How much more anti-British can the Conservative Party get? Tory councillors in Southampton have joined Labour, far left cranks and trade unions in dismissing as “offensive” stickers on taxis which advise customers that the drivers speak English.

Leading Southampton Tory councillor Brian Parnell, who represents the Freemantle ward for the Conservative Party and is chairman of the council’s licensing committee, said that the stickers were “offensive” and “not the image we want for Southampton.”

According to news reports, about a dozen taxi drivers in the city have started displaying the small St George’s Cross stickers which declare that the cab has an “English speaking driver.”

According to the taxi drivers, the purpose of the stickers is to ensure that the public is able to communicate with the driver. About half of the taxis in Southampton are run by Asians, and the public apparently has great difficulty communicating with them.
In addition, the taxi drivers say, there have also been complaints from passengers about drivers using sat navs and over-charging.

A news report quoted Clive Johnson, chairman of taxi firm Radio Taxis and the Southampton Trade Association, as saying that the “signs are not racial. They are a protest to the council saying please make sure all new drivers have command of the English language.
“There are a few drivers out there who cannot speak English and just bluff their way along,” Mr Johnson said.
“It doesn’t matter if they are Polish, Russian, French or Spanish; if they can’t communicate with passengers then it’s a problem.”

Another taxi driver quoted, (Mr Peter Ford), said: “It’s just about letting customers know that the driver will actually be able to speak English, which isn’t always the case.”

Fellow driver Chris Head added: “I have no problem with the stickers. Lots of customers will wait at ranks until an English driver comes along because they want someone they can talk to.”

However, the Tory councillor Mr Parnell said the stickers were “offensive” because he wants to “promote harmony in the city.”
Mr Parnell was backed by Perry McMillan, chairman of the Southampton cab section of trade union Unite; far leftist crank Ged Grebby, chairman of the bizarrely named “Show Racism the Red Card” group; and Labour Southampton councillor Don Thomas in condemning the stickers.

At least we should be thankful to Cllr Parnell and Don Thomas for being honest about their anti-English sentiments, which is more than can be said for their party’s leadership.
Original article... HERE

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