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MALCOLM SIMMS:  THE MAN BEHIND YOUR MISERY

Council parking attendants do not operate on their own initiative:  They are mostly far too stupid for that.  They are the foot soldiers, directed from above, and the man behind them is Malcolm Simms, the Head of Parking Services for the borough.  Simms is dedicated to the issuing of as many parking tickets and penalties as possible, and the mindless persecution of motorists at every opportunity.  Simms has his own agenda, which is, firstly, to raise as much revenue as possible for the council, so that his, and the other inflated salaries of senior bureaucrats can be paid, and second, to drive motorists out of the borough.

The dangers of faceless bureaucrats like Simms are many:  They do not respond to reason and do not care about  the harm they cause. When challenged, they hide behind the organisation they are part of, thereby avoiding personal responsibility.

A LESSON FROM HISTORY

History shows that it is often impossible to make bureaucrats like Simms see reason, as is shown by events during the Nazi era.  In 1941, Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS and a senior bureaucrat, was inspecting a death camp at Treblinka in Poland.  At that time, the mass, industrialised slaughter of Jews and others had not started, and instead, people were murdered by a single shot to the head.  While watching proceedings, some brain material splashed on to Himmler's coat.  He went white as a sheet, and turned away, obviously horrified.  However, a few minutes later he made a speech to the soldiers at the scene, saying that the work must continue, and that murder was the duty of every good soldier.  In fact, he commissioned a study on how to murder people in a more efficient way, and the gas chambers were the result.  The point is, when confronted with the full horror of his actions, Himmler became even more determined to carry out the policies which he believed, in his demented and insane way, would result in a better world.

While Simms is clearly not a Nazi, he is a man with a vision, and that vision is to drive motorists out of the Borough and to make as much money from them as possible in as underhanded a way as he can.  Even when confronted with evidence of the hardship he is causing to residents, he will not flinch from what he believes to be his duty.  Only when it is no longer possible to carry out his policies for practical reasons, will he change the practices which have made him one of the most loathed bureaucrats in the borough.  Therefore, the only path open to citizens is civil disobediance.

HOW TO MAKE SIMMS SEE THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS

There is no moral argument which will change Simms' views.  However, as citizens, we are entitled to protest, and to do everything in our power to make the enforcement of parking tickets difficult, if not impossible.  Here's how I short circuited the process:

• I paid the ticket immediately, and so only paid half the value.
• I sent a letter to every councillor in the borough, without the use of a stamp.  This alone would have cost the council about £30, so the profit for the council was significantly reduced.
• I sent out hundreds of emails to every address on the Sutton website, thus causing considerable inconvenience to the Borough.
• I set up a website where other outraged citizens can air their views about the issue of unfair parking enforcement in the Borough.

My point is this:  If everyone protests in the same way, the issuing of tickets, particularly in circumstances where it is unfair to do so, would not be cost effective for the council, and they would be forced to review their policy.

OTHER METHODS OF PROTEST

Here are other ways you could make the council, and Simms, see sense:

• If you receive an unfair penalty, phone the council and request an appointment to see Simms personally, so that you can explain your case.  If everyone does this, the cost in time to the Council would be considerable.
• If you are refused the right to see Simms, you could, as an outraged citizen, visit him anyway, at his offices, and refuse to leave until you see him.  The Council would then  have to forcibly eject you from the building, which would create an unpleasant scene.

Here are Simms' contact details:

 Malcolm Simms , London Borough of Sutton Parking Services, Civic Offices , St Nicholas Way , Sutton Surrey , SM1 1EA

Enquiry Line:   020 8770 5341                       Fax:   020 8770 5350

www.sutton.gov.uk

Email:  [email protected]

REMEMBER:  TOGETHER WE CAN WIN, AND BRING ABOUT AN END TO INJUSTICE!!!!