TAXI DRIVER OF THE YEAR SHOW
The August Call Sign contained a review of the 26th annual Taxi
Driver of the Year Show together with several full colour photos. Further pics are in this
issue. No other trade paper has given the event anywhere near as much coverage. However, I
deliberately made little personal comment in that issue as I wanted to dwell on my
thoughts for a while as my initial ones would not have been too praiseworthy.
Unfortunately, even with a month’s cooling off period, my view has not changed.
The TD of the Year committee work so hard at producing what should be the
highlight of the taxi year, so to realise that the event is obviously no longer working
makes me very sad. As the most famous taxi trade in the world, this event should be
something that we are not just proud of, but one that we look forward to going to together
with our friends and families. But we don’t. Why not?
What has gone wrong?
While at the show, I think I saw almost as many contributors and stall
holders as I saw guests coming in. Ten years ago, the event would have been packed out. So
what has happened between then and now to make the difference? Sadly, the answer is
nothing. The show is exactly the same as it was ten, twelve or fifteen years ago. It badly
needs updating.
But what can be done? I realise that it is so easy to criticise when sitting
at the WP with a coffee to my left and a stick of Kit Kat to my right, but I care about
the future of the Show and I would feel awful not saying in print what so many others are
saying to each other in private because someone HAS to say it.
I know several committee members and how much hard work they put into the
Show, so it is heartbreaking to see the total lack of trade interest. Something MUST be
done or else we let the Show die.
Where were the trade organisations with the notable exception of HALT? Where
were the radio circuits other than Dial-a-Cab? Insurance companies do well out of us, yet
I only saw one there. The answer is - however sad - that they feel the day to be a waste
of time. I suspect that even the cab manufacturers wouldn’t come if they had any sort
of choice.
Without doubt, the choice of venue was
disastrous. Barnes is so difficult to reach with Hammersmith Bridge closed. Even Battersea Park (which I believe was the original venue before the committee decided to change the date and Battersea became unavailable) is no good for a show that seems to only appeal to those involved within the trade. Families just don’t want to travel that far for a trade show.
Move it?
So would it not make sense to move it to the heart of a cab driving area?
How about Valentines Park, Gants Hill - the place they call ‘Green Badge Valley’
because so many cab drivers live there?
The answer apparently, is because Valentines Park has no concrete section to
carry out the dated driving competition where taxi drivers manoeuvre their cabs around
obstacles. Well, in my view, and judging by the numbers watching it and the even smaller
number of entries, no one wants that part any more. If we must have a Taxi Driver of the
Year - and personally I see no reason why we should - then let the competition take place
on another day and have a famous celebrity present the winner with their prize at the
Show. My view is that it should become a celebration of the cab trade and not a
competition.
Let’s have all the usual cab trade representatives but mixed with a
variety of outsiders. Let’s have more live entertainment and shows. Let’s have
more fun. Make kids literally drag their parents along because they heard the event
advertised on the local radio stations and it sounded like fun. I’m sure that the
cost for a trade charity radio ad wouldn’t be that prohibitive. The Redbridge Show
(at Valentines Park) pulls in thousands. I’m sure that we could do exactly the same.
As it stands now, the Show has become so predictable and boring that it is
now fighting for it’s existence. If action doesn’t come very soon,
then that fight will end in the death of OUR trade show….
THE BADGE
I see that The Badge has donated more space to yours truly and Call Sign!
Their August issue gave me and Call Sign yet another half page to add to the list of
anti-DAC propaganda coming out of their news sheet. The only difference on this occasion,
was that it actually had the name of the writer (Alan Fleming). Most of their articles
attacking us come with no writer’s name.
Mr Fleming claims that his organisation is not anti-DAC. Well, I have a mini
pile of old Badges containing articles about me, the mag or DAC itself and not one says
anything that could remotely be termed praiseworthy. Although, perhaps I am not being
completely truthful there: In their February 1998 issue, they had an almost full page
article headed; ‘LCDC Member David Clegg Retires As Governor of Special Needs
School’. This was a nice tribute to David and had the writer offered it to Call Sign
first, I would have printed it. However, to say that that type of article stuck out like a
sore thumb in a paper like The Badge would be a gross understatement. It seemed to say
that they were supporting David Clegg.
Now in the August issue, in answer to a question I posed about WHO it was
that did their biased court report in the June Badge, The Badge says:
"We are also aware that neither Brian Rice, the chairman of DAC, nor any
other person referred to in Call Sign was our court reporter. Could it be that our
‘legal eagle’ and our court reporter are one and the same?"
So now they are not just confirming their support of DC, but the term
‘our legal eagle’ seems to suggest that the LCDC have provided David Clegg with
a Barrister to represent him following his writs against the BoM and myself.
And, Mr Fleming, if you think you will upset me by referring to my
"..inexperience as an editor" then I’m sorry, but I agree with you!
However, if you are saying that my inexperience means that I don’t know what I’m
doing, then we may have to disagree…
