Taxi Driver Online

For those interested here are the August 2008 minutes of the Meeting of Minds. Brought to you courtesy of the GMBPDB and formatted by TDO.

This file is hosted on TDO at the request of the GMBPDB.

Please spare a thought for the fact that if it wasn't for the GMBPDB these minutes would not be available to you, even allowing for the fact that your organisation might be a participant in this mindless exercise, unless of course you specifically requested them?

A special version of these minutes will be uploaded within the next few days with personal comments from myself.

http://taxi-driver.co.uk/files/momaug.pdf

Regards

JD
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Those present at this meeting are as follows but I would like to know what the London contingent think they might get out of these proposed changes to legislation, which are supposedly designed for the provinces? Anyone got any ideas?
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Present.

Paul Brent National Taxi Association, Trafford

Pat Connor NTTG (GMB), Wythenshawe

Don Glave GMB, London

Mike Hedges TGWU Unite, London

Mick Hildreth GMB PDB, Brighton

Trevor Jones Sefton hackney trade representative

Tommy McIntyre TGWU Unite, Liverpool

Eric Payne TGWU Unite, Exeter

George Simms NTTG Manchester TODA

John Thompson Hon. Secretary NALEO

George Walker NPHA London Private Hire Board

Bryan Roland NPHA

Donna Short NPHA
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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.

Thanks for posting these minutes; I shall read them when I'm out working today.

As for it being a mindless exercise; the fact that the trade (HC & PH) are talking about these serious issues indicates that things are quite wrong on several counts.

If the trade were not talking about these issues, wouldn't it deem to suggest that everything in the trade was hunky-dorry?

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

To be quite honest Mr Brummie I don't class John Thompson or Bryan Roland as being the taxi trade. Do you?

I also don't class the dressing up of a private hire enforcement issue in Newcastle as being detrimental to Uk hackney carriage drivers especially when some of their existing rights which they have enjoyed for 160 years are being taken away.

In my opinion this motley crew are totally inept and should be binned.

If you want to stop private hire and hackney carriage drivers illegally plying for hire then bring in a one strike and your out rule. Those holding private hire operator licenses should also be held accountable for the drivers they operate and for them it should also be one a strike and your out rule. That would soon sort out the problem. And bring in appropriate sentencing for anyone caught illegally plying for hire.

Why don't Mr Roland or Mr Thompson advocate such sanctions against private hire operator's instead of trying to cure an incurable problem by pussyfooting around with failed ideas? We all know that many of the problems associated with illegal plying for hire stem from the aiding and abetting by private hire operators in the execution of the offence.

It's about time that someone from the hackney carriage sector of this mindless bunch woke up and smelt the roses because they are sleepwalking into something that they might ultimately regret.

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.

But to be perfectly fair, you're opinion aint worth Jacksh*t cause your not involved, and mores the pity I might add.

regards

CC

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

I suppose that comment applies to every hackney carriage driver in the Taxi trade does it?

They aren't involved either, so do we tell them their opinion isn't worth jack chit?

My opinion might not be worth jack chit to you but it certainly is to me and when those attending this mindless gathering don't even understand the consequences of their own proposals then it is easy to understand why many people are of the same opinion as me.

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.

Aye whatever....It's a little cold on that side of the glass though

CC

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

Captain cab .. Sir... you have to remember that I invited JD to the meeting of the minds and he couldn't be bothered to go...... and now as usual abuses the people that went.....

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Good job I was babysitting

CC

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

No I don't.

BUT .....

Whether we like it or not Bryan Roland has been quite instrumental in elevating Hackney fares around the country with the PHTM League Tables of Fares. He did not have to start that work & publish it on a monthly basis, but 8 years on & every council in the country compares fares with the PHTM league tables, when debating fare increases. And the Hackney trade has quite skilfully used the PHTM League Tables of Fares to continuously 'leap frog' one another with fare applications.

The question has to be asked, why is it that an individual who fronts the NPHA is the one that produces these tables & by doing so assists the Hackney trade getting fare increases & will also give those areas that don't have proper representation assistance with their fare applications? Why is it that the cab trade nationally were not first to produce such a League Table of national fares, 10, 20 or 50 years ago?

We ought to be ashamed of ourselves!!!

I only wish that Bryan Roland were Hackney orientated, rather than being biased towards Private Hire.

And am I a member of the NPHA? Well no I am not, because I have told Bryan Roland to his face that I will not join the NPHA until such time as they change the name of their organisation to reflect Hackney Carriage drivers within that Associations name.

But I will make this prediction. If & when the NPHA change their name to perhaps The NPH&HCA, then I think they will have an influx of members that will surprise even Mr Roland.

With respect to John Thompson of NALEO; surely we should be in full discussions with these people so that we can understand their frustrations & they can understand ours. IMO, co-operation with NALEO is paramount if there is to be meaningful, enforceable new legislation in the future. In my view anyone who in life says they have nothing to learn from another human being or organisation, is never going to appreciate the other side of the equation. And it is the understanding of the contra view that is important in fully understanding the problems in a given field.




Everyone is entitled, & has a democratic right, to their own opinion & I will always defend that right, including the rights of those whose opinions I do not entirely agree with.





When I left a proper job in the late 1970’s, after a promise of a partnership in a Private Hire operation that did not materialise, I was unfortunate enough to be associated with a Private Hire operator who must have had a Doctorate in ‘Ducking & Diving’. He was the first operator after the enactment of the MP (MP) Act 1976 who lost his Operator Licence in Birmingham. And it made not a scrap of difference to him!!!

All he did was to change the name on the Operator Licence to one of his trusted drivers, pay him £x per week for the privilege, raise the weekly rent (settle) to all the other drivers to pay for the extra expense & ended up with more money in his pocket than he had before.

Nothing changed except the name on the Operator Licence. He still ran the business as the ‘manager’ & there was nothing anyone could do about it! And he was richer!

These people as so inventive & circumventive where the law is concerned, that it beggars belief. Whatever existing law you put in their path, they will get round it one way or another.

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I'm not abusing anyone, merely stating a fact and questioning the motives of certain people at this mindless gathering.

I notice the main topic, in fact the only topic discussed at this Bury meeting, was Gladen and Newcastle. Obviously your preoccupation of insisting that hackney cab drivers require a private hire operator license for taking bookings has overtaken your sense of priorities.

I notice you never brought up the subject of sanctions against private hire operators whose drivers are caught plying for hire? I'm sure every hackney cab rep there would have gone for that one?

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.

Brummie... Brian is changing the name you'll be glad to know..

JD. God might have created the world in six days.... but there's only so much man can do in six hours..

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Please don't mis-spell Mr Roland's Christian, [ooopppsss strick that; not PC at all], I mean first name.

It's Bryan, a posher version of Brian!!

Hehe! Hope he reads this!!

_________________
Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

I think it is a point well made that a lot of time is being taken up by the Newcastle/Berwick/Gladen issue. Especially as it could all be sorted in a few weeks time.

I'm also not 100% certain that all the folks going to the MoM meetings are as clued up on issues as they should be, and there is a chance that some will just say yes just to go along with the flow from NALEO and the NPHA.

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IDFIMH

There is another possibility.. maybe you cannot see further than your nose... and we know you have access to an extremely long one .

_________________
Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

Errm Pot / Kettle?



I would say that isnt MrT's pre-occupation....it was a pre-occupation of the meeting.

If you think its right that any Tom, Dick or Buggerer can buy a telephone number and then set up a radio circuit consisting purely of HC's and therefore operate completely unlicensed and unanswerable to anyone, then go ahead and say so.

You dont seem to think these places exist....

Nobody wants a HC driver to have to get a 'Operators license' in order to accept pre-booked work...indeed the 1847 and 1976 acts and indeed the model byelaws all seem to realise this goes on and is lawful......but what about the purely HC circuits?



Its the drivers that are caught 'plying' not the operator?

CC

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