RHA RECRUITS
Page 40
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The Road Haulage Association has now appointed its new Director-General, and is distancing itself from an article in the Mail on Sunday about Steven Norris. In my opinion the RHA is wrong to do this. Why? Norris was elected to office to raise the profile of the RHA from its previously cosy, comfortable "Dean and Chapter-type existence to a smooth, sophisticated state-ofthe-art association with credibility. Steven Norris duly raised that profile.
How do I know? I watched it grow and prosper from the ranks of the conference delegates and the proposals and documents which then dropped through the post. The most significant of these was the essential user rebate.
What a stunner that is! Never mind the fluctuating OPEC price or the government's percentage take to boost the ever-increasing price of fuel.
So what of Steven Norris's performance? Competent? He certainly had all the certificates. Capable? He had the experience and ability. Effective? Norris was a very worthy adversary, acting on behalf of all road haulage matters. No wonder he is in the race for Lord Mayor or London.
In summary, Steven Norris got focused and went for his goal. He knew when and where it was and he knew his political opponent—the government.
We were so near to winning through on the essential user rebate. Steve had been a member of the Cabinet, dealing with transport and buses. The formula was established for the essential user rebate via the buses: it just needed gentle manipulating and lubricating to find the final thrust.
I hope the new DirectorGeneral picks up the issue of the essential user rebate and pursues it as relentlessly as Steven Norris did. Meanwhile watch for the new variant on the escalator and the guise in which it appears in order that we can rise to block it.
Good luck to the new Director General of the RHA. Alex Smiles, Alex Smiles LW, Sunderland.