A motorist’s recent ‘David and Goliath’ victory against a car park firm was nothing of the sort
Many people will have enjoyed reading the news last week that Linda Edwards, a 58-year-old artist who lives in Saddleworth near Oldham, has won a five-year legal battle to get an unfair parking ticket rescinded. Justice had finally been done in spite of the rapacious demands of an intractable parking services company, it was proclaimed. “I hope from this others will have the courage to stand up to these companies,” said Edwards. It was described in several newspapers as a “David versus Goliath” struggle.
This description is flawed. For a start, Goliath died. Meanwhile, Excel Parking Services Ltd is still, according to its website, managing “over 210 car parks”. (I’m going to hazard 212.) The awful truth is that this giant is something even Goliath wouldn’t stand a chance against because Goliath was just a tall human and humans, unlike parking services companies, inevitably die.