POLICING THE BARRICADES
Page 22
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I do believe that I have the wrong end of the stick, so to speak, regardingthe recent, much publicised unrest involving our gallant industry.
I was actually preparing for my annual holiday, this year paid for by a well-known truck manufacturer, when I received the call from a fellow operator to assist at Plymouth fuel terminal where the police, aided and abetted by a substantial number of TV crews and members of the press, had laid siege to the depot.
My initial concern was for the safety of my fellow workers, the tanker drivers, who due to this blockade were unable to go about their daily business and were prisoners within. It was a very intimidating experience for my fellow workers who at change of shift were attacked by the press wielding sharpened pencils, pointed biros and heavy microphones. Only through the swiftness of their legs were they able to avoid a nasty incident.
The experience was also unique, in that for the first time in years, I was able to see the Plymouth police on the street. However, it was unfortunate that the occasion was the result of them blockading a fuel terminal and not fighting crime as they are supposed to do.
Over the few days I supported my fellow workers the number of police and press increased and others were drafted in from afar. My major concern at the moment is to ensure that these blockaders do not receive payment from Plymouth or Devon councils as my council tax is already high enough and I trust that other hauliers throughout Britain will feel the same.
I think it is disgusting that a force which was once admired, aided and abetted by the press, can put my country in a perilous situation, and I trust that our glorious leader Tony deals with These people.
Mr AIIVY, %mouth.