They were being launched into a loudhailer or loud-heil-er? As I waited for things to kick off, I scanned the crowd. Middle aged white men seemed to be in the majority, so I fitted right in without any requirement for disguise. Not a great start to proceedings. The legislation aims to prevent the most polluting vehicles from entering the most congested areas of the city, and imposes a fine for doing so.
It is however good enough to draw the attention of the somewhat meagre crowd before the speakers commence. Or at least, it would have been if the speakers had started immediately after.
It turns out we still had another fifteen minutes to wait. The speaking area consists of what appears to be a gazebo from Argos with a low-budget PA setup feedback, echoing, and complete-audio-drops aplenty. Finally, with minimal fanfare our first speaker finally takes centre stage well, gazebo : David Icke-alike Paddy Hogg. Hogg gained notoriety with his organisation of anti-lockdown protests in , and further courted controversy with somewhat predictable comments about the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
Exhausting stuff! Unexpectedly, the next speaker is the most disappointing. They do amazing work. That refrigerated van is, however, the root of their problem, as it falls foul of the new guidelines.
An appeal to Glasgow City Council for an exemption failed, which presumably fuelled the ire of McInnes. As a result he seems apparently willing to be the vaguely rational meat in an otherwise conspiratorial sandwich. More strangely though, he says little or nothing about the plight of his charity, but spends more time talking about MOTs and vehicle emission standards. The headline act of the day is the Daniel Baldwin of political discourse, Piers Corbyn. He rumbles into George Square in a theatrically battered old car festooned with anti-LEZ posters, then shuffles over to the gazebo sporting his trademark dishevelled look.
