Taxi Driver Online

St Patricks day is normally a busy night so all those taking to the road tonight, good luck. I hope you make plenty of money.

I don't know if there is any truth in the rumour that St Patrick was an Englishman but to all the Irish out there, happy St Patricks day.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

Just for today everything Irish can be listed in this thread. Here is some Irish news.
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Sunday Mirror

March 16, 2008 Sunday

FARE CITY OVERTAKES NEW YORK

DUBLIN now has more taxis than New York - which has six times the population.

The capital's 1.5million people have 12,000 cabs and 2,000 Hackneys compared to New York's fleet of 10,000 for a population of 8.2million.

But taxi union boss John Ussher said the figures were bad news for drivers because there are too many cabs on the road.

The President of the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation said: "Prior to deregulation in November 2000 we had 2,700 taxis operating in Dublin.

"Now there are over 11,000 taxis in addition to wheelchair accessible taxis and hackney licences.

"There are lots of fellows now who are just giving up the taxi business because they can't make a living.

"The Minister for transport Noel Dempsey just keeps issuing taxi licenses, and every taxi licence he issues just adds to the problem."
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This has an intriguing international flavour.
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Daily Mail (London)

February 26, 2007 Monday

African taximen accuse Irish of racist campaign

IRISH taxi drivers have allegedly launched a hate campaign against their African colleagues.

And customers have been warned not to use 'black taxis' as part of the racist campaign.

The row has angered both Irish and African drivers in Drogheda, Co. Louth.

Afolabe Kekere Ekun, 40, originally from Nigeria, has resigned his position as vicechairman of the Drogheda Taxi Owners' Association in protest against the racism.

He said some members have orchestrated a hate campaign against him and other African taxi drivers in the town. And he alleges that 'black taxis' are often ignored by Irish people on the ranks with drivers regularly being accused of overcharging.

Another member of the organisation and the owner of the largest taxi company in Drogheda, Martin Caffrey, angrily denies the claims.

He said Mr Ekun had not resigned in protest over racism but was forced out because of a mistake he made.

Gardai in Drogheda have confirmed that they received a number of complaints including at least one death threat made against 'black taxi' drivers.
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I may have highlighted this before but I don't know the outcome.
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Daily Mail (London)

November 27, 2006 Monday

Irish taxi driver in Thai jail admits: 'I killed prostitute'

THE Irishman being held over the death of a Thai prostitute has spoken about the crime and admitted: 'I killed her.' Dublin taxi driver Denis Leahy, 40, is in custody in Pattaya the popular tourist resort south-east of Bangkok after being arrested as he tried to flee for the Cambodian border.

The ex- soldier who moved to Thailand after receiving a settlement from the Department of Defence for hearing loss now faces trial for the murder of 24-year- old Bupha Tanchiangpin.

If found guilty, he could face the death penalty or spend the rest of his life behind bars at the infamous Banhwang Prison, otherwise known as the 'Bangkok Hilton'.

Speaking from his cell, Mr Leahy confessed: 'I don't know what came over me but I know what's coming.

They are going to screw me to a wall.' Dubliner Mr Leahy said: 'I had a fight with my girlfriend that morning and I wanted to make her jealous.

'So I brought this girl home, not with the intention to kill her but to get the other girl jealous.' After having sex with the woman, Mr Leahy said, he then suggested a bondage session and started to bind her hands with plastic ties.

But he claimed that she started 'absolutely freaking out'.

He said: 'I went to get scissors and tried to cut through the strips, but I could not get through them. They were too thick.

'She went insane, rushed for the door, got it open and ran out screaming. I told her to shut up, saying, "We have neighbours, we can't do this." 'I ran after her and caught her in the stairwell.

'She was freaking out and I picked her up and dragged her back.' He claimed that the woman 'went even more insane' after he picked up a knife to cut her free. He added: 'I panicked. I don't know what happened, but I stabbed her in the neck.' Mr Leahy bought a flat in Thailand two years ago for e20,000 and moved there permanently eight months ago.

He told Star Sunday: 'My life is now over. I know what Thai prisons are like. I know what's coming.'
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I love this headline, look at the quotation marks
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The Daily Telegraph (LONDON)

March 17, 2008 Monday

"Basil's Brush" with police over gipsy 'race slur'

POLICE are investigating claims that the Basil Brush show contained racist remarks about gipsies.

A complaint was made over an episode on the CBBC channel last month that featured a gipsy character selling pegs and lucky heather and a joke about a fortune teller stealing Basil's wallet.

A member of the public in Northampton complained to police. Joseph Jones, the vice-chairman of the Southern England Romany, Gypsy and Irish Traveller Network, called on the BBC to withdraw the episode and give travellers the same protection and respect that other ethnic minorities enjoyed.

"They need to realise that gipsies and travellers are a recognised ethnic minority and deserve the same treatment as any other group,'' he said.

"To perpetuate this myth about gipsies and travellers is wrong. Attitudes like this belong 20 or 30 years ago, we are supposed to have moved on since then.

"If they are going to keep showing this then I look forward to them bringing back the likes of Alf Garnett to the screen.''

The episode centred on Basil's co-star Mr Stephen, played by the actor Christopher Pizzey. He falls under the spell of a gipsy fortune teller, Dame Rosie Fortune, who moves in to the flat above them and greets them at the door with offers of pegs and heather.

When she offers to tell Basil's fortune, he tells a joke about a previous visit to a gipsy fortune teller who predicted that he was about to embark on a long journey.

When Mr Stephen asks what happened, Basil replies: "He stole my wallet and I had to walk home.''

The character, known for his "Boom Boom'' catchphrase, was devised in 1963 by Peter Firmin, who also created the Clangers and Bagpuss. He got his first break with the magician David Nixon on The Nixon Line in 1967. Basil, whose voice is based on that of the comic actor Terry-Thomas, had his own show from 1970 until it ended in 1982.

The programme returned in 2002. Since January he has presented Basil's Swap Shop, based on the programme from the 1970s and 1980s, on BBC2.

The offending episode has been repeated several times and also features on a DVD of the series, called Basil Unleashed.

The BBC refused to comment yesterday, with a spokesman saying the matter was in police hands.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: "We received a complaint about a TV show featuring Basil Brush. The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature and we are investigating.''
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Daily Record

March 17, 2008, Monday

BBC STAFF HELD IN IRELAND

BBC journalists were among seven men arrested yesterday by Irish police probing paramilitary activity.

All seven are being questioned at three garda stations in County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland.

The BBC said the journalists were working on a BBC Northern Ireland current affairs investigation and had full editorial authority under the BBC's guidelines.

A BBC spokesman said "We can confirm some of those arrested were BBC journalists. The other parties present were fully aware that they were with BBC journalists."

A garda spokesman said the men were being held over "ongoing investigations into paramilitary activity".
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Anyone who has ever played Golf in Galway will know that incidents of this nature are not so uncommon. lol

The Mirror

March 14, 2008 Friday

WHALE LEFT TO ROT

THE decaying remains of a four metre beached whale left to rot on a beach has left locals furious.

The whale was washed up near Connemara golf club, Clifden, Co Galway, a number of weeks ago.

Now it has been joined by the carcass of a dolphin. But Galway County Council has done nothing to remove them.

Locals said they are worried about the effect it will have on health and tourism in the area.
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