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Clare In The News

CptSternn

Why is it whenever we read about Clare in National news it is never good?

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/lsquoi-get-daily-racist-abuse-for-being-a-coloured-taxi-driverrsquo-2980239.html

Last time it was about how the council hid EPA reports.

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Lady Chatterton

User Friendly wrote: »

Thats not what he was referring to. he was talking about punters not taking the first taxi in the rank.

Have you actually heard the entire interview??

User Friendly

pappyodaniel wrote: »

It was terrible from the moment Guilfoyle started his interview. He said nothing of substance and he didn't denounce the racial attack, so overall he done a terrible job representing the town of Ennis on a national radio station. It was an embarrassment and thankfully Matt Cooper wrapped it up fairly lively.

Indeed the Mayor has condemned the assault at the Council meeting,cooper never asked him to condem it on air!

guys,i cant believe im standing up for local representatives here,but if ye are going to have a debate,state the facts!

User Friendly

MrsD007 wrote: »

Have you actually heard the entire interview??

yes.

Lady Chatterton

User Friendly wrote: »

Indeed the Mayor has condemned the assault at the Council meeting,cooper never asked him to condem it on air!

guys,i cant believe im standing up for local representatives here,but if ye are going to have a debate,state the facts!

He was representing the people of Ennis this evening so I feel that he should have condemned the attack instead of making a number of references to the fact that the victim was still working as a taxi driver.

In fairness to Matt Cooper, he was quick to point out to the Mayor that the victim had no choice but to continue working as a taxi driver if he wanted to support his family.

User Friendly

MrsD007 wrote: »

He was representing the people of Ennis this evening so I feel that he should have condemned the attack instead of making a number of references to the fact that the victim was still working as a taxi driver.

In fairness to Matt Cooper, he was quick to point out to the Mayor that the victim has no choice but to continue working as a taxi driver if he wanted to support his family.

if your going to keep taking snippets from the interview without quoting Guilfoyles answers,accurately then im out of here.

Lady Chatterton

User Friendly wrote: »

if your going to keep taking snippets from the interview without quoting Guilfoyles answers,accurately then im out of here.

We are all entitled to our view and I believe that the Mayor performed very badly.

User Friendly

MrsD007 wrote: »

We are all entitled to our view and I believe that the Mayor performed very badly.

hold on a second.

I have no view what soever on the Mayors performance on Today Fm today

,thats not what this thread is about,for me its partly about stating the facts of what was said and what was meant;) by the Mayor of Ennis.

Before i asked you to clarify "what was extremely uncomfortable listening for you",i had heard the interview,so i listened to the podcast again as i thought i must have missed something,Turns out i missed nothing,it was only your good self misunderstanding Guilfoyles comments during the interview.

Do you honestly think that the Mayor believes that "Racist attacks on Taxi Drivers only happen in Dublin " i dont think you do,and neither does he,otherwise there would be calls for resignations.

Lady Chatterton

I'm going to agree to differ with you on this one UF - Goodnight

User Friendly

MrsD007 wrote: »

I'm going to agree to differ with you on this one UF - Goodnight

Jeeze your 1 stoute woman!!!!!!:D:D god bless.

Balagan

Transcript (unofficial, by Balagan) of interview between Mat Cooper on The Last Word, Today FM, Thursday evening, 12th January 2012 and Michael Guilfoyle, Mayor of Ennis, Co. Clare

MC: You may remember on the programme last Thursday we spoke to Bartholomew Omoifo, a taxi driver from Ennis, who had been the victim of an attack. His attacker had been sent to prison for 9 months for the assault but when Bartholomew was with us on the programme he said that he’d had many experiences of racism as a taxi driver in Ennis. Let us remind ourselves of a little bit of what he had to say.
BO: It has been very very traumatic as a taxi driver in Ennis, yeah? Because we really going through tough time here. We suffer loads of racist abuses, people not willing to enter our taxis even when we are heading the queue they prefer to pass us and even sometimes, whenever they open the taxi and they see that it’s a black driver, they will bang the door and walk away. Sometimes when I am driving they throw stones at us, they throw burger at us, whatever they are eating they throw them at us. You know, they give ..... bad names , saying that we are very bad, that they don’t want us here, we are monkeys, we should go back to where we came from, we should leave the country, which has been very traumatic for us as a taxi driver.
MC: That was Bartholomew Omoifo last week. We are joined by the Mayor of Ennis, Independent Councillor Michael Guilfoyle. Michael, how are you going to deal with this problem in Ennis.
MG: Hello Matt. That’s the first time I’ve heard that interview there now Matt to be honest with you because I hadn’t heard it before and I mean as Mayor, I’d apologise, I mean you know no person should be treated in that way, irrespective of what colour or creed they are but I don’t think Matt, personally, I know, I’d imagine even in your own area, taxis get abuse irrespective of which colour they are or, do you know what I mean? You may not take the taxi that’s, you know people decide themselves which taxi they want. Now I am not a great man to get taxis myself because I live here in the centre of the town but I’d apologise as I said if tis that bad that he has stated but I must admit that is the first that I have heard.
MC: So you are surprised by it, are you?
MG: I am surprised because I imagine you know from the outset there that when he was assaulted was 2010 and from what I can gather from your interview he is still operating as a taxi driver and I’d encourage him to operate as a taxi driver
MC: Yeah, Because he told us, he told us he had to do so to earn a living because he lost his job as an accountant, he is a fully qualified accountant, lost his job, but he wants to make a living for his family rather than depending on welfare.
MG: Yes, of course and I support any person I mean given the times that we’re in anyone who loses a job and makes an effort, you know, to put food on the table for their family. I mean that has to be welcomed but I mean, like, as I said, you know, he’s, since the attack I mean he is still operating as a taxi driver so things may have improved. I hope to God they have have but...
MC: Not by the sounds of what he told us himself last week.
MG: Well, this is the first Matt that I have heard, as I said...
MC: Well, will you look into it?
MG [PART OF THE DISCUSSION IS MISSING FROM THE PLAYBACK HERE ]....you know, treatment and if you avail of any services you are entitled to your payment . Every person in Ennis and every Town Councillor would condemn it in any part of the country. People are entitled to be paid for services they provide.
MC: Okay and I suppose and briefly what his problem was that a lot of the time, he says people in Ennis, they look at who is driving the car and they walk on to the next car ‘cause they don’t want to get into a car with a black man driving.
MG: Yeah, I don’t know, I heard that happens in Dublin but I’ll be honest with you it’s a first that I am aware that it happens in Ennis, you know, and that’s being honest Matt because, as I said, I am not a great taxi ...
MC: Well, there you are, there it is something for you to look into.
MG: Thank you very much
MC We will leave it there, Mayor of Ennis, Michael Guilfoyle, thank you very much. We’ll take a break.

If anyone spots any error in this transcript, please point it out.

Based on this interview where Mr. Guilfoyle states that he only heard the allegations of racism voiced by Mr. Omoifo when Matt Cooper played them back to him on Thursday evening during the interview (this despite these allegations also being made by Mr. Omoifo on TV3 news last week and reported in the newspapers) it is interesting that Mr. Guilfoyle refuted the allegations at the meeting of Ennis Town Council the previous day, Wednesday. http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/racism-blown-up-by-media-179877.html http://www.thejournal.ie/ennis-is-not-a-racist-town-mayor-326465-Jan2012/ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0112/1224310142603.html

How can you refute allegations you haven't heard?