19 June 2015 - Boris Johnson tells cab driver to f*** off and die
Activer le mode zen
Boris Johnson: Telling a cab driver to f*** off and die was just a gentle attempt at return of service
Matt Dathan (The Independent)
He was cycling home on a Friday night when a cab driver apparently accused him of not doing enough to protect black cabs amid rising use of private hire cars because of the smart phone app Uber.
“You’re one of them mate. That’s what you are. One of them,” the driver told the Tory MP, according to the footage obtained by The Sun newspaper.
Mr Johnson stopped his bicycle and said: “Why don’t you f*** off and die, why don’t you f*** off and die – and not in that order.”
The driver replied: “Yeah b*******, I hope you die.”
Read on...
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Context
Agencies (The Telegraph)
The incident reportedly took place as Mr Johnson was cycling home on June 5 at around 12.20am in St John's Street, Islington, north London.
A source close to the mayor told the Mail: "I believe this particular cabbie is a serial heckler. He offered Boris a few choice words. Boris felt obliged to offer him a few in return. And off they went."
Steve McNamara, spokesman for the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, told the paper: "The taxi drivers in London are rightly worried about the way private firms are operating.
"I can understand why the driver had a pop at Boris, and to be fair to him, he gave back as good as he got."
Read on...
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Uber
Staff (BBC News)
The black cab trade blame London Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London for failing to do enough to protect them.
Cabbies say the rise of minicab phone apps - in particular Uber - and the increase in illegal minicab touting is putting them out of business.
Cabbies are unhappy that Uber uses a mobile app to work out the cost of journeys. They argue this is the same as a taxi meter, which only black cabs are legally entitled to use in London.
There have been protests on the roads and at City Hall - and radio phone-ins are inundated with aggrieved taxi drivers.
Read on...
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Reaction
Ollie McAteer (The Washington Post)
The onlooker who filmed the row on his iPhone is quoted on the Mail Online as saying: ‘I didn’t expect Boris to use such select words – maybe if he is going to be the next Prime Minister he should calm things down a bit.’
The incident comes just days after Arnold Schwarzenegger was spotted riding around London on a Boris Bike.
What a week it’s been.
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19 June 2015 - Boris Johnson tells cab driver to f*** off and die, La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), juin 2015. Consulté le 01/02/2025. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/key-story/archives-revue-de-presse-2015/19-june-2015-boris-johnson-tells-cab-driver-to-f-off-and-die