Blame culture

Life is not fair is quite a true statement. All people are created equal - only some are more equal than others. It just depends where you are in the pile of humanity that makes up life. Take the case of Paul a delivery driver who was sacked after a speed camera clocked him at an astonishing 103 mph outside a shop. Paul Kellerman, is now out of a job. The man with a van from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: “I was gutted  I knew I was well under the limit. It’s a high street and the van can’t do 103 mph. It can't do more than 70 mph. I wouldn't do that anyway.”

The driver was delivering electrical goods in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, when he noticed a speed camera flash in a 40 mph zone. Days later his firm received a prosecution notice saying he had been caught speeding at 103 mph. Incredibly his boss believed the police document – despite the fact the firm’s van was fitted with a 70mph speed limiter – and dismissed him. Eventually, Paul received a letter from the speed unit manager which said: “It is apparent you were travelling within the speed limit at 34 mph in a 40 mph zone and the ticket was issued as a result of operator error.” A Police spokesman said: “A notice of prosecution was issued in this instance in error. The subject of his employment is a matter for him and the company.”

Now take the case of the rail safety manager. A six-inch gap in a railway track has been discovered just two months after another hole was found on the same 125 mph line. A rail safety expert said "the broken rail, which has now been repaired, could have caused a train to derail or jump tracks." Accident investigators are so concerned about the East Coast Main Line they have taken the unusual step of launching a probe, even though there hasn't been a crash. The RMT rail union said "a crack had been spotted two weeks earlier but had not been repaired due to staffing cuts."

A safety expert said: “These tracks take a lot of punishment and failing to repair the initial crack means the vibrations could cause the line to crumble away quite quickly to a potentially lethal state.” The line at Hambleton South Junction, near Selby in North Yorkshire, was shut for five hours on Friday and nine trains were cancelled. The RMT, said: “This shocking new picture highlights the reality on Britain’s railways today – staffing, inspections and track renewals have been cut in the dash to save money. We are now facing exactly the same set of poisonous conditions that led to the Hatfield disaster. No one in charge has been sacked, suspended or even warned about their conduct."

Life is unfair and it does depend on where you sit in the hierarchy.

Later....