Taxi Driver Online

Letter to Ms Sandra White MSP - SNP

Dear Ms White

I was encouraged by your statement in the News of the World that you propose to raise the matter of the blackmarket in taxi licences with Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill.

For your information, please find attached my report "Breachiing Human Rights" which highlights the practices of Edinburgh's council in its deliberate actions to protect the blackmarket which operates here. This includes its hiking of application fees to four times the next highest in Scotland in order to deter such applications and avoid pressure on issuing licences which would be to the detriment of the operating cartel and blackmarket trade in licences.

It is the artificial restriction of taxi licences that creates the under supply premium which has seen licences being traded for £50,000 on the blackmarket.

Drivers recognise unmet demand in the marketplace which leads to public safety being compromised as difficulty hailing a cab encourages the public to take risks with unlicensed vehicles - as highlighted in the NOTW article.

Knowing this, Edinburgh recently denied 92 licences, appeals are now in court and appear to be being deliberately protracted by the council.

The council discriminated against applicants by granting to those on a closed interested parties list which has no foundation in Law - as was attested to by Lady Cosgrove in the case - Dundee Taxi Company v Dundee City Counccil (details in attached document). This is contrary to natural justice.

Recently Aberdeen Council de-restricted its taxi licensing claiming that it was anti-competitive, was unsustainable and and no longer justifiable. West Lothian is also de-restricting.

De-restricting taxi licences would end at a swoop the blackmarket for taxi licences and return control of licences back to the councils.

Was it the intention of Parliament that restricting licences should lead to them being traded as a commodity on the blackmarket whereby qualified taxi drivers are denied unfettered access to the tools of their trade, discriminating against them under Human Rights?

Why has the Scottish Parliament not reconsidered section 10(3) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 in accordance with both European and UK competition rules as well as the Human Rights Act 1998 - all of which were enacted after the 1982 Act?

Ms While, in the public interest, will you exhort Scotland's Parliament to do so now and update the Law accordingly in order to end the blackmarket in taxi licences and discrimination of qualified drivers denied unfettered access to the tools of their trade?

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Regards

Jim Taylor

Copies to Kenny Macskill - Justice Secretary
Richard Baker - Scoottish Labour Justice Spokesman
James Mulholland - NOTW Journalist
Gavin Brown MSP - Edinburgh & Lothians

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Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

Yes it would jim! And at the same time would kill the trade! Aberdeen is flooded with taxis and is hard enough trying to make a living! Drivers are packing in just now and going back to their old jobs as there is no money to be made! You need to get a grip!

Exactly Station Loon this man is a complete and utter muppet he is going to wreck the taxi trade in Scotland in his greed to get a plate. At the moment in Kirkcaldy rank space is at a premium day and night with overspilling ranks and a constant battle with Traffic Wardens. If this muppet gets derestriction god its unthinkable. Drivers at the moment are struggling to earn £20 per day from around 12 hires this man is living in cloud cuckoo land

The man has a serious mental disorder,he knows what would happen and he knows the ramifications of his actions.
He knows he will never get what he wants so he is trying to ruin the trade and everyone in it.
The good thing is though it doesn't matter who he writes to or what form of media he goes to next, he will always be the snivelling little nobody who craves attention in any way he can to make him feel important.
Apparently the volcanic ash has something to do with corruption in the council and a good possibility for why he is being denied what's rightfully his.

I can tell you Kenny's response!!!
The system is a mess, the trade in plates in retrospect a mistake.

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

All that will happen is Jim will force through tighter restriction as far as Multi plate holding is concerned, there is absolutly no chance in hell that our Capital city will de-restrict the number of licences.

I wrote to Kenny and the above quoted response was sent to me, Kenny has forwarded the idea to tighten restriction against multi plate holders on to CEC and the transport division, his response went on. We certainly need to clean matters up and things are happening in the west.

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

I've just checked my e-mail response from Kenny and it reads

The system is a mess, the trade in plates in retrospect a mistake, we certainly need to clean matters up and things are happening in the west, I'll factor this (my idea to tighten restriction of Multi plate holding) in to both Colin Keir and transport division here (scot gov) who deal with these matters.

As i say Kenny accepts that the problem is here as happened in NEW YORK, now don't you think like NEW YORK and to the benefit of NEW YORK rather than change your way JIM there is more chance CEC will tighten restriction on multi plate holding (the only problem highlighted by your notw article) and see the potential to actually make more money out of the profiteers (ECPH) rather than screw the hard working individuals who make this trade the professional trade it is

NEW YORK NEW YORK jim

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

you mean mckaskil is aware that local authorities are breaking the terms of the 1982 act.

kenny mckaskil ......our justice minister.

go on Dougie publish the whole email, blow the whistle.

on second thoughts you might want to check with him if its ok to blab.

eh !!!!!

you might want to check if you have an email account in the name of mckaskil

fecking brilliant

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

Dougie, if what you claim Kenny MacAskill actually said what you say he did, then all that would be proved is that between you, you might just come up with the two brain cells needed if you wanted to rub them together.

What you've just done is make MacAskill look an absolute tool.

There again, Megrahi is still alive, isn't he.

_________________
Skull, "You are a police inspector, aren't you?"
Cab Inspector Smith, "Yes."
Skull, "So, are you going to tell Mr Taylor what his rights are?"
Smith, "And ... What rights?"

I have only disclosed what I can and have to, you will probably find what I have disclosed is the response Jim will get from Sandra white ( no relation ). Skull called me a lunitic of which I disagree I'm a kinda fair and without discrimination kinda LUNATIC!!! On athoer point I was reading today that the Tories want to scrap the HUMAN rights, now that is interesting! Back to Skull calling me a Lunatic, I mentioned that there is no black market in the trading of plates, Skull said its not a black market it is an under supply Premium!!! In Skulls own words, you couldn't make this up, the wind must be blowing in another direction. The fact is there is no Black market and all that will happen is the tightening of restriction against multi plate holders, FACT. As for Taylor's thread concerning me on the omni rank I never saw him, I'm enjoying the city cab circuit, more to Think about and trust me I can afford a radio, I'm also up for a merger but that is not the be all, what I am up for is the competittion, fighting fairly and squarely, all is fair in love and taxi wars. To finish my points I'd like any debate to be clean of personel attacks, I don't give credit to people who use this as a tactic, if you have nother better to add than insults, best if you stay out the debate.

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!

you say this as though it matters.
Dougie you ain't in the debate never where and never will be.
all you've said so far is you've delivered your ideas through mckaskil's back door and yet you don't have the support of the trade,nor do you represent anyone,is that the kind of fair guy you are Dougie
your views have been slated by both sides as nonsense.
and they are.
as for the personal attacks.

a bit of banter is OK by me, its your ideas that are being discredited here if that discredits the author then so be it.

unlike you Dougie I've learn't to read exactly what is said by politicians.
what was really said was we will pretend to look into it,and we were not aware of the problem,even though they are fully aware because they implemented and facilitated it in the first place.

Ali it doesn't bother me if my idea's are rejected, it's about stirring the debate and covering the options rather than de-restriction, i've pointed out that there are other measures that can be done as far as restricting goes, if i put an idea out there and wether the idea is good bad or ugly i don't take the response or the non action of my idea as personel.

As far as not in the debate goes, i put myself in there, no one holds my hand (skull)

My idea's are workable but if not for our trade fine.

I do know a couple of guy's though who hate rejection I eh won't name them in case they come and get ME

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Alway's been about Tightening the Grip!