JT wrote:
Since hearing this terrible news a couple of hours ago I've been dreading making this post.
I had the very great privelege of meeting Paul on two occasions. A couple of years ago we passed an extremely convivial evening when he dropped in at my house on his way north; then just a few weeks ago he and Claire called in for lunch at my sandwich shop.
It is absolutely typical of Paul that within hours he had sent me a lengthy e-mail suggesting all manner of useful ways in which I could further promote my business and build on its success; and generously offering his time if I needed any help; all this despite his own punishing workload and of course his health issues.
It speaks volumes of the man behind safespeed. One who sincerely
cared about othersI think this is what I saw shining through the background of all his posts.
Quote:
Meanwhile there was the "Safespeed" persona of Paul Smith. The dogged, pugnacious, uncompromising stalwart fighting a battle against seemingly impossible odds; yet gradually winning, because of his tireless work, his painstaking logical anaylsis, his apparently unstoppable optimism, and most of all his enthusiasm for fighting for the loftiest of causes: quite simply to save lives.
It is sad that the true extent of the contribution he made remains largely unappreciated, but I feel sure that in time it will become known, that one day it will be realised that he left a legacy of lives saved. I don't have it to hand, but a poem by Wilfrid Owen spoke of "Greater wars, where man fights death for lives, not men for flags". Paul was such a warrior.
Rest in peace Paul.
John Thornley
Quote:
The Next War
War's a joke for me and you,
Wile we know such dreams are true.
Siegfried Sassoon
Out there, we've walked quite friendly up to Death,-
Sat down and eaten with him, cool and bland,-
Pardoned his spilling mess-tins in our hand.
We've sniffed the green thick odour of his breath,-
Our eyes wept, but our courage didn't writhe.
He's spat at us with bullets and he's coughed
Shrapnel. We chorussed when he sang aloft,
We whistled while he shaved us with his scythe.
Oh, Death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed at him, we leagued with him, old chum.
No soldier's paid to kick against His powers.
We laughed, -knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags
He wars on Death, for lives; not men, for flags.
I am sure he will be regarded as having spoken up for the ordinary man eventually.
Accidents? We are humans - we have indivuduals who.. commit crimes .. can be very unpleasant and stupid .. and we are also "accident-prone"
Oh sure - police officers cannot be everywhere - but they move around whereas a speed cam (unless it happens to be the only one in Durham
) stays in the same place and folk slow for the cam and that's the only thing it actually does
in term of "safety". It's why my old guv and current guv keep our RPU as it is "tried/tested and true" .. but .. I am not going to deny we are accident or KSI -free as this is not possible given we are all daft human beings at base
- but we are consistently below the average and we do try to keep it that way. It's no accident that we prosecute more for other traffic offences than "speeding" ...and if you like - a strong RPU demonstrates the value of Paul's stance and dogged outspoken-ness.