‘Inherently racist’

pabloh999

opinion guy wrote: »

So what is your answer ? Decide who is allowed drive or not based on the colour of their skin/country of origin ?

You can't just assume guilt because you are not able to do a proper background check.

Also some people from a given country might have fine background checks whereas as others not. How do you know those immigrants driving cabs didn't pass their background check ?

I think you are very confused.
IN order to drive a taxi(and plenty of other occupations) you HAVE to pass a garda background check.
It has nothing to do with skin colour.
It has nothing to do with country of origin.
It has everything to do with the public safety
When you are in position where the publics safety is in your hands the authorities need to make sure you are of sound mind and not for instance a convicted rapist or something crazy like that

fishy fishy

opinion guy wrote: »

So what is your answer ? Decide who is allowed drive or not based on the colour of their skin/country of origin ?

You can't just assume guilt because you are not able to do a proper background check.

Also some people from a given country might have fine background checks whereas as others not. How do you know those immigrants driving cabs didn't pass their background check ?

is this an actual serious post, or is it sarcasm - I am hoping for it to be sarcasm. Otherwise the poster just shot himself/herself in the foot with this one.

Monty Burnz

Nodin wrote: »

Race-based then. Lovely. I suppose you want seperate drinking fountains and jacks as well.

I assumed he was referring to horses.

prinz

fishy fishy wrote: »

prinz
I have come to the conclusion that you are adament to brand people racist despite the various reasons given on here why people tend to go into taxis of their choice..

You mean the ones that having nothing to do with someone's ability to drive a taxi but rather what ethnic group they belong to? Or the one you came up with only a few pages back that I have no issue with whatsoever?

opinion guy

fishy fishy wrote: »

is this an actual serious post, or is it sarcasm - I am hoping for it to be sarcasm. Otherwise the poster just shot himself/herself in the foot with this one.

I am asking the poster if this is what he is suggesting. It seems to be. Thought he neatly avoided answering my questions.

pabloh999 wrote: »

I think you are very confused.
IN order to drive a taxi(and plenty of other occupations) you HAVE to pass a garda background check.
It has nothing to do with skin colour.
It has nothing to do with country of origin.
It has everything to do with the public safety
When you are in position where the publics safety is in your hands the authorities need to make sure you are of sound mind and not for instance a convicted rapist or something crazy like that

You didn't answer my question.

Also - if you are telling us that you HAVE to have a background check ot drive a taxi, then by your own information those people from outside the EU who you seem so concerned about HAVE had background checks and passed. So what is your problem ?

IrishAm

opinion guy wrote: »

If you'd bother your hole to read the thread you would see I was merely repeating that as said by someone else. Therefore I did not make a claim.

You repeated a claim and chimed in that is a fact. Therefore, you agreed with the claim and that it was factually correct.

So, I will ask again, how can a lad from outside the EU obtain a visa to work as an Irish taxi driver?

Dyr

Monty Burnz wrote: »

I assumed he was referring to horses.

I certainly wouldnt object to Africans drinking from the same fountains as my horses, its 2012 after all

Segregation in the jacks would be okay if it liberated those black lads that try charge a eruo for a handing out sheets of tissue paper. I've always assumed that they are some type of indentured slave. Shocking in this day really.

opinion guy

IrishAm wrote: »

You repeated a claim and chimed in that is a fact. Therefore, you agreed with the claim and that it was factually correct.

So, I will ask again, how can a lad from outside the EU obtain a visa to work as an Irish taxi driver?

You know what do your own googling. And go strawman someone else whilst your at it.

Or just read the thread. Someone gave this info earlier on. In any case this isn't the topic of discussion. The fact is poeple from outside the EU do work here as taxi drivers. Therfore they have visas and they have taxi licences. Noone is disputing this. Except you. For presmably straw man/trolling/idiocy reasons. How they got their visa's is irrelevant and off topic.

IrishAm

opinion guy wrote: »

Also - if you are telling us that you HAVE to have a background check ot drive a taxi, then by your own information those people from outside the EU who you seem so concerned about HAVE had background checks and passed. So what is your problem ?

The Department of Transport makes and breaks the rules as it goes along. Ever hear of Kieran Boylan? The convicted drug smuggler who was issued a Haulage license?

But I am sure the Tipp lads in the vetting unit are conducting intensive background checks on lads from outside the EU.:D

IrishAm

opinion guy wrote: »

You know what do your own googling. And go strawman someone else whilst your at it.

Or just read the thread. Someone gave this info earlier on. In any case this isn't the topic of discussion. The fact is poeple from outside the EU do work here as taxi drivers. Therfore they have visas and they have taxi licences. Noone is disputing this. Except you. For presmably straw man/trolling/idiocy reasons. How they got their visa's is irrelevant and off topic.

No, they vast majority of them entered the Irish state through the UK, claimed asylum, got refused, got leave to remain by McDowell and were helped by state agencies to gain employment.

McDowell awarded LTR to 20,000 non EU citizens. Mostly failed asylum seekers with limited skills.

No visas were ever issued to a non EU citizen to specifically work as a taxi driver.

fishy fishy

opinion guy wrote: »

I am asking the poster if this is what he is suggesting. It seems to be. Thought he neatly avoided answering my questions.



You didn't answer my question.

Also - if you are telling us that you HAVE to have a background check ot drive a taxi, then by your own information those people from outside the EU who you seem so concerned about HAVE had background checks and passed. So what is your problem ?

to be honest opinion guy you come across as not really knowing anything about taxi rules, regulations, the regulator, etc. not being mean or offensive here I hope, but you should try and find out some more information on what is happening in the taxi industry before you form an opinion on if somebody is being racist or not. You seem not to know what is actually happening in the taxi industry from your posts (no offence)

opinion guy

IrishAm wrote: »

No, they vast majority of them entered the Irish state through the UK, claimed asylum, got refused, got leave to remain by McDowell and were helped by state agencies to gain employment.

McDowell awarded LTR to 20,000 non EU citizens. Mostly failed asylum seekers with limited skills.

Why they are here is irrelevant to the discussion of racism amongst taxi drivers and the use of green lights.

No visas were ever issued to a non EU citizen to specifically work as a taxi driver.

Another strawman. No-one on this thread has claimed that non EU citizens were given visas specifically to work as taxi drivers.

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

No, they vast majority of them entered the Irish state through the UK, claimed asylum, got refused, got leave to remain by McDowell and were helped by state agencies to gain employment.

McDowell awarded LTR to 20,000 non EU citizens. Mostly failed asylum seekers with limited skills.

No visas were ever issued to a non EU citizen to specifically work as a taxi driver.

And your point is.....?

prinz

fishy fishy wrote: »

... not being mean or offensive here I hope, but you should try and find out some more information on what is happening in the taxi industry before you form an opinion on if somebody is being racist or not.

Does this tie into you choosing your regular taxi company again?

IrishAm

Nodin wrote: »

And your point is.....?

'

That his claims that they were issued with visas as fact, is untrue.

celtictiger32

MOH wrote: »

My favourite was the Dublin driver years ago (pre-deregulation) who I asked in Fairview to take me to O'Dwyers in Mount St.
- "Don't know that".
It's on the end of Lower Mount st.
- "Eh, Mount St, where's that exactly?"
Just off Merrion Square
- "Ummm... ah, I generally just work the northside"
:rolleyes:

in fairness back in the day most did just work one side used to be funny the amount of taxi signs getting lit up as they crossed o connell bridge.

pabloh999 wrote: »

Ok so wanting a background check is now racist
Dear God i have heard it all now.
Calling me a racist for wanting the proper procedeure equally for everone is quite insulting

Any potential taxi driver HAS to pass a background check.
No exceptions

Why should any group not have to abide by the rules?
My original question is how are the gardai obtaining these background checks?
There is no answer to this valid question

Edit - i see now that you are probably unaware that every taxi driver applicant has to go their local Garda station where they do a detailed background check

a person from the likes of nigeria cannot get the same background check as an irish driver!

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

'

That his claims that they were issued with visas as fact, is untrue.

.....they may not have been issued with Visas to work in the taxi industry specifically, but one would presume that to work legally in this country they are here under some form of visa/papers/whathaveyou.

golden lane

Nodin wrote: »

.....they may not have been issued with Visas to work in the taxi industry specifically, but one would presume that to work legally in this country they are here under some form of visa/papers/whathaveyou.

if anybody is concerned about illigals taking their jobs.....it is up to every irish citizen to get that stopped immediately........

Nodin

golden lane wrote: »

if anybody is concerned about illigals taking their jobs.....it is up to every irish citizen to get that stopped immediately........

What stopped?

If these people are legally in the country, how would concern about illegals have something to do with it.......

IrishAm

celtictiger32 wrote: »

a person from the likes of nigeria cannot get the same background check as an irish driver!

The Department of Transport cannot be relied on to vet Irish citizens properly, what chance do they have of conducting sufficient background checks on non EU citizens.

Kieran Boylan, a convicted drug smuggler, issued a Haulage license.

The Monk, issued a PPV license to drive a taxi.

Not to mention the number of petty criminals who are on Back to Work Allowance. The state used to taxi industry to get long term dolers, failed asylum seekers and other unskilled people off the live register, by way of the BTWS. These lads are given an unfair advantage over the regular drivers(75% of their previous social welfare payment year 1, 50% year two, 25% year three and faded out year four).

Bit rich of Varadkar to be screaming racism, too. Was he not calling for non EU citizens to be paid to go home a few years ago?

celtictiger32

IrishAm wrote: »

The Department of Transport cannot be relied on to vet Irish citizens properly, what chance do they have of conducting sufficient background checks on non EU citizens.

Bit rich of Varadkar to be screaming racism, too. Was he not calling for non EU citizens to be paid to go home a few years ago?

and can you imagine trying to get information from the nigerian government?

mikemac1

Varadkar from Dublin west

Just putting out a soundbyte, he knows Dublin 15

Doubt his voters care though
Some people take offense over issues that nobody cares about

golden lane

Nodin wrote: »

What stopped?

If these people are legally in the country, how would concern about illegals have something to do with it.......

are there illigals driving taxis........if so they should not be...

and every effort should be made to stop them........

maybe them efforts are not being made, and the irish drivers, and quite rightly so, are protecting their living from criminals.....

certainly lack of care by the government.....

they have a solemn duty to their own citizens....

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

The Department of Transport cannot be relied on to vet Irish citizens properly, what chance .............
Bit rich of Varadkar to be screaming racism, too. Was he not calling for non EU citizens to be paid to go home a few years ago?

Do us a favout there and sum up what point you're trying to make, as its all getting a bit muddy at this stage.

IrishAm

Nodin wrote: »

Do us a favout there and sum up what point you're trying to make, as its all getting a bit muddy at this stage.

The taxi industry is a mess caused by government failings.

Nodin

golden lane wrote: »

are there illigals driving taxis........if so they should not be...

and every effort should be made to stop them........

maybe them efforts are not being made, and the irish drivers, and quite rightly so, are protecting their living from criminals.....

certainly lack of care by the government.....

they have a solemn duty to their own citizens....

What evidenice do you have of widespread criminality?Why would these efforts not be made? What evidence have you that the Government is ignoring this alleged problem?

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

The taxi industry is a mess caused by government failings.

It went from one extreme to another in many ways, yes. Now, that ties back to the general theme of racism against certain ethnicities now driving cabs because......

golden lane

Nodin wrote: »

What evidenice do you have of widespread criminality?Why would these efforts not be made? What evidence have you that the Government is ignoring this alleged problem?

numbers......stop hiding behind legal claptrap.......ask the taxi drivers

if they have fears the government must act.....it is their duty.....

or are they afraid that people like you, would call the racists...........

IrishAm

Nodin wrote: »

It went from one extreme to another in many ways, yes. Now, that ties back to the general theme of racism against certain ethnicities now driving cabs because......

What racism? The fitter of these green lights has said he has fitted them for Irish,Nigerian, Chinese and Polish drivers too.

The Journal.ie saw racism where there was none.

AnonoBoy

golden lane wrote: »

numbers......stop hiding behind legal claptrap.......ask the taxi drivers

Yes ask the taxi drivers - the font of all truth and knowledge!

celtictiger32

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Yes ask the taxi drivers - the font of all truth and knowledge!

it is about their industry

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

What racism? The fitter of these green lights has said he has fitted them for Irish,Nigerian, Chinese and Polish drivers too.

The Journal.ie saw racism where there was none.

...so really the whole threads based on a pile of shite and you just started on about "visa" this and "non-EU" that because thats what you do. Gotcha.

Nodin

golden lane wrote: »

numbers......stop hiding behind legal claptrap.......ask the taxi drivers

if they have fears the government must act.....it is their duty.....

or are they afraid that people like you, would call the racists...........

I really need a new crystal ball, because the one I have is having increasing difficulty in working out both what you're on about, and its relation to anything I've said.

There are already various checks in place. If somebody has knowledge of somebody acting illegally, or being in the country under false pretences/illegally they can go and inform the Gardai, either in person or anonymously.

Plankton1

Loads of my female friends won't get into a taxi after a night out if the driver is black. I was horrified when I witnessed this and asked them why. "We don't trust them" they all said.

That driver could have lived in Dublin for the past 10 years, driving every day and know the city inside out. He could be highly educated where he is from, a decent person, with a family here in Dublin. You have no way of knowing that just from the colour of his skin, so how would you know he is untrustworthy just by the colour of his skin?

I've never had a bad experience with a foreign driver. At the weekend I was chatting to a friend of a friend. He is a taxi driver and was bragging that he had brought an Asian couple from the airport to a Co Meath town the most roundabout way possible to get a better fare out of them. He was also talking about charging drunk people more because they don't notice, and not declaring all his taxes.

I don't envy taxi drivers, it's a thankless job. I know how difficult it is these days to make a living from it. But one person's right to make a living shouldn't be prioritised over another's, based on the colour of their skin.

opinion guy

IrishAm wrote: »

What racism? The fitter of these green lights has said he has fitted them for Irish,Nigerian, Chinese and Polish drivers too.

The Journal.ie saw racism where there was none.

Actually to be fair - I think you may have a point here about the journal stirring up sh1te. I say this mainly because I've yet to see a cab with one of these green lights fitted.

But equally - Nodin has a valid point here:

Nodin wrote: »

...so really the whole threads based on a pile of shite and you just started on about "visa" this and "non-EU" that because thats what you do. Gotcha.

If the journal are stirring up sh1te - so are you.

celtictiger32

no, there is, or was at least plenty of them around from what i see most have been removed.

AnonoBoy

celtictiger32 wrote: »

it is about their industry

So what makes the ordinary taxi driver on the street know all the facts and figures?

Where's he pulling them from?

His hoop most likely.

Unless it's an actual proper report with facts and figures I'm not taking anyone's word for anything and anyone who does is a gullible fool.

opinion guy

celtictiger32 wrote: »

it is about their industry

True. They are bound to be completely unbiased so :rolleyes:

IrishAm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Unless it's an actual proper report with facts and figures I'm not taking anyone's word for anything and anyone who does is a gullible fool.

What official figures are you talking about?

AnonoBoy

IrishAm wrote: »

What official figures are you talking about?

There probably are none but celtictiger32 thinks evidence of criminality comes from "numbers" and we should "ask the taxi drivers" for them.

IrishAm

Nodin wrote: »

...so really the whole threads based on a pile of shite and you just started on about "visa" this and "non-EU" that because thats what you do. Gotcha.

The Journal are the polar opposite of the Daily Mail. They have some form in this regard.

An interesting story would be "Why are so many non EU citizens driving taxis, compared to the their numbers in other industries and how did they enter the Irish state".

I wouldnt hold my breath, but.

afrodub

BUMP

What an interesting thread..memo to self must buy more popcorn...

AnonoBoy

afrodub wrote: »

BUMP

What an interesting thread..memo to self must buy more popcorn...

Memo to you.

If a thread is actively being posted in there's no need to 'bump' it. :rolleyes:

IrishAm

AnonoBoy wrote: »

There probably are none but celtictiger32 thinks evidence of criminality comes from "numbers" and we should "ask the taxi drivers" for them.

Crime stats are not listed by occupation, so no, he wouldn't be able to back up his assertions.

Nodin

IrishAm wrote: »

The Journal are the polar opposite of the Daily Mail. They have some form in this regard.

An interesting story would be "Why are so many non EU citizens driving taxis, compared to the their numbers in other industries and how did they enter the Irish state".

.

How many are, and whats the percentage of the total?

AnonoBoy

IrishAm wrote: »

Crime stats are not listed by occupation, so no, he wouldn't be able to back up his assertions.

Ah that's grand - sure the taxi drivers must be relied upon then. Their word is gospel!

The Radiator

ahah

opinion guy

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Ah that's grand - sure the taxi drivers must be relied upon then. Their word is gospel!

Its ok you know they are impartial when they say 'I'm not a racist, but.....'

:pac:

Dyr

IrishAm wrote: »

An interesting story would be "Why are so many non EU citizens driving taxis, compared to the their numbers in other industries and how did they enter the Irish state".

I wouldnt hold my breath, but.

Leo might concern himself with the amount of buckos doing the rounds without a county sticker on their roof signs too. Les taxis sans frontiers

IrishAm

Bambi wrote: »

Leo might concern himself with the amount of buckos doing the rounds without a county sticker on their roof signs too. Les taxis sans frontiers

The Journal would go into meltdown if Dublin taxi drivers started sporting blue and navy lights.