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The Reiver
I guess I’m a Luddite
British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan when asked what a Prime Minister most feared is supposedly to have replied: 'Events, dear boy, events'. I thought the quotation was rather good, sadly there seems to be little reason for including it in this article; however, it will stay, because I rather like it.
This naturally leads me to future taxi law. You see, a colleague of mine has seemingly been described by some, within his own organisation as a bit of a Luddite, which is rather strange, most people think he’s simply a c*nt. His approach to taxis is apparently, judging by that comment, is considered to be a wee bit fashioned although the context does appear to be somewhat misplaced.
As everyone will know (I’m seriously p*ssing into the wind with this one), and as written by John Maynard Keynes, the advent of new labour saving technology would lead to unemployment. The Luddites of the early 19th Century saw new technology as a threat; they therefore went about sabotaging the labour ‘saving’ equipment. The new equipment in many cases allowed less skilled people to do the work of the skilled – thus the labour pool was significantly increased and invariably, the wages paid could, would and were reduced.
The authorities of the time took a dim view of those sabotaging machines and destroying equipment – regularly those running those dark satanic mills were those very same people sitting in judgement – so Luddites were either hanged or deported to Australia.
One such example is Abraham Charlston whom when aged 12 was hanged with four others for setting fire to a weaving mill in Westhoughton, Lancashire – Abraham was said to have cried for his mother on the scaffold.
Of course, what the Law Commission propose will not change the number of people employed in the licensed industries, as a bit of a Brucie bonus, they won’t hang or transport you to the land ‘down under’ for being a modern day Luddite (they appear to prefer the slow and agonising death by deregulation) – however the fact they propose to drop localised requirements such as knowledge tests for private hire drivers –making the employment of the less skilled far easier is obviously instructive.
It’s obviously quite noticeable this is something numerous private hire operators want, easier levels of entry, despite their uttering’s to the contrary. Relatively speaking, recent actions such as the sourcing licenses from other areas with perceived lower standards, certainly suggests as much. Indeed, it is more or less obvious, at least from those firms that have set themselves up in East European countries; labour has been reduced to that of a commodity.
So in these respects – is the chap really a Luddite? Perhaps.
His rebuff of the Law Commission documents appear to have led to the Luddite opinion being drawn – sadly – view’s and position’s are sometimes two very differing things.
Working to the old fashioned theory (the fool that he is) of, when an association has a constitution – unless it is directed by its membership to change it – it has a duty to ensure it’s upheld, has seemingly drawn the Luddite comment. Policy on the hoof is generally best left for donkeys, except for the fact, exactly who’s ass will be in the air when its shot off hasn’t been resolved. Creative suggestions such as people are elected to ensure the best for the body, seem to be merely that, a creative suggestion – and one with little merit.
In many respects I understand my friend the Luddite is little hurt by the Luddite comment (hurt is being polite, apparently he used words which would upset the normally docile taxitalk readership and some of you are apparently working class for f’s sake).
I guess he could have done the easy thing, after all nationwide deregulation isn’t going to affect him much, if at all, he could have quite easily have written to the Law Commission extolling their virtues and foresightedness in proposing new national standards, deregulation, and freeing those poor private hire companies to do as much cross border as they liked. However, it would seem the easy route isn’t within his character, besides, hope of re-regulation is something many taxi associations all but have – despite the often irreversible affects of the ideology.
In many respects he now looks a little like the boy pointing at the Emperor’s new clothes, because to him, many people (all too many people) are seemingly embracing national standards without actually knowing what they will be. They are being sold a little puppy without seemingly knowing it will eventually grow to not only eat you out of house and home, but then look greedily upon the hand that feeds it.
It is an inescapable fact each area has different standards by comparison to just about everywhere else. These are not standards many of you will like or want – it therefore isn’t for anyone operating outside the area to suggest their standards, standards that may have been achieved via a working dialogue with their local authority, are the right standards for anywhere else. Just like it isn’t your job to pontificate what’s right for anywhere else.
The law commission in their massive document failed to cite a single local authority that doesn’t have the necessary checks upon vehicles or drivers. They cite national standards, which they won’t have any input upon, based on no evidence, and they believe that will actually work – as theories go, this one is right up there with Kentucky Fried Chicken being Owned by the KKK, white supremacy via fried chicken.
People must surely understand the excellent part of current legislation, and admittedly, to a degree its downfall is locals can determine what is best for their area.
Perhaps we shouldn’t beat about the bush here – do you seriously want the DfT and some, ‘here today, gone in under six months’ transport minister – making silly off the hoof policies that affect you? Do you want to dispense with a system where you can drive 1 mile from your house and shout at a licensing officer for being a pillock – and in similar terms – where he could make you drive 1 mile from your house and shout at you? – Either way its local and we’re dealing with people whom we elect and we hopefully know are trying to do their jobs in the interests of people we live amongst.
To a degree we should feel a little sorry for the law commission – they’re like the axe murderer in Bambi (I have an awful habit of getting confused with films these days) – then we think about it for a while – realise they’re trying to kill us – and should soon stop that type feeling sorry carryings on.
They should have quite simply paid the Luddite a rather decent amount of cash and he’d have sorted their cab act in one afternoon. Unless they’re stupid, and they have degrees that suggest otherwise – they must surely now realise there’s bits in virtually every cab and private hire act which are rather good. Sadly, for all their education and their best efforts, they don’t know enough about the taxi trade to realise which bits are good, and which bits are [edited by admin] (it’s a northern term utilised in pig farms). This being said, they are in a position where they could pull all of the good bits out of the acts and make a decent nationwide cab law that will actually help – what they seem to be planning is apparent madness (as well as catastrophic starvation and bankruptcies).
They don’t appear to realise – presumably because they don’t particularly care - that a good proportion of licensing officers are like the security guard outside topshop who believes they are in fact Mr Top, store owner – these are often the same people who either make the law up as they go along or believe the word ‘discretion’ is a day excursion to a little village close to Rhyll.
Indeed, the Law commission, and giving them the benefit of the doubt (something strangely not reciprocated by them) do appear to have been deceived by the usual cabal of private hire operators, with little or no interest in their serfs of drivers (or dare I say it customers), save for the weekly ‘cash’ radio subscription, and a rather barmy whoop of advisors they’ve collected via the department for transport.
To suggest the chap is a Luddite is a disservice, probably to Luddites, because the taxi trade and private hire trade, have embraced everything technology has thrown at it, from two-way radio s to iphone apps, the taxi trade has been all embracing. I could cite numerous conspiracies against the taxi trade, be these suggestions of private hire operators sourcing ‘lax’ licensing regimes, or licensing regimes ‘kowtowing’ to private hire operators from other areas, or court transcripts deliberately misleading local authorities and courts to various other discrepancies. Yet no one wishes to listen or learn – because, I guess I’m a Luddite, just like he.
It’s the NTA conference in less than one month – for a few quid you could actually meet people who give a t*ss about the taxi trade – I strongly advise you to make enquiries and attend – otherwise the cookery section of taxitalk will begin to resemble ration book Britain. If you want a stark warning about what’s going to happen, perhaps you should turn up and listen to the wise words of the Irish Taxi Federation, and their experience with the free market – another great deception.
Or perhaps you should turn up and listen to the law commission give a sound rationale for their views. Either way, if you give a t*ss, turn up.
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin
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