Labour for Bloggs
Page 34
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—Who Feels that the Tories Have Betrayed the Solidarity of the Free-enterprise Masses, but Had No Idea There Wi as a 25-mile Limit Until the Bill Proposed to Remove It
WHAT you were saying the other day about the word ' public' had a good deal of truth in it," said Maggie's brother Cromwell. "It reminded me of old Bloggs who used to have the haulage business in the High Street. From something he told me the other day I gathered that he does not particularly want it back, For one thing, it is against his principles now that he has joined the Labour Party."
"The Labour Party would not be likely to accept Bloggs. At the last election the local paper carried a photograph of him drinking the Prime Minister's health with the Tory M.P."
"That was before the Transport Bill. Bloggs says it has changed everything. He feels the Tories have betrayed the solidarity of the free-enterprise masses."
"I sympathize with his indignation about the levy, but it represents a rather sordid motive for a change of political pllegiance."
"You malign him. The levy is the least of his grievances. What is a few bob a quarter-ton to Bloggs now that at long last he has got his compensation? The main reason is that the Tories will not abolish the 25-mile limit."
"Let us be fair. They will do so in due course, and may I suggest he will not get it from the Labour Party? "
"He does not expect to do so. That is the point. The Socialists put the 25-mile limit on. It would be unreasonable to ask them to take it off."
"Does Bloggs not want to buy his old business back?"
"What, and hand over all that lovely money he was paid for it! In any case, he finds his new haulage business keeps him busy."
"I am surprised he is not in favour of denationalization. Not so very long ago I heard him making scathing remarks about B.R.S."
B.R.S. Are Wonderful "That must have been when he was still working for them. He has changed his mind now. The Labour Party says the B.R.S. are wonderful and Bloggs agrees."
"This is surprising. you will be telling me next that Bloggs wants to restrict the C-lieensee."
"You forget that he himself runs • vehicles on a C-hiring margin for customers who do not mind his politics. He agrees that there would be certain advantages in the abolition of all other forms of C-licence operation, but says that only the Tories would dream of doing Such .a thing..
"Put yourself in his place. The business he has built up will be knocked down to some spi4 who will collar Bloggs' old customers before Bloggs can get rid of the 25-mile limit. Added to which, the 'relaxed %licensing system will let in a whole int Of newcomers. These are A32 the principal aversions Bloggs has against the Transport Bill as it now stands."
"What does the local M.P. think about all this?"
"Bloggs was explaining the Socialist creed to him the other day, and he got very annoyed. He seemed to think Bloggs was being ungrateful."
"That is the sort of reaction you expect from Tory M.P.s. They tend to be doctrinaire and say that the Government had paid for a long-distance transport monopoly and could not merely give it away by extending the 25-mile limit."
"Bloggs was able to deal with that one. He said he was not asking for a Monopoly. He only wanted what he had been promised."
Buying Back "Next, I Euppose, the M.P. reminded Bloggs that he could try to buy back his old business."
"And Bloggs was able to ask in return why the Government thought he wanted to pay for something that had been ruined since he gave it up."
"Finally, the M.P. inquired whether Bloggs still believed in free enterprise?"
"Bloggs was smarter than you imagine. He got that question in first. The M.P. was obviously rattled. His brief provided the questions, but not the answers. It was at that point that he started to become angry."
"He probably had a whole lot to say in defence of the levy and it baffled him when the subject was not mentioned. The Government has obviously miscalculated the strength of the hauliers' opinion about the 25-mile limit. In Bloggs' case it may not be possible to do much, unless it be decided to lift the restriction at once. He bought a short-distance business knowing the position, the Government would argue, and could not expect to cash in on any temporary confusion that may follow the break-up and sale of B.R.S." • "Does that mean no concession can be given?"
"In some cases it should be possible_ For example, a formula might be devised to enable any haulier who had been deprived of long-distance traffic without compensation to carry, from the time of the passing of the new Act, at least as much of that traffic as he carried in the past. It might even be possible to arrangethat any existing haulier making a reasonable bid for a transport unit -would be released from the 25-mile restriction even if the bid were unsuccessful. Another important concession would be to fix a definite date for the lifting of the limit. In itself, the announcement of a date would have a good psychological effect."
"A little psychology would not come amiss, but to tell you the truth, the impression I got from Bloggs was that, until the Transport Bill proposed to take the 25-Mile limit off free-enterprise road transport, he had no idea that it had been put on."