of my sons came down to see me earlier this week, and know only too well, that my favourite meal of all.......is breakfast. "We've come down to take you to an award winning special breakfast place Pops, and if you don't see a breakfast that you like in this gaff, then your'e just being a Diva !."
We jump into my youngest sons brand new Range Rover, and I'm sitting in the back being chauffeured to breakfast as if I were Michael Jackson.
We arrived at this cafe supremo joint and I could immediately see that this was no ordinary greasy spoon. The car park was rammed, and you had to book as well for Christ sake !
We were shown to our table and asked to choose from this massive overhead breakfast menu. It was monolithic. A huge menu.
I'm looking down the Doomsday book of lorry drivers Utopia which started at "A", and eventually tailed off to "X" or something I think. The thing was, it was a selection of breakfasts that were set. So if you asked for Breakfast "S", you got EXACTLY what was on the Breakfast "S" menu. Nothing more, nothing less. Aware that my apparent Diva persona was being tested by my two strapping sons, I studied the breakfast menu from heaven with surgical precision. Just when I thought I had the perfect breakfast, there was something on the list that I didn't like or would rather have swapped. I looked again, and the same thing happened. I took another look.
Just when I thought I had cracked it, I was gutted to see it was backed up with chips or fresh tomatoes instead of tinned. I found one with tinned tomatoes, no chips, but mushrooms, which was great, but then they ruined it with beans. Back to square one. As many choices as there were, and despite the huge range, they just didn't have the perfect one. They had everything I liked.............but not in the set choice that they had set out.
The young lady came to our table to take our order. My two boy's requested their choices. One had the "H" breakfast, the other had the "D" option. As she asked for my order, I said " I'd like the "M" breakfast please, but do you think you could possibly swap the bacon for a sausage?"
Mate, you would have thought that I had just asked the girl what sort of underwear she had on !!
Do you know when you're watching a murder movie or a horror film and just before the murderer plunges the blade into the victim's head they slow the film speed down to concentrate on the assailant's mad eyes ? That look of hatred, wrath, imminent execution and blood lust ? Well, that is how the waitress's contorted face looked like. Not only that, the two nearest tables heard my request and must have been regulars, because their jaws stopped in the position they were last in as they gazed in amazement at first me and then the waitress. It was as though I had just told her that I was the abusive father that abandoned her at six hours old, hitting her mother with a hot seedy loaf from the oven and pissing over the cat before I left ! My two boys just stared at the menu and denied all eye contact with me. Jesus!
The thing is, I know what I like. I know what is best for my belly, and I know what pleases me. All of the breakfast's were good of course, but even with that vast choice, there was either something on the plate that I didn't like, or didn't want and would rather have changed for something else. I honestly wasn't being a diva. I just knew what I wanted.
As you can imagine, I didn't want to embarrass my sons further or risk an axe sticking from the side of my head on the way out, so just put up with the nearest version they had for my liking, and enjoyed it very much. I'm not a great fan of chips with my breakfast, but ate them even if I would rather of had mushrooms.
I have a great interest in human psychology. The way in which people's brains work gives me never ending curiosity. I often resort to studying my own to give my interest a kick start. So what I had just experienced in the Breakfast Cafe, made me think of something in particular. Something more closer to my heart, than the cholesterol from the bacon!
In our precarious professional positions of London Cab Drivers, and by virtue of the nature of the beast, Trade Representation is important. You never know what's around the corner and a jumped red light, awkward fare paying passenger or the wrath of a Compliance Officer, could lead any of us seeking the professional assistance of support, via our trade organisation or body.
Many of our colleagues will know that although I have been a member of every trade org out there, I have been a member of nothing for some time now. Make no bones about it, I am not advocating this risky decision at all, indeed, I think it is rather hazardous, and potentially suicidal.
But the reason I have found myself in this unenviable position, is extremely similar to the position I found myself in the cafe. There are ample trade orgs out there offering professional representation, but none of them with EXACTLY what I want. Some have most of what I want, some have a little of what I want, and one in particular has nothing that I want. But that is not to say I am not willing to try joining one. The thing is though I want to have a good, sound representation, if I do so.
By nature, I am a very pro-active union member. I get involved in stuff. I want to be on the front line. I enjoy the skirmish with the bad guys and would like to think that I am a valued member. On the same token though, I expect a lot in return. The biggest flaw in my London Cab Trade career though is, that I am really lacking in patience, and personal experience in democracy. I understand the hurdles and problems in the way of union matters of course, but when the red flag is hoisted and we are in imminent danger of attack, then a formidable challenge is the very least I would expect our lot to deploy. And I don't just expect to sit back and expect to have success brought to me either.
I don't mind rolling my sleeves up. In fact, I enjoy it. The main thing for me though....is immediate, viable member protection. I know deployments or challenges have to be agreed and spoken about, but when they start drifting into weeks and weeks of dialogue, meetings, votes and democracy whilst our trousers are being pulled down round our ankles, I get the right hump.
A few years ago, I found myself in some piping hot water by my own stupidity, and learnt a very valuable lesson. It was at the time that John Mason had briefed a team of Compliance Officers and sent them on to the streets to do their "work". I parked up in St Martins Lane one night and watched them. At the time, I was a member of the London Taxi Drivers Forum and aired my views with absolutely no doubt as to what I thought.
I told them clearly that they were totally useless, inept, unqualified and disgraceful. With my professional experience I was confident that I could have done better, and challenged Mason's team and offered the Police Operational Commander my target rate success history as better than anything they had out there.. On my own back, I phoned Helen Chapman and told her about my concern. To give her her due, she agreed to meet me. For my own benefit, I was accompanied by a very hard punching trade stalwart of us all, who is working towards our betterment even as I type. I trusted this man with my life and still do. He is a credit to our cab trade. I didn't want to turn up at the meeting alone for many reasons, so arranged the meeting for the two of us to go.
So me and him meet up at the arranged venue, and Helen Chapman duly arrived.
During all the time we were there, and to give her due, Helen answered our questions with courtesy, honesty and professionalism and took my concerns back to the Operational Police Unit. I told Helen that I thought I could do a better job, so she informed the Police Commander responsible, and I was duly invited to go out with the team, to see what they did, and how I thought I could demonstrate that I knew better.
I looked forward to this quest and knew I had a fair argument. AND THEN IT HIT THE FAN !!! BIG STYLE !!!
I had our Trade Orgs coming back to me asking who the hell did I think I was. Who gave me the right to speak for the trade. What right did I have in putting myself up for such a brief, and even daring to approach Helen Chapman to discuss anything at all at any time !
I had drivers saying that I didn't speak for them and keep my big nose and big mouth out of it. I was accused of being a busy body nobody and to wind my neck in.
I thought about it for a while and had to admit....................they were right !
I could see their point clearly, and to be honest, was surprised how naive I was thinking it would go well at all. This was a Trade Org brief out and out, no question, and I had trod on their toes with undue and probably uncalled for disrespect.
I did make a full and immediate apology to the orgs and my mates, and cancelled the imminent police meeting.
I had learned a huge lesson that day. You will have known my writings to often criticise my own misunderstanding of democracy ? Well this was a good example of how I fell foul. In the cab trade it is seen as glory hunting, in the army it is seen as good example. I wasn't use to the democratic voting way, only the military way but had to learn the union way fast. In the army I was a good example, in the cab trade I was a busy body. I took it on the chin, considered myself fair game and had to adapt overnight. My overenthusiastic wings had been clipped.
Last night, through Taxi Leaks, I replied to a post concerning our great ally and friend, Dave Davies. At the end of his reply, he offered to meet me and/or the remainder of the Trade Orgs to discuss launching a Trade Public Inquiry. I have my reservations about a Public Inquiry for reasons already stated. However, I would be more than happy to put any of my influence or assistance in one, if that is what the trade wants and feels would save us. However, and also for reasons already stated, I am unable to meet Dave Davies to talk about it with him. As much as I would love to, and as much as I would have done it like a shot in years gone by, I have no right to, so won't.
My position in our great trade at present then, is one that has been privileged to me by the respected platform of Taxi Leaks and our staunch friend and Editor, Jim Thomas. And that is a position as a Trade Scribe, nothing more, nothing less. My position in our trade is to try to inspire my colleagues in arms to fight, unite and take custody of the world famous London Cab Trade through the Uber and TFL prolific attack, and out the other side to new pastures. I have no Union or Org rights nor blessing, and can only attempt to do that by my writings, previous professional skills and knowledge, camaraderie and moral support. I will of course, do everything that my small but worthwhile brief permits. You can trust me, and rely on me in full.
However, we don't need me to write about the blindingly obvious. Our trade is under persistent and heavy attack from every direction. A Public Inquiry may very well be just what the trade needs to save it. Dave Davies is no mug. He is a businessman, investor and our friend. He has offered to meet us. Is anyone going to ring him ? Has anyone already rang him ? Is there any possibility of launching an Inquiry real soon ? Is our trade about to go under or will it be saved ? I can only report what I see is happening folks, I am only a scribe. Surely something is going to be announced soon ? Isn't it ?
Here I go again, wanting it all at once ! That trade clock is ticking it's little cobblers out right now. What are we going to do ? Put our Christmas trees up and forget all about it ? I shall be supporting our UCG members out there in the New Year, but how much unity can they rely on from the rest of us ? We shall see.
And by the way..................................Can I have chips this time ?
Be lucky all.
8829 Semtex.
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