“It’s s*** you can’t trust anybody to do the right thing”: Independent cycle shop forced to massively discount custom bike frame after being “completely stuffed” by customer who failed to pay; Reaction to Louise Haigh resignation + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Looks like someone needs a new bike rack”: Remco Evenepoel gets himself a BMW M5
Pro cyclists and their love for cars… Never fails to baffle me. Anyway, after Mathieu van der Poel becoming an ambassador for Lamborghini and even saying that getting the €300,000 SUV Urus S felt “more special than testing a new bike” (tsk tsk, Canyon), it’s Remco Evenepoel’s turn to make use of that Quick-Step Olympic bonus and get himself a BMW M5.
> From cobbles to asphalt? Van der Poel becomes Lamborghini ambassador (and gets one himself)
One person commented: “Shouldn’t it be in gold?”, while Seasucker, a US-based company that sells vacuum-mounted automotive racks, wrote: “Looks like someone needs a new bike rack.”
Anyway, repeat after me, sportspersons shouldn’t be your idols… In other news, Evenepoel was also spotted in attendance at his boyhood club Anderlecht’s Europa League match against Porto last night, along with Eddy Merckx as well as Anderlecht and Belgian legend Paul Van Himst.
“There are a lot of people smoking cigarettes every day”: Jonas Vingegaard says carbon monoxide method is like “smoking one cigarette” and claims he “never knew” it could be misused
Jonas Vingegaard during stage 20 of the 2024 Tour de France (Zac Williams/SWPix.com)
Dr Ferrari and the orange juice, part two?
“It’s a shame that she is resigning over something so trivial”: Reactions to Louise Haigh’s resignation as Transport Secretary
If like Grant Shapps, you also didn’t receive a BBC news alert about Louise Haigh resigning from the post of Transport Secretary for some reason… well, you know it now.
Haigh, the Sheffield MP who after becoming a cycling convert earlier this year hinted at long-term funding for cycling and walking this month, has announced her resignation this morning after a spent conviction over a misplaced phone was brought up following reports from Sky and The Times yesterday.
She wrote in her letter to the Prime Minister: “As you know, in 2013 I was mugged in London. As a 24-year-old woman, the experience was terrifying. In the immediate aftermath, I reported the incident to the police. I gave the police a list of my possessions that I believed had been stolen, including my work phone. Some time later, I discovered that the handset in question was still in my house. I should have immediately informed my employer and not doing so straight away was a mistake.”
When questioned by the police in the aftermath, she said that she was advised by her solicitor not to comment during that interview and that she regrets following that advice. She later pleaded guilty to making a false report to police at a magistrates’ court, six months before becoming an MP in the 2015 election, and received a discharge – the “lowest possible outcome”.
Haigh, the youngest-ever woman to be appointed to the Cabinet, mentioned that the Bill bringing the railways back into public ownership received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament yesterday, calling it a “once in a generation reform to our railways which will change our country for the better”.
Cycling UK commented on the news, saying: “Thank you Louise Haigh, for your support for all things active travel. Your commitment has been deeply appreciated. Wishing you all the best in the next chapter after stepping down – your impact will not be forgotten.”
Some reactions to this development from social media…
Owen Jones (journalist): “Louise Haigh was one of the only Labour ministers doing something worthwhile.
“Who knows why her spent conviction suddenly re emerged, but needless to say Starmer allies will be delighted she’s gone.
“Haigh already faced being purged for rightly slamming P&O Ferries.”
Karl Hansen (journalist): “Louise Haigh has accomplished more in her brief than any other government minister, bringing rail and bus services back into public ownership. It’s a shame that she is resigning over something so trivial.”
Sangita Myska (journalist): “The way Louise Haigh MP is being treated by parts of the established media and political classes over a minor spent conviction is like watching a modern day witch trial.”
Peter Smith: “Good grief. Louise Haigh has resigned. Admirable in many ways but unnecessary and a waste of a huge political talent.”
David Osland (columnist): “Johnson and Sunak stayed in office as prime minister and chancellor despite convictions over Partygate. That puts Louise Haigh’s ouster from the cabinet for a minor offence before she became an MP in perspective… I wish I were more confident that Louise Haigh’s sudden departure from the cabinet had nothing to do with her entirely legitimate criticism of P&O Ferries.”
The above statement is in reference to Haigh’s recent criticism directed at P&O Ferries, calling them “rogue operator” last month and urging people to boycott the shipping operation. However, when its parent company DP World threatened to pull out from a major government investment summit in response, Starmer pulled support for her, saying Haigh’s comments were “not the view of the government”.
People have also noted Haigh’s former role as Vice Chair of Labour Friends of Palestine and her criticism of the Israeli regime in the past.
Heidi Alexander becomes the new Transport Secretary, and yes, she is a champion for cycling!
After Louise Haigh’s resignation from Starmer’s Cabinet, Heidi Alexander, MP for Swindon South has been appointed as the new Secretary of State for Transport. And there’s some good news, she is already a cyclist who has been advocating for two wheels for quite some time now!
Alexander served as a Member of Lewisham London Borough Council for Evelyn from a by-election in 2004 until 2010. In May 2018, Alexander resigned her seat in the Parliament to become Deputy Mayor of London for Transport under Sadiq Khan. She served as Deputy Chair of Transport for London in her role, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, she took up cycling and worked to promote active travel as a viable mode of transport.
London Cycling Campaign wrote: “Sorry to see Louise Haigh resign as Transport minister, she’s been really good on vision for integrated transport & building blocks of future. Congrats tho also to Heidi Alexander! Great choice to replace her.”
Here’s her enjoying some safe, segregated cycling infrastructure in London in 2020.
She even posted in length about her experience as a “45 year old, overweight woman cyclist” in May 2020, writing: “As some of us start to think again about how we might in future make the trips we used to do on the bus, tube and train, please, please, please think about making them on a bike.
“I am no Victoria Pendleton but it’s amazing how far you can go, how quickly and actually how much better it makes you feel. And you save money on your bus and train fares.
“I live in Zone 3 of London — between Lewisham and Hither Green. It takes me about 40 minutes to cycle into work in central London through parks and on quiet roads. I feel safe and it means I switch off from emails and my phone.
“At the weekend, I cycle into Lewisham (and further afield!) when I go to the shops and I stick things in my bike basket (amazing how much you can get in there). Sometimes I go out for longer rides — down the Thames Path, out into the leafy bits of Bromley.”
She continued: “I know lots of people think cycling is not for them. That you have to look good in Lycra (believe me, I don’t) or you have to be capable of doing the Tour de France (believe me, I’m not).
“But, please, give it a go. Those of us who are able, need to do it to ensure there is space for those who can’t on public transport. And stick with it, you’ll feel fitter and stronger within a few weeks.
“Life is going to be pretty different for a while. We are going to need to change how we move around the city. I’d love this horrible period to lead to hundreds of thousands of women (and men!) in London taking to their bikes — being healthier and happier as a consequence.”
Cycling UK welcomes the appointment of Heidi Alexander as the new Transport Secretary and urges her to put cycling “front and centre” of the new Integrated Transport Strategy
Following Louise Haigh’s resignation as Secretary of State for Transport and the appointment of Heidi Alexander to the role, Sarah McMonagle, director of external affairs at Cycling UK, said: “We’d like to thank Louise Haigh for her outstanding work in championing active travel during her time as Secretary of State for Transport, and prior to that, as Shadow Secretary. Louise clearly understands the role that cycling can play in achieving the government’s missions, particularly its role in improving public health and tackling the cost-of-living crisis.
“We warmly welcome Heidi Alexander to her new role. She brings a wealth of experience as the former deputy mayor for transport in London and is a cyclist herself. We urge the new Secretary of State to ensure we maximise the enormous range of benefits that come when more people cycle by putting cycling front and centre of the new Integrated Transport Strategy. Heidi has actively engaged with Cycling UK for many years, and we look forward to building on that relationship as she takes forward her new brief.”
The cursed cycle lane saga might be heading towards its conclusion...
“The people and businesses of Middlesbrough deserve better than these drawn-out delays,” Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen said ahead of next week’s vote to remove the controversial Linthorpe Road bike lane.
“It’s about freedom, opportunity, and connection”: South Yorkshire’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner Ed Clancy launches Barnsley Refugee Bike Project to refurbish and donate used bikes to those that need it the most
The Barnsley Refugee Council’s new Bike Project workshop has been officially opened by South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner and triple Olympic gold medallist, Ed Clancy OBE. The inauguration ceremony celebrated the contributions of volunteer mechanics and residents with refugee backgrounds who are building their lives and supporting the community in Barnsley.
The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project awarded a grant of approximately £20,000 from the National Lottery, transforms pre-loved bicycles into vital tools for affordable transport. By refurbishing and donating over 450 bikes so far, the project provides people with a means to commute to school, college, work, or enjoy the freedom of cycling. In its upgraded workshop, participants are also gaining hands-on experience in bike maintenance and repair, equipping them with valuable skills for the future.
South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy OBE, said: “The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project’s brilliant work is helping hundreds of people to build new lives.
“The scheme’s bikes and training are making a huge difference to those that need it the most, giving people the freedom and choice to travel and opening up more opportunities to connect with support and the community.
“I’m honoured to help celebrate the new workshop with the project’s amazing volunteers. It’s another great step forward in helping even more people have the means to move about, and towards a healthier, happier, more equal South Yorkshire.”
Last year, Ed Clancy and Alex Simon presented the 100th refurbished bike to 10-year-old Amina, while others, like 30-year-old Tamru and siblings Ibrahim and Kaddi, also received bikes. Tamru, who fled Eritrea, now rides his bike to Barnsley College, where he is pursuing his studies—a testament to how the project helps residents access opportunities while easing financial pressures.
Founded by the Penistone Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support Group in collaboration with local volunteers, the project began in a small bike shed and has now found its first permanent home. The initiative is not only reducing landfill waste but also helping people rebuild their lives in Barnsley by connecting them with education, work, and leisure opportunities.
Anna Hartley, Director of Public Health at Barnsley Council, added: “This project is a shining example of how community initiatives can support health and wellbeing, providing opportunities for active travel while fostering inclusion and environmental sustainability. Seeing people learning new skills and gaining independence through cycling is fantastic
“It’s about freedom, opportunity, and connection. This project combines all that while giving old bikes new life, reducing waste, and building a stronger, more inclusive community here in Barnsley.”
Barnsley Refugee Bike Project Founder, Alex Simon, said: “It started when somebody asked for a bike, and I had a spare bike, and it snowballed from there. Other donations quickly followed. Now here we are in this fantastic workshop, with support from the National Lottery Community Fund, with a great team of people that’s growing all the time, including our friends from the asylum seeker and refugee community who are learning new skills and helping to refurbish the bikes.
“The generosity and kindness of people and organisations in Barnsley has been amazing, enabling us to recycle over 450 bikes and organise regular bike rides to the beautiful places around Barnsley. To have our supporters and friends here today is very special and I want to thank everyone who has helped us.”
Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, added: “What we’re hearing today is a remarkable story about those that are welcomed and those that do the welcoming. It tells a story about how we can reach across divides to support each other because we see our collective humanity and our common spirit. The welcoming that is taking place through this project and the ripples it has, is remarkable.
“It’s in community work like this that we cross divisions, that people create shared understanding and that we create a United Kingdom which is about inclusion, which is about a shared humanity and which is about supporting everyone, regardless of their background, to fulfil their potential.”
No Go to Jail card from us on this one… Bringing back Heidi Alexander’s Monopoly bike ride
Shhh… Don’t let any of the national newspapers find out that the newly appointed Transport Secretary came under fire from social media users in 2020, when she along with her husband, completed a fun bike ride around the streets that feature on the Monopoly board.
> London deputy mayor under fire for Monopoly bike ride… at 2.5mph?
The then Deputy Mayor of London under Sadiq Khan tweeted pictures from her ride, holding up Monopoly title deed cards from some of the locations she visited, such as Euston Road and Pentonville Road.
However, a good ol’ Twitter kerfuffle was in the waiting, with people accusing Alexander of breaking the lockdown Tier 4 rules… despite there being no limits on time spent exercising such as riding a bike, and Park Lane, the furthest point west on the board, is within easy reach by bike of her home.
Along with that, another person estimated that five miles on the bike was “excessive” and would take over two hours on the bike, indicating that cyclists travel around the city at the scary speeds of 2.5mph. At least she wasn’t accused by The Telegraph of riding over 50mph…
“It’s s*** you can’t trust anybody to do the right thing”: Independent cycle shop forced to massively discount custom bike frame after being “completely stuffed” by customer who failed to pay for it
An uncannily on-point story for this Black Friday — the only thing is that this discount isn’t born out of a place of corporate greed or any capitalist shenanigans.
Ricky Feather, the craftsman behind Feather Cycles from York known for making custom frames and winner of Bespoked Bristol, has shared the story of how he was duped for the third time this year by a customer who failed to pay for the frame, after all the fabrication was completed.
Despite having a pre-fab payment system in place, Ricky thought he would start building the frame as it was for someone he knew, giving them the benefit of the doubt. His goodwill didn’t pay much dividends unfortunately, as it marked the third time he was left “completely stuffed” this year.
> Meet the Maker: Ricky Feather video
“This frame is a perfect example of why around two years ago I was forced into a corner to not start any work without full payment for fabrication,” he wrote on social media. “It was a decision I didn’t take lightly as I really feared it would affect business.”
“The decision came after I was left broke, three Christmases in a row due to customers not paying invoices on completion of their frame.
“Luckily, my customers have been really understanding of the situation. Without cash flow, it’s impossible for small businesses to exist.
“Over the last 15 years, I have overcome a lot of hurdles and have had to make changes accordingly. It’s been tough, but I’m super stubborn and don’t let anything stop me. After all, I have no degree or qualifications to fall back on, no money sat in a pot, this is it for me. For nearly three-quarters of my working life, all I have known is Feather Cycles. I work way too much. It affects me both physically and mentally, it affects family life, even on holidays I don’t relax. It’s the first thing I think about in a morning and the last thing I think about at night.
“For the third time this year, I have been completely stuffed by a customer. I started this frame without the fab fee being paid, I gave it the benefit of the doubt as it was for someone I know and thought he was good for it.
“I want to use this as an opportunity to point out how important it is for independent businesses to be paid when invoices are raised. I don’t care if it’s me or the local seamstress, I’m speaking for all of us. I’m talking for everyone who builds bikes, it’s an incredibly hard business to sustain no matter how talented or resilient you are.”
Feather Cycles is now selling the frame at a massive discount, if anyone would like to purchase it and have the remaining work on it be finished by early spring. Ricky wrote: “It would normally retail for £4260 plus paint. £2500 plus paint and it’s yours.
He added: “It has tons of extras, including integrated headset, carbon ISP, T47,integrated flat mount bosses, hooded dropouts and custom stealth Di2 routed rear dropout. I can make an ISP topper tailored to your position on the bike, 0-25mm setback. It is designed around the new Columbus integrated cockpit (not included in the price).”
Several cyclists commented on Ricky’s post, offering him consolation. One person wrote: “There are some real tossers around but thought the cycling fraternity were ok. How wrong I am. Hope it works out on this frame for you. It’s s*** that you have to go through this. Your work is just the best and worth every penny,” while another added: “It’s s*** you can’t trust anybody to do the right thing.”
Here’s the dimensions for the frame if anyone’s interested in a little Christmas N+1 gift for themselves (or someone beloved). According to Ricky, the frame should be good for 5’8” – 5’10”-ish…
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Latest Comments
If the police are overwhelmed with evidence showing dangerous driving, then that shows that the dangerous driving is endemic: the graveyards and hospitals are full of the victims. If it is endemic, then one of two things must be true, or both: the detection rate is not high enough, and/or the punishment is not sufficient to deter. So in this case, we have the victims providing the evidence, in most cases all the officers need to do is view that evidence. If the officers don't have time, then the process should be automated, possibly by AI. If the driver disputes it, then a real person could view it, but if they consider the driving to be dangerous, the driver should pay for the officer's time. Then we have the lack of punishment, or punishment which doesn't fit the crime, because it does not deter people from offending. The current system of points and fines is clearly not working, and something rather more effective has to be done, like confiscating the car for instance. ".......the Chief Inspector recommended that road users use a rear-facing camera and evidence their own speed at the time of the overtake." I fail to see what the speed of the vehicle being overtaken has to do with the overtaking vehicle passing too closely. Would it be ok if you were doing 5mph, or 25mph? Baffling.
In principal, driverless cars have the potential to be much safer than human drivers, by virtue of the fact that they should be intent on following the rules of the road, nor driving whilst drunk/drugged, never be tired, frustrated, irrational etc, etc. Another advantage is that mistakes can be corrected and rolled out across the entire fleet (try that with humans. Add to that the resulting reduction in car ownership, increased car sharing, and the sheer amount of street space given over to parked cars will plummet. The key factor, however, is how much of those principles the owning companies are prepared to commit to. (Altruism isn't their strong point)
I'm going to take a close look at some of the lights mentioned. For reference: I extensively used the following: - Nightrider lumina (don't recall the exact model): horrible temperature control and after 18 months it bricked up on me and they refused to honour the warranty, will never buy anything from them ever again; - Lezyne 1600 XXL, two issues, firstly the strap that attached it to the handlebar never kept in place really well over rough terrain. Secondly: a cop stopped me and although -to me riding the bike- it appeared well adjusted, he claimed I was blinding oncoming traffic. He actually held the bike so I could check for myself from inside his car and he was simply right: the light level on the ground was ok but indeed, I was blinding oncoming traffic. That's a hard no, it had to go even though he didn't fine me. I don't want to annoy/be a risk to other road users; - Then the Lupine: solid as a rock, mounted on a GoPro mount, USB-C charging, StVZO compliant...but alas not enough oomph considering terrain and desired speed; Thinking back, it somehow seems like a light I had on my bike back when I was riding long distance events (Audax, crazy distances but lower average speeds) might have been ideal, that was a Son Edelux and it ran on a Son hub dynamo. But I don't want to install a dynamo and again, lower speeds.
Well that all blew up quickly! A pause to savour: "cyclists have a dislike for linguistic accuracy and authentic meaning." Apparently it's something to do with the cyclic muscle movements - ah, no, that would affect runners and rowers also. Circular motion of the limbs?
@mattw Yeah, and Oxford Street will be full of unicorns and rainbows by then as well. 🤣
@stulemanski Actually I think they do, as long as there is good behaviour. Complete cycle bans are vanishingly rare in the Netherlands, which is the best comparison. In 10-20 years time there will be a mobility track, and there will be no real problems.
@Rendel Harris That assumes training, expertise, and the time to do a proper job including full consultation. This does not happen, and then rapid assumptions are made based on "me". That also happens with cycling groups who campaign for something and completely ignore eg tricycles or other varieties of vehicle, in favour of standard cycles. Both lived experience and professional experience are essential. This week I have been looking at a brand new £50k 3m-wide path upgrade in my local Green Flag Park, where the Council have spent perhaps £3k installing a 3 ply chicane with 1.5m gaps and 1.5m spacing between barriers at one end of it. The path also includes a 1-in-9 30m long hill. I have since been talking to a lady who is a wheelchair user and has a fully-trained assistance dog which walks alongside, who is thereby prevented from entering the park she pays for with her Council Tax. Those dimensions are unusable for most small mobility scooters, never mind other mobility aid users, and are flat out unlawful, and not in accordance with several sets of Government Guidelines. Yet when I complain I expect to be stonewalled to the door of the Court in the hope that I will get exhausted and go away. At the door of the Court they usually capitulate, and will have spent 7-10k on legal letters and compensation and doing what they should have done at the start. That £3k could have been spent sorting out perhaps 10 other anti-disabled barriers around our Green Flag Parks. Every complaint so far I have made has been met with "Does Not Meet Threshold for Action".
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@Rendel Harris I have recently come out. I have been called a lot worse. Sticks and stones. So are you saying I cannot call people like myself names? If a call myself and people like me, a ‘homophobic slur’ are you going to get the nasty words police on to me? If you are straight, then your opinions and fake anger mean nothing. Unless you are gay, you are clueless. So stop getting all worked up about a name. I can cope with it. If you can’t, it’s on you.
68 thoughts on ““It’s s*** you can’t trust anybody to do the right thing”: Independent cycle shop forced to massively discount custom bike frame after being “completely stuffed” by customer who failed to pay; Reaction to Louise Haigh resignation + more on the live blog”
Quote:
I bet they’re not getting a Xmas card this year…
Will be a lovely frame for
Will be a lovely frame for the right person, it’s very enjoyable getting to select paint colours. Too small for me!
It’s perfect size for me – if
It’s perfect size for me – if my “friends” in the road.cc comments section fancy having a whip round in recognition of all the “entertainment” I give them through the year I would accept graciously!
WIthout hesitation, I’ll
WIthout hesitation, I’ll chuck in 10 pence!
There – your crowd funder is up and running (sort of).
So, the transport secretary,
So, the transport secretary, Louise Haigh, has resigned.
Not because of policy differences but lying to police over a stolen work mobile in 2013.
Fkn politicians, all the same…
a “mistake” that happened in
a “mistake” that happened in 2013, investigated and charged at the time, pleaded guiilty, given a caution (lowest sentence a magistrate can give I believe) declared to autorities as required, “forced to resign” because someone in the media decides to make a thing of it.
This minor infraction has been in the public domain since before she was elected (if they had cared to look) and the elecotrate have been happy to vote her in several times over.
Feels like she’s been
Feels like she’s been properly done over.
EK Spinner wrote:
As a Labour supporter, or at least a socialist (not necessarily the same thing these days of course), it gives me no pleasure to see a member of the cabinet getting into trouble, but I’m not sure committing fraud by false representation is really a minor infraction and the circumstances as reported do look extremely dodgy, including not reporting having “found” the allegedly stolen phone to her employers, refusing to answer any questions at police interview and pleading guilty in court. If her story is true why didn’t she just tell the police about it at interview and clear it all up then and there? There’s also the question of the fact that her employers apparently/allegedly were investigating her for several other instances where she claimed her phone had been lost/stolen and asked for a replacement (something her representatives have not denied when asked to do so). It doesn’t add up to a very pretty picture and the fact that Starmer was prepared to accept her as a minister originally but is now happy to accept her resignation implies there may be more to the case (which already looks pretty dubious, frankly) than is currently known.
I understand your point;
I understand your point; however the punsihment for the offence proves it was a minor infraction, the lowest possible punishment does not inidcate there is more to this than that declared. However because the previous administration was so corrupted by self interest and resignations that were justified, by convention, did not happen, if the new Government is to reset standards, she had to go, even though the “controversy” is media manufactured.
Legin wrote:
I don’t think anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the sentences handed down to drivers as reported in these pages can have any doubt that it is possible for there to be significant discrepancies between the seriousness of an offence and the sentence handed out by a magistrate. Look at it in another way, if she was convicted of injuring somebody when drink-driving but given the lowest possible sentence for that offence, would we say that proves it was a minor infraction? It’s the offence itself that is the important question rather than the punishment received.
If she is guilty of the offence, and she pleaded guilty, then she is guilty of lying to the police and her employers about an event in order to obtain a gain for herself (for fraud to exist in law there has to be an attempted gain to the fraudster or a loss for another party), and that’s quite serious. I’m afraid I have to revert to the fact that she refused to answer questions about the matter from the police and pleaded guilty in court, why would you do that if you’ve done nothing wrong?
Bluesjy comment:
Bluesjy comment:
“The biggest shock of the Haigh resignation is discovering that once upon a time the police actually investigated a stolen phone.”
Hirsute wrote:
Ah, but we’re talking about a phone that was the property of a £12 billion company, not just one of we oiks on the Clapham omnibus…
I did read her solicitor
I did read her solicitor advised he not to answer.
“My solicitor advised me not to comment during that interview and I regret following that advice,”
Hirsute wrote:
The problem is that we’re just hearing her side of that discussion (it certainly wouldn’t be appropriate for her solicitor to comment on it) and there was likely very good reasons for her to not comment during an interview. I’d guess that her comments could then be proved false in a court of law and lead to a worse outcome than simply pleading guilty.
Agreed, if I had been her
Agreed, if I had been her solicitor I also would have advised her to keep her trap shut. As somebody who clearly can’t get her story straight, she would only have dug herself deeper.
She even misled us in her resignation letter. She didn’t receive the lowest possible punishment, she received a conditional discharge, rather than an unconditional one, which the magistrates could have given her.
Whilst she only pled guilty to one case of fraud, according to The Times, there were potentially three occassions.
It’s also no small thing for a company like Aviva to report an employee to the police as well as firing them. And judging from The Times’s sources, it wasn’t just bosses who were upset by her behaviour but colleagues too. Also, as above, it is unusual for the police to investigate such a crime unless there were aggravating circumstances. I doubt we have heard the whole story yet.
Hirsute wrote:
Indeed, and she also uses that excuse to explain her guilty plea, but she is an intelligent adult woman, she surely would’ve been capable of making up her own mind as to how to react to the police request for interview and indeed how to plead in court. I’m sure most of us, if accused of a crime of which we were innocent, would be happy to explain our innocence to the police and certainly wouldn’t plead guilty to a criminal offence and accept having that on our record when we had done nothing wrong. Solicitors don’t like losing cases either and wouldn’t advise a client not to talk to the police or to plead guilty unless they thought the consequences could be even more serious for them if the whole story were to be placed before the police/courts.
The Sun has an article today:
The Sun has an article today: “Keir knowingly let convicted criminal into heart of government while preaching about ethics – he has questions to answer”
Pretty sure they weren’t so concerned about ‘ethics’ under the last how many Tory prime ministers…
“Lawmakers can’t be
“Lawmakers can’t be lawbreakers”, can’t remember who said that once.
stonojnr wrote:
Boris the liar.
brooksby wrote:
As yes, more Labour whataboutery. Do two wrongs now make a right?
Dodonline wrote:
I’m sure that incorrectly declaring a mobile phone as stolen ten years ago (whether deliberately or not) is “just the same thing” as breaking Covid regulations, taking payments for asking questions in Parliament, watching tractor porn in the house, setting up offshore companies to profit from Covid PPE requirements &c &c &c, isn’t it? /sarcasm
You forgot stuff like
You forgot stuff like formally declaring in parliament you’re going to break the law – but only in a specific and limited way?
I think it’s definitely “politic” that she’s gone. It’s perhaps not “good politics” (one could argue the offense was time back and nothing to do with her day job). Although at a senior level it’s all about “how it looks” (senior politicians with criminal convictions for theft / fraud as adults – not good).
This may seem unfair after the last lot. However I think it will improve the image of politicians if the standard they’re held to is this high and we’re not treated to weeks of “will they jump or do they have to be pushed”?
Unfortunately some of those who rise to high office get to behave appallingly, be corrupt and have an extremly flexible moral compass without the law troubling them, and seem to be shameless when confronted about it…
dubwise wrote:
Very different actually; reading the detail, this is a minor offence, previously declared, but the Minister has resigned. Compare and contrast this to the number of times Ministers breached the ministerial code without resigning, and the number of MPs accused of in inappropriate behaviour, that still retained the support of the various Prime Ministers over the last 10 years and you will be forced to agree that this is a step to restore standards and integrity.
Legin wrote:
Very different actually; reading the detail, this is a minor offence, previously declared, but the Minister has resigned. Compare and contrast this to the number of times Ministers breached the ministerial code without resigning, and the number of MPs accused of in inappropriate behaviour, that still retained the support of the various Prime Ministers over the last 10 years and you will be forced to agree that this is a step to restore standards and integrity.— dubwise
Hilarious. Are you so blinded by party loyalty that you’ll defend anything?
Even Starmer’s given up on that line today, with the new message from his spin doctors being that she misled him too.
Legin wrote:
Very different actually; reading the detail, this is a minor offence, previously declared, but the Minister has resigned. Compare and contrast this to the number of times Ministers breached the ministerial code without resigning, and the number of MPs accused of in inappropriate behaviour, that still retained the support of the various Prime Ministers over the last 10 years and you will be forced to agree that this is a step to restore standards and integrity.— dubwise
Sorry but that’s a load of bull.
Quite frankly, you should not be able to stand as an MP if you have a criminal record. And I’m not saying it because it is her, any of them should not be allowed to stand.
As we see, it can and will be used years later.
No chance of being
No chance of being rehabillitated ? Are you really going to hold that over someone for the rest of their life?
Crap – she was shaping up to
Crap – she was shaping up to be the least-bad transport secretary for quite some time!
She talked alot about stuff,
She talked alot about stuff, but not much in the way of action after nearly 6months was there?
So the bill to bring the
So the bill to bring the railways back into public ownership is nothing to do with her then?
Technically no, it was drawn
Technically no, it was drawn up by civil servants in the department, unless you think she typed it all out herself ?
Though obviously I was referring to her cycling ambitions,what with it being a cycling related site.
But feel free to join us over on the rail forums to discuss railway matters.
stonojnr wrote:
Genuine question – what is the baseline? As in – what do transport secretaries get done on average in – say – 6 months? (Noting that the bigger the project / idea, the longer it takes for there to be anything to show for it). Obviously there is even less data for when it’s a new government (plus a completely different party).
I’ve no big flag to wave for her – never heard of her before, but her early interest in active travel was unusually hopeful.
I hope someone will help with my ignorance but is it a case of it’s easy to legislate after the fact for stuff that is already happening, but much much harder to initiate changes – and the bigger the changes the more you have to sell it to the boss (pm and party)?
Anyway FWIW we have previously had:
2 years of Mark Harper (fighting the train unions, “proudly pro-car” more money for HS2 and some infra).
1 month of Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Just over 2 years of Grant “Four names” Shapps (who did announce some extra monies for active travel – perhaps more than before, but still small beer. IIRC some of this was then clawed back. I think Gear Change and active travel England came in under his watch – not nothing)
Slightly longer with Chris Grayling – cancelling railway funding and being selective with the facts about that. Bunging money to a ferry company and then this deal collapsing (and incurring further costs in compensation). Famously dooring a cyclist (clearly not the first or only politician to do this, but it didn’t look good).
dubwise wrote:
Slagging off P&O probably didn’t help. Seems like a lot of fuss over what was probably a genuine mistake that happened over 10 years ago.
Err. Really?
Err. Really?
Yes really. She got mugged,
Yes really. She got mugged, gave the plod a list of what she thought had been taken, turned out to be mistaken about one thing when she later found it.
I can imagine doing that, and I can imagine not thinking it was worth updating the police afterwards given that I would be expecting them to have done precisely sod-all about it anyway.
As big deals go, it’s not one.
It is a big deal when the
It is a big deal when the other media reported facts* are taken into account:
1. she had already worked as a special constable before the offence was committed so presumably had a good understanding of some aspects of basic law.
2. She was working for an insurer / regulated industry at the time of the offence so would have completed lots of mandatory training on fraud / ethics as part of her onboarding.
3. Her employer was already investigating the “loss” of *several* phones **before** the incident that led to the conviction
4. she didn’t “find” the phone and report it to her employer. The phone was being used (presumably with a new SIM card) and its use was detected by the tracking of the IMEI number by her employer’s mobile network supplier
5. When the employer was advised that the “stolen” handset was again in use they advised the police who then accessed the geo-locator to find which cell site it was connected to. And from there they identified her location.
6. She chose to change her plea to one of guilty of her own volition.
So she was already under investigation before the “robbery” and “found” phone.
Starmer made great virtue of “lawmakers can’t be lawbreakers” and she spent several years before being a minister telling us all sorts of people should resign because they weren’t trustworthy. So she’s done the right thing by resigning but is not fit to be an MP / lawmaker in the first place.
The bigger point is that we had a transport secretary with a pathetic level of experience for someone presiding over £billions of our taxes being spent.
* caveat – the media may have misreported.
open_roads wrote:
Not particularly sure that follows.
The_Ewan wrote:
Can you also imagine refusing to answer police questions on the matter and then when you went to court pleading guilty to a serious criminal offence even though you knew you were innocent?
Tom_77 wrote:
I was thinking that may have been influential in deciding whether or not she could weather the storm, which annoys me, but on balance it’s right she’s gone. We’ve got so used to government ministers getting away with all sorts while clinging to post that it’s tempting to think of this as a storm in a tea-cup, but it shouldn’t be.
But even if I am sceptical of the spin of some reporting, the incident shows poor judgement at best. I’ve no desire to research the incident in detail, so I say with full benefit of the doubt, that on discovering an honest mistake there must surely have been opportunity to say ‘guess what I found?’ before the police were called in. It just seems daft.
A prompt resignation on the other hand was smart. Maybe more would have come out, but resigning on the same day the Assisted Dying bill was debated AND the day after the bloke from Masterchef stood down means it gets a lot less air-time and means people like me can’t be bothered to read the detail. Resigning quickly improves her chances of returning to a government position at some point in the future, though presumably something lower profile.
Most people who have resigned
Most people who have resigned have come back at a later point. Whether under new standards that happens will be interesting.
If the tories under Boris Johnson hadn’t behaved so appallingly and Johnson hadn’t tried to retrospectively change the rules to get his mate off, we very likely wouldn’t have a government position like this.
It is very very disappointing
It is very very disappointing, because she was shaping up to be the best Transport Secretary in a long time.
“Pro cyclists and their love
“Pro cyclists and their love for cars… Never fails to baffle me”.
Uhm, same reason the top pros are wearing ridiculously expensive watches while racing. Cause they’re getting paid to. Lamborghini – and the specific Belgian dealer – are getting wads of free publicity in the Belgian press (and further afield) thanks to Matthieu. Who hasn’t seen the photos of Matthieu rocking up to muddy cyclocross races in the Lambo and pulling his Canyon out the back? PR gold in cycling mad Belgium, where Pro cyclists are front-page news. BMW will get the same from Evenepoel.
They’re not /buying/ these cars, you know that right? 🙂
Note that, AFAIK, it’s really only Belgium where pros are being gifted the use of very expensive cars (+ whatever other money comes as part of what is effectively a sponsorship deal).
Well arguably Cav is no
Well arguably Cav is no longer a pro rider, but I do believe he has been given a nice Aston Martin.
I know Skoda often lend cars to pro riders of all ranks, ie not just big name riders for column inches in media, too
Didn’t Ineos give out those
Didn’t Ineos give out those horrific Land Rover lookalikes?
Surreyrider wrote:
Yes, and Fran Millar made sure that David got one too. (reported here on road.cc).
I know he had been a naughty cyclist once but that was a long time ago; so what did the poor boy do to deserve that?!!
As for Louise Haigh walking the plank, I’m no conspiracy theorist but that’s surely the result of her pissing off Starmer’s fossil fuel puppeteers by talking up active travel. Heidi Alexander MP might be a great advocate but at this point I have zero hope of her actually making a difference.
Memo to Heidi: please, please, please don’t prove me right.
Edit, just seen an apposite tweet:
https://x.com/David__Osland/status/1862467122967847229
Pro bike riders more into
Pro bike riders more into need for speed than bicycle environment philosophy. T’was ever thus. They don’t pootle.
And years ago Laura Trott,
And years ago Laura Trott, Daniel King, Joanne Rowsell, as theyvwere after Olympic gold, got lots of being and Jaguars, when Jags were very desirable cars (to those who like cars). Nothing new under the sun
NSL, blind bend. 4 seconds
NSL, blind bend. 4 seconds later 2 vans came the other way !
My only hope is when the inevitable happnes that the one coming towards me ends up in the ditch and not spinning towards me.
Honestly, someone performs a
Honestly, someone performs a perfect pass and you still complain…
(Also the folks doing the road markings could usefully have made that line “no overtaking” from that point or before. But then you probably would have simply had a closer pass…)
I think this is a valid
I think this is a valid comment. I’ve had similar passes before, then something comes round the corner and the cut back in
I suspect you may have missed
I suspect you may have missed the sarcasm in chris’s post !
Had the same thing happen to
Had the same thing happen to me a few years ago, but there was a vehicle coming the other way. No injuries, but lots of damage.
So it seems it’s now Heidi
So it seems it’s now Heidi Alexander.
Not sure how this will change things, but a) she’s been a Shadow Secretary of State for Health b) has had transport experience in London c) there’s this thread on the Platform Formerly Known As Twitter from 4 years back (which I therefore can’t read all of). I hope it ended well…
HELL YEAH! What’s the
HELL YEAH! What’s the opposite of “out of the frying pan, into the fire”? I’m sure at some point I’ll be disappointed in her, but compared to Transport secretaries of recent decades who were either non-plussed or resentful of cycling, this is A Very Good Move.
Good that we’ve got it on the
Good that we’ve got it on the blog for you to read all of it!
Louise Haigh: 4 years time,
Louise Haigh: 4 years time, presidency of the USA becomes available… although she might have to boost her conviction rate.
?
“Heidi Alexander becomes the
“Heidi Alexander becomes the new Transport Secretary…..”
When I heard that Louise Haigh was resigning, I was concerned that all the fine statements about Active Travel would go with her, but I am extremely chuffed about the new appointment. At last, a Transport Secretary who really does ride a bike.
Ironically, we had a London
Ironically, we had a London Mayor and PM who really did ride a bike. The book, ‘All the President’s Men’ describes how they didn’t pay attention to one of the men because he rode a bike to work and Woodward and Bernstein assumed a bike rider was a good guy. Let’s wait & see
BBC total fail on ebikes
BBC total fail on ebikes
Title: Police hunt mum’s killer after e-bike hit-and-run
You have to read the story to find the victim was on an ebike, not that the rider used an ebike to kill somone one. The killer was a car driver.
Then it becomes apparent that this is an electric motorbike
“Alana Armstrong, 25, was a passenger on one of two e-bikes”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8107z61pno
Even the next paragraph makes
Even the next paragraph makes it sound again as though someone riding a bike killed her: “The rider – a man in his 20s – was taken to hospital…”
BBC continues with this shit attitude to reporting traffic collisions involving cyclists.
Some time ago, I concluded
Some time ago, I concluded BBC uses a very crude, badly set up form of AI or 14-year old work-placement schoolchildren to write lots of their junk non-main news reports and nobody previews or edits it. I knew someone who worked there briefly who was astonished at the type of people in management posts
The BBC is institutionally
The BBC is institutionally biased, both about cyclists and cycle helmets.
That is an appalling article!
That is an appalling article! You have to get deep into it to find out the e-bike riders were chased and rammed by someone driving a Landrover Discovery. Yet somehow the headline isn’t ‘Police hunt mum’s killer after Landrover hit-and-run’.
I like the Yorkshire rose on
I like the Yorkshire rose on the Feather headbadge 😀
Bit shit from that customer
.
It seems Starmer takes
It seems Starmer takes differences of opinion quite personally
Makes it a loyalty test,
Makes it a loyalty test, arguably
Vingegaard in yellow at the
Vingegaard in yellow at the 2024 TdF? Someone get that picture editor a strong coffee now…
Evenepoel seems to support
Evenepoel seems to support many a club..