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‘Inherently racist’

Fromthetrees

TRANSPORT LEO VARADKAR has said that the green lights on taxi roofs will have to be removed.
He said that other signs on Irish taxis that indicate a driver is Irish are “inherently racist” and “inherently xenophobic”.
Responding to TheJournal.ie’s exclusive report yesterday that some taxi drivers in Dublin were potentially using a covert signal to each other and potential customers that they are Irish, Varadkar said that the green lights would “have to be removed”.

http://www.thejournal.ie/inherently-racist-varadkar-critical-of-signs-of-irishness-on-dublin-taxis-451351-May2012/

I've been hearing taxi drivers giving out about non Irish taxi drivers for years, looks like they are doing something about it now.
Are they victims of circumstance or are they small minded bigots?

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Show Time

prinz wrote: »

If I knew it was going Western Union to some other country I'd tip more.

That is your choice to make.

Nodin

Morlar wrote: »

I..............
Plenty of islamic taxi drivers advertise their religon within the car, playing islamic music, having korans and islamic texts prominently on display etc., I wonder if varadkar is also going to be bothered by that at all ?

....how can you advertise something you have to get inside to see? If you want to play the "But what about" game, you need a Taxi with a nice big Koran on the roof.

daltonmd

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

thats why any decent taxi driver installs cameras inside his/her car.

So any taxi driver (of any nationality) not equipped with this isn't decent? Grand so....

Dravokivich

Show Time wrote: »

That is your choice to make.

As is anyone's choice to do with money they earn...

:rolleyes:

loobylou

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

i don't need a green light to let me know there's an irish taxi driver in the queue.

i just look at the ignorant racist asshole sitting in the driver seat.

Barring the guy having a swastika or similar tattooed on his forehead, I don't see how you could tell hes an "ignorant racist asshole" with just a look.

Bruce7

I always try to choose the nicest car. This has led to accusations of racism, but if I'm paying 15 quid or whatever to get home and have the option of travelling in a 10D E class merc or a 15 year old banged up Corolla, I'm not going to choose the latter just to spare someone's feelings. If an African is driving the nicer car I'll go with him. If he's not, tough sh*t.

Show Time

Dravokivich wrote: »

As is anyone's choice to do with money they earn...

:rolleyes:

And my choice is to make sure when i am handing over money that it is staying in the hands of a person who was born in the same country as me.:rolleyes:

Nothingbetter2d

daltonmd wrote: »

So any taxi driver (of any nationality) not equipped with this isn't decent? Grand so....

no but if they had them installed people wouldn't be able to get away with blackmailing them to get off from paying a fare.

Nodin

Show Time wrote: »

And my choice is to make sure when i am handing over money that it is staying in the hands of a person who was born in the same country as me.:rolleyes:

....and you think this green light/Irish sign is handed out to people on the grounds of their birthplace/citizenship?

sbsquarepants

28064212 wrote: »

The solution to the taxi-driver's woes is quite simple. Form a professional union, with strict joining requirements. Create a minimum set of criteria: good car, clean car, excellent knowledge of the locality, low prices. Make these taxis identifiable to customers and develop a reputation for excellence. These are things customers care about.

Things customers do not care about once the above criteria are met:
Irishness of the driver

"Double-jobbing"

The taxi regulator

Any union based on any of the above have absolutely no interest to the customer, yet they're the most commonly displayed attributes on taxis. I've never once seen a taxi proclaiming their excellent local knowledge, or that they have a great, clean car that provides a smooth ride, but I've seen dozens of "Irish", "Full-time taxi-driver" or anti-regulator stickers.

Dozens of industries self-regulate. They create their own professional bodies to ensure that members are recognised as adhering to a minimum set standard. Yet taxi-drivers, for which there are virtually no entry barriers, have not copped on to that fact

Makes sense, but there is nothing "professional" about driving a fúcking taxi! Even the most brain dead, borderline retarded, knobheads can manage to drive. Taxi drivers need to realise that they are absolutely unskilled workers, the days of them being paid like surgeons are gone and gone forever!
Also when i get into a taxi i couldn't care less if the driver is from fingal or finnland, all i care is that their car is safe, they aren't half cut or stoned and they know how to get where i want to go. I couldn't give a toss if they drive 60 hours a week or 6 hours a week.
Taxi drivers seriously need to learn their fúcking place!

Prop Joe

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Makes sense, but there is nothing "professional" about driving a fúcking taxi! Even the most brain dead, borderline retarded, knobheads can manage to drive. Taxi drivers need to realise that they are absolutely unskilled workers, the days of them being paid like surgeons are gone and gone forever!
Also when i get into a taxi i couldn't care less if the driver is from fingal or finnland, all i care is that their car is safe, they aren't half cut or stoned and they know how to get where i want to go. I couldn't give a toss if they drive 60 hours a week or 6 hours a week.
Taxi drivers seriously need to learn their fúcking place!

What a ignoramus !!!

Bad Panda

Morlar wrote: »

I am not a taxi driver but I'd guess there is a certain skill to dealing with condescending (along with all other kinds) customers on a daily basis.

I wouldn't call being human a skill.

Feeona

Bad Panda wrote: »

I wouldn't call being human a skill.

You're in After Hours now, be careful what you say :P

daltonmd

Nothingbetter2d wrote: »

no but if they had them installed people wouldn't be able to get away with blackmailing them to get off from paying a fare.

Of course it would - but it doesn't mean that those who do not have them are not decent - whuch is what you said - But I take from you that this is not what you meant.

It wasn't me!

Prop Joe wrote: »

What a ignoramus !!!

Quoted just because it's so beautiful I wanted to look at it again.

Bullrush

I heard a story about "black only" and "white only" taxi ranks in Dublin. Wouldn't be surprised.

I'd be less inclined to get in one of those "Irish driver" cabs.

thebigbiffo

i'm a bit torn on this one...

if someone wants to get an irish taxi driver, i think that's up to them. for the most part it's true that a lot of black taxi guys in dublin now do not have a clue where they're going - that's not racist, i'm not implying that all black people do not know they're way around dublin and are therefore inferior to white irish people (:D) - it's simply that they tend to be new to the game, have little english etc. i've had issues myself with foreign (for the most part black) drivers and i've heard the same from a lot of people...sooooooo...

it is a bit racist, and it probably shouldn't be allowed, but i've a certain amount of sympathy for what they're trying to do. and that's why i believe it's not 'inherently' racist...these guys see a gap in the market for a fare who's sick of being brought in circles all over dublin and are trying to exploit it.

and to be pedantic, it doesn't make the driver a racist, it makes the punter. if i thought there was enough of a market out there for swaztica flags to make me a millionaire i might very start making them - doesn't mean i personally want to kill the jews.

bah the road to austwitz was paved by indifference etc...i'm ranting now, lunchbreak

I am pie

The real issue here is the complete deregulation of the taxi industry which has let all sorts of undesirables sell licenses and buy licenses. Proper regulation should ensure there are sufficient drivers, with cars of a decent standard (there are some smelly wrecks out there!) and with detailed knowledge of the roads they work in. That is far from the case right now.

endofrainbow

just wondering if there are any black irish born taxi drivers and if so would the racist punters refuse to get in a car with him/her?

28064212

I am pie wrote: »

The real issue here is the complete deregulation of the taxi industry which has let all sorts of undesirables sell licenses and buy licenses. Proper regulation should ensure there are sufficient drivers, with cars of a decent standard (there are some smelly wrecks out there!) and with detailed knowledge of the roads they work in. That is far from the case right now.

Before deregulation, there were none of those regulations. The quality of taxis was just as poor, except there were much fewer than them. In the absence of proper regulations (despite the fact that taxi drivers could regulate themselves if they wanted), I'd much rather thousands of poorly regulated taxis than a couple of hundred poorly regulated ones. The probablility of a quality service is the same, but at least you can still get one instead of waiting 3 hours for one

Renn

6 pages until Godwin's Law? Wow.

thebigbiffo

endofrainbow wrote: »

just wondering if there are any black irish born taxi drivers and if so would the racist punters refused to get in a car with him/her?

i'm sorta half racist in regard to this and i'll tell you yes, i would. but you'd need some kind of signal to know they were irish. like a green li...

yeah, like that.

I am pie

28064212 wrote: »

Before deregulation, there were none of those regulations. The quality of taxis was just as poor, except there were much fewer than them. In the absence of proper regulations (despite the fact that taxi drivers could regulate themselves if they wanted), I'd much rather thousands of poorly regulated taxis than a couple of hundred poorly regulated ones. The probablility of a quality service is the same, but at least you can still get one instead of waiting 3 hours for one

That's kind of a half way house, 'ah sure it's not so bad' type solution though isn't. Is it so ambitious to expect proper regulation and a professional drivers union. Selling or renting plates should be illegal, drivers should be properly qualified. I can't see how this is overly obstructive and should protect the integrity of the job by ensuring only capable and accountable professionals drive taxis.

Jim_Kiy

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

i don't need a green light to let me know there's an irish taxi driver in the queue.

i just look at the ignorant racist asshole sitting in the driver seat.

So All Irish taxi drivers are racist!!..what a racist statement.

Gyalist

Nodin wrote: »

....how can you advertise something you have to get inside to see? If you want to play the "But what about" game, you need a Taxi with a nice big Koran on the roof.

I'm going to start avoiding taxis with Padre Pio stickers on the dashboard and crucifixes and other religious icons hanging from the mirror.

28064212

I am pie wrote: »

That's kind of a half way house, 'ah sure it's not so bad' type solution though isn't. Is it so ambitious to expect proper regulation and a professional drivers union. Selling or renting plates should be illegal, drivers should be properly qualified. I can't see how this is overly obstructive and should protect the integrity of the job by ensuring only capable and accountable professionals drive taxis.

Check post #7 on this thread. It's up to taxi-drivers to form this union, not wait for the government. Where is it?

ViveLaVie

daltonmd wrote: »

I know taxi drivers who will not take black people - especially black women one told me of a fare he took from a hosptial in town to Dun Laoghaire one Sunday morning - the fare should have been about 50 euro but he felt sorry for her and charged her 35 - she immediately accused him of being "racist" and robbing her.
When he tried to explain Sunday rates to her, she changed tack and said she would call the Garda and accuse him of "touching" her up - he was petrified and said he simply wouldn't take the chance again.

Yeah, but that's not really to do with her being black is it... it's more the fact that she was an utter bitch! I'd imagine you're just as likely to get an ignorant Irish woman sit into the car and accuse you of trying to rape her etc.

I am pie

28064212 wrote: »

Check post #7 on this thread. It's up to taxi-drivers to form this union, not wait for the government. Where is it?

The professional union is the least necessary, what is the problem with making taxi driving a profession? Exams, no reselling of plates, decent standard of car?

Why would you not want that? ...there would still be sufficient entrants to protect supply if fairly regulated and would reduce the amount of tension amongst drivers and spare us passengers from the tiresome "these african lads..." type rants.

28064212

I am pie wrote: »

The professional union is the least necessary, what is the problem with making taxi driving a profession? Exams, no reselling of plates, decent standard of car?

Why on earth should there be no reselling of plates if it is regulated? If someone can pass the exams and has a decent standard of car, why shouldn't they be allowed buy a plate?

I am pie wrote: »

Why would you not want that? ...there would still be sufficient entrants to protect supply if fairly regulated and would reduce the amount of tension amongst drivers and spare us passengers from the tiresome "these african lads..." type rants.

Because it's a waste of the government's time when they have much bigger fish to fry. And the government have a pretty poor record when it comes to regulating the service industry

The entire IT industry is totally unregulated. A 16 year-old in his bedroom can stick a website up and call himself a developer. So it self-regulates. There are professional bodies, exams created by the industry, things like Microsoft partnerships

daltonmd

ViveLaVie wrote: »

Yeah, but that's not really to do with her being black is it... it's more the fact that she was an utter bitch! I'd imagine you're just as likely to get an ignorant Irish woman sit into the car and accuse you of trying to rape her etc.

If that was the case he wouldn't take any woman - he never encountered this in his 22 years with an Irish woman. At the end of the day the way he sees it - any allegation against him threathens his livlihood and it's simply not a chance he can take.