Sandra Howard's Panda vandalised
Discussion
Or should that be 'Pandalised'?
Now, whatever you think of Mrs Howard (and Pandas ... the cars, not the Giant ones in China and zoos around the world), here we have a case of a 17 year-old Fiat Panda, rusting and worth an estimated £400 vandalised overnight in a railway station car-park.
Now, if that happened to you or me (Heaven forfend that we would own such a vehicle
), we would expect the response by the BiB to be minimal, at best. I doubt that a BiB would attend, and we would be expected to remove it from the station car-park at our cost ... and PDQ before it started to rack up excess parking fees and fines! 
But Mrs Howard - simply because she is the wife of the Conservative leader - gets special treatment:
"Mrs Howard, ... contacted the police, who removed the wreckage." - What? We should be so lucky!
And:
"Kent police confirmed they were assisting British Transport Police ..." - What's the betting there will be arrests in this case?
Politicians should be treated the same as everyone else ... then, and only then, will they get a good view of how the electorate feels about the p1ss p00r services it pays for.
Streaky
Now, whatever you think of Mrs Howard (and Pandas ... the cars, not the Giant ones in China and zoos around the world), here we have a case of a 17 year-old Fiat Panda, rusting and worth an estimated £400 vandalised overnight in a railway station car-park.
Now, if that happened to you or me (Heaven forfend that we would own such a vehicle
), we would expect the response by the BiB to be minimal, at best. I doubt that a BiB would attend, and we would be expected to remove it from the station car-park at our cost ... and PDQ before it started to rack up excess parking fees and fines! But Mrs Howard - simply because she is the wife of the Conservative leader - gets special treatment:
"Mrs Howard, ... contacted the police, who removed the wreckage." - What? We should be so lucky!
And:
"Kent police confirmed they were assisting British Transport Police ..." - What's the betting there will be arrests in this case?
Politicians should be treated the same as everyone else ... then, and only then, will they get a good view of how the electorate feels about the p1ss p00r services it pays for.
Streaky
You could look at the same story from another angle. If you believe in democracy, then one assumes that you believe that we should protect those who speak in Parliament.
I have no doubt at all that the Leader of the Opposition's wife is entitled to all sorts of services and protection to support that. Particularly an opposition leader who has been so vociferous about terrorist groups, in the run up to an election. If she's ignoring that and ferrying herself round in an ancient rustbucket like anyone else, then well done her, I say. She's probably saved us a fortune.
As for the Police taking the wreckage away, well after the Brighton bombing and the mortar attack on 10 Downing St, isn't it reasonable that they do just check that it was plain vandalism, and nothing more sinister?
I have no doubt at all that the Leader of the Opposition's wife is entitled to all sorts of services and protection to support that. Particularly an opposition leader who has been so vociferous about terrorist groups, in the run up to an election. If she's ignoring that and ferrying herself round in an ancient rustbucket like anyone else, then well done her, I say. She's probably saved us a fortune.
As for the Police taking the wreckage away, well after the Brighton bombing and the mortar attack on 10 Downing St, isn't it reasonable that they do just check that it was plain vandalism, and nothing more sinister?
The report I read this morning had half a line mentioning another vehicle - a 4x4 type un reported - which had been pushed through a fence or something like that.
I suspect that there was a bit more too events than most pf the press reports have covered. Wife of leader of opposition and her headline making 17 year old rust bucket would make the story interesting.
Hmm. Free publicity. Populist as well.
Wonder how the press got hold of it?
I suspect that there was a bit more too events than most pf the press reports have covered. Wife of leader of opposition and her headline making 17 year old rust bucket would make the story interesting.
Hmm. Free publicity. Populist as well.
Wonder how the press got hold of it?
LongQ said:
Hmm. Free publicity. Populist as well.
Wonder how the press got hold of it?
The PR/media wally of the Tory party. After all - this is proof that Bliar has failed on crime prevention and curbing general lawlessness - und who ist concentrating solely on the archest of arch criminals - the middle class hardworker in his hard earned car....
streaky said:
I doubt that a BiB would attend, and we would be expected to remove it from the station car-park at our cost ... and PDQ before it started to rack up excess parking fees and fines!
But Mrs Howard - simply because she is the wife of the Conservative leader - gets special treatment:
"Mrs Howard, ... contacted the police, who removed the wreckage." - What? We should be so lucky!
Nothing unusual here. Police will arrange a contractor to remove wreckage. Contractor is paid by insurance company. Exactly the same thing which you could do if your car was stolen/vandalised.
Normally complaints are because the vehicle hes been removed if the BiB find it before you do.
towman said:Interesting. A friend has just confirmed that when a car of his was broken into and rendered immobile in a station car-park, he was told it was entirely his responsibility to remove it. The local BiB were not interested - they passed the buck to the Transport Police ... who told him to shift it or they would impound it and he'd have to pay a hefty whack to get it back (and would need to arrange transport for it). He was told that had it been found by the roadside, the police would have acted as towman has indicated. Perhaps it varies according to the ownership of the land.
I doubt that a BiB would attend, and we would be expected to remove it from the station car-park at our cost ... and PDQ before it started to rack up excess parking fees and fines!
But Mrs Howard - simply because she is the wife of the Conservative leader - gets special treatment:
"Mrs Howard, ... contacted the police, who removed the wreckage." - What? We should be so lucky!
Nothing unusual here. Police will arrange a contractor to remove wreckage. Contractor is paid by insurance company. Exactly the same thing which you could do if your car was stolen/vandalised.
Normally complaints are because the vehicle hes been removed if the BiB find it before you do.
On a general point, the more politicians are isolated from the real world, the less they understand. Ted Heath once told me that since he 'retired' from being PM (that made me chuckle) he took delight in reading the papers (I had watched him read the Times, Telegraph, Independent, Grauniad, FT and European from masthead to crossword), because when he was PM he received two digests of the news. One was prepared by the Cabinet Secretary - and was Whitehall's view of the news. The other was prepared by his PPS - and was the party's view of the news. Heath's comment on this was very telling: "You know." he said, "I could have been Prime Minister of two different countries!"
Streaky
It's not just my friend either ...
Daily Telegraph Letters said:
Sir - I read with interest that the police removed Michael Howard's wife's vandalised motor vehicle from Westenhanger railway station (News, Mar 15).
When my car was stolen, the wheels removed and the remains left in a school yard in Manchester, I was threatened with prosecution had I not moved it within 24 hours.
Nick Tierney, Manchester
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