On Fonts and Ken Livingstone's problem with dissident bus drivers

I got a very polite request from Paul Walter asking me to reduce the size of my font, which being as I am always keen to please I have dutifully done. Sorry Paul, its what comes of ageing gracefully, eyes and ears start to fail!



Witnessed an interesting incident whilst trying to board a bus in Old Street the other night. I had arranged to meet Yasmin W-K for a "quick" drink after work. We decided to eat something and ended up with a platter that included fizzy hummus - yes fizzy hummus. Ever tried it??? We sent it back twice and then got something which tasted hummus like.........so decided to move on to Upper Street (yes my definition of quick stretched rather). Anyway we ran for the bus.............which was stationary. Stationary because an altercation was going on between the bus driver and a man in a motorised wheelchair. The bus driver was refusing to let him on because he said his training said he couldn't allow motorised wheelchairs on. The man was remonstrating that he had caught the same bus down to Old Street so how come he couldn't take this one back? The people on the bus were getting angry. Most of them didn't give a **** about the man in the wheelchair, why couldn't he get another bus so they could get home? One guy agreed that it was important to protest but asked why couldn't we take our protest somewhere and sometime else? One guy was really upset as now he was going to miss Prison Break. So........into the fray come Linda and Yas.........never ones to knowingly miss an opportunity in the fight for truth and justice! We of course dived straight into the argument, but the driver wasn't going to be swayed. I'm not racist says he, I'm black too. No says I we aren't saying you are racist - but you are discriminating against him on the grounds of his disability. No says he, its the grounds that he has a motorised wheelchair. Bus Driver calls the police. Yas calls the number displayed on the bus for London Transport - they are very rude.............London Transport must know about this problem because under this number is another number - please ring this number if you are not satisfied. Very clever, especially as they are now closed until morning! Police arrive. Yas declares to everyone she will call her pal who is the disability adviser to Ken. That should do it. Yas gets him to speak to police. Ken's adviser asks said man to call him in the morning. Police are exceptionally understanding, also ask the driver to take the man home. Driver refuses, anyway says he, I'm out of service now. End up having to put him on the next bus where that bus driver has no problems whatsoever allowing the guy on.Well????! One day maybe, people will really get a handle on what equality is all about. In the mean time I guess we will have to put up with self interest and jobsworth attitudes.