Welcome Aboard The Black Pig - Shipping & Freight Blog

Please may I be an MP Sir?

So. The expenses scandal rumbles on and on. OK it's not shipping related but it's still the number one topic in the UK.

Trouble is we just talk about it. What does it take to get some direct action around here? Iran has what might be a dodgy election result (nobody actually seems sure where the "corruption" occurred) and 1 million people are out on the street, this despite the threats of imprisonment, violence etc. Here in the UK we're told we mustn't protest near the Houses of Parliament anymore and we just swallow.

The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 bans all unlicensed protests on Parliament Square.Brian Haw (the anti Iraq War protestor)is allowed to continue living in a tent outside parliament because his protests precede the date on which the laws were instigated (he's been there since 2001). The rest of the population can go whistle. Now the Captain is the last person to incite a mutiny, you've got to worry though when a succession of elected figures blatantly steal money from the Public Purse and then all cry "foul" "I made a mistake" &  "I've done nothing wrong". If you've done nowt wrong why feel compelled to repay thousands of pounds?

So why aren't we rioting in the street? Maybe it's because the truly good (British) people just don't do this. Maybe they have faith, misguided or not, that the next election will sort it out (sorry if I don't sound too enthusiastic on that one)

With everybody hollering for the head of their MP at the moment my thoughts turn to all the Freight Executives I have known. Should the microscopic examination of expense accounts become a fashion I can think of a few who might quieten their outrage as the all seeing eye turns toward them. No. On second thoughts Freight Execs are far cleverer than the average Politician – you might know they’re “at it” but pay anything back….. I don’t think so. Anyway, they’ve always got receipts (of a sort). And the “Public Money” argument doesn’t wash guys – did you pay tax on it all?

And maybe that's part of the problem. Is it such a great gulf between stealing from an employer and stealing from the Public purse? If you convince yourself that dodgy expense claims are OK because of all those extra hours do you feel you have the moral right to criticise your MP. You might grumble with the masses but take to the streets? I think not.

Am I making you a little uncomfortable?

That’s funny – everybody just logged off!

 

Nothing New - Electric Vehicles

THE main story on the HSG site the other day had me thinking.

The accompanying photograph was an electric Royal Mail van - from 1899!

Take a good look at the van involved, those vents at the top of the body have got to be ventilation for the batteries. I'm guessing most of the mail went onto the top, unprotected, roof rack. But no matter. if Queen Vic was happy for her post to travel electric, plus we've been getting milk deliveries that way since Lord knows when, there's got to be something to this electric vehicle business.

Boris has taken the trouble to commission a full report but it seems to me just common sense to direct a lot of our city traffic to using 'leccy as their main power source.

Look at the pluses: Virtually no pollution, no ruddy Congestion Charge, low maintenance costs (so long as the batteries are made to last).

Disadvantages: Charging points, will there be enough? Speed.

Well the Pirate thinks, charging points? Just plug the ruddy things in. Rocket science it ain't - there seem to be plenty of lampposts around, last time I looked, they haven't been gas powererd since that old Daimler was prowling the streets. Speed? Now you have got to be joking. I've been schlepping up to London for 40 years and the last ten have seen journey times double at peak times. For a City based operation moving personnel or freight around the City it's a no brainer. Methinks darker forces are at work here. There are lots of folks out there who don't want you driving a milk float to work.

But fear not friends. There are companies out there starting to produce practical commercial, as well as private vehicles. Smith Electric Vehicles spring to mind. The Pirate believes Hydrogen power will arrive one day but till then, keep shouting for electricity!

Where Have All The Exports Gone?

Here, for your perusal, is the Captains perennial diatribe on where we're going wrong with regard to our export levels.

For many years now Britain has gradually lost its manufacturing base, this we all know. Once upon a time there were regular updates about our balance of trade figures. This was a simple equation. HMC just added up all the figures we gave them for what we sent out and for what we brought in. Easier days, bits of off white A4, fill them in stick them in the Customs messenger box.

As with so many other levels of administration in the UK some years ago we lost our way. "Invisible Exports" appeared (or rather they didn't as they were "invisible"). Now I don't know about you but confidence in abstract Government departments - I ain't got.

We were told all was well. Yes, export levels had dropped, imports were up, but sales of financial services, insurance etc. were soaring and more than made up the difference (their words, not mine).

Britain turned, almost overnight, into a "service economy". To me that simply means we got a lot more of Ronald McD's meat and slurry emporiums. Meantime factories closed, cars got "assembled" not built. I'm not saying this chain of events was easily avoidable, simply that in a capitalist system the guy with the money reaps the reward of cheap goods abroad and can't produce anything comparatively cheaply for sale overseas. Yes, if the country is a whizz at the "invisibles" you can stave off the problems. What happens however when those industries also become cheaper outside the UK?

We are reaping the whirlwind folks - right here - right now.

However, having frightened you all half to death let's review the possible futures.

We are told there are many more bright young (and not so young) things coming out of University these days. Although I think this sudden surge in intelligence owes more to the lowering of standards and the massaging of figures we have grown used to from our government, it's time to unleash the dogs. More of us have to move abroad to drag that cash back from where it vanished to when we were buying all those cheap goods. Our standard of living must necessarily drop to account for the huge government deficit we have (and still are) accruing. Forget retirement, those service industries need to be staffed by old fogies (I speak with authority) thus avoiding a pension blitz as long as possible. New manufacturing lines need to be set up, smaller niche companies dealing in the best of British. The government must use the fallen pound to attract more long term investment. We must pay more attention to our natural produce, farming needs a strong concerted voice from both farmers and government, we need more offshore reefs to maintain the steady increase in fish stocks which has been shown to be possible. These can be combined with the offshore wind and wave technologies which can decimate our energy costs.

Right, That's it you lot, I'll leave you to get on with it, supersize that one mate, I'm just off to Primark.

Handle with Care

Do you really know what you are carrying?

 

Military hardware, some used to make up nuclear weapons can be easily bought and shipped to addresses outside the United States, warned The Government Accountability Office (GAO).

 

The GAO managed to set up bogus companies, using them to purchase hardware and parts widely used in warplanes, guided missiles and even nuclear bombs. GAO was also able to export a number of dummy versions of these items using the mail to a country that is a known as a shipment point for terrorist organisations and foreign governments attempting to acquire sensitive technology.

 

A warning note to exporters was sounded when lawmakers within the US voiced concerns at the overall deficiencies of regulation and export controls.

See link.

http://televisionwashington.com/floater_article1.aspx?lang=en&t=3&id=11026

 

All of us in the freight community should be aware of both the accurate description of our cargoes and the credibility of our customers. Shipping munitions in the mail is one thing but we should always be vigilant when it comes to what we carry. Many unscrupulous individuals mis-declare the nature of goods – particularly hazardous items. It’s like buying a car – if someone unknown to you with no credentials offers you cargo to or from a sensitive location, you have the right, nay, responsibility to check it out.

 

But let’s make it clear, foolproof we ain’t. The Captain remembers too well a case involving a full load of metal pipework, large gauge stuff circa 2 tonnes apiece. Driver had empty trailer in Europe, got the phone call to collect from brownfield site. All the pipe ends protected by wooden battens & steel bands. You can guess the rest, the driver got lifted before he cleared the Continent, pipe ends knocked off by the Customs revealing – the cannabis. He spent the next 9 months, patently innocent to anyone except Inspector Clouseau, rotting in a foreign gaol.

 

So the message is – be careful what you carry. It’s your responsibility, and in these troubled times when money’s tight, many unscrupulous people are looking to profit from your services.

Captains Blog - Stardate Number One

WELCOME Traveller - to the maiden voyage of the Black Pig. Her ongoing mission to provoke and inspire comment and debate across the width and depth of space and time. Here you will find informed opinions with a dash of bigotry and bias (let's make this clear - it's a blog, that's what they are).

Will the Pig sail onward for ever, thousands flocking to contribute? Or will she sink below the waves of flotsam and jetsam out in the murky seas of the Web Ocean? Nobody knows.

Mostly I shall try to stick to Freight related items (no matter how tenuous) but sometimes she will run before the wind of general interest. Set out your stalls early folks - post your comments and be damned!  

The Captain