….words fail me, having lived in ths Scottish Borders for over 20 years this sort of cronyisim and backwatching in the public sector is all too rife, in the Borders this is known as the “Rugby mafia” i.e.- play rugby you can almost get away with murder.

I’m sooo glad I don’t live there now.. anyway (well apart form the MTBing).

A Taxi Driver made one of 90 comments on a Facebook about an illegally parked Police Car, when his taxi licence was reviewed it was refused on the grounds of “failing to show proper respect to the police” and directly referring to his face book comment… thus robbing a hardworking and upstanding man and his family of his source of income.

BUT where is this going to stop? People dragged out of their homes as they have criticised a public officials… the gas chamber.???

Full details here

Please please spread this story…. the more publicity it gets the better chance the council will back down.

PISS BOILING

I also grew up in the Borders and would hate to go back. Most of the councillors are 80+ yr old. Rugby players, Masons, Police. All the same innit? Just look at what the council let Tesco and Asda do to the town centre in Galshiels. For those that don’t know, they basically moved the A7 so it goes straight passed these 2 stores and completely bypasses the Town Centre. Galashiels is now dying!

So what was his comment?

I have to be vey careful what I say on Facebook and other social sites as do many people in a profession as it can effect my career.

what did he actually say?

Full details here

That’s not really “full details” is it ?

That’s one side of the story, and not even the full bit of that side either.

The unmarked traffic police car used to always park at my road-end with their speed gun attempting to catch speeders leaving the town limits within 200yrds of the 30mph zone sign and if you wanted to turn left you had to swing around their car and cross over the broken white lines at the junction to turn left or right. If i was on my bike i used to knock on their window and ask them to move away from the junction or if i was in the car i used to phone the main police station in the area (dumfries) and say there was a car blocking the junction.

Driving the sort of car i had at the time it certainly did not endear me to the local traffic police but **** em, they were blocking the exit as i had to enter the opposite carriage way illegally within 5 yards of a junction.

He doesn’t say exactly, it in the link, it wasn’t exactly complimentary to the police but nothing anyone else wasn’t saying…

He had NEVER been in trouble with the police in his life, exactly the opposite, his comment was along the lines of one law for them etc…

So to sum up.

We don’t know what he said but we should support him for saying something, we don’t know what, on a public sight where the local council seen it. Because of his comment, which we don’t know remember, they refused him a new licence. So he’s now asking on the same place that got him into trouble about some comment to support him.

That’s not really “full details” is it ?

That’s one side of the story, and not even the full bit of that side either

Sorry the way I see it is there may well be but there nobody is going to hear it unless it is publicised…

Drac… not saying support him… saying PUBLICISE IT. the truth will out then…

Maybe I’m not objective but as Jodafett said you have to have lived in the borders to understand the culture of cronyisim in the region (staying a week in Inners or Peebles doesn’t count :mrgreen:)

Read it, saw read… but then I’m on tins of wifebeater at the mo.. 😉 so maybe I’m being too touchy..

Drac… not saying support him… saying PUBLICISE IT. the truth will out then…

He is and yes there needs to be a report to show the full story.

From his comment;

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

He should hedge his bets. IGMC.

In all seriousness, though, that stinks. Just stinks. Whilst he may have been weel advised to keep his cooncil, given the prevailing conditions, and even if his comment was ill-advised or inflammatory, no-one should lose their livelihood over an innocuous comment on Facebook, so I’ve shared the photo. Perhaps I’ll lose clients over it – I photograph a LOT of police weddings, but hopefully they’ll have the sense to understand that this isn’t just police-bashing – rather it’s a rebuttal of abuse of power and position.

his comment was along the lines of one law for them etc…

😆

He could start off by getting in touch with the local or national press for publicity, they will cover the story if there’s a suggestion of gross injustice. Although they will probably want to know what he actually said.

Actually Drac technically the double yellows in that pic are in disrepair and incomplete ergo not valid in law.

But fair point well made 😯

And the corner it’s on that invalid?

Is that Melrose? Their Rugby Mafia (TM) is shocking. I fully expect to have another wasted trip down there tomorrow. I’m guessing that the pitch will be unplayable due to some made up story (just like it was the last time I was there). Real reason will be that they cant field a strong team due to holidays – just like the last trip down….

Its not a corner drac… is a small cut in of about 24″ s a really weird junction that one…

It’s the love child of a road planner on PCP and the local Melrose in Bloom comittee

This is getting more and more common, I am a care worker and would think twice before commenting on a social network site at all as my employer, my clients and various agencies like social work dept all check them. I would never make any client related comments outside of work. Having said all that this does seem unfair

Its not a corner drac… is a small cut in of about 24″

Ok not very familiar with Gala only popped through a couple times.

This was the Taxi drivers point .. he made the post posting as himself .. not as his business page.. it’s a freedom of speech issues here.

It’s in Melrose Drac… firm Torygraph and Daily Mail Territory

Sorry the way I see it is there may well be but there nobody is going to hear it unless it is publicised…

I don’t know what he said, so why would I want to publicise anything ?

The Facebook comment could be one of ten other reasons they gave for not renewing his ticket ?

Yup – entirely different from criticising ones’ employer, or being cavalier with patient details. This is one mans’ opinion, expressed in as legitimate a way as if he was sitting in the pub.

It could be, but the photo of the documentation suggests it was his FB comment which stymied him.

The Facebook comment could be one of ten other reasons they gave for not renewing his ticket ?

If you look at the original letter it is the ONLY REASON and directly responsible for his licence refusal…

Just look at what the council let Tesco and Asda do to the town centre in Galshiels

Joda .. and the way every “Executive house”, Supermarket and White Elephant Railway development… planning permission seems to get passed…

Not saying that the councillors are bent as such but drive out of the area in to Dumfries & Galloway, Northumberland, East Lothian and South Lanakshire and the number of “barn coversions” and green field “southfork” style building sites drops by about 99%

.. just saying

If you look at the original letter it is the ONLY REASON and directly responsible for his licence refusal…

Where would I do that ?

Or find out what was said ?

Link in my original postd now a screen dump..

Link in my original post

I can see that’s what he says.

But the picture of the letter has a load of text hidden by photoshop.

Only the bit about Facebook is shown.

So the rest could be saying anything at all.

And still don’t know what he actually said either.

Ah Melrose is what I pictured in my head not sure why I said Gala.

If you look at the original letter it is the ONLY REASON and directly responsible for his licence refusal…

Link in my original post

most of the letter is obscured – so presumably says something he didn’t want to share?

This was the Taxi drivers point .. he made the post posting as himself .. not as his business page.. it’s a freedom of speech issues here.

he holds the license PERSONALLY to be a taxi driver so its not totally bizzare that his personal conduct is considered.

It’s in Melrose Drac… firm Torygraph and Daily Mail Territory

And Drac if you look it up on Google maps you’ll probably be wondering why its not “a corner”! Jock’s memory of 24″ is obviously a little out! Its an odd junction but it is a junction.

Sorry the way I see it is there may well be but there nobody is going to hear it unless it is publicised…

the Sheriff will hear it either way and is very unlikely to be interested in the number of likes/shares his page got.

He MAY have been badly treated by the council; but if you were fighting a license application refusal that was in some way linked to your conduct on Facebook – would you (a) choose to make a big(ger) song and dance on Facebook OR (b) perhaps avoid the trouble spot at least until the case was heard?

Neal… no matter what is blanked out the letter still does clearly state the sole reason for refusal… is the FB comment.

And nobody has mentioned his spelling? 😀

Neal… no matter what is blanked out the letter still does clearly state the sole reason for refusal… is the FB comment.

No it doesn’t. It is impossible to know without the obscured parts of the letter.

And Drac if you look it up on Google maps you’ll probably be wondering why its not “a corner”! Jock’s memory of 24″ is obviously a little out! Its an odd junction but it is a junction.

So tell me … when did YOU last live in melrose then… i moved out this time last year… the google maps image is 2013, the photo of the taxi is as the OLD junction layout used to be… in 2012 when the one way system was still under public consultation.

Neal… no matter what is blanked out the letter still does clearly state the sole reason for refusal… is the FB comment.

No it doesn’t.

It makes reference to it yes, but you must have imagined the bit where it says Facebook comments were the Sole Reason for refusal, because I can’t see it ?

You are missing the point old man… it’s not the holes you can pick in what ever argument you want to put forward.. as you are obviously Peter Perfect the Perfect Person.. but

..it’s the simple fact that one mans PERSONAL opinion that did not express any extreme political,morally or ethically reprehensible or sexual views had ANY bearing WHATSOEVER on a licence application.

No matter what else he did or didn’t do .. the single fact that he was SINGLED OUT from 90 others for a PERSONAL OPINION and this was mentioned is the insidious thing… its a FREEDOM of SPEECH issue

A lack of understanding of the concepts and principles involved is not my fault..

..when the Geheime Staatspolizei kick in your doors and arrest your entire family in fifteen years time for you comment on facetwittertrackworld about a cracked paving stone in your street not being fixed don’t say you weren’t warned.. the same principle applies.

You are missing the point old man… it’s not the holes you can pic in what ever argument you want to put forward.. as you are obviously Peter Perfect the Perfect Person.. but

Argue the point not the person.

..it’s the simple fact that one mans PERSONAL opinion that did not express any extreme political or sexual views had ANY bearing WHATSOEVER on a licence application.

How do you know ?
Do you know what he said, because I don’t ?

No matter what else he did or didn’t do .. the single fact that he was SINGLED OUT from 90 others for a PERSONAL OPINION and this was mentioned is the insidious thing… its a FREEDOM of SPEECH issue

Taxi licenses are given to the Person so if he did something that puts him outside of what is considered a suitable person to hold a license, then he doesn’t get one.

But we don’t know what he did because he doesn’t seem to want to say.

[Quote]A lack of understanding of the concepts and principles involved is not my fault[/quote]

Well you don’t seem to understand the concept that if you don’t know what actually happened, you can’t form a proper opinion about whether the removal of his license was a justified response or not.

not gonna argue.. you are right obviously

The law’s the law. No matter what he said, he hasn’t broken it (assuming he didn’t accuse the driver of the police car of having unnatural sexual intercourse with a family of weasels).

As such, his personal opinion, voiced down the pub, to the police driver, or in the comfort of his own living room (in the company of Mrs Weasel) should not impact upon his application for a taxi license.

Codes of conduct will be laid down in the terms of being a self employed taxi driver in that town, but I say with some certainty that voicing a personal opinion (no matter how stupid) shouldn’t deny him the right to earn a living in his chosen field.