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168 
TAKING THE RAP
Page 90
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• Yet again the driver takes the rap! I write in reference to the appalling case of Paul Ashwell who was "nicked" in Greece last week.
I know Paul and his boss very well, and frequently work for MCL, the company he was hauling for on this job.
The facts of this case are still clouded, but it would seem that a monumental cock-up by the powers that be is responsible for a completely innocent man languishing in a foreign jail, not knowing if he will be free for, if the media can be believed, up to 20 years.
It is not for me to say whether Paul's load is part of a weapons system or not, but if the matter is given some thought, many frequently transported items, especially those on semi-low loaders as is his vehicle, could be made into some sort of weapon. After all, the Afghan tribesmen have been making effective firearms from scrap metal for many years — as quite a few Russian infantrymen and some tank commanders have found to their cost.
Now the Foreign Office has become involved, with the Minister saying Paul is innocent, but making no moves against the Greek authorities.
We all know that the only way we know what goods we are carrying is from the descriptions given to us on the paperwork involved. If this is false or incorrect it now seems it is the driver's problem. He is the man stuck in some Customs post, hours from civilisation. He may be delayed for days, or, as is now the case, imprisoned, his truck impounded, his cab often broken into and the equipment on the vehicle stolen.
How much longer are the international drivers of this country going to stand for this type of treatment? I know that as a breed we are almost unanimously anti-union, but as I write I have just had confirma tion from a driver in Italy that the "boys" are in rebellous mood. If we were to stike then everyone in the country would feel the effects. It is about time that the public in this country were shown how much they rely on international haulage, and the risks that the international driver has to endure, just to do his job. Russell F Goff, Oldhrook, Milton Keynes.