Joined: Wed Sep 03, 2003 7:30 pm Posts: 57355 Location: 1066 Country
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As it cost nothing it's worth taking the time it takes to download. http://www.taxitalk.co.uk/pdfs/taxitalkjan2008.pdf
And I can't understand who Mr Casey is on about on page 72.
Please don’t call me a vexatious litigant!
These are not the views of the National Taxi Association
In order to respond to any article a person achieves certain things, firstly, he draws your attention to it; this in itself passes a certain amount of kudos to either another paper, magazine or writer. Secondly, it keeps the subject matter in the arena. I don’t really wish to do either, however, I’d be failing in my duty if I neglected to pass comment.
As I have written on many occasions, my views are my views only, they are not those of the NTA - they will give their views at any particular time they choose. Anything I write, state on a website, or say verbally is not the view of the NTA; the NTA elect directors to speak on its behalf not administration officers.
Last month a contentious and litigious article appeared in some so-called taxi trade ‘rag’ stating that the NTA has consistently refused to deny links to the BNP (British National Party). I must obviously point out to the NTA have also refused to deny links to CI5, the IRA, the PLO, Al Qaeda and indeed the Labour Party.
“The NTA, that National Fleet Owners Association were also there, which is cause of grave concern to me. This group continuously refuse to deny a relationship with the BNP” was a statement made by this scribbling moron who by some fluke of nature has actually been promoted through the ranks of the of the union to which he belongs. I mean, nature is a truly wonderful thing, can someone tell me how the hell, with an estimated 40 million sperms in the average ejaculation, the writer in question managed to be the fastest?
What we have amongst our congregation ladies is a chancer, a chancer who will not cease in lowering the tone of debate to his own inane and somewhat despicable level. The fact is that the NTA is fervently non-political, and the fact that the question has never been asked through official channels and indeed the fact the question is so infelicitously moronic it doesn’t deserve an answer seems bloody oblivious.
I sincerely hope the NTA solicitors have taken note and will take some kind of action, not only against the author of the offending article, but the publication who allows such libellous content to go out to print; surely libel laws are out there to protect a respected body such as the NTA from these mindless inferences? Indeed, it hardly goes without saying that a huge proportion of the provincial taxi trade are from an Asian background, therefore the statement is potentially damaging.
The ‘meeting of minds’ was mentioned in this particular article. Primarily the meeting was set up by three people, me included – indeed, I am pleased I played a role, the trade has waited many years till it finally got together to find areas of mutual concern. If I have achieved little else in my life, getting people around a table and talking isn’t a bad end.
To suggest the meeting was in secret is obviously incorrect, the meeting was mentioned exclusively in this very magazine many months ago and prior to the first meeting. Also the belief that delegates were unelected is a straightforward lie. (NTA members do tend to be rather picky about who represents them).
As stated in a previous issue, the main intention of the meeting was to find common ground, the keywords being ‘non contentious change’, if anybody felt uncomfortable with a particular idea the proposal would be and will be killed stone dead!
It seems to me like a touch of ‘sour grapes’ this particular person wasn’t invited, and bearing in mind the recent article I would presume this will remain the case, I for one would not wish to see my own favoured National Body, the NTA, sitting at a table with a doltish and imbecilic half-wit who knows less about the provincial taxi trade than ‘Shola’ my insane kitten.
I cannot foresee this chap being invited into the ‘meeting of minds’ as obviously to be present at the meeting you must evidently have a mind (the clue is in the title). Indeed a number of representatives have already stated: “if he attends, we will walk out”, this comment does seem to point towards how the trade feel about him.
It has additionally been stated that the meeting was restricted to the North West, bearing in mind the NTA chairman is from Bedford, and there were representatives from both Exeter and London, it’s reasonable to suggest the author needs to either buy a map or switch on his ‘tom tom’. The above aside, I suppose the fact that the North West has some of the leading lights of the nation’s taxi trade is something the Northwest can be justifiably proud of.
Apparently, the meeting reached some conclusions, again I must point out that no conclusions were drawn other than to have future meetings. The NTA were described as a fleet owners association, this is wildly inaccurate, the vast majority of NTA members are owner-drivers, me included. Naturally we are aware of movement within the union to which this ill-advised fellow belongs, to discharge him. This has come from the mouths of some who consider him an ‘embarrassment’ to their body. Indeed, he labelled one particular chap a bigoted Orangeman, the fact my colleague was a devout catholic and indeed a member of the same union seemed fairly irrelevant, again never allow fact to get in the way of a decent racist slur.
The same article made reference to Wayne Rooney (Wow, Wayne Rooney and Wayne Casey on the same page), I actually quite like Wayne Rooney, obviously he does play for the wrong team, and at a pinch we might actually find a role for him at Carlisle United. Indeed, if he applies for a Hackney Carriage licence we may even let him into our local taxi association.
But what I’m trying to get at is how the author of the article’s brain does actually work, you see we have a story obsessively about Wayne Casey (although I am not mentioned, presumably because if I was I would go to great lengths), and then we have a bit about Wayne Rooney, I was disappointed not to see a pun about ‘Wayne’s World’, because I usually get that with my name being Wayne, as I’m sure my Scouse namesake also does (it’s very original isn’t it).
You see some people are no good at multi tasking, for example I could tell you in the following paragraph how I truly believe Paul Hardcastle’s ‘19’ had a huge affect upon my youth, then at an instant revert back to the ‘Meeting of Minds’. Why? Because my own mind has not yet succumb to old age, or perhaps I’m truly mental (I don’t really know).
It’s nice to see that the minutes of the meeting are now in circulation, however, with all due respect to the author I suggest they are not quite accurate and are a ‘view’ as opposed to being 100% correct. It’s quite obvious the author has a major dislike of myself, I suppose he has a bit of an issue with my suggestion that he once attended a meeting dressed as an extra from Grease, perhaps it’s a case of age and good looks being on my side or more likelier perhaps its a case of “if I cant be apart of the meeting then I’ll try to destroy it”.
Unfortunately for him, this won’t happen, the meetings will continue, the NTA have a long established dialogue with NALEO, the NPHA, the T&G and the NTTG, the meetings were to seek common ground and unite efforts, not divide and conquer.
Having stated all of the above, should I be truly surprised that the ‘slur’ appeared in something that would only block up the latrine? Indeed, fools and those who think they’re cleverer than anybody else, those who try to cause upset and provocation in the wrong way is the only tools some inept unprofessional publications and indeed writers (writers??) have. I mean, let’s read Mr ‘X’s column and see who he slates this month (that’s if you can find a copy of course), how outrageous, the guy probably lives in a prefab with no upstairs. The evidence is in the scribbling, he calls people of Jewish religion ‘Yids’, Rangers Supporters ‘Huns’, Police ‘police’, Conservatives ‘vermin’, quite outrageous and pathetic wouldn’t you say? And the so-called Editor publishes it! The same individual will almost use an expletive with every other word as he evidently lacks vocabulary.
_________________ IDFIMH
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