Posted: 21st June 2010 | 5 Comments »
Sometimes it’s great to be proved wrong. I have learned this more during the evolution of the NTBPT campaign than ever before. Like a number of people in the UK motorcycling world I have seen more than my fair share of hopes for progress, within the worlds of riders’ rights groups and related policy shapers, cut back or dashed. And, like some of my seasoned colleagues who have done all sorts over the years to improve government responses to rider’s issues, I have had moments of grave doubt about the advisability or even possibility of plans for action made by the NTBPT – under the passionate leadership of it’s chairman Warren Djanogly and his extraordinarily dedicated and multi-talented supporters.
And one of those moments was when I first heard about the idea of a mass demo ride all the way round the M25. I can’t remember exactly what I said to Warren and his committee but I think it went along lines like these: “You must be mad mate, that is one helluva an undertaking for an experienced rider’s rights organisation – let alone a new single issue campaign group.” And, like others, I added a few words of caution on the basis that the whole thing could go horribly wrong and do far more damage to the image of riders than good for our cause – and especially those with the courage or temerity to stand up and be counted in opposing a new and potentially nationwide tax on using scooters and motorbikes in the UK.
But the fact is that there was a spectacular demonstration of rider power to object in a legal and peaceful protest on Saturday – and it did not go wrong as various films show – with more to follow. In fact it all went right, it went right out of London and right round by The 120 mile Long Way Round, and right into the centre of the capital where the regressive and unjustifiable bike parking tax is currently in place. I can also report as an eye witness that it was given the thumbs-up by the police at every stage of the whole epic journey.
It is of course impossible to say what impact that particular demo will have on those who are still trying to find reasons to persist with a new tax on scooter and motorbike use. But one thing is sure for me. Every one of the thousands of riders who took part in this latest demo, on every type of scooter or motorbike imaginable, will have a stunningly clear picture of what is possible. And, the boundaries of what riders can know is possible have just been extended by miles.
Obviously, we will now have to wait and see what the three judges at the High Court make of the case against Westminster’s use of Traffic Orders to impose a new tax. But whatever the outcome from their first ruling after 2-3 days of deliberation, riders in Britain now know there is yet another way to make a legitimate and hugely impressive demonstration of their dissatisfaction with a step in the wrong direction, in this case by a few misguided souls who want to pioneer and spread a new ‘motorcycling policy measure’ under the cover of Traffic Management Act legislation, even though – as we all know – it is really just a TAX.
Posted: 6th April 2010 | 8 Comments »
Up until now, the MET police in London have been more accommodating towards riders protesting against Westminster’s regressive cash-cow bike parking tax, than any other single issue riders campaign I have ever seen. So I was a tad surprised last week to see a highly visible video cop adding a new and potentially intimidating element in their responses to protest rides organised by the NTPBT.
But my latest info from sources close to the MET and Westminster insiders suggests that there may have been some string pulling by the sharp trading leader of Westminster City council and his big business chum and deputy Mayor of London. And, if so, there may be a radically different explanation for what might really be going on…
Barrow + Cash Crop
Whatever the truth may be, one thing’s for sure as you can see from this latest film report. It looks like the MET decided to make a potentially imposing show of making a video record of protesters and police attempts to deal with them. But, as is often the way with this twisted saga, all is not what it may seem.
It turns out that the getting-richer-quick millionaire leader of Westminster Council, Colin Barrow, is a chum and business partner of Kit Malthouse, a premier league political bruiser, former WCC Cllr, and wannabe Tory Grandee. The barrow boy is top dog at Westminster City Hall and has several sources of income, although at least one biking blogger has questioned his accountability regarding some of them. Anyway, one wonger making option is wheeling and dealing as a Hedge Fund company Director – and the latest of these highly profitable ventures is Alpha Strategic where he is Executive Chairman & his big Mate Kit is Finance Director. But two other sources of cash for Barrow have taken months of diligent follow ups to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to reveal the truth.
Cop-watch Chum Malthouse
First, it was eventually revealed that in addition to his ‘Basic’ councillor allowance of £10,250, he got a handy £37,639.55 in 2009, for ‘special’ expenses making a total of around £48,000. And, equally handily, as the this FOI string finally confirmed in Feb 2010, (!) following a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office, his decision to liquidate one of his Hedge Fund companies called Eiger Capital, meant that he was no longer legally obliged to pay £19,186.71 in business rates owed to none other than Westminster Council. So, in round figures, Cllr Colin effectively trouserred a cool £68,000 of rate payers cash in 2009.
Meanwhile, his business associate Kit Malthouse is technically second in line to the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. But the scale of power Malthouse really has behind the scenes could be higher than a typical ‘number two’ for a few key reasons. Not least of these is that the Conservative party got rather fed up with seeing Boris, their Golden boy Mayor, rapidly establish a bad reputation for losing deputies for unseemly reasons. Losing one deputy mayor might be considered unfortunate, two careless – but three in a year is a bit too far beyond the pale. So Malthouse was brought in as a “Boris hit man” to very much stick around in City Hall and get the Mayor’s ship back on as straight and narrow a path as possible.
However, the most significant thing about Malthouse for riders opposing Westminster’s plan to tax us to park, may be that he recently acquired new and potentially all encompassing powers over the police. When London Mayor Boris Johnson got ‘too busy’ to Chair the MET police authority as he famously vowed he would, he ‘stepped down’ so Malthouse could be shoe horned into the job at the end of last year.
This move was however far from free of critical comment as Malthouse had “missed key police meetings” up until then. But almost as soon as the mayor’s new deputy dawg began his new cop-watch role he fuelled even more controversy over the extent of his powers to influence the direction of policing in London.
Understandably, many in the MET were not amused. Right from the start of Malthouse taking charge of overseeing the MET a great deal of concern grew among senior officers. Some were “aghast at politicians meddling in their business”. But the stuff really hit the fan when the Mayor’s hit-man Malthouse infamously declared that he and the Conservative party had now got their “hands on the tiller” of the MET police force in London. In fact this prompted a “warning” from the MET’s chief that the claim by Malthouse could pave the way for ‘lunatics or the BNP winning control of the police’.
Now I have seen no hard evidence to prove any truth in rumous that the MET police have been heavily lent on to change the way that protests against WCC’s bike parking tax are policed – or that such pressure was applied by somebody with big clout in Mayor Johnson’s City Hall. Nor have I seen any proof that the leader of the London council that is trying to pioneer a new parking tax for motorcycle and scooter riders has asked his mate and business partner – who had claimed to have his hands on the tiller of the MET, to either arrest the NTBPT protesters as a way of stopping them cause huge disruption to traffic on a weekly basis, or do something new to try and dissuade them from drawing attention to their beef with the rich burghers of Westminster. So, of course, I couldn’t possible suggest that such rumors are true. Nor would I even dream of doing so. Yet.
As ever I will leave it up to readers and riders to make what sense of this they can, and will welcome any further news or thoughts you may have…
And one of those moments was when I first heard about the idea of a mass demo ride all the way round the M25. I can’t remember exactly what I said to Warren and his committee but I think it went along lines like these: “You must be mad mate, that is one helluva an undertaking for an experienced rider’s rights organisation – let alone a new single issue campaign group.” And, like others, I added a few words of caution on the basis that the whole thing could go horribly wrong and do far more damage to the image of riders than good for our cause – and especially those with the courage or temerity to stand up and be counted in opposing a new and potentially nationwide tax on using scooters and motorbikes in the UK.
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