We've all seen and heard the plans, the Tory Group on the GLA have for the iconic London Taxi Trade and the historic Knowledge of London process. No need for me to reiterate.
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But what these people don't realise, the spirit that drove us on through the knowledge, is still there, burning inside.
And now the London Taxi Trade, the "best Taxi trade in the world", has had enough of the corrupt, politicians and public officials who bend over backwards to support what is basically;
• An illegal app!
• A company that rides roughshod over regulation, stating its easier to ask forgiveness than permission!
• A foreign owned, multi billion dollar company who allegedly go out of their way, to avoid paying full tax in the Uk!
• A company that employs dubious drivers, with incomplete record checks!
• A company that allows uninsured journeys, putting the public at risk!
How can public official and leading politicians support this company....could be the huge amounts of cash available for the purpose of lobbying?
Many commentators have told us " we're finished, washed up....it's all over bar the singing....the games dead".
Trouble is, I'm not ready to sling the towel in just yet.
The spirit that saw me complete one of the hardest exams in the world, is still burning away inside me.
But to go forward, we must first look to the past.
The Hit Squad:
We have to go back well over twenty years to see where the idea of an "overt hit" first emerged. Jim Wells chairman of the LCDC led nightly hits on the Sports bar, Hombres, Stringfellows, Hippodrome and Mr Ali's in Cranbourne street.
These well executed manoeuvres, gave work back to night drivers which was being stolen wholesale by then unlicensed touts.
A few years later, after persistent protest, we saw a rank appointed outside the Dover Street Wine bar. Although this developed into a rank not to be too proud of, with the recent closure of the bar the rank itself has become hugely popular with night revellers leaving the Arts club. This will be a substantial source of work soon when Novikov's new restaurant opens, which will also utilise the rank (mainly unused) in front of Mahiki as a feed.
The Forum Hit Squad (FHS), sprang up out of "the battle for Hanover square", which saw nightly protests at Jalouse. The concerted actions from likeminded drivers, produced a new rank right outside the bar's entrance, supported by a feeder rank forcibly taken back by evicting the touts who were illegally parking on the shelter rank.
Next target was Nobu where a young lady Cabby had been given grief by touts and door staff. After enlisting support massive support from all radio circuits, we got an extended rank outside Nobu.
The FHS was closely followed by;
The Twitter Action Group (TaG) Hit Squad, which used military style, planned manoeuvres.
The TaG hit squad was facilitated by its own Twitter account and it's success saw ranks appointed outside, Tiger Tiger, Abacus, CXR, Swallow and Heddon Street .
We did a bit of time outside these venues and on rare occasions there were minor altercations, but the look of defeat on the touts faces made it all worth while.
March this year, saw the formation of the Mayfair Mob which has seen even more results, with ranks appointed outside Hakkasan, Novikov's and an extension at the Forge, with more to come soon!
In January 2016, the UCG, will be meeting to discuss the reintroduction of regular direct action. This time it will be the fight of our lives, possibly our last hope.
If we fight, we may win, we don't fight, we will definitely die, it's that simple.
The GLA Tory group may have played their hand...But remember this!
The best-laid plains of mice and men, often go awry
#WeAintGoingNowhereBruv
