A Final Call To Arms : Surrounded…But We Have The Fire Power.

Never in our London Taxi Trade’s history, have we been under such threat and pressure. Never have we had so much competition to remain an iconic world respected trade. Never have we been up against such vigorous and persistent opposition. But worse of all, never in our tenure initially granted by The Protector Oliver Cromwell, have we been governed, controlled and managed, by such a biased, short sighted and duplicitous hierarchy as Transport For London.

They appeared to have bent over backwards, to enable our famous and proud service, to dissolve unchallenged without the slightest sign of empathy or loyalty to so many years of platinum standard service to London and it’s travelling public.

I saw this coming nine years ago, and have bored even myself, let alone my colleagues, and preached and whined on and on, that Men were coming to kill us. I didn’t trust the commissioners of Law, and neither should I have done.

That of course, is all in the past, I know. But surely, in the precarious and volatile thread that our future now dangles from, it is apparent that a hard and serious challenge is the only perceivable course of action for us ?

Surely it is blatantly obvious by now, that the negotiations, meetings, deals and blah, blah effing blah…….has won us nothing ?

Or is it me ?

Am I missing something here ?

You see, I have many, many fantastic friends and colleagues in or industry, and they belong to all different trade clubs, unions and organisations. Nothing wrong with that of course. I understand that. BUT…….only if when push come to very important shove……we all stick together .

When the UCG announced imminent trade action, I cheered and clapped in unity, happiness and hope. It is after all, our only hope. We are surrounded folks. The men are here ! They got in through an unlocked back door, they are positioned, tooled up to the teeth and ready to take us out the Taxi game.

So when our colleagues at the United Cabby’s Group, call for the back up battalion to give these shysters a fight, come down the ropes and blow the windows out, it is of absolutely no question about it, that anybody who drives a cab for a living, and wants to continue into the next decade, is certainly gonna be there, to answer our united trade call for assistance ?

Right ?

Don’t even ask such a stupid question !

Of course we will all be there!

I know some of us belong to other regiments for sure, but we all want to win the war, and as one, we are an army……….aren’t we ?

We all drive the same cabs, don’t we ?

All got the same meters, haven’t we?

All got a bill and a badge, haven’t we ?
Of course we have !

And we are all London Licensed Taxi Drivers. All trying to stay in a trade that we have worked so hard to belong to, for so long, under so much pressure from everywhere.

I know, that like me, we have all heard the old chestnuts about ” So and so is working his socks off behind the scenes ” or ” Just play it slowly, softly softly catchee monkey ” or ” So much is being done in the background ”

You can say that again ! So much IS being done in the background…………but it aint from us and if it is, its failed !

Unfortunately we’ve heard that the major trade organisation who claim to support the future of London Taxi drivers ARE NOT WILLING TO SUPPORT THE UCG’s CALL !

I am not a Diva, I am not anybody special and the trade will certainly run without me. I know that.

But when you think of the work that front line action teams like the UCG do to try to claw back a fight that we hold onto by a whisker, I find it an insult to their tenacity and spunk, to refuse a call for solidarity and help.

See you there in Whitehall folks.

This is surely our last chance to be counted.

And in the best and most sincere traditions of The Great London Cabby…………….Be Lucky.

8829 Semtex.