Taxi Driver Online

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

Barnetts Taxi
Please Read & Comment!!

This message is to all my customers who have used my Taxi and everyone who uses Facebook.

I'm sad to say that after almost four years of being a self employed taxi driver and having my own taxi business I am soon to be no longer allowed to drive a taxi, No thanks to the Scottish Borders Police who say I'm an unfit person to be a licensed taxi driver.

Every year an application goes into the council for renewal of a taxi drivers badge, the council then send this to the local police for approval. I have done this four times now and my first three years there has been no issue.

However this year I was told that I was deemed an unfit person to hold a taxi drivers licence.

I questioned this as I haven't been in trouble with the police or any points put on my licence or even had any complaints made about me in the entire time I have been driving taxis.

To my surprise I was told that my refusal for renewal was due to a comment I placed on my Facebook page.

let me also add this was not even on my taxi Facebook page, it was on my own personal page. One of my Facebook friends had seen a police car parked in a disabled bay in the local tesco car park and had taken a photograph of this, then posted it to the local paper via Facebook.

Because he was named on my friends list this post came up on my page as dose everything my friends post. Anyway I clicked on it and was reading the 86 messages attached to this picture and I left my comment in response to the other 86, so my comment was no. 87 then there were three comments after mine, making a total of 90 comments.

The police only picked out mine, which by far was not the worst.

In my comment I wasn't at all flattering towards the police saying that I have no respect for the police that break there own rules and that they should be leading by example, I even went on to say that they are mere civil servants on a power trip.

I never put this in my Facebook comment but the no respect I was referring to came from the police that are all over YouTube. Videos of a police man punching a 16 year old girl in the face because he couldn't restrain her, a police man breaking a 14 year old girls arm as he pounced on her without warning or even the G20 protests where Ian Tomlinson was hit with a truncheon while trying to walk away and later died.

There's hundreds of examples of this all over the Internet and the police involved never seem to be held accountable. Just a week after my council hearing it came out that 22 police from the Scottish Borders were found to be sending racist comments via internal emails and none of them lost there jobs. My comments were not in any way racist.

Admittedly in hind sight I may have went a bit over the top as in reality I do have respect for the police in general just not the small minority that break the rules that they are meant to enforce, and I never made that clear. It did look like I meant all police.

Regardless of how I meant it, I was under the impression that I had the rite of expression (freedom of speech) meaning that I could say whatever I want as long as its not racist or slanderous, without persecution ie; losing my business and only source of income.

I was wrong!!

I appealed the decision not to renew my licence with the local council based on this. However I tried to get copies of all the other comments so that my comment could be read in context to the other 86 comments before mine, but that was not possible as the pictures and comments had been permanently removed from Facebook at the request of the police and were no longer available.

At the council meeting there were three police, eight councillors, two council employees and a solicitor for the council plus myself.

After hearing the police read out my Facebook comments to the room, I felt no explanation I gave was being taken into account and the councillors had a vote - it was a split decision in favour of not renewing my taxi licence due to an apparent lack of respect for the police.

Let me remind you at this point I have never had any dealings with the police since being a taxi driver and this was entirely based on a comment I put on Facebook.

The only reason I am still driving a taxi just now is because I have made a summery application to the local sherif court in order to overturn the decision made by the council - until this has been heard I can continue to work.

So I ask - do we have freedom of speech or should I have kept my opinion privet?

If the court think the council and police are wrong then there is a chance that I could keep my business, job & income.

Like - if you think the police & council are wrong! Or leave your comments, as this may help me at court to renew my taxi licence.

Thanks!!


And a result
Hi. I can now update everyone on the outcome of my court hearing that took place today (30/01/14) at Jedburgh sherif court.
It has taken a year and 12 court dates to finally bring this to a conclusion. The Judge for an hour and a half listened to both sides and finally granted my application for renewal of my taxi badge and held the council responsible for expenses & court costs. He went on to say that the council had no grounds for making a decision based on a Facebook comment. No police were at court and no statement was given from them as they deny ever having had a problem with a Facebook comment even although I have the paperwork that says otherwise. Just goes to show what can be done if you stand your ground.

that is friggin unbelievable

that's the second time I've heard of it happening - and one chap is a member of TDO

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The problem with these people (Council etc) is that they are cowards. It is not that they are right in their actions, and this they know this. Unfortunately being bullies, and not having to spend their own money to fight a case, they rely on you/I not being able to afford legal representation, and tend to get away with it.

Well done you

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

The Bigger problem is that Councils and Police who were once the Servants of the people have now swung things around and they now play a Controlling authority role, hence we now we dance to their tune instead of them dancing to ours, and they have become a bit power happy with their new found authority.

This was about the police using you as an example, to frighten your colleagues off making comments on Facebook and the Internet.

And the title to your thread suggests they have achieved just that.

If it were me, I would be going after them big time. You should be slagging them off even more now than ever and encouraging your workmates to do the same.

Who do they think they are, the bloody Stasi.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Maybe the police car parked in a disabled bay in order to pick up a shoplifter?
They do this because it's easier to open the car doors to put the prisoner in.
Or maybe they were just shopping, if they were shopping, who cares.

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stressed controller!!!

Well, obviously, the police care or why make a complaint about someone commenting on Facebook?


What are you looking for some sort of good citizen award for being an ar*e kisser?

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Disgraceful.

I would put in a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman, if you have such a mush up there.

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IDFIMH

The Ombudsman only covers acts of Maladministration, and they don't normally investigate claims that have entered the court process.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

Down here you can complain about anything.

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IDFIMH

You generally do

Skippy never agreed with anything you have posted to me your an ex mob parasite........however you are of course entitled to your opinion and i would back you in any contest to stop you expressing it!

Recently in London a driver was witheld his license because he was deemed unfit to hold a license because he slagged off the slag von windsor. he won his case against TFL the admin on this site have the details

Of course his Union supported him, as they would have done YOU had you not been a SCAB

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All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Whether they were right or wrong, folks out there really do still believe that they're immune from any comeback when they go online.

I agree.

There is a reason it is called the World Wide Web.

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IDFIMH