Page 33
Call Sign March 2012
DIANE ABBOTT APOLOGISES
Following last month's Call Sign survey on whether taxi drivers
Last month's Call Sign published a survey with
the views of nine Dial-a-Cab drivers on the
refuse black passengers...
tweet from Shadow Health Minister Diane
Abbott MP in which she said she felt dubious
of black people who say they had never expe-
rienced racism. She then added a line that was
obviously aimed at black people: "Ever tried
believe in doing that."
hailing a taxi?"
DaC driver David Baker (D22) complained
Two of the DaC drivers surveyed were black
to his local MP Clive Efford about Diane
and their comments showed that Ms Abbott
Abbott's generalisations of taxi drivers. Mr
wasn't totally wrong, however many took her
Efford, who is a former green badge licence
tweet as an insult because it had been a gener-
holder, told David:
alisation that painted all taxi drivers as racists.
I am pleased that Diane has apologised for
One DaC driver has even complained to his
the tweet. Quite soon after she explained that
local MP.
she understood people had interpreted her
But Ms Abbott has how apologised for any
comments as making generalisations about
offence caused by her comments. She says she
white people, she said: "I do not believe in
did not mean to generalise when she tweeted
doing that. I apologise for any offence
that white people loved playing divide and
caused."
rule.
As you say, Diane is a capable and engag-
It had originally been a response to criticism
ing politician and I really believe she did not
of media use of "black community leaders" fol-
mean what she said and the way it was put. I
lowing the Stephen Lawrence murder trial,
think there is a lesson for all of us potentially
but Labour leader Ed Miliband had told Ms
in the public eye to be careful about the way
Abbott her remarks were "unacceptable."
DaC driver David Baker complained to
that we use modern mass communication ser-
Diane Abbott was the first black woman to
his local MP about Diane Abbott's
vices such as Twitter. We can get carried away
be elected as an MP and is also well-known as
tweet on taxi drivers being racists
with the conversation and forget that the mes-
a political commentator on Andrew Neil's
In a later statement, Ms Abbott apologised for
sages can be spread to millions of people in an
This Week, alongside former Tory MP Michael
any offence caused and added: "I understand
incredibly short time...
Portillo. Following the storm over her tweet,
people have interpreted my comments as mak-
So far as Call Sign is concerned, the matter
she then sent a further tweet saying that her
ing generalisations about white people. I do not
is now closed...
remark had been taken out of context.
Russell Bamber poses the question...
Are Westminster PCNs deliberately incorrect?
Dial-a-Cab driver Russell Bamber
(N27) has been with the Society for
around nine years, so he has seen the
proliferation of Parking Charge Notices
especially in the Westminster area.
But over the past few months, Call
Sign has spoken to several drivers who
have all claimed the same thing that
they believed Westminster were delib-
erately making errors in their initial
Gotcha! The Westmi
nster watchers are w
PCNs, so that they could be rescinded
atching you!
without the need for council employees having to
attend any appeal. Why? Well as most drivers seem to pay the PCN directly without appealing, the council
would still be getting a substantial amount of fines but without the cost of attending or gathering a `packet' of evidence together.
DaC appeal virtually every ticket and have seen the total fines bill literally plummet. Is that the answer?
Russell told Call Sign: I received the PCN at the end of November for allegedly parking in Bourne Street SW1 and appealed to the
council. He said the PCN claimed the offence occurred in Bourne Street, whereas on the website it put the cctv camera as being at
Pimlico Road / Bloomfield Terrace West. But there is no Bloomfield Terrace West - or north, south or west! Surely enough to get the
PCN cancelled? On top of that Russell also said that he had a disabled parking badge that he placed in the windscreen whilst he went
to the toilet having previously spent some considerable time looking for a legitimate parking space, much of which had now been
taken up as space for Boris Bikes. He also enquired as to whether the cctv device was static or mobile, pointing out that if static, it
would not have been possible to see his taxi properly, but that if mobile then the Smart car would have had itself been illegally parked
in order to catch Russell. He enquired if that was now Westminster policy?
Westminster rejected his appeal but made no mention of the incorrect positions given even though they could not both be correct.
The council only referred to the ineligibility of his parking badge in the Westminster area. They also went on about Russell's being
parked on a single yellow line no mention of him needing a toilet.
Russell again refused to pay the £130 (£65 if paid within 28 days) and lodged a notice of appeal to the arbitrator. One
week before the given date, Westminster cancelled the PCN giving no reason.
Many drivers have had their PCNs pulled at the last minute if giving notification of appealing to the arbitration service, but it is only
recently that several have mentioned no excuse being given and they were left wondering whether Westminster are just handing out
as many PCNs as possible hoping that drivers will just pay up and that those who appeal to the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service
(PATAS), are just written off? If you read the story on page 7, then perhaps it all makes sense???
