One of the things I’ve always admired about the French is their willingness to openly defy and rebel against their political masters. Indeed it is going on now. I may not always agree with their ideals, but their willingness to make life difficult for the state is always something to be applauded. The state is not your friend. Refusing to enable it is generally a good idea. Now it looks as if Londoners are starting to get in on the act. Maybe, the British need more of a prod to get us going. It looks as if Citizen Khan has done just that.
Opponents of London’s ULEZ expansion have launched a guerilla war against the very cameras that will be used to police the controversial scheme.
Shopping bags and cardboard boxes have started to appear over the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras set up by Transport for London (TfL) across the capital.
More than 300 ANPR devices have been recently installed, while a total of 2,750 are due to be added in time for the official ULEZ expansion launch date on August 29 later this year.
A box placed over a camera by one vigilante was had the words ‘stop electing idiots’ printed on its side.
In some cases, they have gone further, damaging or removing them completely. While I abhor vandalism as a principle, in this case we have a dictatorial Mayor who is acting outside of his authority, who pre-empted the consultation and then ignored the results. A man who is determined to remove the right of citizens to drive around freely to satisfy his own twisted ideology. When peaceful means do not work, then yes, direct action may become necessary. And, no, this does not mean that I now agree with Extinction Rebellion.
Yesterday farmers banded together to join the growing protests against Sadiq Khan’s Ulez expansion.
Tractors paraded through the streets of Orpington today as locals slammed the Labour Mayor of London ‘s extreme plan, which is attempting to make the air cleaner.
That might have been Paris.
Firstly, the ULEZ principle needs to be abolished in its entirety, closely followed by elected mayors. The role of mayor should be nothing more than ceremonial, opening libraries and such, so a member of the council can take the role as was always the case before this insane practice took over. No one person should have this level of power, because as we have seen here, it will be abused. And can we run Khan out of town on the end of a pitchfork, please?
Mr Khan has been facing staunch criticism recently over branding some ULEZ opponents as ‘far-right’ and ‘Covid deniers’.
That’s because he is typical of the hard left. He has no arguments and brooks no dissent against his hard-line ideology. Hence his immediate resort to the ad hominem fallacy.
This happened in my borough and I have to
admit, it really warmed the cockles of my heart, having recently had to say goodbye to my beloved diesel LandRover, or pay Khan £12.50 every time I rolled off my drive…
Regarding the ad homs:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuYAVf5XUceXXkx_77ee0uCU-WPLpX3xjUjRmbMpJvS8WgzrV9bt5hlbyoXXBb9RSXsBc581RUdPi3sf5BYWNGyRNBV5nSpBwPCqsDmHY2XwIhhswy2E9fCI1NVsOhm46jbCFU1xywcuNv-VpPhi2FePZ8NZDpHjLPHlnM2SHUet321HcjXED1-zJAQ/s320/8.png
Pretty much.
The French are the way they are because they have learned that this is the only thing their arrogant and out of touch cliques understand.
It’s taken a while but it looks that people here are finally reaching the end of their tether.
I understand, and it’s very likely we are going the same way and it really is difficult to see any other option given how total has been their contempt and how wilfully they have ignored people for so long.
But we will have lost something and it likely will never come back.
I so agree with this. We are losing a way of behaving that is civilised and responsible but faced with a generation of awful politicians foisting irresponsible and idiotic policies on us what alternative do we have?
“Mr Khan has been facing staunch criticism recently over branding some ULEZ opponents as ‘far-right’…”
He has a lot more in common with the far right than I do.
“…and ‘Covid deniers’.”
Seriously? What the hell has that got to do with anything? Those so called Covid deniers were proved to be right in case he had not noticed.
It’s the usual tactic of the hard of thinking and hard left (but I repeat myself). Sling out insults like a scatter gun and hope some of it hits a target. Any target.
“Those so called Covid deniers were proved to be right…”
Maybe that’s what he meant by “far right”. 🙂
I disagree that we are losing something, or that this is un-British.
We have always had a violent streak and contempt for authority.
Usually we just ignore the clipboard wielding prod noses.
Until they push it too far, then we get really mad quickly. See the poll tax riots. Peasant revolts in the old days.
We’re just not as easy to tick off as the French. Which is a blessing as much as a curse.
Apparently the ulez in name in Birmingham has had to cancel a load of fines because people just aren’t paying them.
I’m certainly stocking up on popcorn.
They always try to prevent free movement. Every fucking time. The Khan asshole has merely re-created, in modern terms, “Papieren Bitte”.
There is only one solution.
What would happen if Londoners and Brummies covered or removed their car number plates on mass? If everyone did it would it still be possible to enforce the law? Just a thought. If everyone simply refusing to pay works it would probably be best just to go with that.
An ex-colleague of mine in the City of London Police told me of a story about owners of cars which are not ULEZ compliant, fixing registration plates showing indexes of cars belonging to London councillors, so they received the fines. Not certain if it’s true, or common, but I wonder if anyone knows what Khan’s vehicle registration is?
Brilliant, I hadn’t thought of that. Anyone involved in promoting the madness could be targeted.
Brilliant?
Don’t they use the registration to work out whether or not the vehicle is ULEZ compliant.
FrankH,
As I understand it, until they are caught, owners of non ULEZ compliant vehicles are being driven around London without being stopped. Photographic evidence would also show that the vehicle model photographed may not be compliant, especially if it’s belching out fumes, leading to suspicion that councillors may be cheating the system. There is also the story of the owner of a non compliant vehicle, strapping the vehicle registration plate to his back and walking in front of ULEZ cameras. Whether this triggers the cameras is not known, but it does show the ways that London residents are showing Khan what they think of his plan
Since the amount of rubbish in the streets is a lot and the council do not clear it away, then I’d carry a spray bottle/plant atomiser thing and before setting off, spray the number plate with water and stick a sheet of newspaper or a plastic bag over part of it. You can’t be blamed if a sheet of discarded newspaper drapes itself over the front of your car as you drive along and you didn’t notice.