“For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit.”
Noam Chomsky
“Who would have thought it…an Audi speeding in Bradford?” so said the world weary traffic cop to introduce a new series of Whacky Races From Bradford, otherwise known as Police Interceptors.
It started with another high speed chase ending in almost comic pathos with the driver crashing into a parked VW Golf which just happened to be on local pharmaceutical deliveries – who would have thought it?
You chase one, you get one free; where else but Bradford?
In yet another of the daily stories from the local rag – see here – bank employee Bilal Akhtar was spotted…doing double the speed limit…in the £11,500 Volkswagen Golf he had saved up to buy.
The article describes a chase that could have easily ended in multiple innocent fatalities as the judge highlighted the problem with speeding drivers on Leeds Road. He labelled it a race track but its only a part of the local circuit; and the idiot involved is the son of a driving instructor.
There are many of us who suspect double standards when applying the law in our hometown. It seems that certain communities are offered more leeway as to the actual interpretation and enforcement of the law. Maybe the law simply cannot cope with crass stupidity?
Take this example from the weekend with a crackdown on illegal parking around Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground by those nasty disabled folk. Fine you may say, it’s the law and was all announced months ago?
Were it not that the same law clearly has a different application in other parts of the city. Indeed, not far from the ground is a wedding venue which has operated for years without permission to do so and where guests park their hired Ferraris as if having been dropped randomly from outer space.
Thankfully, the weight of public opinion has since caused the council to climb down as far as harassing disabled folk goes. Might this free the traffic wardens to shift operations a bit further down the road?
This is typical of our weak, idiotic council. How do we tackle firework abuse; we’ll send them a letter! Parking infringements? Best be careful there; lets only go for those that will actually cough up or we can catch.
For one must never ever risk antagonising the block vote; you reap what you sow.
Stupid Is As Stupid Does
There is a continuing theme here and I read this article with increasing disbelief – see here.
Two-time drink-driver Muhammed Hassan has been jailed for six months after sparking a police pursuit…minutes after Bradford magistrates had banned him from driving. Despite already being a disqualified driver, Hassan had turned up at Bradford Magistrates Court last month in a Volkswagen Golf – which he parked on double yellow lines – and he left in his car soon after being banned from driving again…
This would-be brain surgeon is only 21!
Prosecutor Philip Adams told a judge at Bradford Crown Court today that despite the existing driving ban Hassan turned up in the Golf which he parked illegally outside the magistrates court.
And get this if your blood has not already boiled over.
Barrister Jessica Heggie, for Hassan, said the dangerous driving was over a relatively short distance and thankfully it did not involve a collision. She said Hassan’s family were understandably devastated by the position he now found himself in.
So he’s just misunderstood. I bet the barrister was really proud of her high quality argument though I cannot see the Old Bailey beckoning. Read the rest of the article because it defies any normal logic.
Lets be brutally honest; there is an epidemic of this in Bradford and no amount of crashes – tragic or otherwise – appear to have any effect. But don’t dare discuss it because surely that’s the R word? But it’s not, merely a desire to live by the laws of the land on the part of most; the law is not the ass here it is the perpetrators.
The police are under-resourced and politicians hide away from realities making them almost as culpable as the idiot drivers. This is lawless Bradford and symptomatic of so many of our issues as a city, the wannabe Capital of Culture.
Who would have thought that?
And Finally
As Mrs Day was emptying my pockets once again, we were discussing ways of handling unwanted sales calls.
“That’s easy” she winked “I just tell them I close at 1.30 so come along at 2.00.”
“What happens then?” I asked.
“How do I know, I’m never here!”
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