Bloggs in the Wilderness
Page 54
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HAVING lost one business to the Road Haulage Executive and subsequently bought another, Bloggs, who is an opening-time friend of Maggie's brother, Cromwell, may be described as an experienced, if not a typical, haulier. Some time ago he joined the Labour Party as a protest against the Government's White Paper on transport, and I was interested to know whether the new version of the Transport Bill was any more to his liking.
"Funny you should ask me about Bloggs," said Cromwell. "We were having a quick one together only yesterday."
"I hope you were able to console him for the failure of his Party to hold up the Transport Bill?"
"Not his Party any longer," said Cromwell. "Bloggs resigned after the second reading. He says the Socialists can't be trusted to keep their promises."
"it is not easy to understand Bloggs's point of view. It was because of their promises that I was surprised he
joined the Party in the first place." .
"One thing you must understand about Bloggs is that he is not a cynic. He has fallen out with the Socialists, he says,. because they are making it more and more difficult for him to buy his old business back."
" But three months ago," I protested, " you.told me he did not want it back."
"That was what Bloggs declared at the time," said Cromwell. "Don't forget that he was a Socialist then, and, as he says now, you cannot trust a Socialist."
" More and more confusing. Do you mean that he has left the Labour Party because he cannot trust himself not to buy his old business back? "
"Now you are being cynical again. This is how Bloggs weighs up the position. When the Government first produced its plan, some of the Socialists affirmed that they would renationalize without compensation as soon as they had the chance. Bloggs was all in favour of the Socialists saying that. It looked as if he would be able to buy his old business for a song. He would at least have had a few years' run for his money."
Pay for the Assets 'Did Bloggs not notice that, almost immediately after this talk of confiscation, Herbert Morrison said that the Socialists would at least pay for the assets they took back, even if not for goodwill?"
"Bloggs noticed it all right, and it was something of a disappointment to him. But he cheered up a bit when the Socialists pushed Erb Morrison off the platform, or whatever it was, at Morecambe. It looked as if the Party was putting him in his place. Then a chap by the name of Callaghan got up in Parliament and not ' only continued from where Morrison left off, but said-of all things—that the Socialists might in some cases not take businesses back, but allow the licences to run out without renewing them."
"That would certainly appear to be a somewhat bizarre interference with the working of the licensing. system, and it has puzzled me to know what sort of legislation would be required to put. Callaghan's promise, into effect. But why should this particular point upset Bloggs more than anything else?"
a20 "For the very reason you have given: To Bloggs the licensing system is sacred, and he cannot approve any suggestion that involves tampering with it."
"Has Bloggs come full circle, then, and decided to give his vote to the Conservatives after all?" "Not likely. Bloggs is in the wilderness.. He thinks the new Bill is even worse than the one that went before."
"At least he must admit that the licensing provisions are no worse. To some extent I can sympathize with Bloggs' desire not to have his right of objection diminished."
Misplaced Sympathy "Your sympathy is misplaced. Bloggs is not the sort of man to push his own rights without regard to
other peopte. He has never lodged an objection in his
life. His philosophy is live-and-let-live, and he is even prepared to extend it to the railways. Everything has its uses; in fact, he has nothing but praise for both the railways and the R.H.E. That is why he is so much against the licensing provisions. The way of the objector will be hard once the Bill is passed. He will have the onus—which Bloggs says the dictionary defines as a heavy burden '—of proving that his service is efficient, reliable and adequate."
"Does Blom think the railways and the R.H.E. do nothave a service of that calibre?"
"Undoubtedly, Bloggs is satisfied. He thinks their service is wonderfully efficient, reliable and adequate for keeping his would-be competitors out of the industry. But will he be able to get the Licensing Authority to see it that way?"
"I understand his difficulty. When the Licensing
Authority is considering the interests of the public in future, if the Bill is passed, he must have regard first of all for the customer, and only secondarily for the provider of transport."
"That is a serious flaw in the Bill, according to Bloggs. Live-and-let-live, he says. Give the railways a chance."
"Surely he has not forgotten that the railways are to be given a chance in another direction. They are to be allowed much greater freedom in regard to rates and allied matters."
Bloggs shakes his head over that point. Far better, he says, to have kept the levy as it was. He is not the one to begrudge a few pounds for a deserving cause, such as he believes the railways to be."
"Don't tell me there is nothing in the Bill that pleases Bloggs. At the very worst, he has a definite date, December 31, 1954, for the abolition of the 25-mile limit."
"1 was a little surprised myself that Bloggs did not take the same view. When you go into it, though, it appears that, apart from what he carries under C-hiring margin, Bloggs finds that all the traffic he is offered outside the 25-mile circle falls within the scope of his permits. When the limit is raised, all sorts of other operators will start elbowing in and his. permit will be valueless. Bloggs says it is bad enough to put up with these competitors inside the 25-mile radius, let atone 'goods anywhere Great Britain.'"