Greedy London cabbies at it again

The cabbies are revolting. They certainly are. Not content with being the most expensive cabs of any city in the world - and I've been to Tokyo and New York - our venal cabbies are demanding more and more even in the grip of a recession. We're all feeling the pinch but they make the most noise about their financial woes. Seems they might have to give up their golf club memberships so they've been demonstrating. About what? Well, guess... They want to get rid of rickshaws. They want to close down mini-cab offices and "the madness of clipboard operators" as it says here: http://ltcpr.blogspot.com/2009/01/london-taxi-cab-public-relations.html

What madness is that exactly? You come out of a club at 4am in south London and there isn't a black cab in sight. There never is. So, you go to the guy with the clipboard and ask for a mini cab. Well, our cabbies think that's a crime against nature.

They want "meaningful consultation" between themselves and Transport for London. But as anybody who has ever travelled in a cab will know, that really means accepting their point of view on all occasions. Their idea of us acting reasonably is when we agree to all their demands 24/7.

London's cabbies remind me of the Teamsters or the New dock workers in the 1950s. A cosy cartel that nobody dares disrupt. But I think most Londoners are fed up with being charged sky high fares. And many businesses are telling their employees to use the tube instead. Did you know, by the way, that some cabbies believe in charging PER PASSENGER!!! Because it's so unfair, they say, that we can club together and get a taxi and it costs less person than going by tube.

These guys are going to price themselves out of the market. We will see some attrition. Welcome to the real world oh cabbies of London town.

Ecstasy - downgrade the politicians

Tory MP Justine Greening and Government minister Liam Byrne competed to express their view that ecstasy should not be downgraded. The usual uninspired knee-jerk on drugs from know-nothing politicos who once again, just ignore their own scientific advisers. Having condemned coke and E, I look forward to seeing Justine scouring the dinner parties of her posh part of the capital, arresting all those Sloanes who powder their noses. She can get down down to a few Chelsea clubs and bars and round up the trustafarian pill poppers too. But of course she won't. Because in her and the political class' eyes - drug addicts only live in council estates.

On a completely unrelated point - if Diane Abbot didn't exist, would she need to be invented? I'm watching her now on the late night politics slot and living in hope that one day she'll say something worth listening to. It's a forlorn hope though.

Affordable homes - but not near my house

Boris Johnson has pledged to create 50,000 affordable homes by 2011 in London. Sounds great eh? Only he's ditched Ken's pledge to make half of new developments for lower income families. So now, gated communities can be created in rich boroughs without having to worry about the chavs moving in. Meanwhile, the working class can be stuffed in to ghettoes in inner city boroughs. All hopes of improving the capital's social mix is heading out the window. Marvellous.

London clubs seem to be disappearing

Goodbye the Astoria. No more GAY. I wouldn't be so bothered if we hadn't also seen several other clubs of my youth being smashed to bits by the demolition gangs. Turnmills was recently closed down to be replaced by an office block. God knows we need more office blocks in this recession!

What do the Astoria and Turnmills have in common? Politicians in London said through crocodile tears that the closure of these much loved venues should not be a source of sadness. No my friends. New venues will replace them. And so we wait for these new clubbing venues....and wait....and wait.

There seems to be a growing view among tiny minded London councillors that London should just be for residential housing and office blocks. Overpowerful residents associations demand the closure of clubs, late night bars and any other sources of fun.

Seems in London you can have your bread - but not your circuses.

Snow in London - who to blame?

I keep reading the usual rubbish about "anger" and "fury" at the collapse of public transport in London yesterday when a bit of snow fell.  But come on people, we all loved that walk in.  Most of us relished being deliberately late as we knew we'd get away with it.  

The clock watching boss who lives in the Home Counties wasn't going to beat you anyway.  

I live in Camberwell so it was a joyous stroll up to the Oval, over Waterloo bridge and in to work.  A beautiful fresh day.   To those sad people standing outside Oval tube waiting to be let in I can only say - liberate yourself from the tyranny of the tube.  You know they were going to make a drama out of a crisis.  And as you only work three stops along at the Embankment or Charing Cross, was it really impossible to walk? 

On the way back home - being allowed to leave early - I read over the top headlines about snow being a "disaster".  Please.  The explosion of the Hindenburg or the sinking of the Titanic was a disaster.  This was more of a mild nuisance. 

I suppose with Metro and thelondonpaper plus the Standard snapping at each other's heels for readers - every incident in London has to result in "fury" and "anger".  But I didn't see any yesterday. I saw Londoners using the excuse of the snow to be quite humane.  Swear I even saw some commuters smiling.  There's a turn for the better.