I went to Manchester yesterday. I
know! Someone has to..
I was due
to attend a meeting at 5.00pm. I left Liverpool at 3.40 which allows for the
heavy traffic leaving Liverpool and going into Manchester. It was a very straightforward
drive along the M62 and I was heading into the centre of Manchester in good spirits and with a good 20 minutes to spare.
This was when
it all began to go wrong. I had booked a parking space at the office of the law
firm that was hosting the meeting. This was right in the heart of the city not
far from the Town Hall. Without warning, it seemed that every street was suddenly undergoing
major road works or was closed. My navigation system was on the verge of a
nervous breakdown. Every road that we took was blocked. It was as if the City of Manchester was taking
revenge for all the bad things that I have ever said about it. Finally, by pure
luck I found myself heading for the road where the firm’s car park was located.
Guess what? It was closed.
I managed
to pull over at a parking meter. My 20 minutes to spare was now 5 minutes late.
I needed £4.50 for meter. I had a £5 note. We have sent people to the moon but
nobody has invented a parking meter that takes £5 notes. A sign on the meter
invited me to ‘pay by mobile’. So I followed the instructions. There was
the normal intro about how important I was and how we would surely be friends
for life. I set up a pin number, I put in my card number. Then it asked for the
last 2 digits of my expiry date which I typed in. My new best friend told me that it
was an error and to please try again. So I put it in again more carefully and
got the same message. So I did it a third time in the style of an imbecile who
needed to check both digits 5 times before pushing the button. I waited with
growing anxiety – ‘Error. Transaction aborted. Goodbye’. Some friend you are. P*** Off!!
So I
abandoned that idea and ran into a nearby bar clutching my fiver. The young
barmaid must never have seen anyone so desperate for a pint! She looked a bit
crestfallen when I asked her for 5 one pound coins. I ran back to the meter and
finally got my ticket. By now, a diligent traffic warden was approaching so it
was a good job I persevered.
I now ran
to the meeting – 15 minutes late. I was rehearsing my apologies by way of a
shortened version of this story. When I got to the boardroom 2 people were there
looking sheepish. Due to a number of 'no shows' the meeting was…………CANCELLED!!! My
anger and frustration had built to such a level that I said – ‘Oh dear. Never
mind hey..’ in true English Lawyer style.
Now, I’m
sure that some people love Manchester.
Their two famous football teams have many fans although to be honest they
mostly live in Surrey. But if you ever hear me
suggest driving there again you have permission to chain me to a mast and
detain me until the madness passes.
So why am I
telling you this tale? Partly to get it off my chest. Partly because some might
find it amusing in places and most legal blogs are gloomy these days.
But there
is in fact a serious message.
What I went
through last night gives a small insight into the frustrations of anybody
trying to work for the legal rights of those in need.
It seems
that all roads are being blocked by the MOJ, insurers, the media, regulators
etc.
It doesn’t
seem to matter which way you turn, someone is there to try and block the way.
Sometimes
it is tempting to give up. But we will be here long after Mr Grayling has gone
(hopefully that will not be too long anyway). If we can celebrate 800 years of
Magna Carta we will not get rid of the rights of ordinary people this easily!
End of
rant.
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