Wheelchair cabs continued…
I should not have bothered with this comment if it were not for Michael Beevor’s (N76) letter (March Call Sign), but I too went into this problem when the whole business started. I could see a whole host of problems that could arise including those mentioned. I am 63 and have had back problems in the past and know of no Doctor or Physio who would recommend that I should reach into the boot to retrieve the ramps from my Fairway.
   Prior to Dial-a Cab’s decision to do away with the ‘W’ attribute, I used to cover up to 50 Westminster TaxiCard trips a week, but now if I do cover one it is because I have hit the wrong button. I can only recommend that Mr Beevor is careful…
Glen Roberton (E54) 
   My sympathies Glen, I know all about back probs! However, I don’t think DaC could reintroduce the ‘W’ attribute because the Disability Discrimination Act would prevent it. Amongst other things (ie guide dogs), the act prohibits discrimination against wheelchair users, and having an extra charge as DaC had for picking up wheelchair users or differentiating by including a ‘W’ in the attribute list, would probably count as discrimination in the terms of the Act. A bad back is a legitimate excuse for not picking up wheelchairs as a street hail, but you would need to send a medical certificate to the PCO to claim exemption. See my Editorial on page 3 for the insurance side …Ed

Michael Beevor’s follow-up…
Thanks for putting my wheelchair letter in Call Sign, but I did end by asking for DaC’s policy on my questions. Whilst I very much appreciate that Allan Evans will be contacting the PCO, I believe this to be the fundamental problem here. No one is willing to stick their neck out with firm guidelines. I fully understand that DaC policy can’t really be different than PCO law, but as a Society, correctly advising our members is a must.Alan, am I making a mountain out of a molehill? I don't think so. My aunt is a home helper and the vast amount of training she goes through just for pushing and helping wheelchair users is unbelievable. She can't believe that we as cab drivers have no training. As for their transportation, transport ambulances would never carry an unstrapped chair according to my aunt, it’s a disciplinary offence to do so.
   I know for the number of chairs we carry in any one year, it seems like a bit of a rant to go on like this, but in the event of an accident who covers me? My insurance said they won't. Who pays my bills should I be injured pushing a chair? The passenger won’t. You may have heard of a driver (now on DaC) who recently received a solicitor’s letter about a claim against him for injury to a passenger when the wheelchair crushed their foot after being incorrectly fitted in the back of his cab. He was not on DaC at the time of the incident. Did you know that a passenger has up to 3 years to make a claim for injury after the event, so this driver may not even have remembered the fare?
   Should I be ashamed that as a result of this I now think twice when offered a ride with the attribute ‘A’ and as for kerbside wheelchairs, if it looks too big I consider driving on. Let’s hope Allan Evans can get a definitive answerer from the PCO and we can finally put this to bed. Somehow I don't think he will as I believe its such a complex issue that it really needs starting afresh.
Michael Beevor (N76)
   Keith Cain replies: There is no set policy at the moment, but that could change after the next Board Meeting. My opinion is this; no driver will be expected to take a wheelchair passenger if their chair cannot be fixed correctly into the cab. I believe it’s that simple. We cannot expect any driver to put themselves in a position whereby forcing them to take such a trip would make their insurance invalid. I believe that all new taxi drivers have to be tested on securing a wheelchair correctly as part of the driving test. The other situation is a driver not being able to help the wheelchair user into the vehicle on medical grounds. The PCO is very clear on this and you are correct when you say the driver must obtain an exemption form from them. If a driver does not have the form, then they leave themselves open to being accused of discrimination under the DDA. These situations can really get messy and the worst case could see the driver losing his licence.

A letter from Moscow…
Dear Brian
First of all I would like to say that I am sorry for my silence but thank you very much for helping me when I was at Dial-a-Cab. I was very glad to be ten weeks at your friendly company and spend my time with the HR and IT departments. I remember all the days of my long holidays in London. Now I am trying to use my knowledge about the best taxi company and taxi business that you have given me.
I hope my experience helps me and my company to make good business. Maybe one day I will give you something helpful for your company.
Sergey Pietnev
   City Taxi, Moscow
Brian Rice replies: Hi Sergey, nice to hear from you and I’m glad that you learned something from Dial-a-Cab in London. It was a pleasure having you here and I know you were very popular with our staff. It was unfortunate that I could not spend more time with you than I did, but as you know they keep me exceptionally busy here! Please continue to keep in touch with us; we will be interested in your progress.
   Editor’s Note: Sergey came to DaC for 10 weeks via the EU funded Manager’s Training Program organised by Technical Assistance for the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS). That organisation is responsible for policies involving the former Soviet states of Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The Manager’s Training Program has been running successfully since early 2000 with almost 3,000 candidates across Europe, over 500 of whom have trained in the UK.

Terry’s in Crete…
Many thanks for the kind words in Brian Rice’s personal letter to me as well as for the flowers - which at least mean that my sons have now got a vase! They were much appreciated and a very thoughtful gesture.
   My 30-odd years at Dial-a-Cab were, on the whole, an enjoyable part of life and I made some good friends along the way. However, I readily admit that semi-retirement is preferable and I look forward to the time when I can enjoy the Cretan way of life to the full. The only traffic hold-ups we encounter out here are usually caused by a flock of sheep making their way along the road to the next olive grove. I somehow don't think the Clamp Club would do much business either, while the nearest set of traffic lights is six miles away!
   I will be returning to the UK for a fortnight every six weeks or so and no doubt, without the back-up of the Dial-a-Cab system at my elbow, things will certainly be a lot more difficult in the future. Still, you can't have your cake and eat it as they say and I will look back on my working life with a sense of pride to have been involved with such a prestigious outfit. Keep up the good work and please pass on my thanks to the Board and staff for their help over the years. I might even pop in with a jar of olives from our garden if we get a good crop this year!
   All the best – and be lucky!
Terry Lynn (Ex-E44)
Crete
   Some decent Feta cheese would also be nice! Good luck to you and Tessa for a long and happy retirement in the Cretan sunshine …Ed

From Crete to Queensway…
Here is another story for your PCN case file. On the evening of Sunday 11th November last year I dropped off a passenger outside Threshers in Queensway. The passenger paid and left the cab. I was sorting out my change and checking the terminal for messages when a car pulled up alongside me and the driver said that I was being caught on camera by a Smart Car.
   It was just over a week later that I received a PCN stating that I was parked in a restricted street during prescribed hours and that the penalty was £120 reduced to £60 if I paid within 14 days. I checked the video on the Westminster website and they had caught me on film waiting for 2 minutes. It seemed that they had a watertight case against me. However, I decided to appeal on the grounds that I was not parked and that I was setting down a fare.
   I received a reply from Westminster stating that my appeal had been refused and that the £120 fine was to be paid. I wrote back to them to say that I did not agree with their findings and reiterated the fact that I was setting down a fare and that if I had left my cab and gone off for 5 minutes then I would have accepted the charge. I then expected my appeal to go to the independent arbitrator, however to my surprise I received a rather patronising letter stating that due to a procedural error, they had decided to take no further action and that the PCN has been cancelled. As to what procedural error occurred I have no idea, I only wish to add that if we appeal against all these PCNs as Martin Hizer has suggested in several Call Signs then at the very least it must slow their system down and who knows - we might win a few.
   Meanwhile it’s: Cab Driver 1 City of Westminster 0…
Paul Arrowsmith (T83)

And speaking of the Hizer report…
Greetings all you PCN warriors. I'm pleased to announce another victory over the enemy at Westminster council! Bosh! Westminster have backed down on a PCN issued to me whilst on an account trip in Dean Street. The hostile spy machine took the photo with me parked in Old Compton Street due to Dean Street being closed because of the overhaul to London's water pipes. Relentless pressure again from my side was a telling factor and this time they became aware of a ‘procedural error’ that had occurred at an earlier stage - maybe I was unknowingly waiting for the CCTV operator’s mother! The likelihood is, as I keep telling Call Sign readers, that they knew that I would be more aggravation than they like to deal with, so therefore they accepted my representation and cancelled the PCN.
   My hearty congratulations also go to Tony Bradshaw (K48) for going from being just another benefactor of the Evil Council to a full-on PCN warrior. Kapow! Tony stood up to the bullies and overturned a non-DaC ticket in Westbourne Grove, employing his courage and a little imagination (I told you, all is fair in war) and is currently taking them on again. Go get em’…
   Be Lucky, Be Strong!
Martin Hizer (M47)
Keep going Martin and everyone else who has decided that enough is enough …Ed 

A wee matter
Dear Alan
   I was very interested in your comments in the March Mailshot regarding you being able to get a PCN cancelled on appeal for a ticket issued when you stopped to use the Queensway toilets. Can you please advise me on the grounds you managed to get this cancelled as I have had my appeal turned down for having to use this facility at 10.15 p.m. for just a few minutes to answer the call of nature. I am so incensed at this action by those money-grabbing tykes at Westminster that I am taking the matter to the Arbitrator quoting the Human Rights Act if necessary! It appears that there are many of us that have fallen foul of this trap and something must be done if they don't want us all peeing in the streets.
   Look forward to your help…
Chris Caselton (O24)
   I wish you luck Chris, but

Cash machine petition
More and more cab drivers are getting issued with parking tickets via CCTV from London councils for stopping at cash machines so passengers can pay their bill. We are petitioning the government to stop this practice, as it surely is another way of councils making more money from drivers just trying to do their job! 
Please sign the Number 10 petition and pass it on…
Peter Hallett (S01)

Number 10 petition
I have today signed the online petition to stop PCNs being issued by cctv cameras whilst going about our lawful business. I was surprised to see that only 252 people had signed it. As DaC has 2200 drivers and Call Sign publicised it, I would have expected more. This is an important issue that impacts on or daily lives so I would like to ask all drivers to sign the petition and for them to encourage their friends and families to do the same.
Alf Cook (A62)
   The petition was started by Craig Barker (O96) and publicised in the last issue of Call Sign (page 5). I also wrote and sent out a press release to all the trade papers, most of whom have published it. The address to go to is HERE and the closing date is April 28 …Ed

Earthquake!
The recent earthquake that we had in the UK went unnoticed by me. Some people slept through it, others just rolled over and went back to sleep. I never felt it because at the time I was driving my cab and negotiating a few speed humps. Disappointed that I never experienced this event that I am informed comes around about every 25 years, I took myself off to sunny Spain to relax.
   Two days later after a hectic day of drinking wine and sunbathing, I went to bed and slipped into a deep sleep only to be woken 4 hours later by a very large rumble and shaking (3.3 on the Richter scale). I must admit that despite being frightened, I was also to a certain degree amused. Quite ironic that I missed the quake in the UK and several days later experienced it elsewhere. Thirty minutes later another very slight shake, followed by what I thought was another quake but which turned out to be the wife snoring. Dogs were barking in the street but our dog (Molly) slept through it.
It's the first time the wife has asked me: " Did the earth move for you."
By the way, I would highly recommend Vanish detergent for bed sheets…
Steve Shaller (R75)
   See this issue on how the staff at DaC House felt their desks move! …Ed

Call Sign trip to LTI
I just want to say a big thank you to Alan Fisher and Call Sign for arranging our trip to LTI Vehicles in Coventry and also to Virgin Trains for sponsoring our brilliant first class return journey. The day was very informative with lots of discussion on possible changes to cabs and to their credit, there was no brushing of complaints under the carpet by LTI. Every question received an honest answer. In fact LTI, via their Customer and Technical Support Manager Trevor Hattersley, seemed very interested in our opinions and notes were taken on suggestions put forward by the DaC drivers. That was followed by an excellent tour of the factory to watch how taxis are built.
   I’d also like to thank LTI for their tremendous hospitality in tea breaks and lunch. A very worthwhile day and a must for anyone who takes an interest in our trade…
Mark Tiller (K90)
Dear Alan,
   I am writing to express my thanks for the opportunity to visit the LTI factory in Coventry. I certainly had a great day, as I am sure the other cab drivers did. The start of the day was great with first class travel on Virgin Trains to Coventry! Well done and thank you to the train company and their staff.
   We were met by Richard Daniels at the station and taken by cab to the factory where we were offered coffee on arrival and met Matthew Cheyne and Trevor Hattersley. We settled quickly into a full open, frank and honest debate about all aspects of LTI cabs, TX2 and TX4, this took up a lot of time. Trevor Hattersley really impressed me with his knowledge of the cab and was very honest about any problems with the vehicle, but there were plans in hand to correct them. He also praised the cab as well and seemed pleased with their relationship with VM. He said they would be keeping the engine until at least 2012 with no plans for an immediate hybrid engine. I did not always agree with him, but his passion and commitment to get things right shone through - you can't help but like the man!
   A quick pause for an LTI lunch was followed by a tour of the factory. It soon became clear how labour intensive building a cab is, this certainly went some way in helping me understand the cost of the end product, could still be cheaper though! I was surprised at the amount of quality control throughout. The cab’s history is documented from start to finish of production. It left me bemused at why my cab had so much wrong with it, but then some cabs never have a problem. Sixty cabs a week are built of which two are picked out and gone over with a fine toothcomb. Ten faults on average are found compared with BMW, who find 8. I was pleased with this and personally surprised they even did this quality check. Well done.
   Lots of issues were raised about the cabs and also the level of customer service we receive as cab drivers from the dealerships. All points raised by the DaC cab drivers on the day were listened to and notes were made by LTI, even on trivial matters. LTI really did seem genuinely interested in what we had to say about their product. We can only hope that they are as genuine when it comes to improving our cab.
   My sincere thanks for a great day to all involved.
Trevor Denton (Y18)
Dear Alan
   Many thanks for the trip to LTI to see the latest TX4 in production. I was impressed with the dedication of the management in trying to produce a vehicle that would satisfy all London’s Taxi drivers. It would seem to me that the major complaint from the DaC drivers who were there with Call Sign was not about the body of the vehicle, but about the components that are bought in. As you know I change my cab regularly - about every eighteen years or so whether I need to or not - so perhaps I am not one of LTI’s best customers! But if I were just starting out in this job, I would certainly buy one. I remember when I bought my first new one in 1966 for the princely sum of around £1100, I was told by an old-timer driving a FX3 with three doors that I was mad to spend all that money as, in those immortal words, "The game’s dead!" Now after 42 years on "the game" I am still only on my fourth cab, but with care and much love, I hope to keep my new "N reg" cab for many more years yet.
Gerry Dunn MBE (S84)
Dear Alan
   Thank you for an enjoyable day out to LTI Vehicles in Coventry. It was very interesting and so nice to get the chance to speak to those people that work there and to give them our views. The day included an amazingly comfortable return journey with Virgin Trains and I still can’t believe that the whole day cost me nothing! Thank you once again.
Brian Fox (G35)
Dear Alan
   Thanks for arranging the recent visit to LTI. I thought it went well and found it very interesting. Meeting the LTI representatives was positive and although they cannot tell you everything, their general attitude seemed open and helpful. Personally, it enabled me to get stuff off my chest that had sat for too long. As the main agent I deal with has been unable or unwilling to talk about, let alone solve the problems I have experienced, at least I now feel as though someone has listened, is aware of the problem of excessive heat entering the driver’s compartment, that it is under investigation and a solution may not be far off. We'll see! It was also interesting to see the TX4 under construction during various stages of production in what seemed to be an efficient and industrious, if relatively small scale environment. What happens in the future as a result of LTI's Chinese partnership can only be speculation, but it would seem to me the future of production of the traditional style London cab has been strengthened, quite possibly big time.
Thanks once again…
Paul Willett (V12)
   This was Call Sign’s fifth trip to LTI and another one will take place towards the end of summer. Over the years, several DaC drivers’ suggestions have been incorporated into the next generation of taxi, so it is quite feasible that Paul’s and other suggestions will be taken on board …Ed

Lost property?
Dear Alan
   I have now safely received back my briefcase of papers inadvertently left in your taxi last Friday night. May I again express my gratitude and thanks for your prompt and efficient service in being able to return the case to me. As you realised, this contained papers which are highly important to my work and their safe and prompt return is greatly appreciated.
   Having been delighted with your professional approach to the recovery of my briefcase and whilst we have always been pleased with the Dial-a-Cab service in the past, this now gives my firm of lawyers even more reason to continue using the prompt Dial-a-Cab service.
   The level of accountability for Dial-a-Cab cannot be matched on this occasion by any other service. I am truly grateful, both on a personal basis and on behalf of my firm.
London EC4
   I don’t normally publish letters with no name, but have made an exception because the person concerned could lose business if it became common knowledge that they had left very important papers in the back of my cab. I’ve also published it for another reason. When I discovered the briefcase (tucked into one of the pull-down seats which is why I never noticed it when the lawyer left my cab), I hadn’t a clue who had left it but soon realised that the papers were extremely important and were needed for a case at the High Court in the Strand. The question was: Should I hand them in to Lost property or make an attempt to return them, but in the process probably break an important rule about anything found in the back of the cab? I looked at the papers and found an email address running through them, that of a partner in the firm and sent an email late on that Friday evening informing them that I had the case, but that if I hadn’t heard by Monday morning I would have to hand it in. I received a reply early Saturday from the partner of the firm who had been very concerned about the serious loss. They gave me the address in EC4 to take it to and the firm’s account number with DaC. I just returned it the next day with no charge. Had I handed it into the police or to Baker Street, the court case would have been put in jeopardy. My question is whether I should have obeyed the rules and handed it in or do what I did? Is there such a thing as an exceptional situation to the PCO or is it a case of the rules must be followed regardless? I asked them, for future reference, and the following was the reply I got from Simon Buggey, Senior Driver and Operator Policy Manager at the PCO. My thanks go to him

Extra income?
As most drivers realise, there is now much less work on the streets than before Christmas and some of your older readers may be interested in an extra source of income I have found to supplement my taxi takings. Plenty of reports over the last three years have highlighted climate change and CO2 emissions, and there is now a scheme that can enable London taxi drivers to benefit financially from the global warming issue. Responding to scientific evidence and various pressure groups, the government is trying to get us all to use energy more efficiently, recycle where possible, cycle rather than drive and switch to low energy light bulbs; and there is also a policy known as Carbon Offsetting. If someone engages in an activity that produces a chunk of nasty carbon output such as flying, then to make amends they can find out the cost of the damage caused and make a payment to one of several Carbon Offset Trading schemes that have been set up. Loosely speaking, this enterprise then sponsors another organisation not to carry out a polluting activity that it would otherwise have engaged in.
   Finally, this is where I enter the system. Obligingly, instead of going out to work and adding to global warming by driving round the streets of London, I now stay at home and get paid for each mile that I do NOT work. Or to put it another way, it is similar to the system of funding to farmers known as "set aside" whereby they get payments from the European Union for not
growing crops on certain fields. Luck no longer plays a part in my daily trawl round the streets; whatever the weather, traffic or number of people looking for cabs, I can now get a guaranteed income whilst I stay at home playing tennis or chess!
My accountant has been in touch with The Carbon Trading company and based on my average mileage over the last 5 years [Personal Base Coverage or PBC], a formula has been applied to determine how much I receive providing I do not exceed 75% of my PBC. I started by suggesting that this is of more interest to older drivers, because although the payments to stay at home are very generous, they are about 15% less than I may expect to earn off the street and 20% less than radio work. These payments are treated as earned income for tax purposes. For a driver with a mortgage, children and ex-wives to support, this may not sound like a good deal, but when you get to my age with waning inclination to put in the long hours, then it is very attractive. Of course I make sure that I still complete the minimum of 40 credit jobs each month.
Laurence Kelvin (W88)
   Thank you Laurence, my only problem with your suggestion is what happens to those drivers who do not read it on 1 April before midday! …Ed

Hats what I want!
During a long February evening, my mind started to wander to this years DaC Christmas prezzie! Would the Board consider a good quality baseball cap - with logo of course! I love wearing my DaC polo shirt (even though it is starting to fade) and my fleece as well, but when they are in the wash I'm at a loss. Every driver could keep his / her cap in the cab and just slip it on when entering an account office as ID.
Or another option may be a metal badge that could be pinned to a shirt or jacket, as I know some drivers still prefer to wear their own personal (dare I say designer) attire! And neither item requires to be ordered in an array of different sizes!
Hope this doesn't come across as being too forward but I just like something to look forward to! I know, I lead a sad life…!
On a completely different subject, the other night I was offered a job to Frenches Rd RH1 S99. Didn't have clue where RH1 was! Mr Nash please!
Tony Doltis (R38)
   The January issue of Nash’s Numbers didn’t cover RH1 (Redhill) but Alan did say it would be available on his website. He composed the list but didn't provide a link. It is now done and if you now visit HERE you can indeed get a much bigger listing …Ed
   Brian Rice replies: Thanks for the tip Tony, I don't see any reason why we can't consider it at Christmas - assuming we can afford it! However, as you no doubt realise when you are dealing with as many members as we are, you can't please all of the people all of the time!

TX4 paint job…
As regular readers of Call Sign will know, I have had some paint and finish problems with my new TX4. Well, I'm pleased to say, it’s now all sorted. Repainted inside and out! It looks great with a really deep black shine. So can I say a big thank you to our Editor Alan for fetching it to the attention of Andrew Overton, to LTI for the repaint and for doing the minor warranty jobs, they even replaced the light bulb in the time clock (these have been out of stock for months). Also a huge thank you to KPM - especially Chris - for putting up with my nagging and arranging the DaC loan cab and for keeping me updated during the 3 weeks my taxi was away, something M&O were unable or didn't want to arrange. KPM and I were both surprised how clean the cab was returned. Perhaps things are changing with LTI.
   On another note, it appears that our forthcoming fare increase is not an increase at all if you have a fare of less than £4, which if you work days is not unusual. How long can we drivers sustain a flag fall of £2.20p? Perhaps that's why the average age of taxi drivers is going up. Not much of an incentive for a young guy to enter our trade, 3 + years doing the Knowledge and a taxi costing 30+ thousand. That's a lot of £2.20 's…
   And another! The Blackwall Tunnel northbound! Why haven't our trade associations got us access to the Bus Gate at Blackwall Lane? This is needed more than ever with the tidal flow removed (what an edge over the private hire trade this would give for morning drivers and fares) and the O2 Arena being so busy at nighttime.
   Yours, almost a happy taxi driver… 
Jon Robinson (E88) 
   Pleased I could be of help …Ed

AGM
I feel obliged to write this letter after witnessing the most poorly attended AGM in DaC’s history. One new member in attendance who was previously on ComCab said that DaC was a unique radio circuit implying that it was run in a warm and friendly way and that it had a character all of its own; he was glad to be part of it.
   This ‘uniqueness’ that he implied has been borne out of the fact that (a) we are an owner-driver radio circuit and (b) for many years we had to attend the AGM. These two things together were omnipotent, so much so that after several years of postal voting there is still some of that unique feeling that DaC is different from other radio circuits remaining, but for those of us who have been with DaC for many years, we are noticing changes taking place, mainly in attitudes.
   One young man told me that he wasn’t attending the AGM because it was full of old blokes ranting and raving and that it was just a waste of time. He had never attended an AGM, he had been told this, probably by someone else who also had never attended an AGM. The AGM is not a waste of time; it forms an essential part of DaC’s backbone. The introduction of the Postal Vote is probably the single most damaging thing that has ever happened to DaC.
   The Chairman tells us that it is not democratic to force people to attend the AGM, yet he seems to think that it is democratic to force members to complete 40 trips each month or be expelled. The fact of the matter is that in a democracy, it is quite alright to force people to do things, especially if they are for the good and usually in a democracy, they are. One of the things that are missing in today’s society is discipline, without it the democracy in which we live is fast becoming anarchy; everything that has ever been achieved throughout the world has needed a disciplined environment in which to achieve it.
   The Chairman seems to be in tandem with Ken Livingstone; an advocate of democracy, but only when it suits.
   The way Concierge was incorporated into our Society was against our rules, of this there is absolutely no doubt. It contravenes Rule 31 of our old rulebook, which is Rule 32 in the new one. The Chairman in his defence has twisted the meaning and intention of Rule 1 (f) and decreed that this rule allows Concierge to be incorporated into our Society. Rule 1 (f) simply means that if a customer wishes to open a credit account with us rather than pay cash for the service we provide, then we will operate and manage that account for them. It was never intended to mean anything other than that. Please look at your rulebook and make your own conclusions. As I said at this year’s AGM, Concierge is here to stay; what worries me is the stealthily way in which it was introduced; if a person or a group of people get away with flagrantly ignoring and breaking the rules on one occasion, it could surely encourage them to do it again.
   I am sure that the Chairman, if he responds to this letter, will deny breaking any rules but I
assure you he has.
Paul Tully (Y40)
   Brian Rice replies: What an amazing letter, Paul, simply because it is full of contradictions - read your letter again! The new member that stated we were a unique radio circuit and run in a warm and friendly way was spot on! However, you must remember that he was a new member and does not know any different to the warm and friendly way we are run. He wouldn’t have known how bad things were in the past - what is wrong with that? However, the bit that really made me smile was your quote from a new member who stated he did not attend because "…it was full of old blokes ranting and raving." Did you not realise that he was talking about you Paul? Your recent lecture at the AGM and subsequent letter this year could also have applied to several years past because you always say the same thing - that is why members become bored and do not wish to attend AGMs.
   Rules regarding members attending or voting by post at an AGM and the 40-trip rule are identical in the sense that members voted them into the rulebook because that’s what they want. It is called democracy - not the Tully version of democracy where it is apparently "ok to force people to do things" - but the member’s version. 
   Regarding me breaking rules, that is totally untrue and absurd. Some of your colleagues reported me to the FSA because they obviously had been listening to you! The FSA did not agree with them and concluded that I was acting in the best interests of the members by introducing Concierge and an increase in sales of 34% in the last two years has borne out that fact and proven that I was totally correct in my actions. Finally, you conclude your letter by stating that you assure members that I have broken the rules of the Society – absolute nonsense! If I had broken rules four years ago, then I would not be Chairman today, the only people that believe I have broken rules are "…old blokes that wish to rant and rave!"

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