If proof were needed of the justification of Ali Turnbull's case, then the fact that he represented himself, faced by a skilled legal practioner, and he won, then this is it.
This is the clearest proof that the status quo is unacceptable.
The Courts recognise this.
The Council has to recognise this.
It's just the trade which refuses to recognise it.
And the trade may already be too late. Concentrating on petty squabbles, determined to shoot the messenger, the senile rantings of the scared rabbits on this site may just have muddied the waters sufficiently to herald the disaster they say they don't want.
There has never been a more preposterous proposition that two taxi drivers could bend the will of the Council to embark on policies which they have stoically resisted. De-restriction and a wholesale rewriting of the conditions of fitness.
It was a daunting experience for Ali Turnbull. But he's borne the burden with honesty, integrity and dogged determination, in the face of an unprecedented onslaught by the trade.
And for what? Because he refused to accept being cannon fodder for greedy owners who hike plate values and hike rentals ever higher.
Ali is right to shun such outrageous practices. It is right that our Labour council should play its part in bringing our trade into the 21st century. Ali is a hero to the cause.
But it isn't two cabbies that brought this about. It's a nationwide concerted effort which is simply asking that the Laws of the land apply equally to our taxi trade here in Edinburgh. This is why it has become the certainty it is. The Law is right. CEC is right to apply it. It is to their credit that they are in the process of doing so, not to their credit however how they're doing so.
Nevertheless, the next chapter is beginning, and the Ali Turnbull's of this world will be able to meet the needs of the market in more cost effective vehicles, able to contain their costs and address the really important people, the customers.
Not once throughout the campaign have any of our detractors ever given any thought to the needs of the customers. Because, they don't really care about them. The trade believes that customers merely exist to give them their living; they exist to serve the trade. This is outrageous, the very reason why there's been a wholesale shift away from quantity to quality controls in the first place.
Delimitation works in London, and elsewhere. It's just happened in Aberdeen. It is going to happen everywhere in our nation. It is happening here, and it will work.
There may be some pain in the short term, this would have been reduced had the trade recognised the merits of the argument and taken the necessary steps to become involved. It hasn't, so more pain than necessary may be experienced. But, it will come good. Enthusiasm for the change will help. New thinking about meeting the needs of our market will reap rewards more quickly for those who seriously think about their business.
The losers should be Private Hire. More taxis will render their service less necessary. But, we should all be aware that they have grown from seagulling, green Sierras to a highly sophisticated fleet of comfortable people carriers. They've already demonstrated they can respond to market needs and meet those needs appropriately. They're experienced in free market thinking. They will not be competed against lightly, they will have every incentive to become even better.
The challenge is ours. We can remain a trade where any dissenting voice is censored, or be can be like Ali Turnbull, prepared to meet the challenge head on, and prosper.
Well done Ali. Your indomitable spirit through difficult, and expensive, times serves you credit. You took up the challenge and met it head on, in the face of widespread opposition. Well done Ali.
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