Robbie the Pict
Robbie the Pict, also known as Brian Robertson (1948-) is a Scottish campaigner and former European Parliamentary candidate for the Isle of Skye.
He gained exposure as the leader of the Micronation of the Pictish Free State, established in 1977 as a means of promoting awareness of the Pictish culture. He was also a leading figure in the ultimately successful campaign to abolish the toll on the Skye Bridge during which he argued that the legal paperwork for the tolls was incomplete, and that consequently the tolls themselves were illegal. The toll was finally abolished in 2004 after the government bought the bridge from its private owners.[1] Robbie the Pict also appealed (unsuccessfully) to Prince Charles to help overturn the criminal convictions of those who had been prosecuted for refusing to pay the toll.[2]
In 2006 he launched another campaign to have traffic light surveillance cameras declared illegal on the grounds that they have not been formally approved by Parliament. He was convicted in Nottingham of running through a red light.[3] In April 2009 his appeal to the High Court in London was rejected.[4]
In May 2009 he lost a test case in the Scottish Court of Appeal challenging the legality of speed cameras.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Tolls abolished for Skye Bridge, BBC News 21 December 2004
- ^ Anti-tolls veteran in prince plea, BBC News 7 January 2009
- ^ Campaigner takes on road cameras, BBC News 24 April 2009
- ^ Robbie the Pict, R (on the application of) v. Crown Prosecution Service, [2009] EWHC 1176 (Admin), 24 April 2009
- ^ 'Robbie the Pict' loses speed camera test case, The Scotsman, 15 May 2009
