Taxi drivers to block O’Connell St in protest escalation

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Ah Jebus welcome. You lost your last arguement so you had to jump in here to have a pop at me?

1. I haven't picked up on this dispute.
2. I believe people should have a choice about what the join or don't join.
3. I believe that people who cross a picket line are the lowest form of scum because they are aiding the employer/capitalist for their own greedy short term gain while putting other people's livelihoods in jeapordy.
Capíche?

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I'm not even going to reopen that British supporting argument here because I fundamentally believe that you and the rest of your lot on that topic are narrow minded and somewhat deluded, hence why I opted out of that ridiculous thread.

But back to this discussion. You say people should have a choice about what they join or don't join, and yet you advocate a group of men surrounding a female in her car, doing her job and bullying her because she doesn't agree with their viewpoint. I still say you are floating dangerously close to the extreme right way here

Well lets just say I disagree with you strongly Bohs Partisan.

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Originally Posted by jebus

I'm not even going to reopen that British supporting argument here because I fundamentally believe that you and the rest of your lot on that topic are narrow minded and somewhat deluded, hence why I opted out of that ridiculous thread.

But back to this discussion. You say people should have a choice about what they join or don't join, and yet you advocate a group of men surrounding a female in her car, doing her job and bullying her because she doesn't agree with their viewpoint. I still say you are floating dangerously close to the extreme right way here

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Well you obviously have no understanding of what makes extreme right extreme right. Talking about one incident where "a lone female" is surrounded is being emotive. Its like saying won't somebody please think of the children. Its not because she doesn't agree with their viewpoint it is because she is endangering their livelihoods.
On the arguement you lost I wasn't talking about the one you were talking about. However thats not important. Listen, I've seen first hand the effects of scabbing.I've seen what it can do to a family if scabs are allowed to
break strikes and its a lot worse than a few minutes "intimidation".

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Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

Well lets just say I disagree with you strongly Bohs Partisan.

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Thats your perogative. But answer me this. Do you think it is always wrong to break the law?

Did you think the men and women who fought the British in the war of independance were wrong to intimidate collaborators? Were the men and women of the rising wrong to break the law, a law that was constructed to suit the interests of British Imperialism. Should they have tried to work within a system where the odds were stacked against them?

Not always but most of the time. I will grant that there are exceptions but that is what they are exceptions.

Breaking the law just because you think it gives you a raw deal, or even if it does give you a raw deal, isn't justified in my opinion.

Should they have tried you ask? I say yes.

Should they have protested if they felt the system was stacked against them? I say yes as is their legal right but only so long as their protest is legal. Physical threats and actions don't generally come under the acceptably legal banner.

Ever smoked a joint?

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Originally Posted by aberdonian stu

Physical threats and actions don't generally come under the acceptably legal banner.

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Unless they come from the cops, the army, Ollie Byrne...

Bohs, now that you've (admirably if tragically) admitted to your ..how should I put it ...paramilitant leanings in these matters -can I put a hypothesis to you.

How do you think -or would you make your best guess at how -these same taxi men who blocked O'Connell st the other day would react if, say the tarmaccers, decided they weren't getting a fair deal, went on strike and as part of their protest blocked these taxi men from going about their business?

My guess is there wouldn't be a hurley or a 6" carpenters nail to be got in Dublin. Yours?

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

Bohs, now that you've (admirably if tragically) admitted to your ..how should I put it ...paramilitant leanings in these matters -can I put a hypothesis to you.

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Sorry mate, no paramilitary leanings from me. You won't see me in a balaclava with an armalite or wearing a blue uniform waving a baton (unless its a baguette).

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

How do you think -or would you make your best guess at how -these same taxi men who blocked O'Connell st the other day would react if, say the tarmaccers, decided they weren't getting a fair deal, went on strike and as part of their protest blocked these taxi men from going about their business?

My guess is there wouldn't be a hurley or a 6" carpenters nail to be got in Dublin. Yours?

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There have been many protests that have blocked up O Connell St. and other streets in the city. I've never seen any taxi drivers attack these protests.

Generally these protests haven't involved violent action or threats from the protestors. More importantly they generally weren't of a wildcat nature, as the O'Connell St blockade part of the protest was, and there was some warning that they would be taking place.

Of all the protests and pickets I've been on the most violence I've seen has been from the Gardaí.

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Originally Posted by jebus

I'm not even going to reopen that British supporting argument here because I fundamentally believe that you and the rest of your lot on that topic are narrow minded and somewhat deluded, hence why I opted out of that ridiculous thread.

But back to this discussion. You say people should have a choice about what they join or don't join, and yet you advocate a group of men surrounding a female in her car, doing her job and bullying her because she doesn't agree with their viewpoint. I still say you are floating dangerously close to the extreme right way here

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Narrow minded and deluded? Oh dear. Pot. Kettle. Black there.

But anyway I agree with your last paragraph. Never had any time for them. Bunch of lazy, racist *******. I'm sure some of them are fine but any taxi drivers I've encountered it's like dial a moron show on the radio and of course they all "support" the "pool":rolleyes:

KOH

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Originally Posted by NY Hoop

Narrow minded and deluded? Oh dear. Pot. Kettle. Black there.

But anyway I agree with your last paragraph. Never had any time for them. Bunch of lazy, racist *******. I'm sure some of them are fine but any taxi drivers I've encountered it's like dial a moron show on the radio and of course they all "support" the "pool":rolleyes:

KOH

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Get this straight - I have no love for Taxi drivers in general, as NY Hoop pointed out many of them are downright ignorant fcks.

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Of all the protests and pickets I've been on the most violence I've seen has been from the Gardaí.

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Ah sure they're always picking fights them shaggers. So even if we accept your assertion that "most" of the violence was emanating from those loveable rogues in blue -what pittance of the rough'n'tumble that goes with legitimate public protest was coming from your quarter?
I'm curious is all.

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Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

Ah sure they're always picking fights them shaggers. So even if we accept your assertion that "most" of the violence was emanating from those loveable rogues in blue -what pittance of the rough'n'tumble that goes with legitimate public protest was coming from your quarter?
I'm curious is all.

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Very little really. self defence normally. There was the incident at UCD where there was a stand off between the cops and builders on strike. That ended up in a bit of a brawl. Varying stories of "who started it" going around. There's obviously a small element of the RTS crowd who go out to cause a bit of mayhem but I wouldn't be associated with any of them. I've got a list of stories of police brutality as long as your arm though.

But what about the Wildcat nature of the action? Previous actions on O'Connell St usually have notice and full union approval (as in a vote).

Do you not consider that particular part, which is what most people complaining have issues with, to be unwelcome? I'm just saying if you are pro-union, as is your right, can you support actions that go against the basic principle of unions.

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Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

But what about the Wildcat nature of the action? Previous actions on O'Connell St usually have notice and full union approval (as in a vote).

Do you not consider that particular part, which is what most people complaining have issues with, to be unwelcome? I'm just saying if you are pro-union, as is your right, can you support actions that go against the basic principle of unions.

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Wildcat strikes are not against the basic principle of unions, just against the rules of "partnership" which in my opinion is contrary to the basic principles of Trade Unionism.
There is a place for wildcat action. As I said my knowledge of the Taxi dispute is limited so I don't know if the wildcat action was justified in this instance.

i suppose the way i look on it, if i had a row with my boss, i couldn't picket Dunnes or Roche's. If the Taxi drivers feel they have an issue with the Taxi regulator, picket his office, dito Dublin City Council & The dept of the Environment. Why stop ordinary joe soaps from getting home or working. Marching isone thing, but parking your car blocking the road isn't available to anyone else. :mad:

Farmers did it with their tractors. There was also a motor insurance justice action group protest that did much the same thing.

Just on the actual issue, I read an article in yesterdays indo that said it was about the regulator wanting to reduce taxi fares and also about the DAA banning the luggage charge from the airport. If this is the case I can see their gripe. Fuel costs are rising and every other business seems able to pass this cost onto the consumer. The rise in the price of crude oil must be hitting Taxi's pretty hard. The other issue is that they have to pay the DAA to use the airport taxi rank. They used to offset this cost with the luggage charge. Now they are refusing to pay the DAA the charge for using the rank. Thats fair enough IMO.

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Farmers did it with their tractors. There was also a motor insurance justice action group protest that did much the same thing.

Just on the actual issue, I read an article in yesterdays indo that said it was about the regulator wanting to reduce taxi fares and also about the DAA banning the luggage charge from the airport. If this is the case I can see their gripe. Fuel costs are rising and every other business seems able to pass this cost onto the consumer. The rise in the price of crude oil must be hitting Taxi's pretty hard. The other issue is that they have to pay the DAA to use the airport taxi rank. They used to offset this cost with the luggage charge. Now they are refusing to pay the DAA the charge for using the rank. Thats fair enough IMO.

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That said Taxi drivers have been overcharging the consumer for quite a long time now, so I don't see where they are going to get their support from on this issue, especially when they go around disrupting the average joes day to day schedule