David Mellor and taxi driver

rosequartz

Let HM have the last word then:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2850989/Mac-David-Mellor-s-Royal-taxi-rant.html

I can't believe so much energy has gone into this subject-matter! What does come across is how we all feel about some who consider themselves above treating others in an acceptable/non-acceptable manner.

Just read the actual transcript of the conversation David Mellor had with the taxi driver. a bit yesterday's news I know. What an arse!

DM not the taxi driver.

A colleague on a work call with one of our directors at head office was taken to task by something he'd said during it. We then had a "Do you know who I am?" "No" "Good" and phone down scenario.

I know Mellor is no longer an MP but his attitude is the same as so many of his ilk.

I have just been listening to the Business Select Committee's hostile and arrogant interview of the 38 Degrees chappy. I couldn't believe the way he was spoken to and the presumption that those who signed the TTIP petition were ignorant of the true facts, "facts" which no-one seems to want published. It was unbelievable.

If the fact that people are fed up with the overbearing behaviour is brought up with an MP they all nod saying things must change but I see precious little evidence. They all wanted kicking up the backside.

DD got the "do you know who I am?" treatment from a faded 60s pop star a couple of years ago, and was able to reply in all honesty "I'm afraid not, Madam."

"Do you know who I am?"
"Oh dear, have you forgotten?"

It's a pity the cab driver hadn't picked an awkward place and said something like "okay mate, your journey has just ended...... Now hop it".

Horrible man.

I would just like to say that when DH was mini cabbing when we were first married he carried a lot of "celebrities" round London and the majority were really nice people. His favourite was Olivia Newton John (Hmm I wonder why that was!) but he got on very well with Peter Cook too.

As someone said in the paper today - if you say "Do you know who I am?" they're really saying "Do you know who I used to be?"

I have been waiting for years for someone to say 'Do you know who I am' to me. But no-one has ever said it yet.

OK, GT understood now!

Not defending DM in any way, as I said before. Just reporting the other point of view as I had just heard it which I thought was interesting.

There are usually two sides to a story.

Rose - the feudal comment was not aimed at you, it was aimed at anyone who thinks that the cabbie should just have had to put up with it and not do anything - and there are some posters who have said this either explicitly or implicitly. And Eleo is absolutely right - it wasn't a private conversation in any meaningful sense of the word. And the fact that we don't know the start of the encounter is, to me, irrelevant because what we do know says all we need to know about this odious little oik.

What is so sacrosanct about a taxi? The cabbie wasn't recording a private conversation that his passengers were having - that would obviously be an invasion of privacy. He recorded an exchange between himself and David Mellor. If such abusive language had occurred in a different place of work, I would imagine a customer/client would be asked to leave.

Without hearing the whole of the conversation, there is always a doubt that something else occurred or was said that incited Mellor's behaviour but, even if that were the case, his attitude and attempt to humiliate the driver was dreadful.

Whether some cabbies are annoyed about the driver recording this exchange is, I think, irrelevant. No working person should be subjected to this sort of ignorant behaviour without there being some kind of comeback - otherwise such people will think they can behave as they please.

It's positively feudal to say that the cab driver should just have to put up with any abuse and say nothing.
I didn't say anything of the kind, GT ( as to how someone can so misinterpret what someone has posted). I merely reported what I heard on the radio just after I heard it. I neither agreed nor disagreed with it. Obviously the discussion has gone on (as some of these threads do) and you say that other drivers have been interviewed who have a different point of view.

The drivers I heard interviewed obviously have a code of ethics which this one broke and they were annoyed with him.

No GT.

And soon, if someone racially abused a cab driver, or sexually harassed them verbally, should that stay in the cab?

Well rose it's only some of the cab drivers criticising him, others are supporting him so not quite sure where that takes the discussion. It's positively feudal to say that the cab driver should just have to put up with any abuse and say nothing.

I'm not defending DM in any way, he shouldn't have used bad language and tried to throw his weight around and belittle the driver even if he was very frustrated with him. However, I did think it was interesting to hear the views of other black cab drivers that the driver shouldn't have tittle tattled to anyone, let alone the media.

ooh.
I suppose it makes sense. What is said in a cab, stays in the cab.

That is interesting ROSE

Well, that was very interesting - I was just listening to the radio and several black cab drivers were being intereviewed about this incident. Several had picked up David Mellor, one just the other day, and some said that he often tells them which way he would like them to drive him and they always abide by it. The worst thing one of them said about him was that 'he could be a bit arrogant' but most said he was absolutely fine. They said what conversations go on in the back of the cab or between cabbie and passenger should not be repeated.

They were disgusted with the cab driver for doing what he did and they said when they find out who he is he will be ostracized.

When asked "Do you know who I am?"

Its a pity the cab driver didn't answer;

"Yes, aren't you that prat who famously sucked the toes of that De Sancha woman"

I think it is quite common for cabs to have recording and videoing equipment set up in their cabs. Don't blame them with some of the people they have to pick up.

Don't black cabs have CCTV nowadays to catch out people who abuse or assault drivers?