Game for a Punt?

Hello Blipo's, fancy a punt?

Just before I took this picture, a Scudamores chauffeur driven punt had caught the eye and ear of an independent tout on the bank. On hearing the standard issue tourist spiel driven into Scudamores employees, our observer called out, 'did you tell em the one about the day a hundred men lost their jobs'? He may have been laughing, but joking he was not.

Having grown up in Cambridge, I feel very privileged to have had an Enid Blyton'esk childhood, filled with nothing but miles and miles of open green fields. As I grew older however and the differences in the society around me became more apparent, this small university town suddenly begun to feel alot smaller and a lot less welcoming. Being a city that generates most of its revenue from education and tourism, genuine opportunities for 'normal folk' are few and far between.

Although seasonal, and highly competitive, the banks of the River Cam and its center, Quay side have for many years now offered a alternative to retail and agricultural work for Cambridge residents. If you are willing to undercut your competitors, take countless rejections on a daily basis and don't mind wearing a daft hat, then the financial rewards of this job, can be highly lucrative. Herein lies the problem. Scudamores is in part owned by the main university, Kings College and has the majority and monopoly when it comes to waterfront property and Punts. Then there are the independently run companies, who look more favorably upon 'local lads'. Keen for a pocket full of cash, the independents will often try and undercut the 'establishment' being paid a percentage per tour in cash, whilst employers of Scudamores being paid an hourly rate, will try the same for the thrill of the chase. This in turn has created what has been termed a 'tout war'. Local business's and university officials have campaigned for a end to organized touting for years and were recently successful, resulting in today being the last 'Legal' day of touting from independent companies. Scudamores having three floating pontoons with ticket offices on the main spots along the river will remain unaffected and among the small number of companies allowed to keep their licenses'. So the university run punt tour company will now no doubt flourish without a real competitor and as a result, take over yet more Cambridge land, what a surprise!

So now with around 100 men out of work, and a number of independent companies having to dock for the last time, things remain pretty much the standard in Cambridge... the establishment wins.

There was a still somber mood around the river today and it was unusually quiet for a sunny (if not cloudy) Saturday and the punts were abnormally empty. So I made the most of the cloudy whether in sepia and took a photo of a tour departing from the offending party.

Still, its not all bad news. The boys have organized a night of chaos to night to make this day in history. Over 150 independent and the handful of 'goodn's' from the opposition are descending upon the city centers pubs and clubs for what they are calling 'Armageddon'!