London traffic warden defies five furious secret service agents

[karrie]

Blackleaf isn't interested in facts, just British chest thumping.

Yeah, I'm familiar with Blackleaf.

But, that being said.... it was an interesting read for those who might be interested in the facts.

 

[hunboldt]

She's a diplomat right? She has immunity!

Educate yourself would you.

Besides, ever since the Government shut down Hillary is short of parking change...

 

[petros]

Do they take tokens?

 

[hunboldt]

Do they take tokens?

 

[petros]

Is he playing pocket pool? Hey Charlie, the ref is a d!nk.

 

[EagleSmack]

Can you provide an example of that ever happening? I'll give you two minutes.

.

Bill and Kate... Los Angeles... right through the LAX Tolls

The couple were escorted to Los Angeles airport by a police motorcade with several motorbikes closing roads and police cars ensuring safe passage


Boom!

If a road toll is a tax then why are foreign embassy officials made to pay road tolls in the US when they are supposed to be exempt from paying taxes?

And why are US embassy officials avoiding paying the London congestion charge when it is NOT a tax and therefore they aren't exempt from paying it?

Diplomatic Immunity!

On both counts the US is in the wrong.

7 Million in unpaid pounds tells otherwise.

 

[hunboldt]

Is he playing pocket pool? Hey Charlie, the ref is a d!nk.

His worried grin is from fishing in his pockets and realising that he doesn't have any parking tokens...

 

[captain morgan]

Bill and Kate... Los Angeles... right through the LAX Tolls

The couple were escorted to Los Angeles airport by a police motorcade with several motorbikes closing roads and police cars ensuring safe passage

The motorcade shoulda taken a shortcut through Watts - stopping at all the lights of course

 

[tober]

Diplomats are exempt from most taxes, but not from "charges levied for specific services rendered" - such as the London congestion charge.

If they are exempt from paying the charge, London Mayor Boris Johnson would not have complained about the American embassy not paying it when he met with Obama in London in May 2012.

In fact, since Johnson complained to Obama, American congestion charge dodging has RISEN.

The Yanks are not the only offenders, but they are by far the worst.

Johnson's spokesman said: “The continued failure of several embassies to pay the congestion charge is unacceptable.

"The charge is absolutely not a tax, it should be paid and the Mayor will continue to make that very clear when meeting the representatives of any embassy failing to pay.”

The Foreign Office says that the charge is for “a service rendered for which there are no legal grounds to exempt diplomats”.

Start towing vehicles.

 

[PoliticalNick]

Start towing vehicles.

For what? BL still hasn't been able to explain what service has been rendered. Mainly because driving on a public road is not considered receiving a service.

 

[Nuggler]

Just tow the ****ing car

 

[PoliticalNick]

Just tow the ****ing car

OK, Britain can tow the cars of Canadian diplomats and Canada can charge Britain for all expenses when the useless monarchy comes to visit.

 

[karrie]

Start towing vehicles.

The United States has it right, and it's how Bloomberg got diplomats to pay on their millions of dollars worth of tickets (because again, this is not uniquely US behaviour).... diplomats in the US use special license plates that at the property of the State Department. They simply threatened to take away their license plates if they didn't pay up. Seems pretty simple. You may decide you have diplomatic immunity from a road toll, but, you also don't have the right to drive on that country's roads if you're not willing to follow their rules.

But, where's the drama in simply solving an issue I suppose.

OK, Britain can tow the cars of Canadian diplomats and Canada can charge Britain for all expenses when the useless monarchy comes to visit.

From what I read today on diplomatic status, you can not tow a diplomat's car, at least in the US, except in cases where it presents a road hazard. You can however, at the order of the muckity mucks in government, reclaim government property in the form of its diplomatic license plates.

 

[Blackleaf]

OK, Britain can tow the cars of Canadian diplomats and Canada

As a Commonwealth country, Canada doesn't have diplomats in Britain. It has High Commissioners. Commonwealth countries have High Commissions in other Commonwealth countries, not embassies.

Canada can charge Britain for all expenses when the useless monarchy comes to visit.

I don't think so. The British people should not have to pick up the tab when the Canadian Head of State travels around Canada. The Canadian Queen visiting her people in Canada has nothing to do with us.

What next? You want to charge us for Obama travelling around the USA?